The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-08

Broken Down Men In New York. -
The New York correspondent Of the Troy Times
writes as follows Of the broken down men OF that
city:
The broken down men to whom we have re-
ferred form the best possible help in the great
mercantile concerns Of this CITY, A. I. Stew
art, the merchant prince, has been for years in
the habit Of picking out among this class such
assistants as be might need and we presume
that there may be found under his roof to-day
the wrecks of twenty different dry goods houses
that were started with good prospects OF sue
cess. For instance, that grave and dignifed
gentlemen of forty-fve years or thereabouts,
who occupies the position of general manager
and overlooker of the wholesale warehouse, is
Mr.. Brown, formerly dry goods jobber of the
house Of Brown Co., Cortland street. He Is
q frstrate business man, and Stewart knows it,
aud perhaps ii is but an incident 10 life that
Brown is not Stewart, and that Stewart is not
Brown. As it's Mr. Brown is to certain de-
gree Stewards lieutenant, and as the latter IL
much engrossed by the leading facts in his man.
moth business, no one is allowed to address him
personally until his erTand has been communi-
Gated to the lieutenant aforesaid. SO, also. this
tall, fine looking gentlemen who has the manage
ment of the credits Mr. Libby, who looks after
all references, and without whose approval no
man can get a bill of goods on time, is broken
Hastings, Libby Forby struggled for wealth,
but in vain. They sank in the general vortex Of
of commercial ruin, Mr.. Stewart, who discerned
Mr.. Libbys talents, has made good use of him.
Mr.. Libby is a highly gifted business man, and
has made himself so necessary In Stewards
concern that II report be true he has now q
partnership in it. We might go on and call
over stewart's check-roll and find many other
similar cases; and so, also, we might lind just
such class Of men selling goods for Ciahin and
other large houses. When a man has once failed
in any kind of business, it is very seldom that he
attempts to recuperate in the same trade. He is
cick n effort He vii work
others in that line but has fear OF attempting it
personally again. Hence mer who fail Ia New
York seldom get on their feet. Their customers
are drummed away By other houses, and the cur
rent of their business is so broken that 1t seems
impossible to be resusciiated.
FALLEN GREATNESS.
The custom house is a great gathering OF broken
down men; and besides this one finds them in
every berth which they can get into. Most of the
insurance Offices are manned BY this class, and in
many instances insurance companies have been
formed for the expressed purpose Of afording
snug harbor for some Of such characters. Most
of the merchandise brokers OF this class. If
Wholesale druggist fall he is apt to turn broker in
drugs; If wholesale grocer fail ne will naturally
| turn 10 his own staples. We have said that men
who fail in New York seldom get on their feet again.
| Toustrate this statement, we may call over few
names Where was there more famous house than
| that Of Bowen, McNamee 4 Co.? And yet the
colossal business which required twenty five years
to build It up, went in one fell swoop when that
| irm failed. IL you were to look for the head of
| that great concern you would not find him IN the
world Of silks and safins. On the other hand Mr..
| Bowen is now the publisher Of the independent.
i Among other great firms that have gone out Of
| existence we may mention the dry goods house OF
| the Moores, who we're in trade thirty years. aud
who. from small beginnings, At last occupied
| Broadway store at a rent Of t27 900 per annum.
On the grocery business we might mention the
| name OF j. X. Place a Co., which failed last fall.
| This house was estimated as being worth mil
lion Of dollars. Their credit stood so high that
| they could purchase bill OF coffee and give
note for Il TO the amount Of one hundred thousand
| dollars and yet now that they have failed II Is
| not probable that they viii pay their creditors
| much. II indeed anything. Prooabiy 10 snort
time We shall these very Places, who once
were merchant princes, running round the
| streets with boxes of samples, and taking the
chances among the legion OF merchandise
brokers. To go back to the house Of Denison II
Belden, from which the Places sprung. This con-
Germ failed few years ago, and although il pos
| setsed an immense trade. yet It never resus-
citated So also when Simeon Draper failed, al
though he announced In his card tnat he would
pay in full, yet the Herald c0Dtradeted this ASST
rance and stated that he never would pay dol
lar and he never did. 30 also the great banking
bouse of Prime, Ward Co.; they paid nothing.
When one goes among the great centers OF lite
rsry activity he finds the same law at work
| The Herald, the Times aud the Tribune,
| have each their share of backs and
| bioken-down editors and unsuccessful authors,
| WHO are here burled IN laDorlOus rethemehs-
| Among other broken-down editors we may meh
| ton James Watson Webb, Of the once hourishiae
| Courier and Enquirer, who now has forslgn
mission. Mordecsi M. Noah, formerly OF the
Evening Star, was also one OF this class. otep
| ping into large concern some time ago, we en-
| tered into conversston with the bookkesper, q
man apparently OF sixty, and found TO our surprise
that be once was partner Ia heavy elotn im
porting house, whose sign had been familiar TO u
for years. consciousness Of the ditioolty oil re
tieyiDg ones fortune was uttered in the language
| OF william Burger, who few years ago was ons
Of the heaviest wholesale dealers n drugs IN thl
city. After bis failure, which woand up a. busi
ness experience Of thirty years, friend asked sn
: | how old he was The reply Was "too old 10 fai
| In business y, ards 90 IL proved. We have seen TN
broken merchants Of this city reduced 10 keepinl
boarding houses. We knew one who nade n
; | bread out Of q model artist exhibitions, and an
other who was once among The greatest bushes
men OF the day, was recently picked up IN IN
street at night, drunken vsgrant, aud 81 sac
+ was taken TO the station house,