New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-13
DEATH OF ROBERT L. STUART
END OF A SUCCESSFUL CAREER.


death had been hourly expected for the last lew
DAYS. DR.. Doughty. his physician, SAID last nlgn'
that the immediate cause OF his deatn was sepu-
cGmia.
Mr. Stuart was of Scotch escent. His father
Kinloch Stuart was native of Edinburgh where
he was engaged in the manufacture OF candy
But having n1orsed for his brothersin-law' VINO
failed he " as forced to surrender his property ano
notwithstanding this about $1,000 remained duo
Leaving Edinburgh, he arrived with MS wife III
| New-York ID September, 1S05 after passage VI
| ffty-sx days and took up his residence al No nv
| Barclays. then two-story brick house inc "Pp,
part of which was occupied by Lcmare. a frenoh-
| man the architect of the City Hall. Here on July
| q, 1906 his eldest son, Robert L.. was oorn' !"
November Mr.. Stuart reno we'd to q houso '' c"'
| hers aud Greenwich SITS and resumed MS loiihoi
business. which rapidly prospered through MS ni'u-
| uf,cturine n rure quality of candy. ana no 'ooA
| ranl, omonq the leading merchants oil tue city'
| which then numbered 75770 inhabitants. lie
began at once paying off his creditors III Edlh'urgu
| in remittancos of flOO. and in 1917 received IRON
them an ackno " ledgment, which Robert l.. stuart
nreseryed of the satisfaction of their claims In fui
One of the buildings erected by Nr' stuart al
Rector and New Church-sts, although altered. Is
still standing The bricks were imported by Mr.
Stuart from Hamburg In January, 1926 Mr..
Stuart died at the age of fty-one. leaving property
valued at over 100000 which placed him am)ng
the rich men of the city. Half of his fortune he
left to his widow and half to his two sons. Robert
and Alexander. The business was conducted Tor
the estate by Robert. the elder son. then "A minor,
until January 7. 1928, when the firm OF H. l.. ~
Stuart was formed The copartnership continued
until dissolved by the death of It's junior in 1874
period of fifty-one years.
The firm in 1892 begin refining sugar by steam
against the advice of that experienced retiner, the
4hnux Uar
first to prosecute this industry successfully. The
office of the firm was then at No 1853 Chambersst'
building erected bv them in 1881. and the first
dwelling house in the city into which gas was IN
troduced In $3.50 they erected tive-story build
ing at Greenwich and Cham bers SITS, and in 1919
one of nine stories at Greenwich and Reade-sts In
1884 The firm safter two years experience IN steam
refining exhibited some samples OF sugar at the
American Institute Fair in Niblos Garden whlch
excited general wonder and admiration. Inc capa-
city of their works was then about 3ooo pounos
daily but hen the new building was occupied IN
1885 their capacity was increased to about lZ'oUo
pounds daily-all that the market would then Dear
and the price ranged from % to "a cents pound
Sugar imported from Europe, no better than that OF
the Stuarts was sold for "A Cents. To meet grow
inc demond caused by an increased population,
hetter facil ties for transportation and improve
mepts in the refining process, the Stuarts erected
the large building at Greenwich and Reade-stS''
which enabled them to refine annually from
40 OOO, 900 to I4,O00.OO0 of pounds. Three stores
on the north side of Reade-st. were connected with
the other property by an underground passage ana
the large warehouses on the south side OF Challl-
bers-st were built by the firm and used lOr inc
storage OF refined sugars Alter occupying the new
building in 1850. nearly 300 men were emu ioyeu
and :. 900 tons of coal consumed yearly. The firm
I'm Il inn hran Ot a.
try REQUIRED in their business. Carpenters, black
smiths. pa.niers masous and machinists were cou-
stantly in their employ, and outside workmen were
rarely called on for repairs assistance.
In 1888 the manufacture of candy was dlocOntln'
ned and sugar refining became the Sole business Vi
the firm. 1t is remarkable that during the iofty
wears that steam was employed in their WORKS no
accident ever occurred nor any serious deran2o-
ment of machinery. The vast increase and great
nrosperity of the business were due TO the energy
and perseverance of the brothers. combined with
hatred of anything spurious that made the products
of their works a synonyme for purity Alexander
devote1 himself to the practical management OF the
reGnery where he was master of every DEF ALL While
Robert took charge of the financial and outside
business and attended to the buying and selling
Kindly interest was ALWAYS shown IN the welfare OF
their wurkmen. On entering their employment each
man was presented with Bible and all were re-
membered at the holiday season. AT the time OF
the draft riots many large manufacturers were IN
undated into allowing their men to DIN the mob
Although every other sugar house had yielded 10
the demands of the rioters tho Stuars refused ana
the destruction of their refinery was threatened
Thereupon they prepared their works Tor siege.
Assembling their men, who all remained faithful
they armed them with stout hickory cudges Tor an
attac', upOn any of the rioters who light succeed
in getting within the walls. There were ID rcadi
ness 1000 sugar mOulds of iron which cOuIu Do
| dropped upon the heads of the assauitlng party
from great height. and in case OF extreme need
the Stuarts we're prepared to meet the rioters with
| lets and clouds of steam from their immense
| boilers The mob advanced to BaIclay-st..
! but learning of the preparations that had
! been made abandoned the proposed attack
| ON the refinery and continued up town. Robert
! Stuar alarmed for the safety Of his home and
family hastened to his house In q stage. lie ar
rived at Nneteenth-st just II time TO see Inc MOB
| mass his bonse at Fifh-ave. and Twentieth-st.,
| while Mrs. Stuart stood cOurageOusy at an upper
During the war the stuarts gave their unreseIved
/ adherence and support to the Government lhey
were among the largest subscribers 10 the nst mill
! ion of tie war loan Theirs was the hrst lrm 10
adopt the cash system in buying and ceiling sugars,
| and from 1861 to 1872, with aggregate sales oil
nearly thlrty-SlX millions oil dollars, not dOilaT
was lost through bad debts. No note or other mer-
! camille obi CATION of theirs ever went to protest,
nor did the firm ever pay more than the legal rate
| for the use Of money Owing to their liberal deal
ings with their wolkmen no strike ever occurred at
| their works 1t was usual with them
| to hold in hand large quantities
| of the raw material, Withdrawing it as required,
aud at the time the stOrehouSes of the Atlanuc
! Docks were unroofed by storm, theso contalued
| over a NIL ion dolars' worth of sugar belonging TO
! the Stuar's. Their brand upon packages OF sugar
| was taken throughout almost the whole CIVILIZED
! world as ample guarantee of the contents. AS tie
first succe ,stul steam IefneTs OF sugar and as the
manufacturers Of an icle than which none III tao
| Y1irp no "A
| unblcinished reputation. Both the brothers accu
! rnnlatnd larce tnrlnnns and in lS72-z3 tie bust