The daily gazette., 1877-02-10
A BIG FUR TRADE
GETTING AHEAD OF AsrcR.

Aotoi One OI uS dekeO. NOW, our
much-beloyed grandfather had told
this story a hundred times, but as it
gave him pleasure to repeat 1t, he re-.
gained his good temper ut once, and
thus commenced: elri
"Oho, about John Jacob Astor? /
Know you have heard me tell the story
before. Ah! he was q merchant in
every sense Of the word. A fairer or
a squarer man you never came across.
trine hot and peppery at times, but
when you knew him, and he believed
In you, he was the best and most liber-
al man TO deal with I ever met with.
1t Is not true that. he was grasping and
tried to crush out other people, 1t is
certain that he had that China fur trade
all to himself, but once or twice cut
into him, in small way. of course,
and he didn't mind it at all. Once i
made venture of some $4,000 worth
OF furs from this side to China, and
brought home teas, and made just
eight for one on the business-that was
whacking profit. You see, in 1928,
some of my Canada friends were part
owners in the good ship"
but. grandfather, stick to the John
jacob Astor story, please"
1T was in 1922, then, that l recei>
we'd from England the information
that all kinds Of fur stock were likely
to Ce rare ia Europe. / had the adj
vices early from some friends IN
Leipslc l didn't want much to go in,
though | studied the market well on
both sides, and found that the supply
would be short. Strange to say, for
five years before there had been no
money in furs, and big stock had
accumulated in New York. l was
hesitating what TO do, when an order
came from a strong house in London
for line of furs, and among the furs
some five thousand land offers. Now,
Otters wers dull. If had, no wever,
gone around and bought them up in
small lots in Philadelphia 6r Boston,
l should have raised the price in an
instant. Talk about your telegraph
stuff! Fifty years ago a man never
bought anything in a large way that
all the people didn't speculate who he
bought the goods for, or where they
were going to. People were sharp. I
should like to have seen any of your
fashioned brokers doing my busi-
ness for me! Now, knew that Astor
had big lot of these very offers. How
did ! know that? Why, / had ticke.
ted off every skin the old man had
bought for the last three years in New
York. had found that out without
your telegraph. 1t was ON an autumn
day whenI went into Vesey street to
see Mr.. Astor- / did not know him
save by sight. For q young man ]
was quite bold. because | had the
privilege to draw on the Rothschilds'
for the amount of my purchase, and
Rothchilds' bills were scarce and
much in demand in those days. 1t
would never have done for me to let
the old man or anybody else know
that was buying for the continent. l
had just been paid; too, quise unex-
pectedly, round SUM of money,
which had made up my mind now
l would put into furs, The Astor
store, in Vesey street, wasn't half as
fine place as would be occupied to-
day by anyone of your two~penny
brokers. Astor was there busy ex-
aminipg a bale of beavers. A porter
was asserting them, and the old man
would every now and then sto0p and
pick up q particularly fine skin and
smooth it over with his hand. II was
early in the morning-not much more
than o o'clock. Heads of houses don't
do that kind of thing nowadays, but
In old times the principals used to ex-
anime goods for themselves. must
have stood between the light and Mr..
Astor, for he turned on me, saying,
"Well, my young man, what is it /
can dc for your" He had very slight
German accent, and would occasionally
mix BIS and p's and DIS.
"It is only few beavers l want, Mr.,
Astor," l said.
"Only beavers you want, and pray
who are you :" he asked.
l told him the name of my house.
To my surprise Mr.. Astor said: "Oh,
/ knows you thought you would
come round to trade sometimes. You
are beginner. know your fadder
honest man. You larnt your busi-
ness in London-a good house, and
mostly turned out smart young men.
Well my boy. here is beavers. Make
your choice. How many do you want?
Price S5 a pound, and not cent less.
This packs rxns even right through"
made a selection of beaver pelts,
though really did not want them. As
tor helped me to examine the skins.
and bought, at about the market rate,
some 800 pounds.
"That is all you want-nothiBg elses"
Mr.. Astor asked.
"Nothing else," l said, in ali indiff-
erent way "bui,"I added, 81 might
take few otters if could buy them
right" knew Astor was loaded
with them.
ooh, etters Well, has a lot, a
big lot, but 1 amt willing to divide
them. There may be as many as 1000
Too big for you to handle, my boy"
"There are very dull of sale, and I
would be most afraid to take anything
like such big lot. You wouldn't di>
vide the lot into two, would you, Mr..
Astor ?"
SIN two what halve them! That's a
fair lot anyhow"
"Yes, IFS big lot, seeing how slow
i