The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-09
CHARLES M0RGAN'S DEATH.
WORTH $4,000, 900. and THE OWNER OF
TWENTY ONE STEAMSHIPS.

TWENTY ONE STEAMSHIPS.
Ills Extensive Enterpri-cs In Louisiana and |
Texns-Onc OF the First In the California |
Tradc-The sole Owner OF n Railroad.
Mr.. Charles Morgan. one OF tho merchant
princes Of New York. died in his home. at East
Twenty street. yesterday. He was SO
years OF age. Ho was the owner OF the Morgan
line OF steamships running between New York
and New Orleans. and other vessels. mainly In
the Texas trade. numbering twenty one in ALL
He was solo owner OF the railroad running from
New Orleans to Morgan City. so named after
him by the Legislature Of Louisiana. and also
sole owner Of the railroad from Indianola to
Victoria. Texas. He had accumulated fortune
OF about t13.O00.000 in seventy years OF his
active life as merchant in this city.
He was born on April 81. 1875. in Clinton.
Conn. and when IA years Of age came to
this city in search OF employment. He was first
engaged as clerk in n grocery. and by indus
try and frugality he soon accumulated enough
to establish a store OF his own in Peck slip. sup
plying provisions and stores to shipping. Then
he began TO import fruit from the West Indies.
and II was not long before he bought little
brig, and in a few years ho had feet OF sailing
vessels in the West India fruit trade. The first
steamship between this city and Charleston
| David Brown, and from that grew the estab-
| lishment Of weekly line Of steamships. =.
enn NY sy m e nnsrprses Ts was his line to
| Toxas, As early as 1885. before the battle oi
San Jaein,o and the SM;gnistion ACQUISITION on Texan hIa
Steamship business on the Texan coast
by sending bis stenmship Columbia to
| The business has been continued from that
time to this INTERRUPTED only by, the war, until
| at the time Of his death he owned a fleet OF sea
going iron steamships Of large dimensions, rum
| ming between New Orleans and Galveston;
Indianoa LaNaea' sabine; R9}eXkp9rt, an H.!
also ran steamships on lake Poncharrain. be-
tween New Orleans and Mobile; Sine he began
business h. built one hunlred and, seven sail
ing and steam vessels The Morgan Iron Works
weN built by him In 1886 mainly from the
sells were constructed there. promincnt among %
them being The Georgia ONO. Umpire Sarhy; ahy;
California trade attracted his attention among
the first, and contributed largely 70 his fortune.
both oceans. and carried large proportion OF
those who first sought the gold fields OF the
| Pacific.
One Of the largest Of Mr. MorGan's cntor-
prises was the purrhaSSc ot the Nrw Orlenins.
compauy had been broken down 10y Ne war anu
the road completely dsmanted. Mr. Morgan
bought the entire stock for s2.O5O.OOO and cx-
pended rs much more to put the road IN repair.
He put on new rolling stock and equipments
and repaired tho road bed and raised 4, above
the overflow Of the Mississippi. Recent
ly he issued stock OF the road. dis
trbuting II among his family. Before
extending In aIl us miles. entirely alone.
Mr. Morgan object IN purchasing th9 ROAD WA, WAS
New Orleans to Morgan City by railroad. In
order TO make the line Of communication per
feet he dredged steamboat channel through
Atchafalaya bay. 10 miles in length 200 feet IN
width. and 10 feet in depth 1t cost s6OOooo
within seven miles OF Houston. going part OF
the way through solid ground 20 feet In depth
! Texas at Houston. A. year ago he pur.
,hased majority Rirdn1 81 the siSsk saS a. tho H
is1Sth. Tor sboui 1900 900 He constructed si In
dian0la the finest wharf In the Southern States
being n-arly 200 feet IN length. u is estimate
ness that his employees and their families num-
hcr"d at least 5000 persons lie was liberia
employer. and there are not few who have
be~n in his service over n quarter Of century
Among these may be- mentioned Capt: law."ss
Capt. Forbes ot the steamship Lone star. Cant
, | Talbot Of the Hutchinson. Purscr la Costa. ano
I James Eintoul, Tor twenty-five years hls conA
Mr. Morgan built thoroughly appointed
seminary for t2Wo.uoo and pr'srntci uio h'
9@y9 s y"fs % e Sn,2GF Fc2 E9na 0n 'of 2
rs trustees to curry his purpose into eil,i
and the. corner stone WAS laid oct. p
men. mcHt Of tTi trns,eSs to IN ySean rae S tRs d.,
, SAYS further; In order that my motives
, | AMI wishes in making this donation may h'
faithfully observed and carried odt. and that 81
the people OF said town may ENJOY alike th'
! | benefits ol tNld institution, without uihniHhc'
or emharrass ment, IL is my earnest desire tina
neither said buildings nor premises. nor any
b, ! part thereof shall oyer be occupied for any pO
+ | ltical partisan or sectarnn purpo -. and TIM
t said institution may always hcc k.ii free iron
1 those and Ike influences The building wa
: completed in less than two years. and wns fulll
endowed by Mr.. Morgan with sufficient sun
. | for its perpetual maintenance. Tho bllldlnl
vas dedicaied Dec isa i is ,S q iSei by 60
n scenery. iootlights and a drop curtain, Th'
grounds are spacious and taslefuly laid out
= and Mr.. Morgan made provision for placini
. there statue Of Rector Abraham Picrson. VIII
I taught the first senior class Of fa,., College II
D the village in l7Ol-l707. Mr.. Morgan Inls'
n | ordered duplicate OF this statue Tor tho la
/ College grounds at New Haven.
. Mr.. Moreans business was such ms he coul'
. keep under his own control, One Of the few
= dircctorships that he accepted was in the Penn
/ sylvnnia Coal Company in which lie was larg
- stockholder. He never sought prominence i
0 within few weeks Of his death. He hnd beol
g complaining u little for some months but wa
4 confined to his bed with Brights disease onl
o about month. lie leaves wlir and two mar
tie propri,t tor Of The Quintard Iron Works an
Mrs. Charles A. Whitney. wifi, ,of the head Q
the New Orleans branch Of Mr.. Morgan's husi
ness aud President OF the Houston and TeNa
- Railroad. Thes1, daughters are by NJ Nor
leaves his vast estate to his immcl liatc relatives
!, and insures the continuance OF his "Ntenslv
husincs for the benefit of his relatives. MI
" Morgan accumulated his vast fortune in legitl
II mate trade. His worl WAS as good ns any man
j. bond. 1t Is known that he expended large sum
A where he was not legally bound to do SO. mrrcl
y, because he thought he had & wen his promise
n Saturday in the Rutgcrs Presbyterian Churct
at Madison avenue and Twenty y-nlnth street.
II A UYSTERIOTS NAN WITH 4 FLUTE.