History of Wichita, Kansas, USA

Wichita, Kan., May 3. - Kirby Chapel, belonging to the Methodist denomination of this city, burned last night. Fire has also been kindled at the base of the steeple of the Presbyterian Church. It is supposed to be the work of an incendiary, the result of the enforcement of the prohibition liquor law. The owner of a large skating rink, who had rented the place for a temperance convention, was anonymously notified this morning to cancel the lease with that organization. The barn of an active Prohibitionist was fired two or three nights since and the shade trees of another ruined. The excitement was intense. The church burned was valued at $12,000 to $18,000, and was insured for $8,000. The valuable library of Rev. J. W. Phillips, pastor of the church, was also burned.

Wichita, a city, capital of Sedgwick co., Kansas, on the left bank of the Arkansas River, at the mouth of the Little Arkansas River, and on the Southwest Branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé Railroad, 27 miles S. of Newton, and 100 miles S.W. of Emporia. It is also a centre of 4 or 5 other railroads. It contains several banks, a number of churches, 4 daily and 11 weekly newspapers, graded schools, glass-factories, flour-mills, planing-mills, woollen-mills, carriage-factories, &c. Near here is a productive vineyard. Natural gas, lime, and oil are also found. The census of 1890 gives the capital invested in the industries of Wichita at $2,830,029, and the value of the product at $4,719,336. Pop. in 1880, 4911; in 1890, 23,853.

WICHITA, Kan., July 16. - The packing plant of Jacob & Sons, of this city, was destroyed by fire today. There were four large buildings. It is estimated that 7,000,000 pounds of meat in process of preparation were destroyed. The loss is $1,000,000 with insurance about $400,000.

WICHITA, Kas., June 1 - One more was added to the list of flood victims here today, making four in all who have drowned. Benjamin white is missing and it is believed that he also lost his life. Those known to have been drowned are Mrs. C. Glazier, Miss Martha Wikoff, Harry Moore, and Victor Jenkaway.

Clarence Glazier was driving a buggy containing his wife, her sister, Martha Wikoff, and his infant baby. While on the bridge over Chisholm creek a rush of water struck them and swept the buggy and occupants into the stream. The women were washed away and their bodies were recovered to-day. The father held the baby on a log until rescued. Harry Moore with his brother were chasing chickens away from the stream when they were caught by the water. The brother was thrown into a tree, where he remained until rescued in the morning. Harry was drowned. His body was recovered. He was 12 years old. Jenkaway accidently fell in the Little Arkansas River and was carried under by the swift under...

THE CITY OF WICHITA By O. H. BENTLEY

The ardent friends of Wichita are those who live within its borders; those who sojourn away from it long to return. It is always eulogized by its absent friends. Favorably located at the junction of two rivers, it aptly illustrates the saying that large streams always flow past great cities. That Wichita is the city of destiny, was a belief always fondly cherished by its founders. Wichita today is the most prosperous and rapidly growing city in the state of Kansas. It is the second city in size in the state and most favorably located on the banks of the Arkansas river, in one of the most fertile and productive valleys in America.

The population of Wichita is cosmopolitan in nature and energetic in spirit; is enterprising and public spirited. The city, being built upon the plains, had no special advantages geographically over any other part of the state. It so happened, however, that an aggregation of men constituted its first inhabitants who...

WICHITA, Kas., June 23. - Three men were killed and ten were injured in the wreck of an extra St. Louis & San Francisco freight train just east of here, at 2 o'clock this afternoon.

Two men are missing and are thought to be buried beneath the wreckage. All the killed and injured were harvest hands stealing a ride. The dead:

LOGAN GANNON, Phillipsbpurg[sic], Mo.
JOHN ROONEY, Phillipsburg, Mo.
Unidentified man said to be from Muskogee, Okl.

The injured:
Bert Rooney, Phillipsburg, Mo., serious
Will Loosin, Phillipsburg, Mo., scalp wound, serious
Lloyd Gannon, Robert Castle, Ed Materick, John Ragland, and ___ Egbert, all of Phillipsburg, Mo.:
John Causler, Long Lane, Mo.,
and Bert Cain and G. W. Welch, both of Oklahoma City.

None of these are thought to be seriously injured.

These thirteen men were riding on the top of a heavy car of bridge timbers just back of a freight car. A broken flange caused the wreck. Two men were seen on top of the coal car at Leon, and it...