The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 21

Follow the leading event and city and be world by No Business institution in In dianapolis Has a Story of Greater Contrast in "Fat and Lean" Than the Belt Railroad and Stockyards Company, Which Had Its Beginning. November 12, 1877 Belt Railpad, Circling the City to Connect Railroads and Industries, Once Central Factor In a Threatened Riot Would Have Darkened the Name of Indianapolis. fDr William HerseheliJ rjTlN EVENT notable in the I A I business history of In lf dianapolis will be the celebration, Saturday, November) 12, of the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the stockyards, an establishment now ranking among the largest of its kind in the United States. While arrangements for the celebration still are in tentative form, it is generally believed the high point of the day will center in a banquet in the evening Ranging back through the Tiles of The Indianapolis News one finds the following paragraph, printed November 13, 1877, noting the opening of the new stockyards the day before: "Th wheels of official business began to turn on the Belt railroad yesterday and the stockyards witnessed the arrival of two cars of stock. This, It is hoped, is the beginning of a successful business career of a great enterprise, and that the promise of prosperity it holds out to the projectors and the city may be realized to the utter 'most." That the "promise of prosperity" became an actuality Is best realized by reading the brief paragraph not Ins; the arrival of two cars of stock, then visiting this great American Institution fifty years after that humble beginning The.

fact is that too fow citizens of Indianapolis comprehend the present magnitude 'of this vast industry at the end of Kentucky avenue. The original 'two cars of stock noted In The News cante from Bar rtholomew countyand were bought liy Coffin. Wheat. Fletcher lo al packers of that period. Today entire trains of live stock pass dally through the Indianapolis yards, the consignments being from points throughout the middle "west.

The growth, of the Indianapolis, yards In shipper popularity Is one of the high lights of mldwestern stock raising and Sansreatloaa at McCarty. Nicholas McCarty, an early and far sighted citizen of Indianapolis, Is credited with having been the ilrst to suggest a live stock market for. the city. It la said that yearly In the sixties, McCarty visited the stockyards at' Chicago and St. Louis.

On, his return to Indiana polls he urged a similar trading center for the city. Up to that time all llv stock from the surrounding territory was being; sold, without competition, through' the private yards of packers and retail butch ers. The buyer fixed the price, weight and grades according to his own atandards and the stock raiser 'Mil By Mm Wileoar Pataasa As tha author of tha 'Lost ads In the newspapers ao often truly remarks, "It's not the valua of the thing It's tha sentiment attached to it." Or words to the same effect. "Which puts me in mind of some thlnr I found around the house tha other day. I don't know do other mothers have the sama trouble, but my I Junior is the jreatest one for bring lor la trash.

And what would find on the top ahelf over tha Ice box when cleaning up tha back porch, but a old cigar box. and In it was tha very worst bunch of trash. There was fish hooks, old corks, marbles, a shoe lace, soma busted up shells that hadn't even been pretty when new; there was a couple of stones, some putty and the rind of a second lemon, the head of a broken hammer, and a mang toothbrush. Abeolata Traa. Well.

hava told Junior at least ane thousand times, not to bring In stuff like that, and when, for the one thousand and aneth time found a box Ilka that. was good and aora. "Well for tha lova aweet pleklest thought, It that ain't tha blest taonsensa. savins; absolute jlrash like thatl It's na value at all. there l.n't a deoent thing in the box.

what nonsense, leaving; box like that around to saaswags the bugs, and make dirt wen have so much work keeph the house anywheres 'near dteentl 8o then, when I bad thought this, I bad the box out on tha back porch table to throw away and went on upstairs to gt the Ice bill which I knew was paid only I didn't know where the receipt was. And to look for It hadder III I vu J. irrrm IhlCl husband. 1 couldn't find tha bill, but believe ru me, I found something; else. I iound a old writing paper box, evidently belonalna to Oeorge, and the trash that man had In Itl There mnn a old fluhlnar line, thr black collar buttons, half a cufflink, a snapshot of Poodle, a dog we are well rid of, a bit of told wire, the filling' out of a tooth, and a tintype of his treat Aunt Bar ah, be eldee a old post card of the sol pier's monument at Jtllweil, happenings of your heme reading The News.

ROUGH FIFTY YEARS THAT HAVE KNOWN INDIANAPOLIS STOCKYARDS IS TO HAVE A SAMUEL E.RAUH.PeESlDEKT BEIT rSMLROAD STOCK. YAFZPS COM RANV. was compelled to accept. It was clear that both. the farmers and the packers needed a central market with adequate facilities for handling the live stock.

Meat packing was Just at the dawn of Its great local development when Nicholas McCarty promoted his Idea. Klngan St Co. had moved their plant from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, basins; the change on the fact that this territory produced a finer grade of hogs than was then available In the Cincinnati market. The Klngan plant "In Indianapolis was opened November 16. 18(3, and it was retarded as one of the largest and most complete of Its kind In the world, having a dally capacity of 2,000 hogs.

Other local packing establishments that gained national note were Landers J. C. Ferguson Holmes. Petllt Brad ehaw and Coffin, Wheat, Fletcher St Co. There were no public stockyards of any kind In Indianapolis when Klngan! Co.

came to the city, and the neT industry had to depend on a purchasing agent to deal directly with the shippers. The first of these agents iwa Michael Soils, who be came known to hundreds of farmers In this territory. The "Klngsns erected a small, yard of their own in 1870, but this soon proved too small and the Exchange Stockyards and Manufacturing Company was organized in 1875. Thta company opened yards on White rlvr. north of the Indianapolis Vlncennes railroad and handled live stock on a commission basis.

This, too, sooni rcved inadequate for the growing consignments and shortly afterward the agitation for a larger and more serviceable' yard was begun. Amonj the plonetrs In the live stock trade of the day were James B. Sedwlck, Michael Sells, James McKee, William Johnson, Edwin Nichols, James George, Martin Barnhelser, Thomas Patter son, Abram Kahn, John W. Fort, W. W.

Dye and Ell Jackson. Belt Railroad. Contemporary with the promotion of a stockyards came another en terprise; kindred to it in many ways. This was the projection of a belt railroad around the city for the purpose of handling; "more quickly all cars under transfer on rauruau iu snwinrr. xnw tviu dSexelopment of railroad line, en tering the city had caused conges i i iff Mi rVrmKyr xmid.

nun nun ivnnit uvitu vi tiobuv president. ine originat pian waa us most ceiling eiiecc uniu i wo or grew, jonn xaven, iirsi mayor 01 and live stock in transit. The Idea for a system of tracks, twelve miles three years afterward. 1 It was in Indianapolis, then was In the chair, of building a belt railroad was connecting with all the rail 1876 that Indianapolis passed He tried many plans for the re concelved in the fertile brali of roads then entering the city. Since through one of the most critical pe sumption of work on the Belt rall Joel F.

Richardson, a practical that original project many miles of rlods of the city's existence. The road. In all he encountered opposl rallroad man, who had been the track have been added to the equip Belt railroad project was one of tion, some of It based on selfish engineer on much of the construe meht, reaching: not only all the those hardest hit, the crisis coming ness, some on political partisanship. non worn in xnuiana. nicnurujon, In 1870, showed some of his friends a map of what he called a "circle" Hidden Thera was somethinr; elsa in signed from Joe.

and the label off a old evening tie. Mere tha Sasse. Well naturally grabbed that box of nonsense to take downstairs to throw out at the same time as Junior" trash, and thought ray land! don't they ever crow up, tha mess that male kids of any age can accumulate fs a caution. Just think of a grown man sticking away that flock of foolishness, not a thing among it worth a plugged cent, what on earth can he want with that trash? It Is sheer absent mindedness, he Just sticks things In boxes because It is too much trouble to throw them away properly, like a Christian! Then, as I really needed the saM lea bill, commenced looking for it among my awn things. 1 looked THE POTO THE" OieMATE ENTRANCE 1 1 railroad around the city and, un Questionably out of this plan grew tne present Belt railroad, now a great industrial and commercial factor In the life of Indianapolis.

jn 1873 the Board of Trade recom mended the construction of such a oeit system ana in me same year th. mdianapoll. Belt Railroad was incorporated, with Henry C. Lord as raiiroaas, dui nunareas 01 industries requiring switching facilities. Many were the problems and vex 3 UE STOCkL Treasures Didn't Belong to Old that box besides tha objects which first in tha shoe closet, then in my hat box and on tha mantel piece, and up finally, in a last desperate effort, on my own desk, but, of course, it wasn't there, it wouldn't be.

So I looked In my. top bureau drawer that 1 was going to tidy up rood and neat a week from some Thursday. And there under the bash of artificial flowers, old veils, odd gloves and gift handkerchiefs, I found no, not the bill a candy box I had eaten dry many years ago. And thinking maybe the bill had climbed In and go to sleep there, why I undid the dried up yellow ribbon that It was tied up with and looked through the atuff inside. Taklaa laveatery.

There was a boy's handkerchief, I couldn't remember whose, three hairpins, a broken watchchaln, a show button, a coat button ft of INDIANAPOLIS SATURDAY EVENING, rr Jxt L. 4 "ML CHOPS it wmj i "4 i ivy 1 EXCHAKJCiE BUILPIKIQ ations of this new enterprise, for It will be noted that the road was proj ected in 1873, the year of the great panic. Grading work was well under way when the panic struck Its blow In the city and the work temporarily was abandoned. It Is an interesting rinanciai tact mat tne panic oi ihs, which left so much wreckage behind It, did not strike Indianapolis with wnen property aiong me rignt oi way became Involved In court pro cedure and a suspension of the work a person could see and touch." some coat I had given away years ago, a bunch of dried lavender.1 two rusty needles, one earring, a lock of somebody's hair I haven't got the faintest Idea whose. Junior's mother's, or my own first bob.

Also a garter buckle, a snap of Etta Lott, a air! I went to school with, and a bent button hook. The lavlalbla Coateata, Well, I Just stood there looking at that stuff, and seeing that I had been thinking of throwing out George's writing paper box, and Junior's old cigar box, felt for a moment that I had ought to take my old candy box down and throw It out with tha rest. There wasn't anything in It worth a dime. It was taking up good space and adding OCTOBER 1, 1927. DEVELOPMENT OF THE UVm Use 4 was made necessary.

This threw hundreds of laborers out of employ ment, merely adding numbers to other hundreds out of work because of the closing of Industries. Food became scarce and the wolf was at many doors. Mn Months passed and the hunger ine crisis came on me mgni 01 June 6, 1877. when 500 desperate men gathered at the Statehouse de to the mess In my top bureau drawer. There was no reason or sense in keeping the darn thing and to do so was certainly bad housekeeping.

And yet I couldn't throw It out. There was something else in that box besides the objects which a person could see and touch. There was memory; there was dried up romance, like the scent of old rose leaves. There was several dreams, no less sweet for being half forgotten; more precious, perhaps on account they give only a emotion without form. The box had old plans on it plans that had shriveled up and disappeared from every place except under that battered THE 1 If NEW TieUGWl DIVISION! mandlng food and work.

In the aft ernoon Mayor Caven had brought about compromises that meant the resumption of work on the Belt railroad. The crowd did not know The mee tlng was addressed by Ire eaters" who served only to In flame already seething; souls. It was into this mob that Mayor Caven, courageous In all things, marched alone, refusing to be ac companled by policemen or personal friends. Instantly he became a storm center, but he raised his hand and asked for a hearing. Finally the Jeering ceased and Mayor Caven that of bringing about an adjust k.

Tj.i r.u,A.. all ending In a promise that work wouM h. uu Caven knew hi. audience was hun ry and he though of that. Having speech, he led the hungry he city's larger bakeries made his men to the and there out of his own pocket, paid for bread to feed them.

Tet an hour before, the firebrands were urging a march on the city's stores to rob and burn Mayor Caven un questionaDiy sava mis city rrom a blot that could not have been erased, for the men he calmed were cardboard cover, but which had been strong and' bright, one time, and sincere. There was nothing; sour about them. The plan to sew on the coat button: to sea a lot of Etta, who I hadn't even thought of in years, but who had been so pleasant to be with. The plan to plant the Lavende. 'seeds in my garden and grow my own to keep the linen closet fragrant with.

The plan to make a hat ornament out of the old. old earring. These was bright things, too, even though they would never be done. If I was to go and throw box out, something would be lost, something rare in life, and very valuable. It was silly.

ukulele was more'n she wss able flgura out. if also seemed fcer 'which paymekt INSTALLMENT PLAN IS TOPIC OF IRVINGTON PHILOSOPHER "Anything new since last week?" the Inquiring Reporter asked the Irvington Philosopher. "Quite a bit," the Philosopher answered. "It wasn't much compared with th' prize fight an some other doin's, but I alius did con tend that th' most important thing is what happens t' a feller himself. They say what's one man's meat is another man's poison, an by th' same token what don't amount t' anything t' one feller is th' most momentous event in th' world where another's concerned.

"It's like this. A girl I know that'a workln on a salary an' ain't got much cash reserve, happened t' leave her electric iron on in th room she's occupyln an' before she knowed what had happened her walnut veneer spinet desk had been burnt up, together with th' contents, as they say. She told me it wasn't th' loss o' th' desk so much that worried her. although she had ten more payments make on it, but th' big thing with her was losln' her notes an records. She'd lost track o' when she'd ort make th' next payment on her fur coat an' for th' life o' her she can't recollect whether th' installment that comes due Monday is on th phonograph or th' radio.

She's certain that one or th' other is due, but she don't know which. Seemed like t' her that she'd made five payments on her furniture, an' then ag'in It appeared like she'd made six. Th' ruir she had In her room was about paid for an' th' wrist watch she was wearln' had been paid out only th' day before th' fire. "But when th next payments was due on th' bridge lamp, th' diamond I Uoaster, th' vacuum eleaner an th' NEWS Indianapolis and national advertisers use. The News caase it reaches practically all homes in the city.

BOTH TRIAL AND TRIUMPH GOLDEN JUBILEE IN NOVEMBER 7 BUS I MESS 1 JOHN CWH, FIRST PRVrr4TFO RIOT. ,1 qENEI2AL VIE OF THE INWANAPOUS STOCK. YACS of a type uncaring for Ufa or prop Mayor Caven and his political associates fought long and hard to save the Belt railroad enterprise from failure. They appeared before both the state legislature and the city council promoting efforts to finance years to the Indianapolis Union the railroad. John Caven's name Railway Company for operation and must forever be identified with the this system still abides.

success of the undertaking. Ex Many improvements that promts perienced financiers and railroad a more expansive live stock mar men became identified with the ket for Indianapolis are under war project. Riley McKeen, a Terre at the stockyards. The most recent Haute banker and president of the Improvement has been tha building Vandalla railroad, was made presl dent of the reorganised corporation, which had been called the Union Railroad Transfer and Stock Yards Company. Horace Scott, of Louis Yuie, was elected vice president; E.

r. Claypool. Indianapolis, secretary treasurer; W. P. IJams, Terre Haute, auditor, and M.

A Itownlng Indl manarer. Th name of jr a Downing im lndiihi writt.n In the railroad history of the mid dle west. P.t la Opr.tloa. of transportation. i The autumn of 1877 saw the Belt The Belt Railroad and Stock railroad put in operation and the Tards Company has not been wlth new stockyards at the end of Ken out many difficulties In tha flftf tuckr.avanua opened.

It the memorable November l'" Belt railroad handled approximately 00 cara from car tocJt fr0ra Bartholomew car or tock couMy mdiana. Th. new toc lniVni four sheds. 217x425 feet in area. coverinr eight acres.

That small acreage long since has been swal lowed up by increased capacity. A description of the new etor kvarri. written in 1877, revealed them as "equal to the proper stabling of head of cattle or mules and was on 12. the Cap. Kiddf perhaps, but Ach a lot of silly things are Important In life.

They Waalca't ladentsse. If I was to of told George or Junior about why I kept th old candy box, they would of laughed. They wouldn't understand. They would merely say ain't Ma the old magpie, though, the way she saves up trash? But that was no matter, on account I couldn't possibly tell 'em. I wouldn't be able to explain what was in that box that they couldn't see.

No, not even if I had wanted to, which I didn't, because these are the kind of privacies that every member of a family is entitled that she was a member th' Four Palra o' Hose a Month club, but she wasn't sure because th' records had been destroyed. "I knowed a feller one time that went through a cyclone. He said he didn't mind th' wind an' th' twistln' so much because he'd been Intendin' t' build a new house anyhow, but his account book got blowed away an he said that sure' was tough luck. He'd bought a cow, a shotgun, some rubber boots, a second hand car an' three shoats on th' installment plan an he couldn't remember whether he was supposed pay on th' shoata or th' rubber boots when th' first o' th week rolled around. "Then they waa a young feller that whenever ha got interested in a girl he would go round a store anT begin ma kin payments on a rinr He figured that It he kep' on be In Interested an she acted like she waa wlUIn' for him pop th' question, he'd stave her off until he got U' flag said for.

IX ths had 21 Nicholas McCarty, Pioneer, After Visit to Stockyards of Chicago and St. Louis, Urged Similar Establishment for I His Home City How King ans Came to Indianapolis an Interesting Story Many Names Familiar In Trade Lift of City Are Found on Books at Stock Exchange Compe tition. Epidemics and Firs! Have Played Important Roles at the Stockyards. 1 23.000 hogs." Other property of tha new company Included the Exchanga hotel and office building and abatable 42x200 feet in size, tha latter being for shippers who desired a tra provisions for their stock. The first firms to establish them reives for business at the new stock yards were Sells McKee.

Fort Dye, Barnhelser A Johnson, A. Ferguson Malone Short ridge and D. Patton Co. The Hat of commission firms and packers representatives baa undergone) many changes sine that time, but there still abides In the broad halls of the Exchange bulldinr that fellowship, coupled with friendly rl valry. that has made tha Indiana polls stockyards an Institution' that forever keeps bulldinr.

never tearing down. Perhaps one of. tha strongest factors In the success of the Belt Railroad and Stock Tarda, Company, as the operating concern now Is called. Is Samuel E. Ttaub, president.

The men and boys at the stockyards call him The Boss." a term of endearment and friend ship that men would sell their souls to possess. Ever ready to play tha role of arbitrator when difficulties arlne, Sara Itauh Is the living spirit of fair play at the stockyards. Surrounding; him la a croup of officiate representing, tha same spirit. Ha and they are the answer to tha sue cess of Indianapolis as a live stock, center. Around the horse barns, la the hog sheep and cattle pens there Is a fellowship among buyers, sell ers and workers that spreads afar.

7 Llaee Leeieed. The Belt Railroad and Stock Tarda Company no longer operates its railroad properties. In 1812 the railroad lines were leased for fit of additional facilities for tha shippers who use motor trucks in tha handling of stock. Here "concrete ha replaced the old style of drive ways and tha chutes have been built to make It easy for loading 'and unloading; stock. Particular attention has been paid to providing facilities for handling; sheep and calves.

It is one of the sights of Indianapolis to see the hundreds or trucks arriving and departing; dally from the Indianapolis Stock Tarda. Th tell atnrv of tha nrorrMI years of its existence. Fire, epi demlcs. and new enterprises hava Ulr a present organization lives and nr hii rim. IVMlt VtlW.JZ.

nanv waa organized to compete with the parent company. Front' 1SAA tA 1tOt Tntratata Stw1( Tards Company was another ebm petltor. These enterprises finally were absorbed by ths Belt Railroad and Stock Tarda Company. In tha nrlnr nf 104 fire almost wined out a the entire plant of tha old company but it built 'from the ashes into a new and stronger Institution. to.

It Is a sort af intensely per sonal secret, the preserving of which makes them to go on living so terribly intlmata aa they hava to. And so I put my box back ia tha drawer. Then put back Oeorge'a old writing paper box Just where found it, and set Junior's eld cigar box up on the shelf real careful. It ain't the contents that makes a safe deposit valuable; it's tha fact that it's a safe deposit box. It ia the fact that you treaaura a thing which makes it valuable, and many an old fishhook is mora precioua than the finest diamond ringl (Copyright.

1927. by Republic Sradtesaa, Inc.) a fuss an' broke up ha Just went th' store an' they give him his money back. Then he'd hava th use of it until he got him another arlrl an' begun payln' oa another rlnr. "Taktn It all around, however. reckon' th' installment plan business is what makes th wheels go 'round.

Uncle 8am pays off hla debts that way an whenever a county or a city Issues bonds it agrees pay 'em off la installments. If It wasn't for that way doln business I don't allow a good many of us would have much more than a tabl an' a couple chairs." "What is your objection to.it, then?" the Reporter wished to know. "I afn't objectrn th aystem the Philosopher insisted. "What I'm worry in about is how.t remember which payment you'd ort make next." FOR GOOD WILL CARNIVAL Plaaa Made by Mewaaate la Baa Tratk Street. Flans for a good will street car nival, Tuesday evening, October It, hava been made by merchants In East Tenth street, betweea Key stone "and Beville avenues.

A tentative program includes oa testa, amusements and music. Jef ferson avenue south and Bevtlla avenue north will be roped off and the stores and streets will present a Halloween appearance when tha decorations ara completed. A street dance will be 'given In Jefferson avenue near Tenth. The women's Relief Corps Band will play In tha vicinity of Hamilton avenue and Tenth street The merchants hava announced that prtsea will be given to winners of the various con teste. Pevllle avenue will be roped aft for the children's contests.

It is the first program af Its ktat by merchants pt that ntHhbtrht,.