Elkhart County, Indiana - Chapter 15: Bcsixess, ]\iaxufactur1xg Axd Ixdustry, 1905

Chapter 15: Bcsixess, ]\iaxufactur1xg Axd Ixdustry

Wherever a ship ploughs the sea, or a plough furrows the field : wherever a mine yields its treasure; wherever a ship or railroad train carries freight to market; wherever the smoke of the furnace rises, or the clang of the loom resounds ; even in the lonely garret where the seamstress plies her busy needle, - there is Industry.

Under this comprehensive title may he considered all those human activities which have for a basis the obsolete principle of barter and exchange, the conversion of natural or raw materials into forms suitable for the use of mankind, and the various phases of work outside of that connected with agriculture or the professions, such as trades and mechanical pursuits.

Robinson Crusoe, after being cast upon his desert island, was com- ])elled to build his own shelter, tO' make his own clothes, to fashion many of his implements and his household utensils, to cultivate the soil and raise and prepare all things needful for his bodily sustenance, to enact for his own guidance all his laws and rules of conduct, and be his own army for protection against the cannibals. Such a type of all-around man, jack of all trades, self-sufficient and prepared for all the uses .and adversities of the world, was at one time considered the proper ideal by which each person should fashion his life. But such individualism is now seen to te exceedingly primitive, and instead of making the man more independent it really places him more abjectly in dependence upon all tlif liumbler wants and necessities which are at the base of the higher life. Societ}' as now organized, and in its general tendencies toward the working out of the problems of human destiny, divides into numerous occupations the work of the world, specializing it for each class of workers, and thereby leaves each of us the greater lilierty to work out otu' real individuality.

The men and \\omen who settled Elkhart countv in the early thirties were in a measure Crusoes, in that most of the necessities of life, whether for eating, wearing or for performing the work of field and household, were home products. Planted in the depth of a great wilderness, remote from mills and often unattended by craftsmen, the men and women who laid here the foundntimis id' civihzed society were of necessity their own artisans to a \cry hiri^e extent, and every home was a factory. Man\- a farmer or farmer's son. Ijecoming skilled in some particular trade, was enabled iherehy to add substantially to the family inconie.

Xext to shelter and foodstuffs cliithing was the issue of paramount importance to the hard}- pioneers, and in tlie division of labor this industry was left to the women. Every cabin was flanked by its patch of flax, and the planter who did not possess a few sheep had to trade with his neighbor ior wool. From these raw materials the old-fashioned housewife was expected to produce clothing for the family and linen for Ihe bed and table. The full grown flax was pulled u]) and spread out on the ground to rot in the ram and dew. after which it was thoroughly broken, by the older boys, if there were any, with the vigorous use of the flax-brake, then put through a softening process called "skutching," and a separating process known as "hacking," which left ready for the spinstress two fabrics, tow and thread fiber. By the use of the little spinning wheel, proficiency in the handling of which was for the girls a test of advancing womanhood, the fiber, or lint, was made into a fine, strong thread called warp and the tow into a coarser thread used as filling. These were woven together on a hand loom, and from the towlinen produced was made the summer wear for the family, the females usually preferring to color theirs with homemade dyestuff to suit their taste^ while the less pretentious men folks were satisfied to take it as it came from the loom. When the wool was brought in, the good mother and her daughters shaped it into convenient rolls by the aid of a pair of hand-cards provided for that purpose and spun on the big wheel into varn filling (sometimes used for knitting stockings, mittens and comforters), which, when woven with the linen warp, made the "linseywoolsey" of the good old days, or, if woven with cotton warp, resulted in the fabric know as "jeans." The former, suitably dyed, was in general use as a strong, warm and handsome texture for feminine apparel, a-nd the latter, colored with bultcrnut juice, was tailored by the women for the men's wear.

For footwear the wandering cobbler who tra\eled from house to house was relied upon to fashion boots and shoes from the home-tanned hides, or moccasins were procuretl from the Indians. Occasionally the shoemaker would not get around until after snowfall and many a venerable grandsire can, tell of s.;oing barefooted to his chores with snow on the grouml. A well prepared coonskin made a \er}- warm and equally unsightly cap. Coonskins also formed a kind of currency of the woods, the pelt lieing considered as good as gold and accepted in exchange for all kinds of commodities. Properly selected rye straws were woven by the women into- bonnets for themselyes and hats for their masters. The women also fashioned for themselves curiously wrought sunbonnets of brightly colored goods shaped over pasteboard strips with fluted and ruffled capes falling behind over the shoulders. The manufacture of quilts gave opportunities for social gatherings when there were neighbors close enough to get back home before chore time, and the quilting ranked along with the huskings. logrollings and houseraisings among the primitive society functions of early days. The industries of the homestead did not include the preservation of fruits and vegetables, save to a small extent by drying. Imt meats were preserved in various ways : lye-iiominy was a regular institution, and some other food articles were occasionally laid by for winter, thus forming the beginnings of the packing and canning industries of later times.

Prior to the advent of cabinet-makers the settlers perforce included that trade among their accomplishments, and made their own beds, tables, cupboards and chairs. For bedsteads an oak butt about eight feet long and of sufficient diameter was split into rails and posts, a shorter log was split up for slats, and the pieces selected were dressed down with the drawknife and fitted together with the axe. Two rails were used for each side and three for each end, the rounded ends of the slats being driven into auger holes in the rails, and the four high corner posts were tied together at the top with strong cords from which curtains might be suspended if desired. In the more fortunate homes a feather bed surmounted the "straw tick." and with plenty of "kiver," such a lodgment was comfortable on the coldest winter night. With equal skill a table was constructed by pinning two thin oak clapboards, smoothed with a sharp ax on the upper side, to cross pieces set on four strong legs, the surface of the table being about four feet by six. Of general similarity though different in details is the (uitfit described as making up the housekeeping suite with which the newly wedded Jacob Weybright and E\ a Hess, the first young couple of Goshen to be married, began their wedded life. Their outfit consisted of five chairs, and the table was made from ;i dry-goods box. The bedstead consisted of two poles stuck in the log-wall and supported by crotched sticks

Such liomely processes constituted the Jieginnings of industrial acti\-it_v in Klkhart count}-, as elsewhere, and continued necessarily until the mills came into existence and mechanics appeared and mads were opened to the trade centers; indeed they cduld be ohserved more or less for manv years in the remotei- districts, and puncheon tic Kirs and split- -slab benches were used in scIukiIs after they had. disaijpeared from the homes.

Inasmuch as every man had to be his nwn mechanic and carjienter during the first years, it is the more ditficnlt tn determine upon the individual whn should lie hnncred in history as being the tirst regular follower of such a trade. Xor can the localit_\- in \vhich such a man plied his art be any more accurately settled. Accnrding to the best information Jacob T. L"ri])e was the first mechanic in Elkhart township t() follow his trade as a means of livelihond.

The cutting nf millstunes was a \ery useful art during those years, and the tirst man known v \vd\e followed that line of wDrk was jtihn Ink's, who made stones for the Rock Run and Elkhart nn'lls.

In an agricultural coninunntv the lilaclssnnth >hop occupies a [ilace of only less importance than the \-i!lagc store, .and oftentimes the crossroads 1>!acksmith shop has been the nucleus around which has grown up a thrifty town, it was only in the year 1890 that the first blacksmith of Goslien passed to his final reward. He was then ninety-three years old. He bad also been tlie hr^^t millwright in this yiart of the count)'. His daughter. Mrs. .Mar)- ( i. Hale, has in her possession the brst piece (if furniture ma(k in (ioshen, in the shajie of a cradle made of cherr)' wood. rile maker of this cradle was Henr\- Kector, who is annalled as the brst cabinet-maker to apjjear at (Ioshen.

fn .Middlel;ur\' the first blacksmith shop was ke]it li\' a man named Hawkins, and the rtrst wagon maker of that town was Daniel C Bishop. Spinning wheels, which ha\'c lieen abo\e indicated as fornnng a verv necessar_\ ]iart of the pioneer household, were manufactured li\' 1^'rederick Harriman. who was the first settler at Xew I'aris and erected a sho]> there for his trade.

Trades and occu]iations seemingl_\- dixerse were often ])ursued b}' one man. k'or instance. Dav-id Ebi, one of the earh' settlers of York township, was not only the first c;u-penter and joiner of that neighbor- hood, liut alsn attended to the (kuies nt undertaker. When the fever and ague were so prevalent in the autunin.s of 1837 and 1S38 .Mr. h.hi wa.s once taxed with (irders fur three coffins in the .same day.

The carpenter was natin-ally a very niiportant i)ers<inage in the inchistnal worlii of that (hi\ , e\en thuugh houses were not Iniih on very elal;orate jjlans. .\niong the men wliose skill and ])rofessions entitled them tn the name of carpenter during- the thirties was James Heck, of C.oshen. cnncerning wlnni the fdUi'wing anecdote will he nf interest;

" lames Heck, the secmid sheriff of the county, was a cari)enter and secured the contract f( r Imilding the hrst Alethoclist meeting house. The structure was a sfpiru'e fr.ame .affair and when it came to the roof lieck huilt it as steep as jxissihle. This made some of the memhers of the church quite angry, as they claimed that the roof destroyed the architectural l)eauty. if it had any. of the huilding. Beck was a very liheral man and. had placed his name on the subscription li.st for $25. a very large sum in those da\s. In the settlement the trustees decided to dock Beck $25 on his contract for disfiguring the roof. He goodnaturedly consented to the reduction, hut when it came to ]iaying his subscription be stated that he would not let the trustees outdo him in liberalitv and would throw off bis subscrijition."

The milling industry jilayed such an important ])art in the early history of Elkhart coitntw and still forms such a large source of manufacturing wealth, that it is \erv consistent with the general ]iurpose of our history to ciuote at length from an article written by Mr. J. P. Hawks and read before a meeting of the Historical Societ\-. .\s a member of the Hawks family which holds the premier position in milling circles of the county, so comprehensive are his knowledge and personal experience in all matters forming the subject of his address that his historical article covers manv facts of interest outside of this particular cor.nection. and it is a pri\i!egc to be able to afford our readers so much compact information.

1 will first speak." sa_\s Mr. Hawks. " of the first mill buildings. It is a question whether ( loshen or Elkhart should ha\e the honor of having the first mill. But the best authority that I have found says that the first mill was built by Air. Carpenter on Rock Run, near the northwest corner of our beautiful Oakridge cemetery, in 1830 or 1831, and the second on Christiana creek, across the St. Joe from the Elkhart, and third the McConnell mill, sititated near the present site of the Big Four freight office. The fourth was the Waterford mill, huilt by Elias

Baker in 1S34, and then followed the Bainter mill and the mill on Solomon's creek and the Darr mill in Benton and others. I ha\e since read in an obituary of a Mr. Inks, tiiat he built a corncracker on Solomon's creek, the first m the county. Mr. Israel Hess says the Elkhart mill was the first. It would he highly interesting if we could have photographs of these several mills, but that w-as before the days of photography. I think the first three of these buildings were all built of logs, as were most of the dwellings of those days. I think the Baker mill was the first frame mill building in this county and for many counties adjoining. It was nearly square, about thirty by thirty feet, two stories, with a high hip roof, which gave some extra garret room over part of the house and much used for some purposes. The Carpenter mill. I think, had but one small run of stone and without bolts, and only used for grinding corn. Of the other two' mills I have no knowledge as to their outfit, but most likely it was very meager. About the Waterford mill I can be more specific in description of outfit and w'orking. My father, Cephas Hawks, Sr., bought this mill of Mr. Baker in 1835. It then had two runs of stones; one run was a regular made Ijurr for wheat, and the other made from the natural stone, commonly called nigger heads, and was used only for grinding corn. I think these stones were made by the Mr. Inks above spoken of. It had one bolting reel, alxiut tweh-e or fourteen feet long and covered with three grades of bolting cloth, the first four or five feet being very fine for getting the superfine flour; the ne.xt section coarser for common flour; the third still coarser to catch middlings and shorts, while the bran was thrown out at the end of the bolt. This bolt was hung in the lower story, close under the stones, and the meal dropped into a short wooden trough, which carried it into the head of the bolt. In those days corn meal was never bolted at the mill, and hence the necessity of a corn meal sieve in the outfit nf every well regulated family. Custom so increased that the second year after some grand improvements were made in the old mill, .\nother run of wheat burrs were put in. the bolting capacity was increased and moNcd up into the garret, ele\ ators were made for carrying the meal up into the bolts, etc., etc. But. oh, the labor that was necessary to do the work of that mill. Every bushel of grain had to be shouldered and carried three or four times, first from the wagon into the mill, then shouldered again to pour into the hoppers and again when ground, and lastly from the mill to the wagon. What wheat we bought for making flour for sale must be taken first to the platform scales, then up one and sometimes two pair of stairs to the bin. Having established a reputation for making the best flour in the county, our custom was verj- large and wide-spread, reaching from the state line on the north to the Wabash on the south, and embraced all of Elkhart, Noble, LaGrange, Kosciusko and parts of Whitley, Marshall and St. Joe counties. Of course, coming so far, they must bring large grists, and came prepared with provisions and horse feed to wait until it could be ground, which was sometimes a tedious waiting of two or three days. A strict watch was kept that they were not cheated in their turn, and it often required much diplomacy to keep the peace among them. It often looked about the yard like an army encamped, or a camp meeting, so many teams in waiting. A unique feature of that old mill was the ten by twelve foot square room in one corner, called the office. Its furnishing was a large old-fashioned parlor cook-stove, having a large oven over the fire pot for baking, and a hole and lid on top for boiling the tea kettle. A wide board bench around three sides, with a small rough board desk nailed up on cleats in one corner, constituted the furnishings of that room. These benches, with a bag of bran for a mattress and an overcoat or a bunch of bags for a pillow, furnished beds for many waiting customers. On cold nights that little room wouUl be filled with customers or village loungers, and heated up to about one hundred degrees, with the flat top of the old stove covered with corn. Many a jolly evening was spent eating scorched, not popped, corn, telling stories, cracking jokes and cracking nuts, all of which were \ery plenty in those days. And such a looking place was that room ! The floor was inches deep with flour paste mixed w'ith tobacco juice, crumbs of bread and meat from the customers" lunch, ant! with popcorn and nut shells. Oh, it was a beautv!

" One unique character who came about four times a year from the Haw Patch, with his big prairie-schooner wagon and his four large, fat horses, himself sitting proudly erect on his wheel or saddle horse, holding his one line in his left hand and his black-snake whip in his right hand, was Mr, McDavitt. You could hear the crack of that whi]) and the word of command to that team, calling each horse ])y name, for a quarter of a mile. Never were horses under better command. He could turn a corner, wheel a circle, cramp and back to the mill door to the very dot and never miss. He would sometimes, while waiting, hitch up just to give us exhibitions of driving, and would always draw a crowd.

IV ii meul tlie .i^n iwing- deniands of the Cduntiv, and smnc time in the "40s. 1 think in '47. a new mill was ])lanned and hnilt. lars^-er and more cnmplete. In size alionl foi-t>- hy sixty feet, and tive stories hii^h. with five nins of the hest hurrs that conltl he fonnd, with the then newest niaehinerx and ennveniences, sueh as elevators for hoth wheat and meal, lart^er holtini^ ca]xicities for hoth merchant and custom work, and screen and snnitter for cleaning- wiie.at (for up to that time the wheat was grdund just as it came from the farmer's fanning mill), large scales, a hop])er to em])ty into from th.e w.agon ;md ;i (Imp for the wheat from the scales to the elevator, sn that mnch of the hard lifting reiptired in the old mill was ohviated in the new. The capacity of each run of hurrs was increased one-half or more 1>\" new water wheels, irnn shafting and cog wheels, i:^etter and more perfect hoxing, hearings, etc. So tliat the capacity of the new mill was sufficient to serve all of our greatly increased custom work and turn out ahout lift\- harrels of flnnr per da\" of merchant work. This was a hig thing in those days, whereas the ( loshen Milling Company can now make h\e hundred barrels jier day, and vet 1 will here sav that (.rdinarily and on an average the net jirofits of the hftv harrels per day mill in the '.30s was equal to or l)etter than that of the five hundred barrel mill in the 'ijos. The reasons are; Less expense and more profits. While we did much of the work ourselves and our (,wn labor was never reckoned, 1 might mention here, however, that die mill stuft'. bran and shorts, is much more valuable to-day 'man then. '-"armers harl plenty of chea]) corn to feed and would not inn- mill feed. The bran we sold what we could at three cents ])er bushel or one dollar for a wagon load, and the bi.gger loads the}' took tlie better we liked it. We fed all w-e could ourselves, and shoveled hundreds of bushels into the tail race to feed the fish or be carried down into the St. Joe.

" Transportati(.in was a great item in those early days. Only two wavs were open to us. The one was by teams, and that was the everyda^^ \-ear-around and the other was by arking" down the river, which we could onl_\' do in the spring and fall or after heavy rains when the river was high. Our main markets were Chicago, Michigan City. St. Joseph and Fort Wayne. When the roads were bad. as the\- were most of the time, a good team could only haul ten barrels of flour, and it took eight davs for a trip to Chicago, four or five to Michigan Cit\- or St. Toe or Fort Our plan was to load from fixe to ten teams and start from the mill early in the morning. One of us (for we were nianv in tliose davs ) wiili nuv "\\n team headed the train and led the van, and we would go to the market we thought the best, sell the best we could, Imv whatever we could that we needed in our trade at home, mostly salt, coffee and muslin, and gi\ing each team a light load of these things, hasten hack home with what money was left to invest in more wheat. These teams we used to i)ay from one dollar to one dollar and forty cents iier day, according as the roads and weather might he. Of course on such wages the men could not afford to hu}' anything on the trip but stabling, hay and lodging. .\11 carried their dinner bo.xes for themselves and grain for the horses. There was so much of this work to do that men who were ;il)le to own a team made this their business and sup]Jorted their fannlies in this wa}".

But the arkin.g in the time of it was the much more e.xciting. more rapid and much chea])er way of getting our produce off to market. These arks were made of two timbers, which we called gunnels, hewn out in the woods or sawed in the mill, about six or eight inches thick, eighteeri to twenty-four inches wide, as we could find the logs to make tlieni, and from twent\- to thirty feet long, planked on the bottom with two-inch plank, corked and pitched till water tight. luich one of these would carr\- from one hundred to one hundred and fift_\- barrels of dour, and two and sometimes three of these cril)s, as they were called, were lashed together and called an ark, with a long, heavy oar at each end to steer it with. Captain .\. C. Manning, who afterward became the popular sheriff of our count}-, was a \ery efficient man to float these expensive and valuable laden arks down the Elkhart into and down to St. Joseph. Others, whose names 1 ha\e forgotten, used to run these arks for us. It took about six men, with the captain, to man an ark, one with the captain on the hind oar, t\\ (^ on the front oar and two for extra work, such as pushing with poles to keep it off of breakers and in eddy waters to accelerate the speefl. and care for the stuff. \\'e had three dams to jump and many bridges to go under, and these were often dangerous places, for to hit a bent of the bridge meant either a l.ient taken out or the breaking of the ark. and in either case it was a heav_\' loss. So also in g<iing over a dam, sometimes the sections of the ark, or cribs as we called them, would break apart or would dip water. The Xiles bridge was about the most dangerous place on the trip, and here we once had a bad break and lost and damaged many barrels of flour. Usually one of our folks went with these expeditions to care for and make sales, and \-our humble writer, though then but a bov and being of less consequence as a hard worker at home, was sent on the ark. We usually carried our own provisions, cooked and ate our ow'n meals, either on the ark or ou the bank where we tied up for the night, and in mild weather we slept out doors, or rather in our blankets as best we could. Right here I must relate a joke on myself. We had tied up for the night, a chilly night' near a large fami house, and so after eating our supper we all went up to the house to secure lodging if possible. The people were very kind and accommodating, as people in new C(iuntries mostly are, and said the}- would do' the best they could for us. So when bed time came the men were stored away, some in beds and some on the floor. But the writer had made a good impression, and the good man of the house had whispered to me to keep still till the men were stored away and then he would provide for me. The result was a place in the spare bed room and a soft clean bed. But the joke is in the sequel. In the morning when the captain called for his bill it was five cents each for himself and men. The boy lx)ss was not cute enough to let the men get out of hearing first, Vnit at once asked for his bill and was charged ten cents. This gave the jolly men a chance to guy me all the day for having to pay double price for lodging.

"One thing more and I close. The work of dressing the stones. This had to be done about e\-ery three days, so that one run of stone out of the five was idle all the time in the ])rocess of dressing". To we older men this stone dressing is fresh in our memory, though we have seen little of it in the last ten years of our lives. But to our children and grandchildren it will be something new and strange. The top, a revolving st(ine. was lifted bv a great crane from the s]iindle on which it whirled when at work and turned down-side up and placed upon blocks prepared fur it. and then both the upper and the bed stone was ready for the dresser. This was first to lay off furrows from the inner to the outer sui:face. The furrows were picked out and deepened, and the surface between the furrows carefully picked and sharpened for the grinding. When the stone became worn down or smooth it would only mash instead of grind the grain. The furrows were for the purpose of carrying or working the grain to the outer surface of the stone, wdiere most of the grinding was done. The tool for doing this dressing was quite imicpie. T will add that for many years no blacksmith could be found near here that could harden and temper the steel points of these picks to stand their severe work, and consequentlv we had tri ha\'e manv of

"Tn 1868 this mill was torn down and hn)ught to Goshen and erected on the Hydraulic canal at the foot of what was then Market street, hut now Lincoln avenue, to which have been added from time to time, addition after addition, story upon story and improvement upon improvement, both inside and out, until the old mill is lost in the new, and in its place stands the Goshen Milling Company's l>ig plant: the old five runs of stone out and gone, and twent)--two stands of steel rollers, four rollers to each stand, doing the work of grinding, new processes doing- the bolting, the packing' by machiner}^ instead of by hand, and much more than I can take your time to tell."

There are considerable data at hand A\hich will afford an insight intO' the business life of the county-seat town during the thirties and forties. It is interesting to know some of the enterprises which figured in the commercial activity of this city at that time, and this information is best afforded by giving the advertisers in the first issue of the Goshen Express on January 28, 1837. They are :

T. Harris & Co., drugs and medicines, wines and liquors, and general merchandise and provisions. Dr. Chamberlain informed the public that he kept drugs, medicines, paints, oils, dyestuffs. etc.. etc.. and assures the public that "he can afford to sell at a much lower rate than they have been hitherto purchasing in this place: also individuals purchasing of him will receive genuine articles."

Barns and Defrees offered "at the white corner store" a general assortment of winter and spring goods to be disposed of cheap for cash or approved country produce, and an interesting postscript adds, "furs and peltries will be received for goods." A notice signed by William Latta, is given to the stockholders of the "Buffalo and IMississippi Railroad Company" that "whereas five hundred shares have been subscribed for and five dollars paid on each share, an election for choosing of seven directors will be held at South Bend." Thomas Thomas announces the inangurati-on of a mercantile business, and in "his stock may he found almost every article wanted in this country."

The business enterprise of the \illage of Benton was also represented in this first Elkhart county paper by William H. Rector and Company, dealers in drv goods, groceries, hardware, cutleiw, crockery and glassware.

regular in fulfillment in those days as now : namely - "by virtue of a writ of z'ciiditioiid exponas by me directed from the Elkhart circuit court, 1 will expose to sale at public outcry, at the court house in Goshen, on Saturday, the 25th day of February next between the hours of i and 3 o'clock, in lot 201, in the town i:)f Goshen, taken as the property of Lewis G. Gordon to satisfy a judgment in favor of the State of Indiana. - Joseph Defrees, sheriff Elkhart cnunty."

P. K. and J. R. Price advertise, in this same issue, saddles, bridles, harness, valises, portmanteaus, trunks, etc. T. P. L. Defrees announces himself proprietor of a smithing establishment. The "Cabinet Warehouse" is advertised by W. H. Rector as the place to obtain all kinds of first-class furniture.

In this copy of the Express are alsij published a long list of uncalled-for letters, notices of stock taken up, the sale of a school section. In the advertisements in these early papers may be found the best index of the business acti\'ity x^i Goshen and surrounding country, and by nothing better than an old newspaper mav we rehabilitate the life and times of nearly threescore and ten years ago. Of course it nuist not be iniderstood that this first Express contained a list of all the l)usiness enterprises in Goshen at that date, for sub-secjuent issues show many others, hut our few quotations indicate some phases of history wliich could not more succinctly be given.

A few years later, in a copy of the Goshen Democrat dated August 5, 1841, is published a "Goshen Directory," which gives us the names of those in business, professions, trades, etc., who were also subscribers to the Democrat, and while this list naturally lacks oMiipleteness, it will tell us certainly a majority of those who at that data were the energetic spirits of the town. The "Directory" is as follows: Attorneysat-law, E. AI. Chamberlain and M. C. Dougherty. Physicians and surgeons, F. A\'. Taylor and William Dodge. Justices of the peace, Elias Carpenter, George Taylor, George Rumsey. Constables, Jesse Hilbush, John S. Freeman, Daniel S. Howell. Sheriff, Albert Banta. Clerk. William A. Thomas. Recorder. E. Ci. Chamberlain. ^lerchants. James Cook, Henry W. Bissell. James Anderson, J. H. Barns. Jackson and Fitzpatrick, Charles Darrow, Chauncey S. Flascall. John Cook, Milton Mercer, Samuel T. Young (grocer). Tavernkeeper, Edward Bonney. Boarding house, Simeon B. Brown. Ploughmaker and founder. George Ro'well. Bedstead-maker. Jacol> B. Kinney. Surveyor. James R. McCord. Tailors, George W'. Stewart. L. B. Pamieley, Smith Chamberlain. Car- penters and joiners, Jacob S. Ramer, Joseph Parks. William Gahan, John Ramer, Caertes B. Dean. Abner Blue, Daniel Dickinson, James Jones. Tanners. Henr}- Xeff, Le\i Beck. Shoemaker, Samuel Murray. Goldsmith and jeweler, Abner Stilson. Blacksmiths, Joseph Knox. Michael Basor. Jaco1> L. Powell, Joseph M. Derry, Wilson McConnell. Wagon maker, John Chamberlain. Mason. Joel Beehynier. School instructor. Nelson Prentiss. Chair maker, Aaron B. Clark. Cooper, Collins Kirkendall. I-'armers, etc.. Abram Gallentine, Thomas Miller, Nathan Devine, Jacob Cornell, Daniel Fetters. (In the chapter on Elkhart will be found a similar list of the early business men of that city.)

Mr. P. M. Henkel siieaks of some of the merchants and representatives of the trades who flourished in Goshen during the middle forties. " James ^^'inder, James and John Cook, Frederick and Leonard Harris (the latter the father of Hon. Charles B. Harris). Nelson Marsten, and Barns and Defrees constituted the leading business men of the village. Every department of mechanical trade had its representative, from house building to shoemaking. George P. Rowell carried on a small foundry in which he made the castings for plows, while Daniel Kohler and Frederick Hope, Sr.. were the principal builders of wagons." As ti> hotels in Goshen si.xty years ago Mr. Henkel states there were two. " James Cook in part entertained the traveling public, while Samuel T. Clymer kept the American, which was situated on the corner now owned by Mrs. Kindig. This was a frame building" and well arranged to accommodate the traveler. The landlonl. Mr. Clymer. was a man of fair intelligence, genial in disposition, and e\er ready to accommodate his guests. In this respect he ne\'er failed to make known his own importance In' stating some circumstance that took place just after or during the time he was a member of the legislature. This information invariably left the impression upon his guests that he was a man of some importance."'

Business In 1905

Under this heading we s])eak of business in the liroad sense of. including commerce, manufacturin.g and finance. The Hon. James Bryce, author of that well known work " .American Commonwealth," in his more recent impressions of American life speaks of the growing predominance of business among the manifold interests of the people on diis side of the Atlantic. Business is king. Lender its broad man- tie are now included not only tradesmen and dealers in the domestic necessities, but all whose acti\ity in the way of production or exchange contributes any factor to the sum total of the world's work. Under this broad interpretation it would lie manifestly impossible to include in a work of this nature an account of the varied activities of Elkhart county such as to make specific menti(jn of each establishment or firm engaged in any line of business. Even a summary of the iiersons engaged in business such as we have compiled from the records concerning (loshen in the thirties and forties would be impracticable, for the two ]irnici])al cities of the county contain enough of such liusiness representati\-es to' require a separate directory for their names. Here we will attempt only an imperfect record of some of the representative concerns identified with the large field of business at the present time. .\nd only the three cities of Goshen, Elkhart and Nappanee will lie drawn upon for examples, since the business activities of the smaller centers have already been treated under their appropriate title.

But before entering into the consideration of some specific enterprises which are at the foundation of Elkhart county's material wealth and prosperity it will be well to slnnv what the county in the aggregate is worth, in so far as that mav be reckoned from the onlv available sources, namely, the property assessment. The total assessed valuation of real and personal ])roperty in Elkhart county in 1904 amounted to $23,666,350. The assessed value is conservatively estimated as twenty-five ]>er cent of the real \'alue, ct^mputing on which basis we can l)lace a very low figure on the worth of Elkhart C(junty in stating it to be a hundred million dollars. And this is mainly vital wealth, by which is meant, conferring constant benefit upon its possessors, - not potential or .fictitious. For wealth of material resources or otherwise is true wealth only as it can be made useful in its relation to- mankind, in some of the manifold economic machinery of ci\'ilization. Considered from this ]joint of view, the wealth of Elkhart county at the beginning of its history could be reckoned as naught, for its virgin soil, its forests, its -water power were, as w-e have said in a previous chapter, potential and not active resources. But now a hundred million dollars could not buy Elkhart county, although it is a comparatively insignificant spot on the total surface of the globe.

Elkliart county in 1905 has ten banks, liesides the Elkhart Loan and Trust Company of Goshen. In point of age, since it has been open for business throughout a period of over lialf a century, the Salem Bank, of Goshen, deserves prior consideration. The Salem Bank was established in 1854, and has opened its doors every business day from then 4Lintil now. and for thirty-five years has Ijeen practically under the same management. Mr. Frank A. Hascall, the cashier, has l>een behind its counters since 1866, which long service is itself very noteworthy. The Salem Bank is a private bank, under the proprietorship of the John A\'. Irwin estate. (See sketch of John \\'. Irwin.) Mr. Frank J. Irwin is vice-president, F. A. Hascall is cashier, and \Villiam Nymeyer. assistant cashier. The capital stock is $60,000; surplus and profits, .$101,305; deposits, $246,197; loans and discounts, $301,830. and cash on hand and in banks, $114,378.

The St. Josepli Valley Bank at Elkhart, Avhich was established in 1872. and is " State Bank No. u " in the ot^cial report, shows its splendid condition in tlie following recent report :

In the town of Bristol ]\Ir. Tlnnnas Hilbish commenced the hanking business in 1891 in cnnncctiMn witli his store: in i<)Oi separated them, and in 1905 ca]3italized the hanJc for $10,000. The nfhcers are Thomas Hilbish, president, and C. \\". Hilbish, cashier.

and steadily successful progress, due to the close and careful attention paid to all its patronage and its financial management. The following items are suggestive of the strength of this institution :

The officers of the First State Banlc are men of known integrity and financial ahility in Elkhart county, and their names are guarantee of the character of their undertaking, for they have been actively identified with hanking in Elkhart since 1880. Norman Sage is president, J. Cioldberg, vice-president. Charles T. (Ireene, cashier, and hrank A. Sage, assistant cashier.

The milling industry of Elkhart cottnt}' justly receives nnich attention in this work, for it has been of vital importance to the people from the pioneer times to the present. As representative of the modern science of flour-making in contrast with the primitive methods and mills elsewhere described, a few^ facts concerning the Goshen Milling- Company will be of interest at this point.

The Goshen Milling Company commenced business in April. 1883. It was formed by a union of two milling" firms, C. & E. Hawks, and W. A. & H. K. Thomas, who were in business right across the street from one another. Both were \ery old firms, Messrs. C. & E. Hawks in particular ha\ing (iperated a flouring mill in Waterford, a village three miles south of Goshen im the same river, the Elkhart, since 1837. In 1868 upon the completion of the Hydraulic Canal this mill was nii'vcd to Goshen and very much enlarged. The capacity has been increased since that time and now seveii hundred barrels of flour are turned out h\ the Hawks mill daily, while the other mill is used to manufacture r}'e and Inickwheat flour, corn meal and chop feed. Besides manufacturing-. The Gnsheu Alilling Company does an extensive business in i)u\ing- and shipping corn and oats and rye. A larg'e part of the Hour made is exported to England, Scotland, Ireland and Norway. Their leading lirands of flour are the Blended I'atent (ierbelle and the Roller Straight, Ne\-er Fail and the Family Vhmr. Cooks' Delight. The capital stock and surplus of the firm amounts to $100,- 000. The president and general manager is Frank E. C. Hawks, vicepresident, E. \\'. Hawks, secretary and treasurer, Herbert H. (iortner. while the general superintendent is George D. Hawks. The main office of the companv is on Lincoln avenue in the new Metropolitan lilock. About Eft}- men are employed and the \-alue of the flour and feed manufactured amounts to fullx- a million dollars per annum. Tlie company uses mostly water power, but has a coupled compound, condensing" Corliss engine to fall back upon in case of accident. The company furnishes power for the operating of four large dynamos belonging to the Hawks Electric Company. This company furnishes the current for power as well as for lighting, and does a very large business.

One of the manufacturing enterprises which concern closely the every day life of (iosben citizens is the Goshen Gas Light Company. This was organized on December 17, 1875, by Charles B. Alderman, La Porte Heefner. C. P. Noland and J. Desha Patton, with a capital stock of $20,000. On the 26th day of May, 1899, the Goshen Gas Light Company was acquired by th.e Goshen Gas Company, a corporation organized by J- T. Lynn, Chas. J. Garvin, C. \V. Miller, F. H. Shelton and F. K. Pelton, with a capital stock of $60,000. The officers of the company are now as follows : President, J. T. Lynn ; vicepresident, Chas. J- Garvin : secretary and treasurer, A. L. Wilkinson. The companv now has about fifteen hundred consumers and is sending out about 25,000,000 C. E. of gas per annum.

The Goshen Rublwr Works, located on North Seventh street, was established in 1899 and incorporated in 1901, and from a small business furnishing employment to sixteen persons has increased until over one hundred and fifty are now on the payrolls. At this plant are manu- factured all kinds of mechanical rubber goods - bicycle tires, automobile tires, inner tubes, soit rubber specialties and insulated wire. The Goshen Rubber Works was incorporated by W". M. Page, H. H. Nill, Benj. Johnson, Alex. McDonnell, H. C. Zeigler. Jerry Hayes, all of Montpelier, Indiana, and F. D. Zeigler, of Goshen, Indiana. The above parties compose the present board of directors, with the addition of Mr. A. J. \\'hisler. The ofificers are : H. C. Zeigler, of Montpelier, Indiana, president: H. H. Nill, of Montpelier, Indiana, vice-president; Jerry Hayes, of Montpelier, Indiana, treasurer ; C. W. Kinnan, of Montpelier, Indiana, secretary: A. J. Whisler, of Goshen, Indiana, superintendent : F. D. Zeigler, of Goshen, Indiana, manager and assistant treasurer.

The company is capitalized at $200,000, and an annual output of ni_it less than $250,000. The capacity is conservatively estimated at $500,000. From 100 to }6o people are employed.

The Sanders and Egbert Company conduct one of the big manufacturing industries of the county. They are wholesale manufacturers of hardwood lumber of all kinds, making a specialty of walnut and thin lumber. The plant and \ards of the inditstry at Goshen cover about forty acres, the great area of logs and lumber at once attracting the attention of strangers t<.i this as 'Uie of the important institutions of Goshen. Several hundred men are employed in the \arious departments of the business, and about twenty million feet of hardwood lumter is put on the market each year by this firm. The business was organized in 1880 as John li. Lesh & Co., later was known as Lesh, Sanders & Egbert Co.. and for some years has been conducted under the present name. D. A. Sanders is president and general manager. Haines Egbert is \ice-president and secretary, and John W. Egbert is treasurer.

The Hawks Furniture Company, Goshen, was organized in 1873 by a partnership consisting of Cephas, Eleazer and Joel P. Hawks, together with Daniel Fravel, for the purpose of manufacturing common bedsteads and tables. As the business grew it became necessary to enlarge the facilities, hence frequent additions to the plant were made. In 1884 the business was incorporated under the present name. In 1S85 the frame buildings were destroyed by fire, entailing a loss to the company of over $25,000. With the spirit n\' enterprise which has ahvavs been a characteristic of the Hawks family, llie ruins were scarcelv cold before plans had lieen jirejiared for a plant on a more extensi\"e

From the manufacture of the very cheapest kind of furniture without being finished, the line of manufacture now consists of chamber suites in solid mahogany, bird's eye maple, and c|uartered oak, together witli all that goes to make up a complete line of chamber furniture.

The officers of the company are Edwin W. Hawks, president; Frank £. C. Hawks, vice-president: and Herbert H. Gortner, secretary and treasurer.

The Goshen Rubber Company, established at Goshen in 190^, capital stock $75,000, has become one of the important manufacturing- concerns of the city. The present officers are : B. F. Deahl, president ; G. B. Slate, secretary and treasurer and general manager; Geo. F. Alderman, A'ice-president. The number of employes is about twenty persons. The annual business is placed at $60,000. The manufacture is a general line of rubber goods and rubber specialties, and the taking of special contracts, a booklet of sixteen pages being' given to a list of manufactured articles.

The I X-L and Goshen Pump Company has a history dating back nearly half a century. The Goshen Pump Company was established in 1854 by William D. Platter, in 1878 was purchased by William L. Bivins, and in 1885 by the I X-L Pump Co. The I X-L Pump Co. was established in 1879 by James A. Arthur, Alfred Lowry and John Korrady, Jr. The two companies were incorporated under the laws of Indiana in 1885, and in 1895 were consolidated under a state charter. The present officers of the company are B. F. Deahl, president; Jnhn Hale, vice-president; George Mutschler, Sr., treasurer; James A. Arthur, secretary. The capital stock is $36,000, the average nunil>er of emploves is sixt_\-. and the \a1ue (if the annual output is one hundred thousand dollars. "Fhe main line of manufacture is now kitchen furniture, also including window and door screens, ladders, swings, steel tanks, etc. Recently the company began the erection of an addition to their finishing room, 48 by 112 feet, two stories and basement, of brick, with modern freight elevators ; also a brick building in which to install an electric lighting plant, and a hundred and sixty feet of modern lumber sheds. These improvements were made necessary by the rapid increase of business within the past lew years, an increase which the

The Goshen Churn and Ladder Ci)mi)any was estahlislied and incorporated October 5. 1901, b}' the men who still figure as its officers: namely. J. B. Hager. president: Charles McDonald, \ice-president : J. B. Cripe, manager: Aaron Hartzler, secretan' and treasurer.- Tlie caj.ital stock is ten thousand dollars, and din'ing the bnsv season, which extends oxer the greater part of the rear. fn)m seventy to se\enty-fi\'e persons are emjiloyed in the manufacture of the " I'amous " churns and ladders.

The Thomas- All '.right Compau}-. founders and machiiusts and manufacturing hydraulic presses exclusi\e!y. was established in 1878 by Eli M. Allirigbt and George X. Thomas, was incorjwrated in 1891. and its present officers are E. M. Albright. ])resi<lent: Bella W'illhide, vicepresident: ^\^ A. ^^'illhide, secretary and treasurer. There are between twenty and twenty-five employes, and the annual output is valued at seventy-five thousand dollars. .\ sixty-page catalogue descriljes the various presses manufacturetl by this company, among theni being tankage presses, lard presses, leather, baling, book and paper, and many other ]jresses. all operated by hydraulic power.

The Art Xo\elty Company of Goshen began business in July, IQ04, and in the past vear its sales have run u]> to fifteen thousand dollars. The output consists of plate, book and hat racks, Ix^lsters, screens, easels, cabinets, etc. William Ackerman is ]5resident : Woodson ^'. E. !Messick. secretary and treasurer: J. C. Messick. \ice-])resident : and C. H. Messick. designer.

A manufacturing business \alued between $75,000 and $90,000 per annum is carried on at Goshen by the Boreal Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of gio\'es and mittens. This business was estal> lished in Decemlier, 1903, by Louis J. Phillips, and the officers at present are Edw. S. Rogers, president an<l treasurer, and Nathan Ashcer, manager. The capital stock is ten th<"iusand dollars, and seventv-five persrms are employed.

The Goshen Phannacal Company, manufacturing pharmacists and chemists, established their business at Goshen in 1890. at first as a partnership between E. D. Chipman and A. E. Davis. Licorporation was effected in 1900. with a capital stock of $25,000. and the present ofiicers are: Frederick Simpson, president: L. ^^'. \'ail. vice-president:

The new business block and theatre building, in course of erection in the summer of 1905 by the Sanders, Hay and Neidig Company, gives Goshen another institution of distinctive character and one of which the citizens may well feel proud. Erected at a cost, including real estate, of $75,000, with a frontage of iii feet and depth of 162 feet, three stories high, material of buffed Bedford limestone and buft'ed Roman mottled brick, the entire building is of unsually beautiful proportions and eft'ective design. The theatre, 67 by 162 feet, is on the ground llo(jr. Three sets of doors go from the street into the main \estibule, and two sets admit to the lobby. To the right as the lobby is entered is the pri\ate (jlfice of the theatre manager. Adjoining it is the 1k)x office, with ticket window opening into the lobby as well as the gallery passageways. Next to the 1x>x office, and with an opening from the foyer, is a check room for hats, coats, etc. Two sets of doors open from the lobby into a 10-foot foyer, at the right and left of which, are the stairways, each 4J/2 feet wide, leading up to the balcony. The stairs are very easy, the rise being six inches and the tread 1 1 inches.

Col. J. M. Wood, the architect, has followed the classic style of architecture in the interior of the theatre and tends somewhat toward the Ionic. The decorative effects will be subdued, dignified and very artistic. The scheme of coloring will be a liarmony of delicate greens, blended with old ivory. All of the furnishings, including the draperies, carpets, etc., will be handsome and in keeping with the general character of the theatre.

Over 1,100 people can be seated in the theatre. The main auditorium measures 64 feet wide and 66 feet long. The height is about 45 feet. The four proscenium boxes, two .on either side, seat six persons each and the two loges, one on either side, four persons each. The lx)xes are in the Ionic style, w^ith huge pillars as the di\i<ling line.

The proscenium opening is 38 feet wide and 28 feet high. The arch itself is an elipse, 20 feet deep and 50 feet long, extending from the outer edge of the boxes. It \y\\\ be done in relief plaster, with magnifi- cent decorations and pnne tlie attracti\'e feature of the tlieatre. Built of steel and lirick, the arch will, when the asbestos curtain is lowered and fire-pronf doors closed, cumpletely separate the stage from the auditorium, doing away with much of the danger of fire, as fires in tlieatres nearly always start on the stage.

The architect has been careful to compl}- with the state law in detail. A general heating plant in the basement will furnish the heat fur the whole block. Steam will be used. All the plumbing is of the latest kind. In all there are seven exits, the lower floor, balconj' and galler}- ;dl ha\-ing openings into the alley on the south of the building. The law provides for jo inches of exit space for every lOO people. Col. \\'ood"s plans provide 40 inches, just double the amount required bv law. All apparatus for fighting fire will be ]ilaced in the theatre,

A wide stairway south of the double room will lead to^ the upper floors of the entire block, wide corridors being arranged. The offices will be finished in metropolitan style, steam heated, electric lighted and with toilet rooms. The woodwork will be in oak, with red beech floors. There are several suites. On the third floor, over the double rooiu, will be a lodge room, with kitchen, buffet, 1>illiard room, card room, reception ]iarlor, etc.

Suspended from tlie liuilding by means uf heavy iron chains a wrought iron, highly ornamental, and prisiu glass canopy or porte cochere, will extend out over the full width of the sidewalk, affording shelter in front of the whole entrance to the playhouse.

The Sanders. Hay and Neidig Company, through wdiose enterprise this fine building has been erected in Goshen, was incorporated February 6, 1905, W'ith the following well known business and financial men as its officers : George W. Hay, president : Daniel .X. Sanders, vice-president; Harrv M. Sanders, secretary; and David W. Neidig. treasurer.

The Kelly Foundr}- and .Machine Company was established in fioshen in 1887, Frank, Charles, Edward and Clark Kelly being the leading factors of the institution. The foundry was built on the present site on the east side in 1891, and in January. 1896, the business was incorporated under the above name. This is one of the most stable and prosperous manufacturing concerns of Goshen, over a hundred men finding employment in its various departmenls.

located in tlie uld woolen mill building, and very recently has added thirty thousand feet of floor space. Buggy tops and other component parts of buggies and carriages are manufactured.

Tlie Goshen Veneer Company, whose plant is located north of the Lake Shore road and in the northwest quarter of the city, is a complete plant for the making of all kinds of veneering", from the rough logs to the finished prciduct. M. C. Dow is the president of the company.

Ladders, lawn and similar wood articles are made for a large trade liy the Goshen Manufacturing Company, whose capital stock is $125,000. A special line of doors is the product of the Goshen Sash and Door Companj'. Other concerns worthy of mention are the Banta Furniture Company, Goshen Cigar Company, Goshen Eyelet Company, Goshen Shirt Factory, Goshen Brick Company and the Goshen Motor Works.

A city within a city would be an apt description of the aggregate institutions built up b\' the Lake Shore System in their relation to the city of Elkhart. Doubtless the majority of the people of the county do not realize the significance and true proportions of these institutions as a part of the county's business interests. A recent writer estimated the gross earning power of the wage-working population of Elkhart at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a month, and of this great sum the Lake Shore Company paid ninety thousand to its employes living and centering in the city. This railroad paid to the city last year nearly five thousand dollars in taxes upon its assessed valuation of property within the city limits. There are hundreds of miles of side and switch tracks, 'lundreds of acres covered by the shops and yards, there is a \ast area of roof covering the different mechanical and operating departments, and on such a scale have the railroad officials seen fit to build up this division point that a visitor could hardly gain an adequate idea of it all in several days of observation and inquiry.

Recently there have been constructed, about a nfile and a quarter west of the depot, what are known as the " hum]i " yards, at a cost of over a luillion dollars. Here are miles and miles of track and all the most modern facilities for handling freight trains. .Vt this point the thousands of cars of freight which come in from the east consigned to points west of Chicago, instead of being sent into the j-ards at Chicago, where delay, confusion and loss are always imminent, are here made up into the solid trains which go straight through to their destination. .\mong other improvements at Elkhart is the immense new engine roundhouse, which, with its surroundings, cost over six hundred thousanv! dollars. Also a coal dock was installed at a cost of fifty-six thousand. Of tlie mechanical dejiartments there are the great locomotive shops, the rail shop, the (ira\it carpenter shops, the roundhouses, the foundry, the store de])artment, besides the \-arious administrative and operating departments located here.

Mr. T. J. Dawson is the assistant superintendent at Elkhart, with oiifice in the passenger station. C. W. Cross, the master mechanic, popular alike with his subordinates and with the citizens, has been here five }ears. Joseph Chidley is assistant master mechanic, and Oscar Antz is general foreman of the sbojis. Other officials are D. Brennan, master black.smith. W'nliam (ira\it, master carpenter, Samuel Bates, yardmaster, ^^^ J. Diehl, of the stores department, F. E. Kilpatrick, supervisor of signals, and J. .S. Rice, road painter.

The im]X)rtance of the Lake Shore Railroad's share in the industrial interests of Elkhart may be understood when it is stated that at least a fourth of the city's ixjpulation depend <lirectly or indirecth' for employment and means of livelihood u])on the \arious departments of the railroad. The number of employes and the monthh- pavroll in sijme of the departments are given as follows;

There are four hundred engineers and an equal number of firemen of the Michigan Southern division under the jurisdiction of the roundhouses at Elkhart, and sixty-live per cent of these live or make their headquarters at Elkhart. Each day one hundred and si.xty engmes are cared for at these roundhouses. ,\n estimate of the total number of railroad employes at Elkhart is conservative at fifteen hundred men. And, as one of the officials enthu.siastically states, thev are

Another interesting fact is that there has never been a strike. The employes are all organized, there being the unions of machinists, boilermakers, blacksmiths, carpenters, painters, molders, engineers, firemen, etc.

The Elkhart Carriage and Harness Manufacturing Company, Elkhart. In 1873 F. B. Pratt and Wm. B. Pratt, his son, began the manufacturing of vehicles under the firm name of F. B. Pratt & Son, and inaugurated the plan of selling direct from the manufacturer to the consumer without the use of the middle man or jobber. In 1882, Mr. F. B. Pratt's second son, (jCO. B. Pratt, came into the business and the concern was known as the Elkhart Buggy Company. In 1888 a stock company was formed to be known as the Elkhart Carriage & Harness Mfg. Co., the stock being taken by Frederick B. Pratt, Wm. B. Pratt, Geo. B. Pratt and Otis D. Thompson. In 1891 F. B. Pratt sold his stock to Geo. B. Pratt and Wm. B. Pratt. In 1894 Mr. Thompson sold his stock to Geo. B. Pratt and Wm. B. Pratt and the entire stock is held by Geo. B. and Wm. B. Pratt at this time, 1905. The plan of selling a manufactured article is the same to-day as it w'as when the business started in 1873 - by advertising in papers and magazines and sending out catalogues illustrating and describing everything that the company makes, which includes a large line of both vehicles and harness. This business is all carried on through correspondence. The company employs from 300 to 500 people, shipping annually from 5,000 to 9,000 finished \ehicles. The officers of the company are Wm. B. Pratt, president and secretary, and George B. Pratt, \-ice-president and treasurer.

The Bue.scher Mfg. Co. was organized about ten years ago with a capital stock of $15,000. In 1903, November, the capital stock was increased to $60,000. Between the years 1898 and 1903 there were emplo}-e(l Ijy that comijany an a\erage of about 150 men with an output of $150,000 each year. In April, 1904, the conipanv was reorganized under the name of tlie Buescher Band Instrument Co., with F. A. Buescher as ]iresident and J. H. Collins, secretary and treasurer.

l3v A. J. Briggs, and has de\'elopecl into une of the largest manufacturing concerns of the county. Its capital stock is $500,000, its annual output amounts to $600,000 in value, and 400 persons are furnished employment. The present officers are: President, G. A. Briggs; secretary and treasurer, H. C. Randall; general manager, A. J. Briggs.

Another representati\-e manufacturing industry at Elkhart is the Elkhart Bristol Board and Paper Co.. which was established in 1904. The capital stock is $60,000 and the officers are H. A. Metzger, president; C. E. Frye, treasurer, and A. E. Metzger, secretary. The output consists of hristols, covers, tough checks, document and folding box board, the amount being about fifteen tons per day and with an approximate value of fifty dollars per ton. There are thirty employes, and the plant is valued at one hundred thousand dollars.

On May i. 1902, the Davis Acetylene Company commenced the building of acetylene gas generators at Elkhart. They equip entire towns as well as individual stores, factories and houses with illumination the ecjual of gas or electricity, and their apparatus is available in places where gas plants and electricity could not be supplied owing to the size of the village. The Davis Acetylene Company is successors to Davis and Price, Davis and Flint, and the Carbolite Construction Company, the business having been carried on in Chicago' previous to its removal to Elkhart on the date mentioned. The present officers are: Augustine Davis, president; John T. h^arl. vice-president: A. C. Collins, secretary and treasurer, and J. H. Birch, superintendent of factory. The plant, consisting of two substantial brick and stone buildings with office, together with the machinery, is valued at thirty thousand dollars, not including the value of patents and good will. The employes numlwr forty-five, while the output during the past year was 1,173 generators with a value of $60,000.

The business of the Dr. Miles Medical Company, at Elkhart, extends all over the United States, besides a considerable export trade. This medical manufacturing plant is one of the important concerns of the city, furnishing employment to al>out one hundred and fifty persons, whose aggregate salaries in 1904 tntaled $99,144. In proof of the completeness of the establishment, it may be stated that an extensive printing plant is run in connection with the other departments, where all the printing for the conipany is done. The business was incorporated in 1885, and is capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars.

The Gram' Dispensary is another institution built up in Elkhart b)- Dr. ]\liles. It \vas established in 1880, and incorporated in the fall of 1904 with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, and the following officers: Dr. Franklin jNIiles, president; Franklin Miles, Jr., treasurer and secretary. The number of assistants, comprising physicians, druggists, correspondents, etc., runs from fifty to seventy-five at different seasons of the year.

The object of the Grand Dispensary is generally to treat patients by mail, especially those who reside in districts at a distance from competent medical aid, or have tried local physicians without success. Their practice extends into e\-ery state and territory in the United States and many foreign countries.

The firm of Burrell and Morgan arc proprietors of the Elkhart City Mills, which they jiurchased in 1900. In 1903 they took over the Harvest Queen Mills, one of the well known old flouring mills of Elkhart, and in J905 bought the grain elevator at iMisbawaka, and at the present time operate all three institutions, "ilieir product consists of fancy winter wheat flours. A. H. Burrell and D. B. Morgan comprise the firm.

In the field of manufacturing enterjjrise the C. G. Conn musical instrument factory stands not only in first place at Elkhart, but as the greatest establishment of the kind in the world. This business has grown steadily from 1876 to the present, when hundreds of skilled workmen are every day engaged in the large factory at Elkhart in turning out what art known to world-wide fame as the Conn ^^'onder band instruments. The life of the founder of this institution and his identification with the welfare of Elkhart are given on other pages of this volume.

The Edward Kelly Foundry Company was opened for business at Elkhart in Noxcmber, 1899, the large plant being located in the Allendale addition to Elkhart. Edward Kelly is the head of the institution. As iron founders, machinists and pattern makers, their product consists of boiler fronts and toiler castings, grate and furnace castings, besides the building of various kinds of special machinen,-.

As a carriage manufacturing center Elkhart deserves rank well up among other northern Indiana cities. Besides the Elkhart Carriage and Harness Company, mentioned elsewhere, there are the Noyes Carriage Company and the Indiana Bugg}- Compan_\-. Tlie manufac- lure of paper, one of the oldest industries of the city, is further represented by the ConsoHdated Paper an.d Bag Company, Union Paper Company and the Elkhart Paper Ccjnipany. DeserA'ing of mention among the representative manufacturing concerns of the city are also the following: Barger Brothers, Sidway Manufacturing Company, Straus Mattress Factory, Kenyon Medical Company, Acme Cycle Com- ])any, Garden City Stationery Company, Kuhlman Electrical Company, the Foster-Kimball Machine Company, and the National ]Manufacturing Company.

The Coppes, Zook & Mutschler Company are proiirietors of Nappanee's largest industry, coxering an area of some fourteen acres of ground. The company manufacture furniture and are merchant millers and grain dealers. Factory A. is used for the manufacture of extension and library tables: Factory B, for chamber suites, sideboards and chiffoniers; and Factor}- C, for kitchen furniture.

In addition to the furniture business and sawmill business, the firm of Coppes, Zook & Mutschler Company arc merchant millers and grain dealers. The steel elevator holds 30.000 liushels r)f wheat. The splendidly e(|uipped mill has a capacity of 250 barrels every twentyfour hours. The product of this mill is the x'cry best, and the firm not only enjoys a local trade through this part of the state, but for many years has had a large export trade m tiu: Clasgow market. The \alue of the mill's product last year, in round numbers, was ab<:)Ut $350,000. The members of the company are b'rank Copiies, president; John 1). Coppes. \-ice-president : Daniel Zook, secretary: Albert Mutschler, treasurer ; the other two members being H. E. Zook and Chas. ]\Iutschler.

The company's history dates from alxjut Alay i. 1902, when the firm of Coppes Bros. & Zook and the Na])panee b'urniture Company consolidated. The latter C(jmpany was engaged exclusively in manufacturing tables and kitchen cabinets. The first named company was engaged in tlie sawmill business, lumber, planing mill, building material, and manufacturing boxes, and merchant millers and grain dealers. The Ijox business, retail lumber. ;md i)laning mill business, including building materials, were turned o\er to an(.>tber local institution on the

The Union Canning' Company, at Xappanee, whose president and general manager is Arthur A. Laughlin, has a plant whose capacity is 24,000 cans per day, with storage for 15,000 bushels of onions and 150 tons of cabbage. With Mr. Laughlin the stockholders are S. D. Coppes, the banker, and Hartman Bros., general merchants. Mr. Coppes is treasurer, Mr. Tobias Hartman is the vice-president.

The pickle industr\ is one which is at the present time being pushed. The west wing of the factory is 30 x 90 feet and contains eleven salting vats (with the exception of two on the outside) each holding one thousand bushels. Aside from these, the company has a station at Syracuse and one at Leesburg, each station with a capacity of six thousand bushels of pickles, though the one at Syracuse is being enlarged this season on account of the increased acreage. The company began the pickle business here in 1900, at Syracuse in 1904, and at Leesburg in 1905. The Nappanee acreage is 125, Syracuse 80, and Leesburg 60. The amount paid out to the farmers h.ere and at the other stations will be in excess of $12,000 this year.

Brown Brothers Manufacturing Company, at Nappanee. Inhlders of all kinds of galvanized steel tanks, was established in a small way about six years ago, by J. W. Brown. The plant has been greath- enlarged since then, there are now twenty office employes liesides those in the shops, and the annual value of the output at present is over thirty thousand dollars.

Gorge L. Lamb is manufacturing at Nappanee a fine line of screens, easels, music cabinets, book shelves, hat racks, umbrella holders, tabourettes. wall pockets, brushes, etc. His force of employes has reached a total of forty in the busy season. His business in 1904 was in excess of thirty thousand dollars, and the rapid increase during the present year tias caused him tn construct a large addition to his plant.

George Freese's Sons. Nappanee, are manufacturers of high grade separator butter, ice cream and artificial ice, wholesalers of fancy eggs and poultry, retailers of coal. The business was established in Elkhart by the late Hon. George Freese in 1857. The business was afterward moved to Goshen, and was brought to Nappanee in 1881. The firm has a splendid farm of 120 acres just north of town about three miles.

on which they have blooded dairy stock of their own, where they feed a large number of hogs, and where they raise grain and food stuffs for their teams. They operate creamery separator stations at Milford, Wakarusa, Oak Grove, Burketville, Cromwell and Jonesville. The milk is hauled to these stations by the farmers and is separated, the cream being hauled by wagon or shipped to Nappanee by rail, while the milk is returned to the farmers, who haul it home for feeding purposes. Aside from the farmers employed in hauling milk from their neighborhoods, the firm has in their employ six teams of their own, and twenty-five men.