CITIES, AMERICAN. (Mr. VERNON, NATCHEZ, NEBRASKA CITY.) 



115 



Around. The architecture is Grecian. The State 

 Library, of 'JO.OOO volumes, the Supreme Court, 

 and ih' Historical Society occupy an annex. It 

 i> Mirruumled by a handsome park, which de- 

 scends to the street by rounded terraces. 'Ihere 

 are also a courthouse, a fine post office, 2 na- 

 t ional banks with a capital of $400,000, 2 savings 

 banks, 6 churches, a fine hotel, good schools, and 

 ill.- Vermont Methodist Seminary, chartered in 

 A lucli has over 300 students. Three week- 

 ly in-wspapers are published, and 3 monthlies. 

 Klertrie lighting is in use, and the water supply 

 is [Hire and ample. There are efficient fire and 

 police departments. There are factories of saw- 

 mill machinery, organ and piano springs, and 

 patent candy machines, clothes wringers and 

 washing machines, leather, clothespins, and 

 special machinery, in addition to 4 granite corn- 

 pan it's working the celebrated Barre granite, 

 one of which has a capital of $ 100,000 and em- 

 ploys from 75 to 100 men. There are also 2 

 Elan ing mills, and a paper-box factory. A stone 

 ridge crosses the river. 



Mt. Yernon, a city of Westchester County, 

 N. Y., incorporated March 22, 1892, as the thirty- 

 fourth citv of the State in order of incorporation, 

 each city being required to have a population of 

 at least 10,000 before a charter is granted. Mt. 

 Vernon is on the main lines of the New York, 

 New Haven and Hartford Railroad and of the 

 New York and Harlem. A new railroad is pro- 

 jected from Yonkers, through Mt. Vernon, to 

 relham. New Rochelle, and Glen Island, to Long 

 Island Sound ; and another, the Union, from Mt 

 Vernon to the Grand Central depot, in New 

 York city, with a 5-cent fare. The city has 

 an area of about 1 square mile including the 

 former village of Mt. Vernon, the suburb of 

 Chester Hill, and a part of the town of East- 

 chester, but excluding South Mt. Vernon. The 

 southerly and westerly lines run to the boundary 

 of the " Greater New York," in which it is pro- 

 posed to include the metropolis, Brooklyn, and 

 much adjacent territory- The discussion of this 

 scheme and the threat of annexation to New 

 York hastened the granting of a charter to Mt. 

 Vernon. This charter is a model of its kind, the 

 elective officers being those usually allowed to 

 the smaller cities of the State, The first settle- 

 ment of Mt. Vernon was made about 1853, when 

 the Home Industrial Association No. 1, of New 

 York city, obtained a charter allowing it to pur- 

 chase not less than 250 acres of land in one loca- 

 tion, and to divide it equally among its 1,000 

 members, each member being required to im- 

 prove his own land. The association was com- 

 posed of mechanics and laboring men residing 

 in New York city. Horace Greeley was one of 

 the trustees. The association at once purchased 

 875 acres in the town of Eastchester, and at 

 first the settlement was named Monticello, then 

 Mnnticello City, and finally, in 1851. Mt. Vernon. 

 In 1852 there had been erected 400 houses, and 

 the settlement was incorporated as the Village 

 of Mt. Vernon in 1853, when it contained a pop- 

 ulation of 1,400. The population of the city in 

 1892 was about 16,000. The surface is diversified 

 by many small streams, the chief of which is 

 Bronx river. Prom the higher portions, about 

 200 feet above tide water, extensive views can be 

 had of Long Island Sound. The drainage and 



the system of sewerage are perfect The broad 

 streets are well paved or macadamized, and elec- 

 tric cars make communication easy. The street* 

 are lighted with electricity. Gas and water are 

 furnished by private corporations. There are 4 

 private schools, including a military institute, 

 and 5 public schools, but the school system has 

 not yet been organized to fit the new conditions. 

 The churches include 2 Episcopalian. 2 Catholic, 

 2 Methodist, 1 Reformed, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Con- 

 gregational, 1 Lutheran, 1 Universalist, and 1 

 Baptist. Several of the church buildings, and 

 the building of the Young Men's Christian Asso- 

 ciation, are of modern construction. A feature 

 of the city is the Fairfax Opera House, with seat- 

 ing accommodations for 1,000. It is built in the 

 modern colonial style. The city has also 3 banks, 

 2 newspapers, and several small factories, the 

 largest being that for rubber goods. 



Natchez, a city of Mississippi, county seat of 

 Adams County, in the southwestern part of the 

 State, on a perpendicular bluff 200 feet above 

 Mississippi river, 280 miles from New Orleans, 

 130 from Vicksburg, and 100 from Jackson. It 

 is one of the oldest towns in Mississippi. In 

 1870 it was the second city of the State, having 

 a population of 9,057; in 1890 the population 

 was 10,101. At present it is the third city. It 

 is the western terminus of the Natchez, Jackson 

 and Columbus Railroad, and has ten trains daily. 

 There are 4 lines of steamers, from St. Louis, 

 Cincinnati, and New Orleans, in addition to local 

 packets, and the river business in 1890 amounted 

 to 50,000 tons. The streets are wide and regu- 

 larly laid out, crossing each other at right angles, 

 and beautifully shaded. Many of the residences 

 are surrounded by spacious grounds filled with 

 flowers at all seasons, and from its elevation it 

 commands an unobstructed view of 10 to 15 miles 

 over the lowlands of Louisiana. In 1888-'89 

 the assessed valuation of property was $3,000,000, 

 on a basis of $4,500,000, and the value of public- 

 school property was $41,000. In addition to the 

 2 public schools and the high school, with an 

 enrollment of 1,205, there are numerous private 

 schools and a college. The city has all modern 

 improvements, gas and electric lighting, street 

 railway, excellent water works and sewerage sys- 

 tems, a telephone exchange, public parks, 4 

 banks with aggregate capital of $290.000, -4 

 building and loan associations, an opera house, 

 a Masonic temple, a public hospital, several or- 

 phan asvlums, churches, including a Catholic 

 cathedral and a Jewish synagogue, and 2 daily 

 newspapers. A national cemetery is located 

 here. The industries of the city include 2 

 large cotton mills, 1 of which employs over 

 200 persons. There are also 2 cotton-seed-oil 

 mills, a batting mill, an ice factory, saw mills, 

 foundries and machine shops, and candy and 

 mineral-water factories. The cotton-compress 

 receipts reach 50.000 bales yearly. Truck farm- 

 ing is carried on profitably in the county, which 

 abounds also in kaolin, potter's clay, glass sand, 

 timber, and plants supplying material for paper. 



Nebraska City, a city of Nebraska, county 

 seat of Otoe County, on the right bank of Mis- 

 souri river, in the southeastern portion of the 

 State, 44 miles south of Omaha by railroad. 57 

 from Lincoln, and 160 from Kansas City. Mo. 

 In 1870 it was the second city in population 



