position at the " falls of the Ohio," which obstruction long made necessary the transfer of goods at this point, the city became an important depot of supplies for the cotton-grow ing States lying immediately to the south. The owners of plantations in those States devoted themselves wholly to the culture of cotton, and relied upon Kentucky for supplies of wheat, Indian corn, oats, and the like cereals, for the hempen bagging and rope used in baling the cotton, and for mules and horses, large droves of which were annually driven south from Louisville. The city was also for many years one of the principal points in the United States for pork-packing. After the close of the civil war, the development of Kentucky, as of the South generally, entered new channels. Largely increased facilities of railway transportation, while bringing Louisville into more direct competition with Cincinnati, St Louis, and Chicago, resulted in a marked increase of both its commercial and manufacturing interests, notwithstanding the decline of the river trade. The ex tensive tobacco crop of Kentucky, with much of that grown in neighbouring States, now finds a market at Louisville, instead of at New Orleans as formerly ; and it has become probably the largest market in the world for leaf tobacco, 68,300 hogsheads of which, of an aggregate value exceed ing $5,000,000, were sold here during 1881. The manu facture of whisky is also important, this, with that of tobacco, paying to the Federal Government nearly $3,000,000 annually in revenue taxes, in the Louisville district. Pork-packing employs a capital of $2,520,000, and the tanning of leather $1,704,000, this industry being twenty times larger than before the war, and the product, especially of sole-leather, being in high demand. The manufacture of agricultural and mechanical imple ments employs $1,915,000 capital, the plough factories, which produce 125,000 ploughs annually, being among the largest in the United States. Steam-power is chiefly employed, the available water-power of the rapids having been neglected. The greater part of the coal consumed by the factories is brought down the Ohio from Pittsburg. The mountainous eastern portion of the State, rich in vast deposits of both coal and iron, is now penetrated by several railroads, and others are being constructed, whose influence in developing this mineral wealth will add largely to the prosperity of the city.
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Plan of Louisville. |
The reports of the United States census of 1880 give the following summary of the industries of the city : I860. 1870. 1880. Number of establish ments I 436 801 1,191 Number of hands employed .. 7,396 11,589 21,937 Capital invested Wages paid $5,023,491 2 120 179 $11,129,291 4 464 040 $20,864,449 K 7fi r i ^&7 Value of material Value of product .... 7,896,891 14,135,517 10,369,556 20,364,650 22,362,704 35,908,338 The Louisville and Nashville Railway, opened in 1859, controls, under one management, nearly 4000 miles of connected lines, reaching New Orleans, Pensacola, and Savannah. Various other lines contribute to make Louis ville an important railway centre. A bridge across the river, 521 8f feet long between abutments, with twenty-seven spans, and admitting the free passage of steamboats at high water, affords con tinuous railway transit, and connects the city with the thriving towns of New Albany (population 16,423) and Jeffersonville (population 9357), situated on the opposite bank of the Ohio, in the State of Indiana, A second rail way bridge, having waggon-ways and foot-ways in addition, is now (1882) building. Louisville is provided with adequate water-works, gas works, tc. The famous Dupont artesian well, 2066 feet deep, has a flow of 330,000 gallons per day, with a force of ten horse-power, its water resembling slightly that of the Kissengen and Blue Lick (Ky.) springs. Although once regarded as unhealthy, the city has now an effective system of sewerage, and is in good sanitary condition. The public school system is sustained at an annual expense of over $300,000, abundant separate provision being made fur coloured children. There are four medical colleges, having a large attendance and reputation, and numerous private seminaries and schools. Among the newspapers published at Louisville the Courier Journal deserves men tion both for its early connexion with George D. Prentice, and as a leading representative of the best order of American journalism. There are four other dailies (two English and two German), besides thirteen weekly sheets. Louisville is a port of entry for foreign imports, which aggregate annually about $125,000. The city is governed by a mayor, elected every third year, with a board of alder men and a common council, the former containing one, and the latter two representatives of each of the twelve wards. The population in 1830 was 10,341; in 1840, 21,210;
in 1850, 43,196; in 1860, 68,033; in 1870, 100,753;