, 1872-12-12

H1ln great respect, your Opeueut 6el4a4t,
q. S. GRANT.
OBITUARY..
Samuel n. Pike.
NEW YoRK, Dec. 7.
10 the Editor ef the Cincinnati Commercials:
was present at LIr. s. N. Pixies death to-
night He died at his business Office % Bridge
street, at half-past 6, Of apoplexxy., He was vel
afternoon, complaining Of headache, which ulti-
mated in an apoplectic fit. He remained almost
unconscious until he died. His remains have
been taken to his residence on Fifth avenue and
rounded by his grief-strickon family. IT,
thought BY friends and physicians that his
death vas hastoned by tho immense business
transactions which he has been engaged in
lately: He was about foreclosing mortgage
Of 100000 against the Opera House prop
erty, which he sold to Fisk & Gould for
9500,000; $500, 1000 being due in interest money.
He had also just sold large tract Of New Jersey
land to tho railroad companies for $500, 600.
These immense transactions, with large opera
tions in Mexico now being conducted by DR..
Nephaygi, have completely engrossed his mind
for several days. His sudden death is great
shock to the business community.
From Landvs e Cincinnati, Past and Present."
Samuel N. Pike was born in the city of New
York in the year 1929. He was Of Hebrew ex-
traction, but IN religion, as inf *her matters,
his views we're enlarged AZ +: l. He ar-
rived in Cincinnati on H.: !: - July,
1874, and Was 30 pie &. - ap~
pearance Of the city -: : to
remain md try his f. y, :.
With this Intention hf
liBhment in the ."f
street, from wher.-*. =, ~."
Pearl street; bu
in which he hao ,. !-: >w
enterprise in CincA - md
IL -7,k;o
1dee Aee9t M5a9 thsg f%f %bis se was s isr and ID
following this event, he clo. :. mess on
Pearl street, and purohasedta = Mcdonald
foot Of Main street: This purchA was effected
with the residue saved from the wreck Of his
dry goods. amounting to about five Thousand
dollars. His grocery stock beng limited. he OBJ
tanned credit Of s., 600 more, and so embarked
hst7 in tR5 i7 speculation on the 'S DAY OF JAN
II tho year 1913 he purchased warehouse
from r. ". Lee, situated upon the canal, where
he was fortunate in his speculations, and in the
ton for lis q Magnolia !" brand unparalleled in
the history Of the trade. He was successful in
every enterprise. and when the Swedish Might
inga1e, Jenny Lind, visited Cincinnati, after
closely attending her concerts, he became SO In
fatuated with her songs, and such an enthusiast
in the divine art, that he determined, when able.
to build up an edifce in Cincinnati Of which its
citizens might proudly boast as worthy the most
distinguished artists Of Europe or America:
The Opera House On Fourth street, between
Vine and Walnut, was commenced Ii the year
1857; in such an unostentatious manner that but
few knew the purpose for which it was intended
The work proceeded until the summer Of that
year, which will be remembered as the period Of
great mercantile panic. At this time but two
stories Of the building were completed, while the
means Of the founder we're scattered al over the
country. Matters began to wear gloomy ap-
pcarance; his banker declined giving him credit;
his friends were alarmed, and expressed the
eVentuate in his ruin. To save his business, he
suspended the work thereon, and the click Of
masonry Was for the time hushed.
The unfinished walls appeared like the n1onu-
ment Of disappointed ambition, and people, ns
they passed, looked grave and prognostlcated an
utter failure Of the project. The autumn passed,
and 80 did the winter and the spring, by which
time the country had partially recovered from
it's prostration, when once more the workmen,
few at first, but steadily increasing in number,
were seen to be engaged upon the building. The
walls doomed higher and higher, until the great
arched roof crowned the building and put it
| under cover. The work was continued without
startled to dlecover that AIr. Pike had given to
Cincinnati the largest and most magnificent
| Opera House in the United States, and not SUR
| passed by any in the world. It was thrown open
| TO the public on the 22d OF February (Weshing-
j.
! celebrated by . grand ball and supper. The
disastrous conf1ag grafton Of 1866 whereby this
| splendid structure WAS destroyed, constitutes q
| portion Of the city's history 1t was justly es-
! who gnzed upon the halocaust felt as common
| sufferers in the great misfortune which wrecked
in ruin the chief pride, ornament, and boast Of
| Cincinnati. It IVES remarkable that OF the many
lookers-on not one was more cool or collected
than the proprietor, who, standing upon the POT
! tico Of the Burnet House, calmly watched the
! progress OF the flames, as they swept out Of ex-
| fstence nearly million dollars worth Of his
proPerty.
| sive business in New York, divided his timo be-
tSs tTssn Late tss tne ss '1d of @
an unsightly and melancholy ruin. In
and upon the sight there rapidly arose the pres
ent superb block, decidedly the handsomest in
the city. and not surpassed by any in the coun-
try. This, too, was the wonderful enterprise Of
the subject Of this biography, and the masni-
when it is considered that about the same timo
he WAS completing an opera house IN New York,
the most magnificent in that city, and also en-
gagged in the gigantic project Of reclaiming tho
large and magnificent concert hall took tho
place of the opera-house; but as it vas felt that
The Inter was positive essential to Cincinnati,
and as every project BY JOINT stock combine "a
tl0u NuA OLItlHls9 4oI tAo EATG14oA " DULL
structures had failed, Mr. Pike once again
came to the rescue. and at heavy outlay, IN
1871, transformed the hall into the present
chaste and superb temple.
While in New York lie built, as We have stated,
the Grand 0pera House, the finest IN the city !;
but, finding his mistake in the location, he sold
| it to James Fisk, Jr., for s850,00o. The recla-
nation Of four thousand acres Of marsh land in :
New Jersey, within four miles of the city q
! New York is gigantic and bold venture. Land
| that has been under water for centuries has
been brought to life, and proves to be the rich
est of soil, and capable Of immense production.
The result of this enterprise is Of CREST value to
that State md IN fact to ths whole s2 e9qnt
before Mr. Pike took it in hand, but it is now
under thorough cultivation, and it is indeed
garden spot, destined, before many years, to be-
come a large and populous city, connecting
Jersey City md Newark
In The wear 1857 Mr.. Pike was nominated for
Mayor Of Cincinnati, but it was too close upon
the burning OF the Opera House for him to ac-
cept the honor which his fellow-citizens sought
to confer upon him besides, he had made up his
| ,,,;,,l n rauida ir, NAVY York