Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

7
5:‘. I
'. 0- -- .-,
M:
Metropolitan Supply Co.. Anamosa, Iowa (Submittedbyil/illdredWessels)
particular defendant due to his residency in Chicago.
Inasmuch as the action to make Welch stop using the
same name as his plant in Chicago failed, the Anamosa
directors. immediately after the sheriffs sale.
reorganized under the Metropolitan Supply Company.
Under the Articles of Incorporation are listed the
names of George L. Schoonover, president; Louis
Gardiner, vice-president; Clark A. Beems, manager;
Park Chamberlain, secretary and J.N. Ramsey as
treasurer.
Many of the old books. records. forms and dockets,
found in the Jones County Courthouse and Men's
Reformatory, contain the name of the W.M. Welch Co.
and the Metropolitan Supply Co.. as do, probably, the
local schools and business offices, if they were
preserved.
In 1914, Anamosa citizens read in the local papers of
a Chicago fire that destroyed the school supply
factory of Welch, one of Anamosa‘s biggest
competitors. The fire was first reported to be caused by
spontaneous combustion or crossed electrical wires.
With a windstorrn in progress, it spread across Chicago
causing $200,000 loss to the business section.
Meanwhile, back in Anamosa, the Metropolitan
Supply Co. continued to succeed financially under the
direction of Clark Beems until it was gradually wooed
over to Cedar Rapids, where the company is still in
business at this writing.
In April 1909, a franchise was granted to W.A.
Cunningham for production of light, power and fuel in
the city. The Peoples Gas Co. was located on a
100x150-foot parcel of land purchased from the Welch
Company. On September 2, 1909, the company began
fumishing gas to city residents and the reformatory.
Money was borrowed from the Citizens Savings Bank
and Niles and Waters Savings Bank. However, in I913.
the plant went into receivership with B.E. Rhinehart
and J.E. Remley named as receivers. The plant and
business was sold at sheriffs sale and was then brought
in by the banks for their indebtedness. The business
was operated by the banks until 1920. when it was sold
to C.L. Niles. It continued under the name of the
Anamosa Gas Company. For the next five years, the
financial end of the business just about broke even and
the time arrived to replace the machinery, or close it
down. Niles reported that it would take at least $10,000
to replace the machinery and that it would be difficult
Peoples Gas Company
Anamosa Produce Co.
to install new pipes under the city streets. Niles
informed his customers that he would close down the
business by December of 1925. The city had decided
the rates must be lowered. Even though the gas was
produced only five hours every other day, the service
was considered essential. The service had been
maintained for 16 years. The original rates were $1.40
per 1,000 cubic feet, but at the time the service was
discontinued the rates were in excess of
$4.00 per 1,000 cubic feet. One local newspaper editor
wrote, "this is probably an all-time world's record for a
public utility". In 1929, the Iowa State Highway
Commission constructed the first state garage on land
purchased from Niles. In addition to the gas plant, all of
the land to the east reaching to Division Creek was sold
to the state. In 1940, the Commission constructed a 50-
foot extension to the garage and headquarters. Jones
county shops were built east ofthe state shops.
In the spring of 1920, the Anamosa Produce expanded and, by 1925, it occupied the whole large
Company, formerly located on Main Street across from
the depot, moved into the south end of the Metropolitan
structure,
The Produce Company had organized March 29,
Supply Company building. This business gradually 1922. The general business, reported in the Articles of
180