Cincinnati, Baltimore, New Orleans, Cleveland, Detroit and Louisville, were surpassed by Kansas City. The rapid growth of Kansas City as a financial bulwark is shown comprehensively in this statement of bank deposits and bank clearings covering totals for each one of the past ten years: 1898, deposits $35,814,000, clearings $585,294,637; 1899, deposits $48,019,000, clearings $648,270,711; 1900, deposits $55,277,580, clearings $775,264,813; 1901, deposits $73,799,588, clearings $918,198,416; 1902, deposits $77,250,577, clearings $988,294,998; 1903, deposits $78,245,525, clearings $1,074,878,589; 1904, deposits $84, 228,000, clearings $1,097,887,155; 1905, deposits $91,665,721, clearings $1,197,905,556; 1906, deposits $102,215,000 clearings $1,331,673,055; 1907, deposits $114,365,493, clearings $1,649,375,013. The increase of $317,701,958 in the clearings for 1907 over the total for 1906 was greater than the total increase of bank clearings for the six years from 1880 to 1886, during which time Kansas City's famous "boom" occurred. From 1889 to 1896 little progress was made, but since 1896 the growth has been rapid. The total bank deposits in Kansas City banks were more than 300 per cent greater at the close of 1907 than the largest total of deposits reached in the year 1898, ten years previous. Reasons for Kansas City's growth and stability in banking are not difficult to discover. Since the early '50s, when the Northrup & Chick bank was started here, Kansas City has been recognized as a point for the distribution of merchandise and supplies for a vast territory. It has also developed along with its wholesale and jobbing trade, a great market for the products of this territory, as well as the building up of many lines of manufacture. These, in addition to the fact that it is a recognized money center for its trade territory, necessarily call for sound banks and safe banking methods. CHAPTER XI. THE STORY OF THE RAILROADS. Kansas City has twenty systems of railroads and thirty-nine separate lines, making it the second largest railroad center in America. The railroads entering Kansas City have an aggregate mileage of about 50,000, nearly one-fourth of the mileage of all the railroads in the United States. The lines radiating from Kansas City traverse thirty-one states and territories. From this center the capitals of sixteen states can be reached without changing cars. The various lines reach 10,146 cities and towns direct. More than two hundred passenger trains enter and disappear from the Union depot daily. About three hundred freight trains, with an average of about 11,000 cars, pass in and out of the city daily. No other city anywhere can offer merchants and manufactures better shipping facilities than Kansas City. One of the city's greatest inducements to new capital is its superior transportation facilities. It is the point from which the railroads can gather the largest tonnage over the greatest area. Kansas City has for its trade territory the Southwest-equal to one-third of the United States, with a population of more than 20 million. This is the market controlled by Kansas City without competition from any other city capable of surpassing it in the matter of freight rates. This condition must continue as true of the future as of the past, since Kansas City has the natural advantages that will enable it to have and to hold forever its market ascendency in the vast region. The Northwest is a business battle-field between Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth. The cities of the East and South are hampered with competition, but the great Southwest belongs to Kansas City. It was a round about journey from Kansas City to the East before the advent of the Pacific railroad of Missouri, now known as the Missouri Pacific railroad. The steamer Emile, Captain Sam Burks, left Kansas City every day for Leavenworth, Kas., and Weston, Mo. At Weston connection was made with the Platte Valley railroad to St. Joseph, Mo., connecting there with the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, leaving St. Joseph at midnight for Hannibal and connecting at Macon, Mo., with the North Missouri railroad, now the Wabash railroad, for St. Louis. At Hannibal connections were made with the Keokuk and St. Louis packets for St. Louis. Passengers for Chicago and Eastern points boarded the steamer Mollie McPike at Hannibal for Quincy, connecting with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, or Great Western railway of Illinois. The trip from Kansas City to Chicago was made in forty hoursone train a day each way, only one line and no choice of roads. The Platte Valley railroad was completed May 24, 1860, from St. Joseph to Weston. Steamboat E. Hensley, Captain John Nicely, ran daily between Weston and Leavenworth and between Weston and Kansas City. The Platte Valley railroad afterwards was built from Weston to Kansas City and completed to Harlem, opposite Kansas City, in the spring of 1869, and was known as the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs railroad. The first conductor on the Platte Valley railroad and afterwards the first conductor on the Atchison & Pike's Peake railroad west of Atchison, was Colonel Richard B. Morris, a resident of Atchison. Railroad fare was high in the early days. The passenger fare from Kansas City to St. Louis was $14.50; to Chicago, $24.50; to Cincinnati, $29.00; to New York City, $48.00; to Boston, $52.00; and intermediate points in proportion. Ground was broken in Kansas City for the Pacific railroad of Missouri, July 25, 1860, building towards Pleasant Hill, Mo., to connect with the main line coming west from St. Louis. The first engine for this railroad came from St. Louis by steamboat and was landed at Kansas City in June, 1864, about the site of Kelly's flour mill, East Bottoms. This engine was unloaded and placed on the rails under the direction of H. Hale, who built the railroad to Pleasant Hill and afterwards was the superintendent of the Western division, Sedalia to Kansas City. Mr. Hale was well known to the old-time citizens of Kansas City. He was at one time superintendent of the Union depot. In 1908 he was a member of the Soldiers' home at Leavenworth, and was upwards of 90 years old. The railroad was completed to Little Blue station, July 4, 1864. Mr. Hale invited the citizens to Little Blue for a picnic. He took his engine and four flat cars on which he constructed board seats and ran this train on the holiday between the two points to handle the crowds. Many of the old-time citizens, Judge J. E. Guinotte, then a lad, among them, had their first railroad ride on that occasion. The first passenger train came into the East bottoms of Kansas City from St. Louis September 25, 1865. Later in the fall, Nov. 15, 1865, the track was extended to the present Grand Avenue depot. Grading was started to Leavenworth. The first through passenger train was run from Leavenworth to St. Louis, July 1, 1866. The road was completed from Leavenworth to Atchison, Kas., September 10, 1869. In the early days, there were two trains daily between Kansas City and St. Louis. The trip to St. Louis required eighteen hours. The fare was $14.50. The time now between the two cities is about eight hours by five different railroads with about twenty trains daily at a ticket rate of $5.50. The Missouri Pacific was built as a broad gauge railroad, five feet six inches. The gauge was changed to the present standard gauge. In the year 1870, this was done between St. Louis and Leavenworth in less than ten hours and was considered a wonderful feat at that time. In 1867, there was built by the Missouri Pacific railroad and the Kansas Pacific railroad a big hotel and a station house in the West Bottoms, known as the State Line House and Station. All passengers were transferred at that point by both roads. On the completion of the Cameron branch and until the bridge across the Missouri river was finished, the Kansas Pacific came East on the Missouri tracks on the levee to the Gilliss House. Passengers were transferred from one road to the other by a ferry that operated between Kansas City and Harlem. |