CITIES, AMERICAN. 



COLOMBIA. 



189 



metal lamps with clock-work interiors. A fac- 

 tory for manufacturing printing-presses on a 

 large scale has just been established. There 

 are four national banks with an aggregate 

 capital and surplus of about $715,000, and one 

 savings-bank with deposits of $1,141,585. 



Wichita, a city, capital of Sedgwick County, 

 Kansas, on Big and Little Arkansas rivers, in 

 the southwestern part of the State, 50 miles 

 north of the boundary-line between Kansas 

 and Indian Territory. The town was laid out 

 in 1870, and organized in 1871 with a popula- 

 tion of 500. The enumeration of 1886 showed 

 a population of 25,000, making it the third city 

 in the State. There are 14 churches, 6 schools 

 with 3,800 pupils, an academy, a college, a 

 court-house, and an opera-house with a seat- 

 ing capacity of 700. Six railroads enter the 

 city, and 5 others are in process of construc- 

 tion. There are 7 banks, with an aggregate 

 capital of $2,000,000 ; clearances, $500,000 a 

 week. Chief exports are flour, corn-meal, 

 wheat, corn, cattle, horses, mules, hogs, sheep, 

 dairy products, vegetables, and fruits. The 5 

 flouring-mills turn out 650 barrels of flour a 

 day. The 5 grain-elevators handle nearly 2,- 

 000,000 bushels of grain a year. There are 3 

 foundries and machine-shops, and 2 carriage 

 and wagon works. $2,300,000 has recently 

 been expended in new buildings, a public park, 

 a fair-ground, water- works, a street-railway, 

 and other improvements. 



Wilkesbarre, a city, capital of Luzerne County, 

 Pa., on the North branch of Susquehanna 

 river, about 100 miles north by west of Phila- 

 delphia; latitude 41 14' north, longitude 75 

 56' west. The population in 1870 was 10.174; 

 in 1880, 23,339; in 1886 it was estimated at 

 32,000. It has communication by 5 railroads, 

 and 2 lines of steamers ply between it and Nan- 

 ticoke, 9 miles below. The growth and pros- 

 perity of the city are due mainly to the coal- 

 mining interests. Local industries and trade 

 are chiefly confined to coal and mine and rail- 

 way supplies, such as lumber, powder, cars 

 and mining implements. Axle-works have re- 

 cently been established, and lace and silk fac- 

 tories. In 1880 the whole amount of capital 

 invested in manufacturing was $1,146,500, the 

 number employed 645, and the total value of 

 products $1,133,344, of which $297,660 was of 

 foundry and machine-shop products. 



Wilmington, a city and port of entry, capital 

 of New Castle County, Del., the chief city of 

 the State, at the confluence of Christiana and 

 Brandywine creeks, 28 miles southwest of 

 Philadelphia; latitude 39 44' north, longitude 

 75 33' west. The limits extend to the Dela- 

 ware river. The population was 30,841 in 

 1870; 42.478 in 1880; in 1886 it was estimat- 

 ed at 52,000. Four railroads enter the city; 

 the Baltimore and Philadelphia has an iron 

 bridge over the Brandywine. There are 23 

 public schools. A court-house was built in 

 1880, and the courts and records were removed 

 from New Castle in 1881. The banking capi- 



tal has been increased $210,000 within a year. 

 There are 2 savings and 6 other banks, 1 safe- 

 deposit and trust-company, and 2 banking- 

 houses. The Christiana is navigable for ves- 

 sels drawing 14 feet, and the Brandywine for 

 vessels of 7 feet draught, and wharves extend 

 6 miles along the two creeks. The total value 

 of imports in 1879 was $24,076, of exports 

 $35,467; the value of imports in 1880 was 

 $7,733, of exports $270,309. The number of 

 vessels registered, enrolled, and licensed in the 

 district in 1880 was 182, with tonnage of 16,- 

 287. The Brandywine has a fall of 120 feet 

 within 4 miles of the city, and mills and fac- 

 tories are placed along its banks. Several old 

 flouring-mills have recently been removed, and 

 new ones built in their places with improved 

 machinery. The match factories have been 

 enlarged, the car-wheel works have been re- 

 moved outside the city line and increased in 

 capacity; new rolling-mills have been built 

 and old ones enlarged. Several new morocco- 

 factories have been erected, and another is in 

 process of building. The ship-yards and car- 

 shops also have been enlarged. New enter- 

 prises are pulp-works and a fiber company. 

 Following are some statistics of industries for 

 1880: 



The whole amount of capital invested in 

 manufactures was $10,744,389, the number 

 employed 7,852, and the total value of products 

 $13,205,370. 



COLOMBIA, an independent republic of South 

 America. The new Constitution of Aug. 5, 

 1886, deprives seven of the nine sovereign 

 States of the character of members of a confed- 

 eracy, and converts them into as many prov- 

 inces, to be ruled each by a governor. It also 

 reduces two of them, Panama and Cundina- 

 marca, to the condition of territories or nation- 

 al departments, under governors appointed 

 by the President. The republic is consequent- 

 ly now composed of seven provinces and twelve 

 territories. It covers an area of 586,000 square 

 miles, and has a population of 3,500,000, in- 

 cluding 50,000 wild Indians. 



Government. The President of the Republic 

 is Dr. D. Rafael Nunez, re-elected for six years, 

 from December, 1885. The Vice-President is 

 Gen. Eliseo Payan. The Cabinet was com- 

 posed of the following ministers: Secretary of 

 State and Minister of War, Dr. Don Felipe 

 Angulo: Finance, Dr. Don Antonio Roldan; 

 Secretary of the Treasury, Don Jorge Holguin ; 

 Minister of Public Instruction, Dr. Don Domin- 

 go Ospina Camacho ; Public Works, Dr. Don 

 Felipe F. Paul; Interior, Dr. Don Aristides 



