The New York herald., 1877-01-05

:
order 10 avoid arrest
TIE rEaRiEs.
In 1927 he leased the New FORK and Elizabethport
ferry OF Mr. Gibbons Tor and ran II on hrs
account Then he took II for seven years longer
BY this means he increased the amount OF alrcady
large fortune. The man line owned by Gibbons and
managed by Vanderbilt making $40, 600 net profit
In year Vanderbilt was always increasing the quality
OF the boats
Captain Vanderbilt remained with MI Gibbons for
twelve years Gibbons was engaged IN lawsuits over
the legislative restriction laws and Vanderbilt would
Vanderbilt refused u salary from Gibbons Of So, 900
year He was worth 200 Shis was IN ls29.
When Gibbons offered to give vanderbilt The Philade
pha line, allowing HIM 10 pay tor ~ when he could.
the latter declined, because he unwilling to put
himself under obligation to any one.
| At this time he thirty-av years old. He built
the Caroline, which aiterward went historically over
Niagara Falls But his business OF building STEAMBOATS,
had It's diilcuties HIS competitors were wealthy Md
formidable But he had plan OF building better
boat than his rivals would buiid and in this
he successful. He risked everything The
Steyenses OF Hoboken, tried to ruin him, and few
days OF good luck saved HIM He was always success
| full He built boats and became a steamboat king
This was accomplished in the twenty years succeed
ing the time when he began the steamboat business for
himself
THE CALIFORNIA EXCITEMENT
| Now came the gold excitement 10 California The
Pac c Mail steamship limo having been established In
connection with Panama, Mr. Vanderbilt determined
TO and another ion,e than that across the sthmus
and tor this purpose he In ls4s, Obtained from the
government Of Nicaragua charter for ship canal and
transit company. He had tho exclusive right to
Ia
chic over the land and waters OF Nicaragua by rail-
road, steamboat otherwise, a ireights and passen-
gers rne me ~ o., was soon put IN operaiion The
July, 1881. The price OF the trip made $500
stead OF $780, as it was on the Pacific Mail The
ships On the Atlantic side landed ut Greytown small
boats assembled the San Juan River, and alter landing
at virgin Bay on the western sideo Lake Nicaragua
the rontc continued overland with horses for
teen miles TO San Juan del Sur the Pacific coast
where ocean steamers again taken for California
This was great enterprise for those days.
M I.
bad fewer inconveniences, but It was longer and
dearcr In January 1858 Vanderbilt sold his steam
crs and his franchise to the Transit Company and be-
came It's president. But IT was during The time OF his
| presidency oi tho company that William Walker, the
hlibuster took possession OF Nicaragua Vanderbilt
refused TO transport his and stores, aud Walker
retalIated BY annulling, pretending to annu, Van.
Vanderbilt showed as great resolution Walker
showed; put the difficulty was ended by the
having poured down mud and sand until a
bar had formed nj its mouth. 1t is remark able
however, tsai the route chosen BY Commodore Van
derblt In lSi9 is that OF the three which
considered the only practicable routes tor ship canal
from the Atlantic To the Pachc and. indeed, there
many considerations which make 1t the best OF tho
three
UNIVERSAL.
His ships retted every harbor and every sea;
and, besides being known as the leading steamboat
owner OF America, he was a very wealthy man. In tho
| which he called the North star IL was the 6rst
steamer fitted with beam engine that at
tempted to cross the Atlantic. Up to that time
many prominent steamship manufacturers were
! OF tho opinion that beam engines
practicable Tor ocean steamers The North Star
on the 10Th OF May, 1888 sailed this vessel with
his family Tor foreign tour. The idea of
publican citizen travelling abroad with steamship
Tor his own private family use created con-
siderable sensation. Al Southampton the North
yacht: she had 200 eet length OF keel and 27O feet
over all, with 80 feet breadth OF beam. There
twen!y-three persons OF tho Commodore's family
board Of her The Mayor and other civil officers Of.
Southampton gave the Vanderbts fse and in return
for the reception the Commodore treated his enter
tanners TO u sail around the Isle OF Wight.
SOUTHAMPTON
the North Star went to the Hague, TO Copenhagen to
tho Gulf OF Finland, to st. PETERSBURG where the
Grand Duke Constantine and the Chie Admiral the
Russian Navy visited the sh and obtained permission
Ter corps of engine to take drafts OF her. Thence
the North Star through the Mcditerranean visit
ing all the principal Italian cities and Gibraltar finally
reaching Conslantinople where tho Vanderbilis
foted
sALuTEs THE OLD HOME.
After four months sail the North Star returned
home, and after passing the Narrows the odoro
fired salute opposite his mothers old cottage.
OCEAN STEAMSHIP LINE.
Soon after his return Commodore Vanderbilt made
proposal 10 the Postmaster General to run semi
monthly line 10 England, alternating with the ships
the Collins IDS ne ana carrying the mails back and forth
drawn from the mail service on account OF the Crimcan
The proposal being refused, Commodore Wander
biit, In the summer OF 1850 established steamship
limo between New York aud Havre aod Tor that pur-
pose he built several now steamers, among them
ARIEL and the Vander0lt There nov an exciting
contest, in which tho Commodore had great sympathy
In America II was matter OF much public curiosity
whci, line woul do the fastest sailing OF the Cunard
line tho vessels Arabia and Persia of the
i.nsle the Baltic and Atlantic and OF tho Vandcr-
oit line The Vanderbilt aad the ARIEL The Vanderbilt
victorious in making the fastest time then
made by an American or u European steamer.
PATRIOTISM
Whom the civil war broke out and the Merrimac had
disabled some OF our naval vessels Commodore Van.
derbit presented the steamship bearing his name to
the government
Congress thercupon voted him gold medal
When ho was steamboat king he refused to have
his boats insured, and IN order that readers may
understand how vast his business was, we givo the
names OF
SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL VESSELS
built by him. Those names VIII be familiar. Steam
ships--Promctheus Daniel Webster, Star OF tho West
Northern Light, North Star, Granado, Ariel, Wander
bht Ocean Queen, Galveston, Opcousas, Magnolia
Matagorda, Champion, Costa Rica, Port Jackson, New
Sleamboats-Citizcn Cinderella wcstchestcr Union
Nimrod, Champion, Lexington, Cleopatra, Augusta
Clifton, 9. Vanderbilt, New Champion, Commodore
Gladiator, staten Island, Hugrenot sylph, Hunchback
wcstneid No. 2 Clifton No 3, Cornelius Vanderbilt
Wilmington North Carolina, George Dudley, Traveller
Director Central America, Clayton, Bulwcr.
RAILROAD ENTERPRISES.
Already In 1862, whom Vanderbilt virtually aban-
doncd the water, ne was supposed TO be worth about
Sac 0OO 600. He turned his attention TO railroad
enterprises IN which he was destined TO achieve his
greatest He first acquired controlling
iercst the Harlem road, buying Tho stock ut low
rate when II sold as low as six in Wall street, He i'm
proved the road wonderfully and astonshcd the
stockholders by paying them eight per cent annual
|
New York Central guarantee OF eight per cent,
addition TO which the stockholders receive two per
cent from the profits Of tho Fourth avenue line
But the acquisition OF the New York Central his
greatest ambition, and as preliminary step he bought
a controlling interest in the Hudson River. Having
once control OF these roads It comparatively
easy Tor man OF his gigantic resources achieve
object Mr. Corning tho President oil the Central IN 1864
secured the operation OF Vanderbilt to rustrate an
attempt TO supersedc him, ana by Vanderbilt loanng
him hall million OF his stock this was accomplished
IL was 1866 that ho obtained full control OF this
| COrnc-
Illus Vanderbilt deposited the entire vote, represent
ing thirteen millions oil stock. or part OF this
stock held by MIN rs proxy Tor other sharchold
ers but the result tho same, and made prcsi-
dent OF the road HIS subsequent purchasos of tho
stock this road were at the rate of about mil
lions year. tho money being for the greater part the
vast Accumulation OF dividends. He was the per.
sona OF the greater portion Of Central rail
road, and, consolidating It with the Hudson River he
gave the public ono line from Now YORK Buffalo