Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-21
THE RICH MEN OF AMERICA.
How Vast Fortunes Were Made.

How Vast Fortunes Were Made.
AILL1ONATREs WHO HAVE ACCUMULATED THEIR
MONEY IN ALL SORTS OF ENTERPRIsEs-NEN
WHO HAVE STARTED POOR AND HAVE GROWN
TO BE WEALTHY
The rich men OF New York-the vanderbilts,
the Goulds, the Astors-everybody knows
about. The New York Sun has got together an
interesting collection Of stories about the rich
men OF other cities, men who have not such
| national reputation. There is no one in Phia-
delphia, according to the Sun, who is par
| ticuiariy noted for his wealth. The average
Phladelphian would be puzzled to tell who are
the richest citizens. but in Sd street. where the
brokers' are accustomed to sizing up fortunes the
Wealthiest men are reported to be Mr.. William
Weightman. Mr.. Frank Drexel. and Mr. |. v
Williamson. These gentlemen are supposed to be
worth ten or twelve million EACH 1t is curious
| that not one of these men has a hobby Of
any sort All live comparatively quiet lives
Ihey are not fond Of fast horses. of yachting OF
Oh coaching. Their names are never mentioned
| IN pu0c meetings and they are never heard of
IN politics. Mr.. Weightman has made his money
out OF qunine The firm Of Powers 4 Weight
| man for long time practically had a monopoly
| OF this business. Old Mr. Weightman can be
seen In his shirt sleeves at almost any time in his
chemical works, at 9th and Parrish streets Mr.
Powers is dead. Mr. Weightman has grown up
| In the business, and avisitOr at the works would
| not know him by his dress from the foreman
| OF department. His fortune must be accumu-
iating rapidly. He may give away money. but
| IL SO he does 1t in secret He makes no dona-
tons in public. His daughter is the wife Of r.
, j. g. Walker, Of Williamsport, Pa. an ex-Con-
gresham. Mr. /. V. Williamson is a different
sort Of man. He is director of the Philade-
| phia and Reading railroad. In early life he was
| Dry goods merchant and invested his money
| In railway stock. He never purchased on mar
gins. His plan was to buy stock outright when
| there was break in the market and hold it.
| He has been very successful. Mr.. Williamson is
very benevolent man. He gives great deal
OF money to all sorts Of charitable institutions.
Mr.. Francis A. Drexel is at the head of the
banking house of Drexel & Co. He lives in a
| handsome house in Walnut street. above 18th
His life is very quiet. He is passionately fond
OF music and Is never happier than when seated
at his organ and surrounded by large colec-
tlon of musical works. He is a devout Catholic
and gives largely to charities, but always
through church channels.
ABEEEvoLENT MAN AND M1sER.
| The richest man in the District of Columbia
1s probably the venerable W. W. Corcoran.
His great start as capitalist was made during
the Mexican war, when be bought government
bonds when they were far below par and held
them till they were redeemed at their face value.
Since this fortunate speculation he has spent
bis business life in banking and in the care OF his
property, which is reported to be worth
s35OO,OOO. OF late years. however, the active
| management of his affairs has been in the hands
| OF an agent, himself an aged and wealthy man,
while Mr.. Corcoran has INDUCED his taste fol
| art and fOndness for public charities.
1t would be difficult to find two men more IN
like in disposition and habits than Mr.. Corcoran
and the man who is supposed to be his rival in
wealth. Joseph A. Willard. Mr.. Willard alone
knows how much he is worth. The conjectures
Of well-infOrmed citizens vary by millions.
| Some guess he is not worth million; others
| believe he is worth anywhere from five to ten
! millions. Joe" Willard is an odd character.
| He lives all alone in plain old fashioned house
| in 18th street. near F street. which Is always
| kept closed. He has no friends and no haunts
| takes part in no public or business enterprises
which involve social relations. INDUCES in no
sports or social engagements. never goes
to church, has no family, except one son
who lives away from home; never speaks
| with his two brothers. Henry and Caleb, with
whom he Quarreled long years ago, and In
short, meets the world at as few points of con-
tact as possible His sole aim apparently, is to
| accumulate money. and In this he has been mar
velously successful. He owns one half Of Will
| lard's hotel and large quantity of real estate
In the District. and is the largest holder of gov
eminent bonds in Washington. Few residents
OF washington have ever seen this odd millionaire
| Tor one OF his eccentricities is to rarely leave
his house in the daytime. After nightfall. how
| ever, 1t is his custom to sally forth and walk
about town to inspect his property, and Mrs
| Grundy observes that he always goes back into
| his house by the basement door and then bolts
everything carefully up for the night. He at
tends to his rents himself and as fast as he col
| lects his money goes to bank or the Treasury
| and buys government bonds.
GREAT FORTUNES IN BOSTON.
| The names Of rich men OF Boston stand In
about this order: Fred L. Ames, John N.
Forbes. Joseph B. Thomas, J. Montgomery
Sears. Benjamin P. Cheney, Augustus Hemen-
way. The list OF plain millionaires contains some
| one hundred and eight names, according to the
assessors lists, ratio of just one in one thou
| sand Of the number of persons assessed Mr.
| Ames Is the only one whose name is familiar to
| the public and he is known chiefly as the son of
Cakes Ames and the brother Of the millionaire
lieutenant governor. The best estimate of Mr.
Ames' fortune makes it between $22 OOO, 600
and S25, 100000. He is assessed for $15, COO Goo
He is quiet, unassnming business man, about
nifty years old The nucleus of his fortune, some
five or six millions, he obtained by Inheritance,
and his chief aim has been the development of
his fathers great enterprise, the Union Pacific
railroad.
Business men estimate John NJ. Forbes wealth
| at about S15.OOO.OOO He is a man Of whose per-
tie. He is an Old-fashiOned Boston merchant
He made money first in the carrying trade, then
in the commission business. and the bulk Of his
fortune in western railroad enterprises. Mr.
Forbes residence is fine old country seat at
Milton, whence he often drives in to Boston
office. His summer house is q most delightful
spot on the islandot Naushon, in Buzzard's bay.
J. Montgomery Sears is one Of the youngest
of Boston millionaires. He is not yet so, and
on attaining his majority he received his mil
lions from the administrators of his fathers es-
tate. Not long ago he was made the victim Of
most surprising attempt at blackmail. This is
the first public alusion to the that has been
made, and the detailed facts are almost beyond
reach This much is known, that enormous de-
mands for cash were made. and plot to place
Mr. Sears in compromising position was laid
with great SKILL The blackmaers spent some
thousands of dollars in preparing it and carried
on vouminous correspondence with their in
tended victim and finally lost all they had
risked and fed from the country. The chief Of
the conspiracy was driven mad by the failure Of
his great strike for riches and is now an inmate
of an American insane asylum. One or two Of
the leaders OF the conspiracy were the most
dangerous of Partisan blackmailers and part Of
the plot was laid abroad and Mr.. Sears detec-
tives were compelled to make one or two trips
to Paris before the conspiracy was fully broken
up.
RICH MEN OF THE WEST.
m IN no rio In,