Jackson County, Missouri - Chapter 14: The Markets and Packing Houses, 1881

Chapter 14: The Markets and Packing Houses

History of the Texas Cattle Trade - Its Final Concentration at Kansas City - The Growth of the Market and Character of the Present Supply - The History of the Packing Business - Why it Came to Kansas City - Its Statistics - The Grain Market, When and Ho7v It Started - Its Development and Circumstances Attending It - Its Present Facilities and Magnitude.

When Cortez overran Mexico in the sixteenth century, he introduced into this new Spanish possession the long-horned cattle of Spain, and they became the cattle of the Spanish possession to the exclusion of all others, and continue to this day to hold undisputed possession, although the control of the country has long since passed from Spain to the republics of Mexico and the United States. These cattle thrive best on the plains of western and southern Texas, though they prosper in New Mexico, and, it has been found since their settlement, in Colorado and Kansas also. Old Mexico has not had a surplus of them during this century, because of the disturbed condition of society which makes all property insecure, and the natural triflingness of the people who prefer pillaging each other to honest industry. The plains of western and southern Texas became their great pasture ground after that State was annexed to the United States, and orderly government gave protection to property.

The First Northward Drive

These plains soon became the source of beef supply for the southern States, and largely of Mexico also ; but the production was in a more rapid ratio than the growth of the demand, and as early as 1857 the stock growers of that State began to look for other markets. The first attempt to drive them to the north on record was in 1857, when about 20,000 head, with some horses and mules, were driven to Missouri, passing through Kansas City and crossing the river at Randolph Ferry, three miles below town, in June of that year. This is reported to have been an unfortunate venture, except so far as the mules were concerned, which were sold at remunerative prices. There was at that time great demand at Kansas City for oxen and mules for the Santa Fe trade, and in 1858 larger numbers of cattle and mules were driven hither from Texas, and such cattle as were suitable were sold to the freighters for oxen. Many others were sold as stock cattle to immigrants to California, Utah and Oregon. In 1859 and i860 the business was continued, and the droves were larger, and during these two years attempts were made to get fat cattle suitable for beeves through to Chicago, but with what success is not recorded. The breaking out of the war in 1861 stopped the rapidly growing trade.

During the war the market for Texas cattle became exceedingly restricted. In the earlier years of the struggle the southern States and Confederate armies made a fair demand for them, but this was practically cut off by the occupation of the Mississippi River by Federal troops in 1863. Cattle could, after that event, be got to the southern States and Confederate armies only by running the blockade of the Mississippi, which was attend with such hazard that the business was not profitable and hardly possible.

The Beginning Of The Drive Northward

Owing to these causes, and the continued rapid increase of cattle in Texas, that State was utterly overrun with them at the close of the war, and there was no market for them. The southern people were not in a condition to buy and Mexico needed but a small part of the annual increase. It is said that cattle men then almost wholly neglected their herds, and a prevalent mode of estimating a man's poverty was by the number of cattle he owned - the more the worse. Cattle that could be bought for from three to six dollars per head, were worth ten times that amount in the northwest. This fact soon becoming known, the drovers began to prepare in 1865 and 1866 to drive to the north, and the movement began in 1866. The exact number of cattle that crossed Red River that year for the north is not known, but it has been generally estimated at 260,000 head. These herds passed through the Indian Territory, and attempted to enter southwestern Missouri in the general direction of Sedalia and other points on the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Central Missouri. The story that these cattle spread the fearfully fatal Spanish fever among the native cattle of the north, and that contact with them was certain destruction to natives, led to the most determined resistance to their entrance into the settled parts of Missouri and Kansas. This resistance afforded an excellent opportunity to lawless characters to pillage the drovers, and beside the farmers who honestly opposed them from good but mistaken motives, there were mobs organized by men who had no property to be injured and for the sole purpose of robbery. These mobs attacked the drovers and lynched many of them, managing meantime to stampede their cattle, after which it was easy to steal large numbers of them. But few of the herds of 1867 got through to shipping points, while many were turned back, so that the new field of inviting profit and speedy fortune was realized only as a field of wrong, abuse and ruin.

Opening A Place Of Rendezvous

The attempt and the struggle, however, widely advertised the quality and cheapness of Texas cattle, and hence attracted much attention throughout the north and northwest. They became as determined to have the cattle as the Texas drovers were that they should have them, or the farmers of Kansas and Missouri that they should not be driven through these States. The next point then was to find a point to which Texas cattle could be driven where northern dealers could buy them, and where there were adequate shipping facilities.

In the study of this problem it occurred to Mr. Joseph G. McCoy, now of this city, but then a cattle dealer in Illinois, that a common point might be found somewhere in western Kansas or the Indian territory outside of the settlements, or somewhere on the southern rivers, from whence cattle could be shipped by boat. Before he had fairly decided in his own mind which would be best, he had occasion to visit Kansas City. Here he met some parties who were interested in Texas cattle, and talked over the project to them, and with their encouragement he went up the Kansas Pacific road to look at the country. Impressed with the favorableness of the situation he returned, and, in an interview with the officers of the Kansas Pacific, they told him that they thought it might pay; that they would encourage it, but were not sufficiently sanguine of its success to put money into it. He got an understanding, however, that if he would erect shipping yards at his own expense, they would arrange with him so that he should have shipping facilities and a fair share of profits. With this understanding he went to St. Louis to ascertain from the Missouri Pacific what rates of freight would be given from Kansas City to that place. He went before the president of that road and^explained the scheme, when the president remarked that it occurred to him that he (Mr. McCoy) had no cattle to ship, and he had no assurance that he ever would have. Very soon afterward Mr. McCoy made an agreement about rates with the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad.

The Market At Abilene

He then closed up his business in Illinois and went to Abilene, Kansas, where he built the necessary stock yards and a hotel for the accommodation of drovers, and by the time the herds of 1867 began to reach Kansas, he was ready for them, and that year received into the yards about 35,000 head. As the place was wholly unknown as a cattle market, Mr. McCoy and his associates in the yards were about the only buyers. They bought and shipped to Chicago about 3,000 head; of the balance, a large number were shipped through in first hands and packed in Chicago on the owner's account, but many were driven further north. The first shipment from Abilene was on the 5th of September, 1867, and consisted of twenty car loads. The shipments from Abilene that year reached about one thousand car loads, all of which went to Chicago by the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, except seventeen car loads which went to St. Louis by the Missouri Pacific. The railroad bridge at Kansas City was not then finished, and the proprietors of the Abilene yards, thinking Leavenworth a more eligible place for crossing the river than Kansas City, built the necessary feeding and transfer yards at that point, and shipped their cattle by that place. Leavenworth, however, took no interest in the movement and offered it no advantages, besides which it was found that the advantages for forwarding cattle were much inferior to those at Kansas City. Hence, the next year, 1868, they transferred their trans shipping business to Kansas City.

The Movement In 1 868

Owing to various causes the operations of the year 1867 were not satisfactory to the drovers, chief among which was their failure to meet buyers at Abilene or elsewhere in Kansas. The proprietors of the yards, comprehending the situation, spent about five thousand dollars in the winter of 1867-8 in advertising Abilene as a cattle market, both in Texas and northwest, assuring the one that buyers would be there in 1868, and the other that many cheap cattle would be offered there. This had the desired effect, and that year there were an abundance of buyers, and the number of cattle arriving there was fully seventy-five thousand head. Fortunes were made this year, and the Texas drovers were encouraged to make larger drives the next year.

Many of the cattle bought at Abilene in 1868 were shipped immediately into the feeding districts of Illinois and other western States, and soon spread the Spanish fever over the country. Its destructive effects were such as to call forth hostile legislation in most of the western States. It was much investigated and at last ascertained that there is no danger of it after frost; hence after that year it became the practice to hold the cattle on the plains, where they thrive and fatten until after frost. Such as were bought for packing or for beef were, however, shipped when needed, as they did not go into feeding districts, or come in contact with native cattle, and hence were not liable to spread disease.

In 1869 not less than one hundred and fifty thousand cattle were received at Abilene, while many more went further north, some to feed Indians, some to government posts and to Utah and Montana, while many found their way to market by the way of the Union Pacific Railroad. This year success attended the drovers, and in 1870 they drove not less than three hundred thousand head. The yard faciUties at Kansas City having been found inadequate, in 1869 the North Missouri, Hannibal and St. Joseph, and Missouri Pacific Railroads all built yards of their own.

That was the year of Abilene's glory, and her great prosperity attracted the attention, of other towns and raised up a host of rivals. The next year the

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road induced some parties to build yards at Newton, when that place and other points along the line of the Kansas Pacific began to compete successfully with Abilene. There already existed a strong feeling against the trade among the farmers in the country adjacent to .Abilene, and catering to that sentiment the representatives of the country in the Kansas Legislature procured the enactment of a law at the session of 187 1 that drove the trade from Abilene.

With the completion of the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf, and Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroads to the southern line of the State of Kansas in 1870, both began to compete for the trade, the unsettled country over the line in the Indian Territory affording ample pasturage and feeding grounds. For two or three years these roads secured a liberal share of the trade, and would have been preferred because of the shortness of their lines to Kansas City, but for the fact that the Indians levied a tax upon the herding of cattle or the driving of them through their country that made it unprofitable to drivers and supressed the trade.

Meanwhile, the receiving and forwarding of cattle began to be divided between Ellsworth, on the Kansas Pacific, and Wichita, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and so continued for several years, and until cattle fresh from Texas ceased to be forwarded into the Northwest. For two or three years the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe attempted to take all cattle it received by the way of Atchison to Chicago, but the lack of adequate yards and bridge facilities were found to be an insuperable barrier, and in 187^ it turned over its cattle to the Missouri Pacific at Atchison for shipment to Kansas City, and the next year effected arrangements for delivering them here itself.

Origin Of The Kansas City Market

In 1868, 1869 and [870 Kansas City was merely a re-shipping and feeding point, and this was done in the yards belonging to the railroad companies Four packing-houses were that year operating here, but packers had to send to the prairies for most of their cattle and send to the adjacent country for their hogs. This was out of their line of business, and made a demand for the employment of another class of men, who should attend to that part of the business and furnish the stock.

Again, the large number of cattle passing through the railroad yards at Kansas City required better attention than could be given them by railroad employees or the shippers themselves accompanying the stock in transit. There was a need of commission men located here, to whom the stock could be consigned, and who would take care of it.

There was a great need, also, of better yard regulations. A single yard under one management, where feed and water were provided and which should be used alike by all the railroads was much needed.

These facts led to the formation of a joint stock company in 187 1, and the construction in time to receive the shipments of that year, of the Kansas Stock Yards. When these yards went into operation, June i, 1871, Jerome D. Smith was elected superintendent. It soon became evident that with this additional convenience men were going into the live stock commission business here, and hence a building was erected to furnish offices for them. When the season opened there were several commission firms ready to begin operations. WiUiam A. Rogers was one of the first to engage in business at the Kansas yards.

This was the beginning of the live stock market in our city. Packers finding that they could supply themselves here ceased to go to the prairies for their stock. Feeders and others purchasers from the northwestern States had always regarded it as a great hardship to have to go to the frontiers of Kansas to buy their stock, and they, too, welcomed the new market with pleasure, and began at once to give it their patronage. The packing demand for hogs led the commission men to make an effort to attract that class of stock to the market, and they were soon in control of the crop of Kansas and western Missouri. Sheep came as a matter of course, and by the close of 187 1 this city had an established live stock market.

The development of the market from that time has been rapid. All the receipts of cattle in 187 1 were Texas cattle, and probably not more than one-third of them were sold here, the other two-thirds going forward in first hands. By 1872 the number sold here was nearly equal to the whole receipts, and in 1873 cattle ceased to go forward in first hands. From that time the Kansas City market controlled the Texas cattle, and has been steadily better than any oher market, as is shown by the fact that no man escaped loss who attempted the business of buying here for sale in other markets. Money has been made, however, in buying and shipping into the feeding districts on orders.

The market for hogs grew as rapidly as for cattle, and as early as 1 8 73 this market controlled the product, not only of Kansas and all the country west and south, but the adjacent parts of Missouri half way to Quincy, and northward into southwestern Iowa. For all this country and southern Nebraska, this city has been found to be a better market than any other. Packers have taken all suitable offerings, while the country adjacent and west of this city has demanded all stock hogs that could be had. Receipts steadily increased until in 1874, when the short crop incident to the destruction of the corn crops that year cut down the supply.

In 1872 native and wintered Texas cattle began to come into the market and since that time the proportion of natives has increased until the larger part of the receipts are of that class. Texas cattle driven to Colorado have stocked up that young State, and for the past few years Colorado cattle have become almost as prominent a feature of the market as those from Texas.

The following table shows the receipts of different kinds of stock into the Kansas City market. Receipts prior to 1871 were bought in the country and shipped here for packing and for beef : -

The tendency to drive Texas cattle to the plains of Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico to winter, and to bring them to this market during years subsequent to their removal from Texas, began about 1876, and has continued until few fresh Texas cattle come into this market. At the same time there began to be a large increase in the proportion of native cattle brought into the market, until now nearly all receipts are of that class, the wintered Texas cattle being absorbed in the western States and Territories, and by the army and Indian contractors.

A Promoter Of The Markets

As much is due to Howard M. Holden, of the First National Bank, as to any other individual, for the development of the stock market. As early as 1868 he perceived the advantage of such an institution, and, together with C. J. White, Colonel Bucklin and others, organized a live stock and drovers' association, to help the cattle men open the way to the city. The association accomplished but little, but Mr. Holden was always the friend of the cattle men, and by his liberal treatment soon taught them where to look for financial aid. He made something of a specialty of the commission trade from 1871 down, and was always ready to help the commission merchants. His liberal hand similarly favored the packing interest, and subsequently the grain market, and greatly stimulated the development of these interests. Other banks were also liberal, and the Mastin Bank early became an active friend of the cattle men and packers.

As the events of 1867 demonstrated that a supply of cattle would thereafter be found on the western prairies, packers were attracted to the frontier. The first attempt at packing was at Junction City in 186^, by Edward W. Pattison, formerly of Indianapolis. He formed a company at Junction City, and in 1867 packed about one thousand cattle. The acquaintance with the country thus acquired satisfied him that Kansas City, possessing as she did the largest commercial facilities near the frontier, offered the best advantages for that business. Hence, in 1868, in company with J. W. L. Slavens, he built the first beef packing house here - the s'tone house now occupied by Jacob Dold & Son. And that year they bought on the prairies and packed about 4,209 cattle. This was the first beef packing done in this city.

The same year Thos. J. Bigger, formerly of Belfast, Ireland, came here and went into the business of packing hogs for the Irish and English markets. This was the first hog packing done in the city after the war. Previous to the war, about 1858, M. Diveley and some others had packed a few hogs, and in 1859, J. L. Mitchener, now of the Kansas City stock market, came here, backed by Chicago capital, and opened a packing house on the east levee, but his business was stopped by the war. In 1868 Mr. Bigger built a small stone house on St. Louis avenue, West Kansas City, where he packed away his meats, the slaughtering being done for him by Messrs. Pattison and Slavens.

In the spring of 1869, Mr. Slavens disposed of his interest in the packing house of Pattison & Slavens to Dr. F. B. Nofsinger, who had just come here from Indianapolis, and formed the co-partnership known as Furgason, Slavens &

The next year, 1870, Mr. Bigger built the house he afterward occupied, near the mouth of Kaw River, and Messrs. Plankinton & Armours came and rented the house of Pattison & Nofsinger, in which they operated that year, and built their own house.

This gave Kansas City her present four packing houses, which, with ' frequent additions, have kept pace with the growth of the city and the packing interest. Messrs. Plankinton & Armours had already two large houses, one in Milwaukee, and one; in Chicago, but were impressed with the advantage of packing Texas cattle nearer the source of supply, had, after investigation, become satisfied that this city was the best point. It was so situated that the cattle, as driven to the plains of Kansas annually, would be available, and possessed a much better climate lOr the purpose, while, as already an assured railway center, it offered all n 'jessary transportation facilities. S. B. Armour, the head of the house here, was not at the time connected with the firm, but was living on a farm in New York. His brothers induced him to come to this city, take an interest in the business, and conduct the house here.

The next year, 187 1, the creation here of a cattle and hog market greatly facilitated packing, and by 1872 Kansas City had attained great importance as a packing point. In 1874 she was the principal source of supply for packed beef, and since that time has attained nearly a monopoly of the trade.

Hog packing did not prosper equally for the. sole reason that hogs could not be had, the packing capacity of the city being in excess of the supply.

Hogs. Cattle

During the summer of 1878, Messrs. Fowler Bros., large packers in Chicago, observing that the supply of hogs had now become sufficient at Kansas City to make it a large packing point, determined to establish a branch house here. They came for that purpose, but found that in addition to the excellent facilities offered by the large stock market and excellent transportation facilities, Kansas City was not disposed to offer much inducements. That is, Kansas City feeling that she possessed advantages for that kind of business unequaled elsewhere in the Missouri Valley, was not disposed to offer any inducements in addition thereto. The City of Atchison, however, was; and offered such inducements in the way of land, etc., as to tempt the Messrs. Fowlers to locate there. That fall they built a large packing house at Winthrop, on the opposite side of the river and went into the business of packing hogs. It was soon found, however, that they could not conduct the business successfully in the absence of a hog market ; and they and others addressed themselves to efforts to develop one at Atchison. The effort was futile, however, the market at Kansas City continued to attract the shipments, and for two years Messrs. Fowlers continued the business there, buying a large part of the hogs in the Kansas City market. It was found, also, that for a large part of their trade in meats their product had to be shipped to Kansas City for distribution. Competition with Kansas City packers, under such circumstances was, of course, unprofitable, and hence in the spring of 1880 they came to Kansas City, secured a large tract of ground near the junction of the Kaw and Missouri Rivers, and built there one of the largest and best appointed packing houses in the west.

In the summer of 1880 Messrs. Dold & Son, of Buffalo, New York, came to Kansas City and bought the packing house of Nofsinger & Co. , who had not been operating it very extensively for several years. They opened business with the opening of the season 1880-1, and are now proposing to build a much larger house.

Mr. Bigger having gone out of the packing business several years age, the houses now operating here are Plankinton & Armours, Slavens and Oburn, Fowler Bros., and Jacob Dold & Son. Of these houses Plankinton & Armours and Slavens & Oburn still pack a considerable amount of beef It is mostly put up in cans, however, rather than in tierces and barrels as was formerly the custom. The houses all do a large business in packing pork and most of them continue the business through the summer.

The Grain Market

From the earliest dates to i37o, Kansas City imported flour from eastern Missouri and Illinois. This country had become self sustaining, so far as this part of Missouri was concerned, before the war, but the great demand by immigrants to Kansas, and the trade with New Mexico and Colorado, made a demand that local production could not supply. By the time Kansas became a State, she was producing large amounts of grain, but the immigration took all surpluses. Between the close of the war and 1870, the same conditions existed, though the production of the country had immensely increased. By 1870, however, production began to exceed the local demand, and that year the railroads took small amounts of grain to the eastern markets. Perceiving this fact, the people, in the latter part of 1870 and the early part of 1871, began to agitate the establishment of a grain market. The spring of the year i87r gave promises of a good yield of all kinds of grain ; and the press opened on the subject again. Its agitatioii caused the Board of Trade to take it up and discuss it.

The result was that in July, 187 r, Messrs. Latshaw & Quade began the erection of an elevator of about one hundred thousand bushels storage capacity. This was situated on nearly the same ground as is now the Union Elevator. It was finished and open for business in December. But there were no grain dealers to use it, and Messrs. Latshaw & Quade went into the business themselves, and were the first men to conduct a grain business in this city as a strictly commercial pursuit. Messrs. Branham & Sons owned and operated a corn mill on Fourth street, near Broadway, and Messrs. Dewar & Smith owned and operated the Diamond mills. These gentlemen were buying grain in the country and shipping it to their mills. Soon after the construction of the elevator they began to do something more than this, and shipped some grain to the east. In 1871 Messrs. Price & Doane took a large house on Santa Fe street and Union avenue, and opened a grain business, but for a long time their business was largely of a retail character. Messrs. Latshaw .& Quade, however, were the principal dealers until the close of 1873, and by that time had built up a considerable order trade

Two More Elevators

By the close of 1873, t^^ extent of the grain business had become such as to attract others, and the next spring Messrs. Vanghan & Co. and Gillespie, Reed & Co. went into business. Messrs. Vaughan & Co. undertook the building of Elevator "A," and a stock company, of which A. J. GiUispie became president, commenced the erection of the Kansas City elevator. Both of these were begun in the spring of 1874, and finished in time for the movement of the wheat crop of that year, and had a storage capacity of about 200,000 bushels each.

Messrs. Branham & Sons had the fall previous built the Advance mills, in connection with which they provided a storage capacity for about 20,000 bushels and all necessary elevator apparatus. From the time of the burning of the alevator of Messrs. Latshaw & Quade until the erection of the Kansas City and "A," this was the only facility, and was much used. In the latter part of the year 1876, it was purchased by Col. E. Lynde and converted into an elevator with about 40,000 bushels storage capacity. It was then made regular by the Board of Trade, and has since continued as the Advance Elevator.

The Movement Of 1874 And 1875

The prospect for 1874 was excellent until in August when the Rocky Mountain Locusts came down upon Kansas and cut short the corn crop. For a time the outlook was very discouraging but it soon became evident that owing to the shortness of the supply in Kansas, corn would have to be shipped into that State. The Kansas City grain men seized the situation with their characteristic enterprise and began the purchase of corn in Iowa and northern Missouri for Kansas. This afforded them such an excellent business that numbers of others engaged in it and brought a large amount of capital into the trade. The grain movement that year was the largest that had yet been known in Kansas City, but in the contrary direction from what was expected. The movement of wheat, rye and barley that year was to the eastward, but that of corn and oats was to the westward.

Our commission men in anticipation of the movement had opened business correspondence with millers and dealers throughout the Middle and Western States, and obtained their orders. When the market opened the existing through rates of freight enabled them to fill their orders at from three to five cents less than the same grades could be supplied from St. Louis, and at the same time pay the country shipper from three to five cents more than they could realize by sending their wheat to St. Louis. St. Louis had formerly been the only western market for winter wheat, and beside this city is still the only market near enough for small shippers in the Missouri Valley. This situation was greatly stimulating to the Kansas City market, and allured many other men into the business, and brought her a number of Chicago, Baltimore and New York buyers.

Other Elevators

The extent to which the market had grown rendered more elevator capacity a necessity, and in the fall of 1875 a new company was formed, and the erection of the Union Elevator begun. It has a storage capacity of about 500,000 bushels, and. went into operation in February, 1876. The movement of corn during the winter and spring of 1876, proved that even with this additional faciHty there was still not enough, hence during the summer another company was formed, and the Arkansas Valley Elevator was built. It was finished and went into operation on the 2d of June, 1877. In the fall of 1877 Elevator " B " was built in the Hannibal & St. Joseph freight yards. It had a storage capacity of 250,000 bushels, and went into operation March 19, 1878, but it was faulty in its foundations and fell down, December 7th, 1878.

The Alton Elevator was built near the line of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, in the northeastern part of the city, in the summer and fall of 1879. It went mto operation November 22d, 1879, and has a storage capacity of one hundred and seventy-five thousand bushels.

The Novelty Elevator was first built as a small transfer house, in the summer of 1876, but was subsequently enlarged to a storage capacity of about twenty thousand bushels, and so continued until the fall of 1879, when it was "increased to a storage capacity of two hundred and twenty-five thousand bushels, and became regular on the 28th day of June, 1880, The State Line Elevator was built as a small elevator, having a storage capacity of about twenty thousand bushels, in 1877 and so continued until 1879, when it was enlarged to a storage capacity of one hundred thousand bushels, and was made regular on the ist day of March, 1880.

The Grain Call

The call of grain, which is now one of the features of the Board of Trade, was established in June, 1876. At that time the grain merchants were concentrated about the corner of Union avenue and Santa Fe street, and finding it inconvenient to attend the daily meetings of the Board of Trade at the rooms under the First National Bank on the corner of Delaware and Fifth streets, they organized themselves into a Call Board, subject to the rules and regulatious of the Board of Trade, and elected Maj. W. A. M. Vaughan, moderator, to conduct the call. In November this call was formally recognized by the Board of Directors of the Board of Trade, and rules for its government were established. Maj. Vaughan continued to make the call until July, 1877, when that duty was devolved upon the secretary of the Board of Trade.

Date

The Kansas City Elevator having become inoperative and having ceased to do business on the 29th of May, 1880, it is dropped from the abo^e table of storage capacity.

The Produce And Flour Markets

Produce from the country began to be handled in Kansas City in a small way prior to the war, but first took the form of a commission business soon after that struggle. A. L. Charles, A. S. Haines and R. C. Crowell & Co., were among the first merchants to engage in it. And Kansas City is now a large market for this class of articles.

The handling of flour grew up about the same time, in the same way and was conducted by about the same men. An effort was made in July, 1880, to organize this trade and put it on 'change. To that end the Board of Trade adopted rules for its government; appointed G. W. Elliot, inspector, and provided sample tables. It has not yet succeeded however in effecting its object.

The Coal Market

With the competition of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad to the city in 1867, of the North Missouri (now Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific), and of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf to Fort Scott in 1869, they began to bring coal to Kansas City from the mines adjacent to their respective lines. The trade in coal had however begun before this, probably about 1868. Geo. W. McLean, since grain inspector, and A. S. Ingersoll, now a grain merchant, were the first to engage in it. They got their coal at Lexington, Mo., shipped it to Kansas City in sacks, by steamboat, and sold it at forty-five cents per bushel. These gentlemen were soon followed by Pat Casey, T. McKinley, J. A. Bovard and others.

The first record preserved of receipts was for the year 1870, during which the Fort Scott road is recorded as having brought to Kansas City 18,000 bushels, but the Hannibal & St. Joseph and North Missouri brought coal to the city at the same time, the amount of which cannot now be ascertained. The market grew rapidly from the first, and by 1872 Kansas City was receiving and distributing over two miUion bushels. At this early date all the upper river towns and cities as far north as Omaha were largely supplied from here, as well as accessible parts of Kansas and Nebraska. The railroads in these States and western Iowa were also supplied from here, and have continued to be since.

The following table shows the receipts of coal into this market each year from 1870 to 1880 inclusive, as near as can now be ascertained. It must be remembered, however, that these figures for years prior to 1877 are n6t ex^t, there having been no report of the coal brought here by the Hannibal & St. Joseph

Railroad prior to that time and no report of that received here from the North Missouri for 1876. For 1877 and subsequent years the figures are taken from the Board of Trade reports, which are nearly exact.