Cass County, Indiana - Chapter 31: Logansport's Present Industries, 1913

Chapter 31: Logansport's Present Industries

The original shops of the Chicago & Great Eastern Railroad were moved from Richmond to Logansport in 1863. Six years later the roa(? was leased by the Panhandle Company, and still later they became absolute owners and steps were at once taken to enlarge the old shops. There was talk of building the new shops at Richmond, but the city of Logansport made a donation of $50,000 and the company located their shops permanently in Logansport and erected a roundhouse and other shop buildings, which were completed and occupied in May, 1870, which have been added to and enlarged until the present shops, roundhouse and yards occupy over twenty acres of ground, lying west of Seventeenth street and north of the Wabash river. The shops are large and substantially built and fitted up with the latest machinery and they are capable of building new engines or cars, but the principal work is rebuilding and repairing the company's engines and cars. The buildings and grounds are lighted by an electrical plant owned by the company, enabling them to work day and night in times of rush or in emergencies. In December, 1912, there were 1,100 men employed in all departments under the direction of the master mechanic and his aids and this is undoubtedly Logansport 's largest industrial institution.

The Logansport, Crawfordsville & Southwestern Railroad, the Logansport & St. Joe Railroad and the old Detroit & Eel River Railroad were all completed and running into Logansport in the early seventies. It became necessary to have a roundhouse and some repair shops to care for the engines and cars of these roads and the companies took steps at once to erect such buildings on ground located on Water street. West Side. Later, when the Vandalia gained control of these roads, larger buildings became necessary and now the company has commodious shops and roundhouse where they overhaul and repair their engines and cars and about two hundred men are employed in the yards and shops.

In the year 1900 the citizens of Logansport in order to encourage factories to locate here, purchased a tract of land of John R. Kennedy adjoining on the north the state line division of the Panhandle Railroad, laid it out into a factory site and 111 building lots, the latter were sold to as many citizens for $250.00 each, and the surplus proceeds, together with the factory site, was donated to the Logansport Foundry Company on condition that it would at once locate their shops thereon.

This company was organized in 1900 with a capital stock of $40,000. The incorporators were F. B. Wilkinson, J. F. Digan, M. F. Gartland and J. H. Shaumleffel. Foundry buildings were soon after erected and the company began operations. In 1903 a small frame building was erected and leased to E. A. Rutenber Manufacturing Company of Chicago, and in 1904 these two concerns were consolidated under the corporate name of the ** Western Motor Company.'*

To accommodate the increased business a large brick building was at once erected covering 72,000 square feet of floor space at a cost of about $15,000 and engaged extensively in the manufacture of the ** Rutenber*' engine or motor for automobiles. In its prosperous stages the company employed 425 men and transacted an annual business of $1,000,000. In 1912 a reorganization was affected, a part of the business having removed to Marion, Indiana, and the present ** Rutenber Motor Company*' passed into the control of G. W. Bowen of Auburn, New York. The present capitalization is $300,000 and G. W. Boweu is president, J. W. Stephenson, secretary and A. C. Barley, treasurer. The company now employs two hundred men.

About 1899 Henry A. Dorner of Buffalo, New York, came to Logansport and organized a company known as the *' Dorner Truck & Foundry Company," to manufacture trucks of which he was the patentee. To aid this enterprise a site was secured between Twenty-first and Twentysecond streets on the north of the Wabash railroad and a tract of land adjoining on the north was laid out into building lots known as tho *' Dorner Addition" and sold to the citizens. A building was erected and the factory started up on a small scale, but did not prosper and in 1909 the took charge of the buildings and grounds. This company is incorporated with a capital stock of $150,000, divided among nine stockholders. The officers are J. F. Digan, president; John F. Burke, manager; and Harley Wilkin, salesman. The company has enlarged the buildings to accommodate their increased trade and turns out a superior grade of radiators, which find a ready market in all surrounding cities. The company now employ 150 men.

These works occupy a substantial brick building located on Erie avenue at the south end of Seventh street, which was erected and opened for business in 1897. The firm consisted of John T. Obenchain and Stephen B. Boyer. This firm was running a steam flouring mill at this point, but it was completely destroyed by fire and they at once erected a new building on the same grounds and embarked in the

J. T. Obenchain was bom in Ohio in 1838, came with his father, Matthew Obenchain, to Cass county in 1852, and continuously resided in the county until his death, which occurred August 29, 1909. He possessed an inquiring mind, was a millwright and inventor of the ** Little Giant Water Wheel'' and various milling machinery and the ** Chemical Fire Engine '* so successfully, manufactured by this firm. Since Mr. Obenchain 's death, Mr. Boyer, the surviving partner, is still carrying on the business, the product of the factory fmding a ready sale as it is demonstrated to be superior to other chemical fire extinguishers of similar design. The firm ship, engines to all parts of the United States and Canada and to China, Australia, South America and the West Indies.

W. C. Routh has been in the butcher and meat business for many years, but in 1905 the business of which he was the chief owner was incorporated under the above title with a capitalization of $200,000, all the stock being held by local men. A commodious brick slaughter and packing house was erected on the south bank of the Wabash river a mile or more west of town on the Vandalia railroad, thus affording easy transportation facilities. The building is fitted up with all modern conveniences for slaughtering animals, curing the meat and caring for the by-products and offal similar to the packing houses of Chicago. The company supplies the local trade and ships the surplus to outside markets. They purchase fat stock, not only from this county, but ship in from surrounding towns and have an annual output of over $1,000,000. They give employment to one hundred people.

It is interesting to compare the methods of slaughtering hogs and curing and packing the meat with the old methods of Israel Johnson, who used to pack pork in his old warehouse on the canal sixty or more years ago. Then the farmer did the slaughtering on the farm with the offal thrown away. Mr. Johnson would cut up the carcass, curing only the shoulders, hams and sides, there being no market for the feet, heads and often the spare ribs were given to poor people, who would carry them away. Many an old pioneer has related to the writer how he would go to Israel Johnson 's warehouse and get pigs feet for the carrying them out of his way. Today all is changed. In the great slaughter houses the hog is lifted by machinery into the scal,ding vat and kept moving until the process is completed and along the way, everything is utilized, nothing goes to waste except the ** squeal" of the hog. The hair is gathered, the blood preserved for making buttons or **haematin,'' the entrails and their contents make fertilizers, the hoofs and horns, gelatin, the bones, phosphates, etc. Here again is illustrated the economy of centralization and the operation of large plants requiring great aggregations of capital, thus driving out the small factory or business man.

Notice also the difference in price. Scanning an old advertisement in the Canal Telegraph of 1840, we notice that Israel Johnson announces that he will pay from $1.8714 to $2.25 for dressed hogs, owing to the size and quality. Our farmers of today would wear a smile of derision if Mr. Routh would put out such notices in our daily paper.

Dennis Uhl & Company operate one of the wealthiest manufacturing interests in the city, the elevator and flouring mill located near the mouth of Eel river on the Panhandle Railroad.

This mill was erected in 1859 by Jos. Uhl, father of the present proprietor, who successfully operated the mill for many ears when his son took up the work and has been equally prosperous. This is a large mill, equipped with the latest improved milling machinery that is run by an abundant supply of water from Eel river, which greatly adds to the economy of operating the mill. Of the sixty, or more old water power mills at one time operated in Cass county, this is the only one that is running except a small mill on Pipe creek.

The latest pattern of turbine water wheels are in use, which develop a force equal to 220 horse power and the mill has daily a capacity of two hundred barrels of flour. This mill supplies largely the local demand for flour and mill feed and the surplus is shipped, chiefly to the West Indies. Mr. Uhl handles large quantities of grain, grinding the better grades, and shipping the inferior quality to eastern markets.

About the year 1866 August Frost established a brewery on the north side of High street, west of Fifth and operated it for some years and sold out to John Hurbner and he was succeeded in the business by John Mutcheler and the Logansport Brewing Co., with Eugene Prager, president and manager in 1890 and later the Binz family. From the latter the Columbia Brewing Co. took over the plant under the direction of the present manager, John G. Keip, in 1894; greatly enlarged the building, put in the latest machinery including an ice and cold storage plant. The plant as now constituted represents a capital of $250,000 and consumes annually 25,000 bushels of barley and 500,000 pounds of corn grits, out of which 25,000 barrels of beer is manufactured. The average number of employees the past year is 45.

A. U. McAllister in 1864 erected a frame building on the south side of the old canal opposite Seventh street and opened a factory for the manufacture of steam boilers of all kinds and sizes, in connection therewith he also ran a machine and repair shop, v Mr. McAllister was an old soldier and estimable citizen and operated this factory until his death in 1897, since which time the establishment has been conducted by his son, Elmer McAllister.

This enterprise had its origin in 1864, when Wm. Heppe started a small soap factory on the north side of Linden avenue, east of the old canal, near the old tannery that was operated there for many years, where he continued in business until 1870, when he purchased his present site on the south side of the Wabash river, a short distance west of Logansport. At first he manufactured soap in the old log house built on this ground by Alex Chamberlain in 1828-9, for a tavern, a cut of which is elsewhere shown as it appeared in 1874, when Mr. Heppe tore it down and erected a larger factory. In 1890 this building was destroyed by fire and the present brick structure was erected. The business has gradually increased, demanding increased facilities and a large brick office, warehouse and salesroom was erected on the corner of Elm street and Erie avenue, from which the business is managed, shipping the product of their factory all over Indiana and surrounding states. The company is incorporated, but the stock is held

Longwell & Cummings

Chas. B. Longwell and W. Q. Cummings opened a small printing establishment at the southwest corner of Fifth and Market streets in 1891. When the Masonic Temple was erected in 1894, they occupied the basement of that building for several years, but their rapidly increasing business required larger quarters and in 1904-5 they erected a commodious three-story and a basement building 41 by 90 feet in dimensions at 212-14 Fifth street and fitted it up with the latest presses and printing machinery, necessary to do all kinds of job printing and book binding. They carry a heavy stock of all kinds of stationery supplies and do a large wholesale business in these lines. Their principal work, however, is job printing, especially legal blanks, bank books, school and oflBce supplies and their trade extends from ocean to ocean. The company is incorporated and capitalized at $50,000, the stock being held by local investors. The oflScers are: Chas. B. Longwell, president; W, G. Cummings, vice president and manager; D. A, Middleton, secretary and treasurer.

About fifteen years ago J. J. Hildebrandt, commonly called **Big John," being a lover of the piscatorial art, invented a fishhook and spinner which proved to be a great success and he secured a patent and began its manufacture on a small scale to accommodate his friends. The demand increased, he improved on the old spinners, sent out samples, which seemed to take with fishermen and the demand increased until he was compelled to enlarge his facilities for manufacture and now the Hildebrandt spinner and fishing tackle is known around the world and the shipments amount to thousands of dollars annually.

In 1906 the Logansport Underwear Co. was established and erected a commodious frame building on the point at the mouth of Eel river, but the company had a precarious existence until August, 1911, when it was reorganized under the above name and incorporated with a capitalization of $50,000, the stock being held by Dennis Uhl & Sons, 0. H. Binns, J. H. Foley and W. E. Haney, with Walter Uhl as manager. They manufacture knit underwear and hosiery, the machines being run by water power from Eel river. Twenty-five or thirty machine operators are employed besides oflSce forcfe and salesmen.

In the spring of 1910, under the leadership of H. F. Wills' of Frankfort, Indiana, a company was organized, a franchise secured from the city and a heating plant constructed. The boiler, power house and oflSces are located on the south side of Erie avenue in a «iew and substantial brick building and is furnished with the most improved and complete boilers, pumps and regulating apparatus for heating by steam and hot water. Steam pipes were laid in the down town district, while reverse hot water pipes were laid in the residence district as far east as Thirteenth street. The company's service has given excellent satisfaction and is a great convenience to the people, especially those living in flats, although the cost is usually greater than private heating, but many are connecting up with the company's heating pipes on account of the convenience and they now have nearly two hundred patrons. The company is incorporated with a capital stock of $125,000, held by local men. J. H. Wills is president; Carl Wise, treasurer; P. M. Kistler, secretary and George H. Alexander, manager.

This industry was established in 1901 or 1902 and buildings erected for the purpose at the west end of Bates street. Two years later it was incorporated and in 1912 was reorganized and incorporated with a capital stock of $18,000, held by 18 local stockholders. Henry Garritson is president and manager; W. H. Porter, vice president; M. A. Clary, secretary and J. H. Barnfield, treasurer. All kinds of wooden baskets are manufactured by the newest machinery and best processes, requiring 75 employees to operate the factory, which produces an annual output to the value of $70,000.

Hillock & Pitman opened this industry in 1893 in buildings erected for the purpose on the south side of Toledo street near Sixteenth and have successfully operated tKe factory ever since. They make a certain product called the D-handle out of hard wood, usually ash. In the past twenty years they have paid Cass county farmers over $500,000 for handle timber. But timber is becoming scarce and they are now making large Shipments from outside sources. They ship annually over fifty thousand dozen handles to all parts of the United States and to foreign countries. Thirty men are employed.

Prior to 1862 Logansport was dependent on tallow candles to light its houses and halls and the streets at night were only lighted by the moon and stars. In that year J. W. Baine & Company erected necessary buildings on the south side of the old canal, now Erie avenue, at the south end of Sixth street on the ground now being built upon by G^o. Lynas for a storage room. On August 21, 1862, the city granted a franchise to the' Logansport Gas, Light & Coke Company for a term of 25 years to erect and maintain a gas plant, the company agreeing to complete the plant by October 1, 1863, with at least one mile of street mains and on that day Logansport saw its first gas light. This gas company under different management, the last of whom was E. S. Rice, furnished private lighting and also the street lights until the electric light made its appearance in 1883, when the latter supplanted gas for street lights, but still continued to operate its plant, supplying those who desired it. In 1888, when natural gas was piped into the city, artificial gas again received a jolt it never fully recovered from, but the company continued operations with a greatly diminished output for some years, when it sold out to the Natural Gas Company about 1898, which company, when natural gas entirely failed, furnished artificial gas through its natural gas pipes. In 1909 the gas company, which had changed its name and also some of its stockholders, erected large gas works at Peru, Indiana, laid pipes from those works to Logansport and is now supplying our city with gas from the Peru gas plant and the old gas works erected on Erie avenue in 1862, were abandoned and recently have been demolished. The company now supplying gas to our city is known as the Indiana Lighting Company, of which Mr. Murdock of Lafayette, is the principal stockholder. Their oflSce is now located at 509 Broadway. They report that there are over 26 miles of street mains with 3,530 consumers. Our people became so accustomed to the luxury of natural gas that since its failure many families are using artificial gas for cooking purposes and also for heating water and small rooms and with improved gas burners the cost is not excessive at the present price of $1.00 per one thousand cubic feet.

As noticed elsewhere the borings for natural gas in Cass county were failures and a company known as the Logansport Natural Gas Company was incorporated in 1888 with a capital stock of $600,000 and opened oflBces at 315-17 Pearl street with S. P. Sheerin, president; A. P. Jenks, secretary ; Chas. J. Doherty, treasurer and J. D. S. Neely, superintendent. This company piped natural gas from its many wells in Howard county to Logansport, laid gas mains through our streets and supplied natural gas to nearly all who desired to use this ideal fuel at very low rates, to wit: $10.50 per year for an ordinary heating stove and $18.00 per year for a cook stove and 12 cents per thousand feet by metre measurement, but the natural gas began to fail in ten years and in 1902 could not be relied upon and the following year it entirely failed and the pipes were removed.

Many years ago J. B. Lynas established a factory for the manufacture of extracts, toilet articles and proprietary family remedies. He began on a small scale, but his trade increased and he purchased the three-story brick building at 210 Sixth street where he, with his son George, under the firm name of Dr. J. B. Lynas & Son, carried on the business. Dr. Lynas dying January 28, 1901, the son continued the business, which so developed that more commodious quarters were needed and the present building at 519 Market street and extending back to Erie avenue was purchased, affording ample room for his rapidly increasing trade, which extends to many distant states.

In March, 1896, the Bridge City Candy Company was established by Jos. H. Reitemeier and T. M. Quigly, in a building at the corner of Sixth and North streets. Naturally their business was at first on a small scale. Soon after Mr. Quigly retired and C. H. Schaefer became associated with Mr. Reitemeier and in January, 1897, they incorporated the company with a capital of $10,000, with J. H. Reitemeier, president and C. H. Schaefer, secretary and treasurer. The business prospered and larger quarters were required and the company moved to the Opera House block on Third street in 1899. In two years these quarters were outgrown and they removed to their present location at 200-2 Fourth street, where they occupy three floors 44 by 75 feet. After the death of Mr. Schaefer, July 1, 1901, 0. A. Shirmeyer and F. J. Bott became oflBcers of Uie company. The company is prosperous, doing strictly a wholesale business and employ thirty people.

In 1889 Wm. D. Craig and others started a small factory on Toledo street for the manufacture of men's overalls, which was fairly successful, but two years later Mr. Craig moved to 424-26 Broadway, occupying the upper story of what was then the Justice block. By close attention to business his trade increased and demanded larger quarters. In 1895 Wm. D. Craig and his father, Joseph Craig, purchased the lot at 208 Sixth street and erected a two-story brick building extending back 165 feet to the alley, where he has been carrying on a prosperous business. He employs 85 persons, the majority of whom are girls, who operate the sewing machines which are run by a large engine. His trade is confined to jobbers and amounts to $90,000 annually.

to our farmers and it had a precarious existence and in 1895 W. I. Shearer purchased the property and converted it into an ice cream factory.

Ray & Arnold established a creamery at the corner of Colfax street and Burlington avenue in 1897. At first it was a small affair and work performed by hand, but as their trade extended, modern dairy machinery was installed; steam sterilizers, through which all the milk passes, to insure purity by destroying any pathologic germs ; bottling machines, churns, refrigerating apparatus, etc., all propelled by steam. The supply of milk is obtained from the Cass county farmers, who find it more profitable and less work to sell their milk tiian to convert it into butter and cheese. Milk is also shipped to the creamery from surrounding towns in times of scarcity. The creamery handles over one thousand gallons daily and supply the city milk trade and the surplus is converted into butter and shipped.

In 1895 W. I. Shearer moved from Wabash to Logansport and established an ice cream factory on Erie avenue, the first factory of the kind ever started in the city, of any consequence. Two years later he purchased the creamery property on Eel river, west side. His trade rapidly increased and in 1908 he replaced the old frame building with the present commodious two-story structure, made of cement blocks, with a refrigerating plant and the most approved machinery, including a continuous ice cream freezer where the cream flows in through refrigerating pipes to the freezer in a continuous stream and the frozen cream passes out at the other end of the freezer in a constant stream. The factory being on the river, ice houses were constructed to hold suflScient ice to meet all demands of the factory, but it is only used for packing purposes.

There is no more commodious and well constructed ice cream plant in the state and the annual production is over 100,000 gallons, which is shipped to all surrounding towns. Mr. Shearer has recently incorporated at $100,000, the stock all being held by local capitalists.

There are four marble shops in Logansport, towit: L. Emmett, on Sixth street at its crossing of Eel river; Thos. Peden, Sixteenth and High streerts; C. A. Price, 315 Court street; C. D. Billman, Pleasant Hill street, and a fifth firm is just erecting a shop on the northeast comer of Sixth and High. All of these shops turn out monuments, vaults and ornamental stone work to supply the demands of Cass and surrounding counties.

Nothing demonstrates the wonderful advancement and progress made by this generation more than the laundry business. Twenty-five years ago there was not a steam laundry in Logansport and all such work was performed by washer-women on the old corrugated wash board in the wooden tub. J. J. Campbell came to Logansport in 1888 and established the first steam laundry in the little frame building at 428 Market street. This was necessarily a small affair, but the writer well remembers his first view of a '* steam roller smoothing iron,'' with other laundry machinery that was then the wonderment of the town and many washer-women were jealous and envious of Mr. Campbell. Prom this small beginning the industry has developed until today we have three large laundries, representing an investment of over $50,000.

Chas. H. Maiben has within the past two years erected a commodious brick building on South Barron street, west side, and put in new machinery and has as large and complete a laundry as can be found anywhere in the state.

J. J. Campbell, the pioneer laundryman in Logansport, operates a large laundry at 429 Market street, opposite the old building where he began business twenty-five years ago, and Chas. Schaefer operates the "Star Laundry" at 210-12 Sixth street, so there is no necessity of our people wearing soiled liiien, and that, too, without trying the patience of the housewife with the most menial duties of by-gone days.

factory for making and preparing all kinds of building material and equipments for stores, etc. They are located on Berkley street, between Spencer and Erie avenues. This factory was established by Hagenbuck & Parker in 1869 and is the oldest industry of its kind in the city. Mr. Hagenbuck retired and J. Mac. Johnston and son replaced him, while Mr. Parker has been connected with the firm since its inception fortyfour years ago.

R. D. and L. B. Stevens ran a planing mill on the Cheney race near the Point in 1866. This burned down and in 1870 they erected a large brick factory on First street and the railroad and did a large business in dressed lumber, scroll work, mouldings, sash, doors, blinck, etc., until the death of R. D. Stevens, September 10, 1907. L. B. Stevens, the surviving partner, sold out in 1909 to M. F. Bligh, who is now successfully operating the mill.

R. D. Stevens, the senior member of the old firm, was bom in Ohio in 1834, married Miss C. D. Harris, by whom he had two children, Herbert and Edna. Mr. Stevens was a prudent and careful business man, scrupulously honest in his dealings, an active member of the First Presbyterian church and respected by all who knew him.

This company, composed of Chas. F. Thompson and H. S. Thompson (father and son), was organized in 1892 and embarked in business on Erie avenue. Two or three years later they moved their yards to Sixth street, north of High, where large warehouses and a planing mill were erected and the company has enjoyed a lucrative trade. H. S. Thompson has succeissfully conducted the business under the old firm name since the death of his father in 1898. C. F. Thompson was a prominent and honored citizen, having moved to Logansport in 1864, being engaged in the cooperage and lumber business, although part of the time his business required him to reside in Chicago and Wisconsin. He was bom in York state in 1828. Was twice married; his last wife was Elizabeth A. Twells of Cass county, whom he married in 1863. Three sons survive : Harry S., Edward J. and Chas. F. Thompson.

Philip Voorhees came from Flora, Indiana, about 1896, and opened a lumber yard on Sycamore street, north of the Vandalia Railroad and since has erected shops and planing mill where he and his son, who is now the juunior partner, have built up an extensive trade, manufacturing frames, doors, etc., and handling all lines of building material.

The planing mills and shops of Logansport handle, prepare and manufacture every article required in building and supply not only the material for the city's improvements but also ship to surrounding districts large quantities of dressed lumber and products of our shops, and is one of the principal industries of the city, requiring a large force of men and the value of the products mount into the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

About 1905 the above company, the principals of whom live in Salem, Indiana, opened an extensive lumber yard out the Bates street road on the Vandalia Railroad. They handle chiefly^ hard wood lumber and do a wholesale and shipping business. They operate a mill to rip and make dimension stuflf and employ a force of men. They handle large quantities of lumber, shipping in from a wide territory and out to all parts of the United States. C. J. Frank is local manager.

Wm. L. Femald owns and operates a saw mill on Water street, west side. This mill for many years was located on Toledo, near Fifteenth, street, but later moved to its present location.

In early days numerous saw mills were operated in Lo^ansport, but as the country became denuded of its forests there was no longer a demand for mills and this is the only saw mill now in the city. The product of the mill is chiefly native and hard wood lumber, manufactured from timber in Cass and surrounding counties, for which there is an increasing demand, as tiipber is becoming scarcer each year.

This is an old industry, located on the north bank of Eel river, east of the old canal from which it originally received its motive power, from an old time water wheel. W. T. S. Manly, some time in the early forties, erected the original factory. Later L. A. Smith became interested in the business and at the death of Mr. Manly, became the sole owner and at his death Ash & Hadley purchased the factory in 1882. They greatly enlarged the plant and put in much new machinery, of which Mr. Ash was the inventor. Mr. J. C. Hadley died in 1907, since which time Geo. Ash, the surviving partner, has been owner and operator of the plant under the above title. Their specialty is piano stools and extension tables on which Mr. Ash holds the patent. The firm employs about forty men; the annual sales reach $60,000, and the product is shipped from ocean to ocean.

In 1897 Mr. Sturkin opened a small factory on Erie avenue, near Eighth street, to manufacture certain kinds of furniture and novelties. Later Allen G. Nelson became interested in the business and in 1902 they moved their factory to its present location on, Daisy and Garden streets, west side. Mr. Sturkin withdrew from the company and Mr. Nelson incorporated the company with a paid-up capital stock of $15,000. A. E. Nelson is president and manager apd Thos. Mahoney foreman of the shops. Their specialty is kitchen cabinets and the annual output has reached as high as $80,000. About forty-five men are employed and the company are entering on an era of prosperity.

This company was organized and incorporated in 1907, through the efforts of John Alles, of Huntington, Indiana. The company purchased a large tract of land, including the old Keeport lime kilns four miles east of town, on the Wabash Railroad. This land ia underlaid with a pure limestone and the company erected large stone crushers thereon and opened up the plant in 1908. They quarry and crush the stone, screening the same to different sizes, according to the purpose for which it is used. The product of these mills find a ready market all over Indiana and surrounding states and is used in macadamizing roads, concrete work and other building purposes. A large number of men are employed and the shipments last year were 2,000 carloads.

on the north bank of the Wabash, erected heavy machinery for crushing stone and opened up the plant in 1893. There are vast beds of tiie finest limestone at this point which is used as a flux in the manufacture of steel and large quantities are shipped to the Soutii Chicago steel works. In 1903 the company moved its plant to Trimmer, a mile or more to *the southwest, where the stone is more accessible and is sending out whole train loads of crushed stone, not only to the steel works, but all over the country, where the stone is used for many purposes. The company is incorporated for $200,000, employs three hundred men and ships annually 750,000 tons of crushed stone. 0. H. Binns has been the manager ever since the plant started.

Soon after the electric telephone was invented by Bell and its utility became known, in 1881 the Central Union Telephone Company established an exchange in Logansport, the ofSce being located at 313^^ Fourth street and J. Moore was the first superintendent. The charges were four dollars per month and but few were used outside of business houses, as in 1886 there were only 175 subscribers. About 1895 there was much complaint about the excessive charges of the Bell Company and a new independent company was established by E. B. Overshiner, but the service was unsatisfactory and it was also inconvenient and expensive, for business houses were compelled to keep both phones. This unsatisfactory condition resulted in the organization of the **Home Telephone Company" in 1901 or '02, composed entirely of local men. The company was incorporated with a capital stock of $350,000. The present officers are: Geo. W. Seybold, president; Jos. Reitemeier, vice-president; J. H. Foley, treasurer; Walter Uhl, secretary and manager.

The company fitted up their exchange and offices in the Dr. Bell building at 312 Pearl street, completed their plant, running the wires in tie business districts in conduits under ground and opened the exchange for business in ,1902. The price for telephone service was fixed at $7.50 per quarter for offices or business houses and $3.75 for residences. The service was eminently satisfactory and the Home Com-' pany has entirely driven out the old Central Union or Bell Company from the local field, but the latter still maintains an exchange at 314^ Fourth street, but only for long distance service, which it still maintains and is giving excellent long distance service to all points, 'the Home Company now has 3,500 subscribers in Logansport and maintains exchanges at Galveston, Walton, Young America, New Waverly and Irticerne, with 1,200 additional subscribers, who can communicate without extra charge with any one of the city patrons. The telephone exchanges at Royal Center and Twelve Mile are independent local concerns but are connected with Logansport, but toll is exacted to talk through these two exchanges. With this system of telephones there is not a neighborhood and hardly a prominent home in the county that cannot be reached by telephone, which is certainly a great convenience as well as time-saver to the public. The Home Company is also connected by long distance with all surrounding towns and cities. The telephone marks one of the greatest steps forward in the progress of mankind toward the goal, which they seem to be rapidly approaching, but can never reach. What a wondrous change has taken place since Cass county was first settled. What would the old pioneers like Father Post and D. D. Pratt, who left their Eastern homes to take up their abode in the wilderness of Cass county over eighty years' ago - what would they say if they could rise from their graves, again sit in their cabin homes, but connected up by telephones and talk with their sweet- hearts in the Green Mountain State and recognize their voices? At that time, these pioneers tell us, it took three to six weeks to receive a biUeU doux from their best girls in the East and fully as long to make the journey when each returned to his native home to claim his bride.

In the year 1904 Jos. A. Mackey sold out his business in Kosciusko county and located in Logansport. He purchased the large frame building at 521 High street, formerly used as a part of the Nash house, and engaged in the robe and tanning business. He tans all kinds of sMns and furs and manufactures therefrom fur robes, coats, mittens, gloves and ladies' furs. The company receives all kinds of wild animal skins and furs from the North and "West and their trade extends throughout the United States and Canada. There are only two other industries of the kind in the state and many farmers send horse, calf and other skins to this company to be tanned and made into robes, coats, mittens or rugs.

In the fall of 1912 C. E. Richardson established a hat factory in connection with his cleaning and dye works at 218 Sixth street. He is making a superior quality of wool and felt hats and is building up a good trade.

The manufacture of cigars has become quite an industry of the city. There are at this time nine factories, employing seventy-two men and thirty-six women. The average wages paid the men are $16.50 and women $6.00 per week. The annual output of all the factories in 1912 was 3,016,425 cigars.

This enterprise was established in Logansport in 1872-3 by Messrs. Dodds & Son on Eel river, near the Point. In 1877 M. Michaels became the proprietor and for many years ^e carried on a prosperous business, making sewer and well piping, supplying the principal markets of Indiana. Mr. Michaels moved to Marion and in the early nineties, Bobt. Cromer continued the business under the firm name of Logansport Cement Works, on West Market street, near the Peoria junction. He died in 1908 and some time after W. S. Stalnaker took charge of the factory and changed the name to the **Hoosier Architectural Cement Co.,'' and he is making a specialty of manufacturing cement fence posts upon which he holds a patent. This post is re-enforced with wire and on the face side has a compound moulded into the post into which nails can be driven as readily as into a wooden post. The business is in its infancy but bids fair to develop into a great industry, as the post is everlasting and yet can be used where and in the same way as a wooden post.

Under the above title the artificial ice plant was established in 1905 by H. Bowser, of Indianapolis, and the following were its first oflScers, towit: W. H. Porter, president; H. Bowser, vice-president; Will H. Brown, secretary and treasurer.

The plant had a precarious existence and went into the hands of a receiver. In 1909 P. M. Panore and Chas. Mouninger, of Indianapolis, Indiana, purchased the plant at a receiver's sale. Since then the plant has been enlarged and thoroughly overhauled and under the present management has been doing a prosperous business. They manufacture a pure ice from water taken from deep wells and is of uniform thickness, lasts longer and is generally preferred by our citizens to the natural ice taken from lake or river. Here, again, the ingenuity of man in this progressive age seems to have outwitted Dame Nature and the artificial ice manufacturers are contending with old Boreas for supremacy and the former are certainly gaining ground. The company's plant is located on the south side of Erie avenue, between Eighth and Ninth streets and they keep their delivery wagons and horses in stables on the grounds.

For many years natural ice was taken from Eel river and kept in large ice houses, but in the past few years the artificial ice has replaced it and now none is cut except what Mr. Shearer cuts for use in his ice cream factory.

The artificial ice company has a rival in the Maxinkuckee Ice Company, who ship in ice from Maxinkuckee lake for local consumption. The daily capacity of the plant is forty tons, sufficient to meet all demands. Harry Newell is the present manager, with W. E. Plank, assistant.

Logansport has always supported broom factories, but not on a large scale. At this time N. J. Martin operates a small factory on Pranklin street and Samuel Watkins a similar establishment on the south side.

Recently, however, the Logansport Commercial club have made arrangements whereby Hyman Sider & Son, of Chicago, will move their large broom facrtory from that city to Logansport. A site has been purchased in the West End Poundry addition and buildings are now being constructed and during the summer or fall of 1913 will be in operation. The factory will employ, it is stated, about 130 men and turn out daily over 4,000 brooms.

In addition to the factories herein listed, there are scores of small industries, such as blacksmith and. repair shops, shoe, carpenter and tin shops, gun smith and harness shops, bottling works and dress making and millinery shops, cleaning and dye works, printers and engravers, optical works, paint factories, sign makers, trunk factory, upholsterers, etc., too numerous to particularize, but each employing from one to a dozen persons. According to a recent census report, Logansport has sixty-eight manufactories.

It is interesting to note some of the newer industries that were unheard of forty years ago. If some one during the darkness of the night had flung to the breeze a sign bearing an inscription, **Caah Registers, Typewriters, Phonographs, Automobiles, Bicycles, Electric Globes, Telephones, Plying and Dirigible Machines, for sale here," the pioneers would have all congregated around the sign wonder to discuss what it all meant or what practical joker had come to town between suns and posted such unintelligible inscriptions - or hieroglyphics. These names, however, indicate the progress of the past third of a century and some of the old signs or advertisements would be equally curious or ludicrous to the young people of this generation, to-wit: ''saddle-bags," ''side-saddles," candle-molds," "dog-irons," "spinning-wheels," etc.

This is an age of progress and the new is supplanting the old with marvelous rapidity and unless such work as the Cass County Historical Society has underti&en, viz., to collect and preserve these relics of the past, they will soon all be destroyed, forgotten and forever lost