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shape of a horseshoe, five miles to the northwest. The area contains 2,700 acres. It is "muck" land. Twenty years ago it was considered as hardly worth its taxes. The best located portions of it sold for scarcely twenty dollars an acre. It was looked upon as a waste tract of land and a liability rather than an asset. The late W. C. Johnson, coming here from the eastern part of the state, discovered its value as onion and celery land. He purchased a portion of it and commenced its development. The development has gone forward since then. It has been partially drained and now about one-third of it is under cultivation. An average of 200 car loads of onions a year are shipped from here. The cultivated portions are worth $125 and upwards an acre. It requires no gift of prophecy to see that in the future it will all be developed and divided into small farms supporting a large population. It gives employment to many now. It produces other crops besides onions. One of the prize acres of corn in a recent contest was raised on muck land. It is all tributary to Carey. It is a present and future asset.

RAILROAD FACILITIES

Carey has little to desire in addition to its present facilities for communicating with the world and transporting its productions to the markets of the world. It has practically four railroads. The Hocking Valley road running north and south is perhaps the most important north and south road in the country. Four passenger trains each way run between Columbus and Toledo. The C., C., C. & St. L. or Big Four road runs through the city. Three passenger trains each way run between Cincinnati and Detroit and two each way between Springfield and Sandusky. Three trains a day each way between Carey and Findlay run over a branch of this road and two trains a day each way run over the Northern Ohio Railroad between Akron and Delphos. All of these trains stop in Carey for the accommodation of passengers. There are many freight trains on these roads and there is much transferring of passengers and freight at this point. There has been talk at times of an electric road through Carey but the proposed enterprises have not been pushed locally with much energy because the need has not been acutely felt. At some

time in the future electric lines will be built through Carey, mainly because the location of the city invites the roads.

PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS

Carey is unique in one respect. There has been much discussion as to whether municipal ownership of public utilities can be made successful. In a neighboring city that subject is being overhauled. One newspaper which is opposed to it has given many instances where it has proved a failure. Carey is an example of the successful ownership and management of public utilities. The city has had an experience with municipal ownership extending through nineteen years. In 1894 a water works system was installed. Bonds of the city were issued and the plant erected under the management of the city officials. In 1897 the city installed electric lights combining the plant with the water works. Bonds were issued to pay for this. The bonds for the water works were $28,000 and for the electric lights $10,000. Additions and repairs have increased the cost until there is an investment of $75,000. The bonds and additional expense have been paid except that there is $10,000 worth of the bonds yet outstanding. The bonds and additions and running expenses have been paid out of the profits of the plant, except $10,000 paid by levies out of the city treasury. The plant has on hand a fund of $4,000 and in July will collect a large sum and could pay off most of the outstanding bonds before they mature if the holders did not prefer the bonds to the money. So the plant representing an investment of $75,000 has practically been paid for out of the profits, except $10,000.

The power house and stand pipe are located three-quarters of a mile west of the business center on ground sixty feet higher than the business center. The gravity or standpipe pressure is sixty pounds and the power pressure 200 pounds. Thus we have the most adequate fire protection. The water is pumped from wells and is pure. Samples of it have been analyzed by experts at Columbus and pronounced by them to be free from disease germs. There has been only a case or two of typhoid fever in Carey since the water works were installed. There is an abundant supply of water so that customers are seldom limited in their use of it. It is cool and refreshing and pleasant to the taste so

that many consumers prefer it for drinking purposes to ice water. There is no more valuable asset than a good water supply. Soon Carey will have one of the best of supplies and have it free of indebtedness and the cost practically paid for out of the profits of the plant. In the controversy over municipal ownership, score Carey as being in favor of it. The management of the plant has been kept out of politics. The efficient manager, A. J. Frederick, is reelected year after year without opposition and without considering his politics.

At the power house there has been started a pleasant park with trees and plants and flowers and animals. It is much sought after during summer months as a place of resort. Picnic parties and family reunions and other gatherings are held here. It is growing in interest each season. M. C. Reynolds, the engineer, is chiefly responsible for the park.

Carey has adequate telephone facilities. The Carey Electric Telephone Co. and the Farmers' Mutual Co. have well equipped plants and are rendering satisfactory service to a large number of subscribers.

Carey has an excellent public library. Correspondence with Andrew Carnegie elicited from him an offer of $8,000 to build a home for a library provided the city would conform to the usual conditions accompanying the offer. Compliance with these conditions was promised and the citizens promptly raised the sum necessary for a site, a contract for the erection of a library building was left and in due time the building was finished and dedicated. The library is conveniently located and is an ornament to the town in addition to its usefulness in promoting the morality and intelligence of the people. It is named "The Dorcas Carey" library, a tribute to the wife of John Carey, a former prominent citizen of Carey, paid her at the instance of her daughter, Mrs. G. H. Whaley, a liberal contributor to the fund for the site and for other necessary expenses. The number of volumes in the library is 5,003, carefully selected and covering a wide variety of subjects. Miss Marjorie Sutphen is the librarian.

Because of municipal ownership of public utilities street lighting costs the city nothing, and the same is true of fire hydrants.

The city has one paved street, Vance street, extending north and south through the corporation. The street was

paved in 1912 and the paving of Main street is in contemplation. The bonded indebtedness caused by the various improvements including paving has been reduced to $18,500, a very considerable portion of which as stated above being already provided for by accumulated funds.

INDUSTRIES

Because of the conditions enumerated Carey is an ideal place for the location of industries. Our unparalleled water supply, our railroad facilities, the general healthfulness of the city and other conditions should entice those seeking a location for factories. Already important industries have located here and are in successful operation.

One of these is The National Lime & Stone Co. This company was incorporated in March, 1903. It has two departments, one for the manufacture of lime and the other for the production of crushed stone. The lime is manufactured almost exclusively into the hydrated form. The daily output of the factory is 100 tons and it is shipped to all parts of the country. There is an unlimited supply of magnesia rock of the Niagara formation. The daily output of the crushed stone department of the company is 1,600 tons. There is an increasing demand for the stone for street and road improvement and much of it is shipped to distant points. The combined plant employs on an average 125 men. R. G. Spencer, Jr., is the general manager.

One of the most important and oldest established industries of Carey is the Tile Factory of Stief Bros. This factory was established in 1860, by the late Charles Stief. It is now owned by Henry Stief and Jacob Stief, sons of Charles Stief. It is a factory for the manufacture of tiles and building blocks. It is equipped with the best of modern conveniences including three kilns of the latest and most improved type. The capacity of the factory is 800,000 feet of tile and 100,000 building blocks per year. There is a great and increasing demand for the product and much of it is shipped to the adjoining counties. The average force employed in operating the factory is eighteen men.

The latest addition to the important industries of Carey is The National Electric Porcelain Co., for the manufacture of electrical supplies. This company was organized and incor

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