Winter Park scrapbook, 1881-1906: Loring Chase scrapbooks Vol. 02, 1898.

              Winter Park.
Things   Hoped   For!
!£H
PROSPEROUS    SEASON
PREDICTED—ROLLINS
COLLEGE     BOOMING.— PERSON-
^    AL  NOTES.
"We are looking to the coming season with great hope ot
business animation, and with
feelings of more land sales than
we have had for several years
past," was the remark ot a progressive man on the streets ot
Winter Park a few days ago.
This is the kind of talk we are
anxious to hear. We like to
think better times are coming,
whether such times come or not.
We haue thousands of acres of
land lor sale all around us—land
that has neither been cleared or
cultivated. Such lands are for
sale.
But why our confidential
friend should evpect better times
we acknowledge ve do not
know, except for the fact that he
is receiving a great many letters
from inquiring people, desirous
of settling in this place. Of
course, with new years come
more hopeful signs of Florida's
future. Every year it is seen
that the State is more capable of
being styled an agricultural
as well as one peculiarly adapted
to the growing and producing of
tropical and semi-tropical tiuits
and early vegetables.
Mr. H. S. Chubb, who has in
charge the interests of several
property holders here, spraks
hopefully of the comidg season
at this place. He expects to
make some sales this 3'ear—
perhaps more than he has been
able to make for some time. Mr.
Chubb is putting everything under his charge in first-class repair and he expects to attract
the attention of strangers to
such an   exteut that   they    will
confess that no better place   ex
ists than Winter Park.
It Winter Park does take a
Tew boom this year it will be
due to several causes, but none
more than our noted institution
here, Rollins College. We are
told that a great many families
are anxious to buy and build
heie, or they are anxious to rent
a cottage for the school season
at least. That a great many
have already been turned off for
lack of houses goes to show that
more houses need to-be built for
renting purposes. Rollins College has never been more pros
perous than now. Under that
excellent and thorough Christian
gentleman, Prof. Geo. M. Ward,
that school equals, if it does not
supass, all previous records—
not excepting the prosperous
times, when oranges.were very
plentiful and Drought Klondyke
prices.
Messrs, Coan and Argyle, the
leading mechanics of this place,
are kept busy in their shops
when not at work en some
building, putting up almost all
kinds ot cabinet work. Some
of the sideboards and wardrobes
built by this firm would stand a
fust class test anywhere. The
firm has been kept busy all the
year. They now have the beau
tilul home of Miss A. E. Sparrell
on Interlachen Avenue to put in
first class condition. Some
repairs are going to be made
and a coat of paint added to the
house will be a portion of the
work they are going to do.
<r;?3
»>
I-1-9S
OVERMAN COMPANY ASSIGNS.
One   of  the   Largest   Bicycle
Firms in the Country.
 r~
Unable   to   Meet   Maturing;   Obligations—Liabilities Xov.  1 $639,O0Q
and  Assets 91,318,OOQ—Statement
by Head  of Finn-Attempt  to  Be
Made to Reorganize Concern.
SPRINGFIELD,   .Dec. __27,   1837.     The
Overman   Wheel  CompanyoF'Chicopee
Falls   made   an   assignment   of   all   its
property this afternoon  to  H. H.  Bowman,   president   of   the   Springfield   National Bank,, for the benefit of its creditors.   The  men were paid off this evening,   nearly in  full,   the money for  this
feeing furnished by Mrs. A. H. Overman,
wife of the  president of  the  company.
Mr.   Overman   &ave   out   the   following
statement:
"The necessity for i assignment jjtrose
out of the company's inability to meet
obligations maturing today. As shown
from the annual statement from inventories taken Nov. 1 last, the company
has $539,000 liabilities, with $1,318,000 assets. A meeting of the creditors has
been called at the office of the company
on Friday, for 'the purnose of determining the future policy of the company.
"The  management believes  that   with
a reasonable extension of time the present   prosnects   of   future   business,   are-
such as to warrant beyond a doubt  I
payment in lull of all claims.   They now
have advance  orders on their books  for
something  over  $250,000 worth of goods,   j
The mill  has   been   closed  to await  the'
action   of   the   creditors.    The   directors
hope   that   the   shut-down   will   be   only
temporary."
Of the assets of the company, the plant
is appraised by the assessors of the city
of GhieTopee at. $478,060. There is $528,000
Worth of Ptock, unfinished and finished,
end $21-1,000 cash assets and bills receivable. The assignment was made because
of the company's Inability to raise money
to meet notes held by the First National
Bank of Boston, which became due today, for $35,000.
'I'lie paper of the company is held almost entirely by banks, and most of it
is out. of this city. The Springfield National Hank of this city has $20,000, and
the First National Hank of Chicopee
$15,000. The Kark National Bank of New .
York has a large holding. The local
banks holding the company's paper r
quite  easy  about  ihe  matter!
One reason for the difficulty found in
raising the money necessary to meet the
j>otes is the suspicion in whieli bicycle
paper is held,  I of   the  many  fail
ure;; of bicycle com panics during the
year. The Overman company has lo
about $7S.ooo during the past year, due
largely to the cut in the price of wheels
and the many cheap vheels which have
been thrown on the n„;arkot by the failure of companies manufacturing them.
Its prospects for the coming season were
exeeptionally good and its- work v\
tvoH along. The company has heretofore enjoyed an excellent record financially.
The   company   has.   during   tbe   busy
Season,   kept   more   than   1000   men   em-
rdnved     nn*SI     n t-   tVio   i,m£>   ™e   *-v.~
Manager   A    E    Dick of  the
Seminole    Hotel   arrived   loda\
and will open the hotel about the
14th.     Mr Dick is quite   popular
in this section, owing to   the active services he rendered in   the
building   of   the paved mads in
and around Winter Park.       He
is also popular with the   tourists
and it is said   in   his   favor   that
never    were    the    guests    moft
thoroughly satisfied   who   spend
the seasons here than when   under    the   roof   ot the    Seminole
hotel, under the management   ol
Mr.   Dick.       Handsome,   polite
and  'horoughly acquainted with
the needs of the people, his name
is sufficient to add popular.ty   to
the hotel.
Dr. J.   L. B. Eager,  who for
several years   was   a   desirable
resident of   this   place,    having
served for some time   as   alderman     here,    surprised    his   old
friends by returning a  few days
since from his old home in Kansas.    The doctor left here about
three years ago, but he has come
to try us again.   \*x\'~   \D
Mr. L. Pell Clark of Orlando,
one of the  most   public  spirited
and charitable men,   among the
many that come down   from the.
North and spend the winters   in •
this count)7, has just had the Or-:
lando bicycle track j ul in   first-,
class   condition, the   expense to
be met by  himself.       Mr.  Pell-
Clark, like s the sporf of the wheel
and he does not mind contnbu -
of his substance to   have   things
like he would have them.
Mr. H. B. Crosby and family,!
who occupv the handsome Alden
cottage on   Interlachen   Avenue
in Winter, are expected down in
a revv days,/ ^   /^"/
Public school teacliers began
their school work last Monday,
after about ten days recreation
during the holidays. Rollins
College began its second term
last Tuesday.
Mr. A. J. Faulkner, the wall
liked and efficient agent at the
Plant System depot informs us
that business is rapidly increasing and that travel is much heav
ier than at this lime last year.
Mr. C. H. Brewer, who had a
neat little boat house erected on
the lake shore of his fine grove,
is now having a yery fine barn
built which will be completed in
a lew weeks. He wUl soon have
a residence built. \    ^-^ D