Saint Louis, sånt loo'is or looi, Mo., city, port of entry; on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 20 miles below the mouth of the Missouri. It is the metropolis of the State, and by the Federal census of 1910 ranks fifth in population among the cities of the United States.

Topography. The city stands on a gentle bluff with an average elevation of 100 feet above the river and about 500 feet above the sea. It stretches along the Mississippi a distance of 19 miles, and its greatest width, east and west, is six and one half miles; the area is 611⁄2 square miles. The surface is rolling and drainage by the city sewer system has been easily accomplished. "Mill Creek" Valley, which extends east and west and bisects the city was once the bed of a lake (Chouteau Pond). It is used chiefly for depots, railroad yards, and industrial establishments. Bridges and viaducts carry street traffic across the valley. The Mississippi River borders the city in the form of the arc of a circle, the city on the concave side. In the river are several islands; the largest Cabaret and Kerr belong to Illinois. The river is here a vast torrent of turbid water which picks up and drops again large masses of sand and silt as the river rises and falls. It is very deep abreast the city, and in good water there is a continuous depth of 12 or 14 feet all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It regularly rises and falls during the year about 25 or 30 feet. High water mark is 412.7 feet above sea-level. The historic water mark of 1844 still remains unsurpassed, though in June 1903 the water was but four or five feet lower. In each case the broad bottom between the channel and the Illinois bluffs was flooded and looked like a vast inland sea. In no case has the river climbed far up the bluff upon which Saint Louis is built. West of the city the land spreads out in a picturesque plateau.

Climate-The latitude of the city is about 38° 38', so that it is entitled to a mild winter and a warm summer. Fair summer winds are south and southwest, and the cool winds come from the north and northwest. The record of the United States Weather Bureau is here given for the highest and lowest temperature for the twelve months, January to December, 1909, and the normal or mean temperature, respectively:

Jan., 74°, 22°. 31° May, Feb., 78°, 18°, 34° June, Mar., 90°, 3°, 44 July,

Apr., 91°, 22, 56° Aug.,

94 32°, 66° Sept., 102°, 37°, 70° 102, 44, 75 Oct., 91°. 24°, 58° 107, 55, 79° Nov.. 82°.

43°

106, 52°, 77° Dec.. 74°, 17° 36° The annual rainfall is 37.3 inches. The longitude of the city is about 90° 15' west from Greenwich; hence "Standard Central" time is about one minute faster than "Mean Solar" time.

Transportation. In 1874 the Eads Bridge (q.v.) was opened for highway and railroad traffic. Prior to 1874 Saint Louis had no bridge over the Mississippi, and in times of ice gorges and ice-runnings direct communication with the East, at this point, was cut off for days. The Merchants' Bridge, three miles up-stream from Eads Bridge, was built in 1890. Twentyseven lines of railroad meet in Saint Louis Union Station; 10 from the west and 17 from the east, the latter crossing the river by the

Eads Bridge and the Merchants Bridge. Vast quantities of freight cross the river by ferries and are handled by steamboats. Nearly all the coal used in the city crosses the river or comes up the Mississippi in barges. Terminal facilities have lately been greatly_ increased and the tunnel running from the Eads Bridge to Cupples Station is used for merchandise almost exclusively.

The Union Station with its spacious train shed large enough to house 32 tracks, each one long enough to accommodate II passenger coaches, is unique in construction and use. All trains "back in to the station, stopping at the Midway, an area 130 feet wide and 60 feet long, crossing the station from 18th to 20th streets. Freight, mail matter, and express are handled in subterranean driveways and passages, with the use of 26 elevators. The station covers 13.2 acres of ground. The capacity of the station has recently been increased 200 per cent.

Commerce and Industries.- Saint Louis is the natural commercial metropolis of the territory lying to the west and south, including Texas and Mexico. In manufactures it has always been prominent, and it is now the fourth city in the United States in the value and output of its manufactures. The value of the products of the factories of Saint Louis is estimated at about $400,000,000. If the factories of East Saint Louis, Venice, Madison, and Granite City, all lying just across the river and forming parts of this industrial centre, are included, the annual product amounts to about $400,000,000. The annual sales in dry goods and kindered lines amounted to $120,000,000; the sales of boots and shoes alone amounted to $50,000,000, nearly one half of the stock being made in the city. The trade in tobacco and cigars, nearly all manufactured here, footed up $41,000,000; in beer, $18,000,000; in street cars, $15,000,000.

The most interesting and the most important commercial feature in Saint Louis is Cupples Station, which deserves an extended description. There is not in the world a similar establishment which approaches it in magnitude and completeness of organization. Cupples Station was planned and inaugurated by Robert S. Brookings, the vice-president and general manager of the Cupples Wooden Ware Company. The object of the station was to save expense, time, and wear and tear in handling merchandise. Expense was to be saved chiefly by the elimination of drays and street wagons drawn by horses. Time was to be saved by reducing the handling to one half, and storing goods in buildings adjoining the station platforms. The saving in wear and tear was to result from less handling and no street hauling. All these ends have been attained. All the 25 lines of railroad converging in Saint Louis haul freight to and from the terminal yards lying between Eighth Street and Grand Avenue. Cupples Station occupies nearly four acres of ground at the east end of the yards on both sides of the main tracks as they leave the tunnel at Eighth Street and Clark Avenue. It owns and controls switches and platforms sufficient for 60 cars, all practically under cover. The 20 big buildings skirting the tracks are occupied by some 30 tenants, including some of the largest concerns in the city dealing in hardware, woodenware, and groceries. The total mer