The daily gazette., 1877-08-09
GOuld'S Private Offices,
SECLUDED BEHIND LOCKED DOORS

stock exchange and Henry Belden.
ln Toe struggle bet ween the Atlantic
and Pacific and Western Union stock
10 the market last fall William Belden
made such brilliant raid on Western
Union that G )uld whose interests in
the rival stock were great at once form
ed business connection with him
Inc oh.ces of the firm, at 80 Broad
way, are characteristic in thei raIrange-
ment. They occupy the whole of one
slde OF the first story of the building,
fronting on Broadway, and overlook
ing In the rear Exchange place., the
scene OF the recent assault on Mr.
Gould. A stout doorman stands half
hidden in The doorway so shat when a
VISITOR does not march direct to the
WINDOWS OF some of the clerks he
must halt and give his name and the
name OF the member of the firm he de
slres to see, before he can enter. Then.
1t he is to have admittance at all he is
permitted to enter into front rece ptiou
room, where one of the young mem
bers of the firm generally Charles ID.
Belden is. The room is richly CARPET
ed and has for furniture large com
Portable Shaker chairs lounge aud
an office table strewu with files of
financial journals. In one conner of
the room is gold and stock telegraph
instrument and the other is news
telegraph instrument which runs out a
printed slip containing the gist of the
current news-the winning horses on
the race courses and theif time the
price of con .ols ia L )ndou and rent es
Russian war, whatever Washington
news there Is of importance failures
suspensions and 80 forth.
The reception room at the end of the
building is easy enough of access, but
the office is closed to the other end of the
narrow hall into which one steps on en-
tering the office is closed to the outside
world. "That Is j. G,'s private Office"
young man in the office said, j. q.
is the only way Mr.. Gould is spoken of
in his own office, ,exceptwhen he is in hear
ing. The private office is closed by in
tr1cate patent locks. and Jay Gould cal
circuitous route by way of the front room
to get TO it, so that enraged antagonists
can gain nothing by following him. The
clerks are all in stalls. Three apartments
are fenced in, in the centre of The room.
with wire mesh, and the entrance to
each is in the rear bv means of door
fastened with patent lock. Communi-
cation between the different departments
is practically cut off. The clerks work
in silence all day long. The customers
are received at the front opening in the
wire fence, and hastily disposed Of Be-
hind the enclosure where the clerical
work Is done is a passage three feet wide.
leading from the front office to the rear
1t is closed at both ends with patent
spring-lock doors. A half dozen neatly
dressed boys sit on bench close TO the
wall In the passage, to run about the of
nee or to the exchange when the tele-
graphic alarm beside them Is sounded.
In another narrow box which has glass
surrounding instead of wire, a telegraph
ic operator sits in front of four instu-
ments. When Mr.. Gould is travelling
the messages come in thick and fast ali
day, and he is informed by telegraph of
everything that is going on. When Mr.. !
Gould is In his Fifth avenue house he
sits beside his operator there and confers
with some member of his firm who is in |
the ofhce. A window opens into the |
private office, and when there is q secret |
conference it Is closed and fastened ON
the inside, so that even the operator can
not hear what is said.
The office has two beautiful French |
walnut desks in 1t, each with soft !
leather chair before 1t. Rich furniture |
nils the room. There are news and stock |
telegraph Instruments in each corner,
which all day long unwind their printed |
tape. The place is filled with the roar
and believing of the stock exchange,
just across the street. Gould can stand |
at one OF the windows and see the mass
OF madly acting men hustliug each other
about the exchange floor, and shaking
their haads like boys with burnt fingers.
His desk is filled with few papers, as
most of his work which brings his papers
into use is 10 his house. Th ere was at
noon. when the writer was in the office,
q table spread for lunch. It's linen
was spotless and glossy, the glassware
delicate, and the silverware rich. A
black walnut sideboard in the room
was open. and revealed many jars and
bottles that are tire assures OF good things
for lunch. The food comes fir m n
restaurant near by. Gould saves tim |
by having his meals thus served, ane. IN
eat without being i'll fear of an assault
before he gets through. A door next to
Mr.. Gould's private desk was observed
to have key in the lock. "rhat opens
into Jim KeeRe's Office" said young
He can come right in here
to see ]. g., that is when J. G. chooses to
let him In. A stairway about foot
sAAN - hoiL WihC iCdu5 iEOul but narrow
which connects the front
and rear offices, down into the basement
and out into Broadway. II is the most
secret OF all the arrangements of hte Of
ice, and would prove highly convenient
in case maddened mob OF brokers
should besiege the Offices.
In Mr.. Gould's Fifth avenue house he
has four operators, shut off from each
other, SO that what messages he sends
by one are not known to the others. He
has private officer there too, where he
works early and late. He keeps set of
books in which he records information
about the stocks in which he. deals. he
is said to own Sl2,00000O in Union Pa
citic stock. Every day he jots down the
estimated earnings OF the road as they
are reported to him by telegraph, and
no eye but his sees that book.
"Does Jay Gould try TO conceal his
ownership OF the New Yo,k Tribune ,"
a mem Der 0f his house Was asked.
"On the contrary" was the answer,
'he is free to admit the fact. He was
an editor in the country; and
has some taste for journalism. Indeed,
he is an astute and sagdcious writer.
OCCASIONALLY he sends an article to
w hltelaW Reid with ms fr1 otian ub 4 |