The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-10-13
THE DYING CO1LuoDoR
His ITfJe, Estdte-aadl 8eir-E'atns'e 81 fIS
Nelc York Central

Nerc York Central.
New York Graphic.
Commodore Vanderbilt lives On, mucfi
enaciated, and suffering more from
chronic hemorrhoids than from his blad-
der. The latter, when affected, threw
him into cold chills. He may linger on
for weeks, possibly month or more, but
ha. disposed of his mind estate and fam
lily affairs, and has nothing of this life to
occupy his thoughts. While saying lit
tie to his religious adviser on spiritual
things, he has at times conversed with
his family and friends on a.future state
i'll a homely and original manner, show
ing that he has orthodox views of
the origin and fate of man and trust in
the mercy of God to his helpless crea-
lures. His discussions religious subjects
partakes in clearsightedness and decision
of his worldly conversation. He has
never spent much of his life talking
Mrs. Vanderbilt and her mother have
been as faithful nurses of this aged man
as if he were a sick lad, and his con-
sideration for his wife is pleasantly pa
thetic part of his rugged career. She
was the means of having him endow
Vanderbilt university, which, unlike
many other such bequests, Is founded on
no contingency, but is forever seItsup-
porting, and is as much a subject of pride
with William H. Vanderbilt IS with his
father. Between William H. and the
commodore new and warm affection
sprang up about five years ago, much
stronger and more perceptible than in
earlier life, when William H. was
farmer and the senior was battling with
the speculative and material world
1t is believed that nothing will follow
the decease of Commodore Vanderbilt TO
the prejudice of the perfect continuance
of the Central and Harlem railroads un-
der one absolute and unqualified man
agement, indeed one ownership. In that
road are 900, 900 shares of which at least
two-thirds are in the hands of father and
SON The death of either will impair
the fr1aa and Vigorous administration 81
this property, and the proprietorship of
the stock is now so solidIy held that no
assaults upon it viii merit attention.
1t would be premature to say anything
about the commodore's disposition of his
estate, and he has kept his own counsel,
but his friends entertain no doubt that
he has not been forgetful of good for the
city of New York, not only as concerns
the near future, but the long to come
revenues of his property. Some time
ago, when a rich man died without any
charitable provision, Vanderbilt said he
'died like an ass"
William II. Vanderbilt, who will
hereafter be a prominent character of
this community and country, is a pecu-
liar product of his fathers policy in hu-
man nature. He believed that no man
was fit for the very great duties of life
until he was at least forty years Of age.
He therefore placed William II. at an
agricultural college until he was seven
teen years old, and then made a farmer
of him and recommended him to marry
young. The son took for a wife the
daughter of Presbyterian minister near
Albany and returned to the farm on
Staten Island, where he remained until
he was forty-four years old, having been
married twenty three years at the date
of that age. Then, when he had learned
to labor, to manage, and to superintend,
the commodore called him to New York
and made him vice president of the Har-
lem railroad. The splendid farm on
Staten Island is now VIM. II. Wander
bits property. He planted a lane of
cherry trees a mile long and has one field
of timothy of one hundred acres. At
the railroad Office at the foot of Thirtieth
street the son went to work in the most
assiduous manner until he mastered the
railroad business, and has probably no
superior on this continent as an admins
trative offer VIM II. Vanderbilt was
born at New Brunswick, N j., May 8,
1921. He has eight children-the eldest
daughter married to Col. Shepard, the
second to a son of Mr. Sloan, the carpet
merchant. His eldest son, Cornelius, is
treasurer of the railroad, aged thirty-two;
the second son is William K, aged
twenty-six, private secretary of his