The New York herald., 1879-09-19
o B IT U A r Y
DANIEL DREW.


and observed during dinner that he felt oppres
sion at his chest He went home at nine, seeming
to be in perfect health and spirits. and finding
his son. William IL. Drew absent from the house.
asked his friend. well known banker, to stay with
him. Then they both went to bed At ten he came
into the bankers room and said he felt very sick.
and sat with closed eyes the bed. His friend
hastened for doctor When the doctor arrived, Mr.
Drew insensible. They at glance that
he dying. The physician touched his heart
and found it pusating violently. William Ii. Drew
entered the room with friend His father lay with
eyes wide open. seemed for instant to hear what
they saying. then turned to the wall and died
without uttering word. Tie rest of his family
were the country. The doctor attributes his
death to apoplexy and heart disease.
The lives Of but few afford such kaleido
scopic versatility as that of Daniel Drew. He
was born in 1877. and during his long career sue
ceeded in divers occupations. among them those OF
an itinerant Snowman cattla drover. steamboat
owner. hotel keeper, banker. Wall street specu
lator and devisor of institutions of learning Quaint
unique in fact Mr. Drew q law OF behavior. ap-
pearance and morality to himself He cared nothing
for the opinions views" of Others His own
mind did the thinking for himself and by its coneu
Drew sprang. like many noted men, from
the humblest beginnings. His father was
very poor man in Carmel. mountainous
district the highlands OF the Hudson. AMI it is
doubtfu IL the lad had the ordinary advantages
of public school in the country. In any event he
was pushed early into the world and roughly given
to understand that he must his daily bread
by his daily labor. The destinations of
itinerant caravan attracted his longing vision
and In IN idle moment he obtained employ
ment under the canvas. He was tail and sturdy for
and Ill haiv RI
and handy soon obtained favor in the eyes Of the
rude fellows with whom he worked. He was gradu-
ally advanced in position and pay and remained
with the show at least three That he
did not become partner in the business
and continue in it during his lifetime
is due to rel gious awakening" that
extended the circle OF its influence to tho sawdust
Of the caravan. and stirred the slumberng embers
of the young lads moral nature. He o clever
talker. and the manner in which he narrated
his Experiences" attracted the attention Of the
Clergyman in charge. who asked him il he would
like to prepare to enter the ministry. Daniel de-
clined. and the first that is known of his
active life. after his circus experience, is his employ
ment US q cattle drover. He not more than nine
teen years Of age. but he developed well
an honest careful manager of droves Of cattle
that owners were glad to keep him in continual
employment After spending two or three years
he endeavored to obtain permanent work in this
city. But business Of every kind was then
any chance. aud he resumed his driving Of
cattle. He made considerable money for
according to his state ment to the writer, Mr. Drew
still but boy, attended second revival meeting in
the Methodist Church in Carmel. where he was
..convertel" and this time he united with the
Church. During his cattle driving experience how
ever he '.lost his religious life,' though the
goodly training OF his pious mother aud "the
early operations Of the Holy Spirit upon his
heart were never entirely forgotten. and he was
thereby enabled to avoid the chief vices of men in
the cattle trade-lntemperance and profanity" This
is an Interesting incident. inasmuch Mr.. Drews
professions OF piety and patronage OF religious in-
stitutons were q marked feature his stormy
eculatve career.
About 1920 e came to this city and established his
headuuarters the Bulls Head tavern then q great
resort butchers and drovers doing business here
He kept the tavern for some time and found it
buying cattle in adjacent cou mites and selling them
in New York. extending operations gradually into
Pennsylvania, Ohio and other States OF tho then al
most unknown West. He was fonl in later years.
of narratng how he personally drove the first herd
ta,ps oa's and eorp. oyer of
and careful drivers occupied two months in
York, $24 head, whereon the profit was very great
In 1928 he married. and the homo influences then
brought about him materially aided in keeping him
free from evil habits and associations.
The present generation know but little of the great
steamboxt rivalries on the Hudson in winch Mr.. Drew
and the late Commodore Vanderbilt bore promi-
nent part. Mr.. Drcw's introduction to the steam
boat business apparently. accidental In 1884
Jacob Vanderbilt, brother of Cornelius. owned tho
steamer General Jackson, then running between New
York and Peekskiii. 1t blew up. A friend OF Mr..
Drew, owning steamboat called the Water Witch,
induced Mr.. Drew to invest $1,000 in an enter
prise which included the establishment of
This reused Cornelius who held a monopoly
at that time of the river trade, and he built
steamer called the Cinderella. from which time the
competition between the Water Witch and the
Cinderella was 30 sharp and the opposition so
determined that fares ana freights We're lowered
heavily, the Water Witch sinking Sl0.0O0 in
the season. Vanderbilt and Drew were
qusintauces and to certain extent friends One
day, when the opposition at its height the fare
being reduced to shilling. Vanderbilt met Mr..
Drew the pier aud joked him his knowl-
edge OF tho management of steamboats,, and
then dropping into serious vein. urged him to
ruin to them both This nettled Mr. Drew. and. in
1885, he put on another steamer. OF much superior
against the Hudson River line from New York
tween the Hudson River line. owning the De
those days. Mr.. Drew. who owned the westchester.
bought the Bright Emerald for $4,000 and the
fare from So to 81 to Albany and the Hudson River
line gave in. Drew bought 1t out and restored
Peoples Line. Isaac Newton. for many years lead
ing steamboat man in this city. owned two finc
steamers. the North America and tho South
America. With him Mr. Drew formed part
nership and organized tho Peoples lino which pur
chased the steamers owned by Drew 4 Newton
and built tho Isaac Newton, the frst Of those
floating palaces for which the Hudson is famed
and subsequently the New World, the st.
John. tho Dean Richmond and the Drew.
the last two OF which cost nearly $S00.00O
each. For several years the line held almost undis-
putod possession of the river. The boats
large, elegant, comfortable and we'll managed. and
the steamboat navigation Of the Hudson became the
praise and wonder of the country. When, in
iS45, the Isaac Newton built. 800 feet long.
with berths for 500 passengers the public literally
thronged the wharves to gaze at her superb
proportions. Some notion of her costliness
may be had from the fact that In 1887
and 1853 $300OOO spent In rehtting
her and the New World with engines
and furniture. In 1S47 Mr. Drew aud George
Law established limo of steamers between
New YORK and Stonington for the purpose of
connecting with the railroad from Stonington
to Boston. That enterprise also
ful. Mr.. Vanderbilt and Mr.. Drew then worked TO
gether securing controlling interest iu tho stock
aud In 1850 the Stonington Steamboat line
firmly established In 1882, whom the Hudson River