The New International Encyclopaedia

of poor young men. The Chicago Athenæum is a private philanthropic institution. maintaining daily and nightly sessions for a considerable part of the year, to which students are admitted at any time on payment of a nominal tuition fee. It has also a library and reading-room.

LIBRARIES. Chicago has three great libraries, besides that of the University of Chicago. The Public Library, with over 300,000 volumes, founded in 1872, has one of the largest circulations in the country, and maintains 50 or more delivery stations at various points in the city. The Newberry Library is a reference library, containing notably fine collections on music, medicine, and religion. The John Crerar Library, which occupies temporary quarters until its permanent home shall be erected in the South Division, is endowed with $2,500,000, and has valuable works on natural, physical, and social science. Accessions to these libraries are made with reference to the other book collections in the city, thus affording opportunity for a wide range of study. The library of the Chicago Law Institute is large and valuable, and the Chicago Historical Society has a fine collection of Americana. There are also the libraries of the several educational institutions, and of the Chicago Academy of Sciences and the Field Columbian Museum.

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. The city contains a great number of hospitals-the largest being the Cook County Hospital; the Presbyterian; the United States Marine Hospital, one of the largest of its kind in the country; Saint Luke's and Saint Joseph's Hospitals; the Women's Hospital; and the Hospital of the Alexian Brothers. There are many dispensaries, asylums, and homes, day nurseries, reformatories, and relief societies. One of the most interesting institutions is the Armour Mission (non-sectarian), the object of which is industrial, mental, and religious training. It is maintained as a nemorial to Mr. Joseph Armour. The oldest and most influential of the social settlements of the city is Hull House, modeled after Toynbee Hall, London, and situated in the slum and Ghetto district on the West Side. Next in order of importance are Chicago Commons, also on the West Side; Northwestern University settlement, in the northwestern section of the city; and the University of Chicago settlement, in the stockyards district. These settlements are contiguous to or are surrounded by foreign colonies. The Chicago Bureau of Justice employs .legal talent in aiding the poor to recover just wage-claims. The Bureau of Associated Charities carries on a worthy work by means of its summer camps and outings; and the Chicago Charity Organization Society, made up of representatives from the various allied organizations, exercises to some extent a centralized power by virtue of its general supervision.

THEATRES, CLUBS, HOTELS. There are merous first-class theatres and places of amusement in Chicago. The leading play-houses are the Auditorium, Bush Temple, Chicago Opera House, Dearborn, Grand Opera House, Great Northern, Illinois, McVicker's, Powers, and Studebaker.

The leading clubs are the Argo, Athletic, Calumet, Chicago, Illinois, Iroquois, La Salle, Marquette. Standard. Union, Union League, the Chicago Women's Club, and the Woman's Athletic Club. The Calumet, Chicago, Athletic, and Union League have magnificent club-houses.

Chicago is known as a great convention city. Its hotel accommodations, which were increased considerably for the World's Fair, are very extensive. Among the most prominent hotels are the Auditorium, with a large annex; the Great Northern, Metropole, Palmer House, Grand Pacific, Wellington, Lexington, Victoria, Virginia, and the Sherman House.

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY. The secret of Chicago's rapid development is found in its commanding position relative to an extensive and phenomenally productive region. Situated at the southern end of Lake Michigan, the city enjoys the navigable facilities of the Great Lakes, while the railways crossing the country from the East to the Northwest naturally touch here. The Southern lines, connecting with the Great Lakes, also find it a natural terminal point. Chicago, the greatest railway centre of the United States, is therefore of first importance as a collecting and distributing centre. The numerous railways converging in and tributary to the city operate 120,000 miles of line, two-thirds of the total mileage of the United States. These connections reach every State of the Union; also Canada and Mexico. The railways are supplemented, too, by lake navigation. Lines of steamers connect Chicago not only with the Northern States and Canada, but with the outside world. The importance of this outlet has greatly increased with the recent improvements in canals at different points, ocean vessels now making their way to Chicago. Many difficulties still beset this branch of transportation, however, and its practicability on an extensive scale is yet to be determined. haps the possibility of uniting Chicago with the Gulf of Mexico is equally significant. It is estimated, indeed, that the new sewerage canal connecting Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River represents two-thirds of the work necessary to make of it a ship canal.

Per

The port of Chicago owes much to the presence of rivers. The mouth of the Chicago River, formerly a sluggish bayou, has been deepened by piers that extend into the lake, leaving an entrance-way about 500 feet wide; while long breakwaters on the east and southeast, constructed by the United States Government, form an outer harbor with an average depth of 16 feet, and an area of about 455 acres. Additional protection to vessels is given by an exterior breakwater, 5436 feet long, which extends in a northeasterly direction about a mile from the river's mouth. In South Chicago, at the northern mouth of Calumet River, is another harbor, 300 feet wide between piers. The Illinois and Michigan Canal, constructed in 1836-48, connecting with the Mississippi and its affluents, is no longer an important means of transportation. This canal extends to La Salle, the head of navigation on the Illinois. It is 96 miles in length, and at its highest level was originally 12 feet above the lake; but in 1866-70 the city deepened it, so that it is now 81⁄2 feet below the ordinary level of the lake.

The tonnage of vessels arriving at Chicago in 1900 was 7,044,000, as against 4,616,000 in 1880. This places Chicago next to London, New York, and Antwerp as a commercial port. There is a decided increase in the average tonnage of vessels frequenting Chicago, as is evident from the fact that during the above period the number of vessels decreased from 13,218 to 8714. Foreign exports by lake increased from $3,900,000 in 1891

to $9,926,000 in 1898. Over half of this amount is represented by corn, wheat being the next item. The largest lake import is lumber. The vastness of the forests to the north, and of the farming interests of the surrounding region, gives Chicago precedence over all other markets in lumber, grain, and live stock. For thirty years the annual imports of lumber have exceeded 1,000,000,000 feet, and in certain years have doubled that amount. About one-half of this import has been, in turn, shipped to other points. The trade in lumber products has shown, in recent years, some tendency to decline. The imports of grain in 1900 amounted to 307,000,000 bushels, besides 9,300,000 barrels of flour. In these products Chicago has exceeded Minneapolis, Duluth, Milwaukee, and Saint Louis combined. There is a marked increase in the importation of corn and oats. For the decade ending with 1900, the annual importation of hogs has averaged over 8,000,000 head, and of cattle and sheep over 3,000,000 each. There has been, recently, a large increase in the importation of butter and dairy products the imports of butter for 1900 being 244,000,000 pounds.

As a natural consequence of being a collecting and distributing centre, Chicago has developed an extensive manufacturing industry. According to the census of 1900, the manufactured products reached a total value of $888,786,000, and there were 262,600 wage-earners employed-an increase of 37.8 per cent. during the decade. A large per cent. of the live stock received in Chicago is slaughtered and packed there, the total value of these packing-house products in 1900 being $248,811,000. For two decades the average number of hogs packed annually has been about 5,000,000 head. This is considerably over a third of the total number packed in the West during that period. Over 25,000 men are employed in the industry. Every part of the slaughtered animal is utilized, thus giving rise to the manufacture of important by-products (such as soap and candles), the value of this product alone in 1900 being over $9,000,000. The tanning of leather is of almost equal importance.

The convenient location of Chicago with respect to the coal-fields of Illinois and the iron-ore regions of Lake Superior contributes greatly toward the industries which depend upon these two supplies. The iron and steel products in 1900 reached a value of $31,461,000, while the foundry and machine-shop products passed $44,561,000. The demand of the surrounding region for agricultural implements gives rise to another important branch of manufacturing. The output of agricultural implements in 1900 amounted to $24,848,000. Chicago is a centre for the manufacture of harvesting machines. The McCormick, and the Deering Harvesting Machine Works are the two largest harvesting machinery manufactories in the world. The former's area jst 150 acres. Being a lumber - market, the city has developed extensive manufactures of lumber, the value of the manufactures of furniture being estimated at $12,344,000, and the lumber and planing mills products at $7,530,000. Owing to Chicago's prominence as a railroad centre, the manufacture of dependent products is naturally great. The products itemized in the census report as "Cars, steam-railroads, not including operations of railroad companies," amounted to $19,108,000, and the "Cars, and

general shop construction and repairs," to $8,145,000. Chicago is the leading clothing manufacturing centre of the West, the total product in 1900 exceeding $57,000,000 in value. A like position is held in the printing and publishing business, this output in 1900 being estimated at over $32,000,000. There is also a long list of other important manufactures-electrical apparatus, bicycles, tricycles, roasted and ground coffee, etc. GOVERNMENT. The Constitution of Illinois provides for uniformity in the government of municipalities, prohibiting special legislation. Chicago is, accordingly, governed by a general act of the Legislature passed in 1875, and by such subsequent acts as have in some measure modified the original act. The council is unicameral, with 70 elected members, there being two from each of the 35 wards. An elected mayor presides at the meetings of the council, and has a vote in case of a tie. He also has a veto, which may be overridden, however, by a two-thirds vote of the council. Some of the powers vested in the council have been delegated by it to special departments

i.e., police department, etc. These departments are in the hands of single commissioners, who are appointed by the mayor, and whose terms of office expire with the term of the mayor (two years). The mayor is further fortified with the power to remove these commissioners; but such act may be disapproved by a two-thirds vote of the council. The legislative function of the school department is intrusted to a board of education of 21 members, who are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. The trustees are appointed for a term of two years, and serve without pay. Civil-service methods prevail in the administration of affairs, the regulations being prescribed by the State Civil-Service Commission. Owing to prohibitive legislation, the township and county government still exists. Township officers are elected in townmeetings, as in the rural districts, and the county elects a board of commissioners. These organizations are an important factor in the financial affairs of the city.

The city owns and operates its water-works system and electric-light plant. The water-supply is obtained from Lake Michigan, cribs having been located at a distance of from two to four miles from the shore, in order to secure uncontaminated water. It is conveyed to the city by means of underground tunnels. Notwithstanding this precaution, there was evidence that the drainage of the city into the lake affected the quality of the water, and consequently the municipality was induced to construct the greatest sanitary engineering work of the country-the Chicago Drainage Canal (q.v.). It was built with a view to ship navigation. When the Illinois River shall have been improved, access to the sea through the Mississippi will be assured. FINANCE. The per capita receipts and expenditures of Chicago are low when compared with those of other large cities, and it suffers from inadequate funds, as the State Constitution places a limit upon tax-rates. In 1898 a new revenue law was passed, creating a Board of Assessors which levies assessments for the entire 'county of Cook. Subsequent legislation abolished the numerous offices of Town Collectors and made the County Treasurer ex-officio collector for all the towns. The municipality is compelled to resort in an unusual

For places outside of territory covered by this map see general map of .Chicago.

PROMINENT INSTITU-
TIONS AND BUILDINGS.

1. Adams Exp. Bldg.E6 2. American Ex. Co..E6 3. Art Institute.......G6 5. Ashland Block....E4 7. Board of Trade....D7 8. Borden Block......E4 9. Chamber of Com..D5 10. Chicago Ath. Club. G6 11. Chicago Club......F6 12. Chicago Stock

Exchange Bldg..D5

13. City Hall.

14. Columbus Memo

..D4

rial Building.....F5

15. Com. Nt. Bk. Bldg.E6 16. County Jail..

17. Counselman Bldg. D7 18. Daily News.... ..D5

19. Farwell Building..B6 20. Fine Arts Building. G8 21. First Nt. Bk. Bldg. E6 22. Fisher Building....E7 23. Home Ins. Bldg...D6 24. Illinois Trust and

Savings Bldg....D7 25. Inter Ocean Bldg..E5 26. Lakeside Bldg.....D7 27. Marquette Bldg....Ef 28. Marshall, Field &

Co.'s Wholesale
Building...

.C7

29. Masonic Temple. F4 30. Merchants Loan &

Trust Co...... .D6 31. Monadnock Bldg..E7 32. National Life Bldg.D6 83. N. Y. Life Bldg....D6 34. Old Colony Bldg...E8 35. Owings Building...E7 36. Post-Office..

37. Public Library....G4 38. Rialto Building....D7 39. Reliance Building..E5 40. Rookery Building..D7 41. Royal Ins. Bldg....D7 42. Stock Exchange... E6 43. Tacoma Building..D5 44. The Fair.... 45. Times Herald Bldg. C5 46. Title & Trust Bldg. E5 47. Tribune Building..E5 48. Union League Clb.E7 49. U. S. Express......E5 50. Venetian Bldg.....F5 51. West. Union Bldg..D7

52. Woman's Christ'n