Its population was not so much thriving upon established commerce as upon the industries which prepared for the arrival of others.

The sound of the hammer engaged upon the erection of new structures was everywhere heard.

Great industries were moving in.

The huge railroad corporations which had long before recognised the prospects of the place had seized upon vast tracts of land for transfer and shipping purposes.

Street-car lines had been extended far out into the open country in anticipation of rapid growth.
The city had laid miles and miles of streets and sewers through regions where, perhaps, one solitary house stood out alone--a pioneer of the populous ways to be.