Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter 21, 1909

Chapter 21

"Thus man may build, encumbering the sod; And where this pygmy delver holdeth sway, It seems the burly Titan may have trod. And toiled through hours of his primal day; And yet, one stroke - a flash of fire from God - And man's creations, crumbling, shrink away."

Mount Vernon has passed the point where it depends upon the county trade alone for prosperity, but has sought prosperity in the securing of manufacturing industries. Hence, we esteem it proper that we notice them as the real result of our cyclone - and then refer to the cyclone itself. First, we refer to the Mount Vernon Car Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of freight cars of every description, barrel cars, box cars, caboose cars, coal cars, construction cars, mine cars, drop bottom cars, dump cars, flat cars, furniture cars, hopper bottom cars, hay cars, logging cars, long flat cars for show purposes, mining cars, ore cars, phosphate cars, refrigerator cars, stock cars, tank cars, car wheels, engine wheels, passenger wheels, car and engine castings of all kinds and car forgings of all kinds, was established in 1 890. The company employs an average of eight hundred men, and its daily capacity is twenty freight cars and three hundred car wheels. It has turned out more than twenty million dollars' worth of work since starting, which has been sent to all parts of the country, including Canada, Old Mexico and South America. It numbers among its customers all the leading railroads of the United States. Since its establishment, it has paid out over three million dollars for wages and is now paying out between three and four hundred thousand dollars annually in wages.

New and improved machinery is being added constantly, to keep up with improved methods and new standards being adopted by the railroads. The foundry is a very important part of the works, where the latest and most scientific methods are used, including the analysis of every pound of iron and fuel going into the cupalos, and every cast that is taken out. A very complete chemical laboratory, with every known appliance for the analysis and testing of the metals and fuels used, is established in the basement of the new building, with a first-class chemist in charge. This, with first-class foundry practice, enables the company to manufacture wheels to meet all kinds of specifications and stand the severest tests required by the different railroads.

In addition to the new work manufactured, the company also has an extensive repair department, where they repair old cars for railroads. They have large trackage, used especially for this purpose. The plant, being equipped with the most modern machinery, is able to compete with any of the leading car works of the country.

The company has just completed and moved into a handsome three-story office building, a credit to any city. The first floor of the building is used for the chemist's office and laboratory, clerk's room, wash room, storage rooms for files, records, blue prints, etc. An emergency hospital will also be arranged in one of the rooms on the first floor, where employes that are injured may be cared for. The second floor is occupied by the secretary's office, superintendent's office, general office, draftman's office, railroad inspector's room, time-keeper's and paymaster's office, stationery room and vault. The third floor is occupied by the president's office, the vice-president's and treasurer's office, directors' room, consultation room, vice-president's secretary, bookkeepers, telephone room and lavatory. All of the departments are handsomely decorated and furnished. The building throughout is equipped with every modern convenience, being especially designed and built for the convenience of the business.

A system of telephones and electric bells is used for communication with the different departments and the Western Union Telegraph Company wires and long distance telephone are installed in the building.

Mount Vernon has one good coal mine, which furnishes a good article of coal and helps supply the great local demand for fuel, as supply the engines on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. It was put down by John Gibson and other enterprising citizens now gone, but - their works do follow them.

The Citizens Gas, Electric and Heating Company of Mount Vernon was organized April 26, 1902, and incorporated May 1 3th of the same year, with a capital stock of two hundred thousand dollars. The officers are W. H. Schott, president; Anthony C. Hunt, vice-president; H. R. Kingman, secretary and treasurer. This company succeeded the Mount Vernon Water Company and the Mount Vernon Electric Company, affecting a combination of both plants. When the plants were moved and rebuilt in 1903, gas works and a central heating plant were added. It has in operation three thousand five hundred miles of electric circuit, eighteen miles of water mains, ten miles of gas mains, ten miles of hot water heating mains. The capacity of the electric light plant is two hundred kilowatts, that of the water works four million gallons per day, with a reservoir capacity of three hundred and ninety million gallons. The capacity of the gas works is seventy-five thousand cubic feet of gas per day, and that of the heating plant seventy-five thousand square feet of radiation. The utilities furnished by this company are electric current for domestic, commercial and decorative lighting and power; gas for fuel, light and power; city water for domestic and manufacturing purposes and fire protection ; central station hot water heating for residences, churches, clubs, offices and stores. It furnishes to the city seventy-five electric street arc lights, burning all night and every night in the year, sixty-two fire hydrants, two public water fountains, free lights at city hall, public library and fire deparmtent, and city fire alarm system. All of the equipment is first class and the company is managed in a business like manner. With such public utilities as are furnished by .this-c/jsapany, the people of Mount Vernon enjoy every convenience that could be found in the largest cities.

The Chicago Tie Preserving Company, which is utilizing thousands of feet of timber heretofore considered worthless; the Royal Knitting Company, lately removed from Chester and now giving employment to nearly a hundred persons.

The Mount Vernon Ice & Storage Company was incorporated October 16, 1903. The capital stock is twenty-five thousand dollars. The stockholders and directors are Herbert R. Kingman, Wilbur Ayers, G. Gale Gilbert, John R. Allen, L. L. Emmerson, Frank E. Patton, and J. H. Maxey. The officers are J. R. Allen, president; Wilbur Ayers, vice-president; J. H. Maxey, secretary and treasurer.

Then comes the Mount Vernon Canning and Preserving Factory, which promises to be another of Mount Vernon's great and important industries. For the past few years it has been leased to the T. A. Snider's Cincinnati Preserving and Catsup Company, and each year has used nearly one hundred thousand bushels of tomatoes in putting up the Snider brand of catsup, which readily sells in every market of the world. H. L. Dryer is local manager of the plant and employs about sixty men and women during the tomato season, a great help to Mount Vernon. It is the intention to enlarge the plant and in addition to the preserving process, can all kinds of vegetables and fruits, which will very greatly increase the outlay of money in our midst, by giving more work, and buying the farmers' products.

Then we have a branch of the Nashville, Tennessee Knitting Factory, which employs as high as seventy-five or one hundred women and girls, at remunerative wages, and sends its goods to all the markets of the country.

These are the principal industries of Mount Vernon, but she is continually reaching out for more and she generally gets what she goes for. All these industries and the wonderful building up of the town have come about since the town was devasted and apparently ruined by the great cyclone of 1 888.

The Cyclone

Mount Vernon has had several disastrous fires, but its greatest calamity visited it on the evening of February 1 9, 1 888, when, without warning a cyclone swept across it from the southwest to the northeast through a densely built portion of the city, in a track about a half of a mile in width and more than a mile in length, leaving wreck and ruin in its wake, and bringing sorrow on account of deaths, injuries and loss of property. In a few days a place of desolation was transformed into one of activity and life, and all traces of the track of the storm were blotted out and the ruins were replaced by beautiful and substantial buildings. The city has continued to thrive and prosper and now with its railroads, car-works, gas and electric light plant, knitting factory, coal mine, brick plant, ice plant and other industries, its various lines of business, wholesale and retail, its beautiful public buildings, its miles of paved streets and granitoid and brick sidewalks, its beautiful lawns and cozy homes, make its population of more than ten thousand prosperous citizens, and extend an invitation and inducement to others to locate among us and cast their lot with us for the accomplishment of other enterprises and keeping this city in its present position in the front ranks of the many beautiful and prosperous cities of the great state of Illinois.

Many, very many, things occurred during this great cyclone, which lasted but a minute, that might be told and sworn to by eyewitnesses - that, ordinarily could not be believed. The disaster came at the end of a murky, warm, winter day, a few minutes after the people had arrived home from their afternoon Sunday schools. It came without warning - struck the town at the Beal homestead, swooped down through the center of the town destroying all the houses in its course and lifted just after it had leveled the Franklin school-house - about four hundred and fifty houses were totally wrecked. Thirty persons were either killed or died from the hurts received. The Supreme Court house, which was not in the storm s path, was converted into a hospital and the Presbyterian church near it into a depot of supplies, and money and supplies were poured in from people from nearly every town and city until about one hundred fifty thousand dollars' worth had been received and distributed to the helpless, destitute citizens of the devastated town. After hunting for and caring for the dead and wounded, all through the rainy, cold terrible night, and fighting fires which broke out in the wreckage, the view presented in the morning was truly fearful and appalling. But new strength and courage seemed to come with the rising sun, and soon the sound of saw and hammer was heard in every direction. And, Phoenix-like, Mount Vernon began to rise from its ashes and put on more beautiful aspect than before. Workmen came from every direction and when useless sight-seers came around with their pessimistic wails, the workmen answered as did those who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. "We are engaged in a great work, so that we can not come down and confer with you." And so the work werit on, and is going on to this day. A spirit of enterprise was born in our people - right in the face of great disaster - which gave them glimpses of future possibilities never before dreamed of and that spirit resulted in the creation of the "King City" of Southern Illinois, with a population nearly four times as great as then and a business that bears no comparison with before the cyclone. In fact the terrible disaster developed all the good, strong characteristics of our true American citizens, and has demonstrated the stuff we are made of.

Some of the papers of our homes and business men that went out with the cyclone, were found as far away as Xenia and Flora, in Clay county and between here and there. We recovered the G. A. R. banner hanging in a tree a mile or two out of town. Many homes were lifted, leaving the inmates on the floor unmolested. The water and mud were lifted out of several cisterns and wells. On the school-house grounds many grass straws were stuck into the bark of the trees and they could not be pulled out. Much stock was killed, by force and electricity. One cow was found dead with a ham of meat sticking in her head - the hock having entered her skull. We noticed an oak water barrel, which had been pierced by a stick as large as a baseball club, having been driven through a stave as if shot from a cannon. These and many other freaks were seen and knovsTi of by many of our people - all showing the unknown force that accompanies a real cyclone twister. May we never see another.

It is safe to repeat that had it not been for this fearful calamity, this destroying beasom from the elements of Mount Vernon would not be today the city that it is- - with its many churches and schools, its humming industries and its ten thousand hustling inhabitants - all going to show what a real live industrious optimistic people can do in the face of seeming destruction and defeat.