Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-04-30
sonE RICH MEN.
Vanderbilt, AsiOr, James Cor don
Bennett, MaclEey and other
MilliOnaires in New York.
New York Cor. cincinnati rime..star


Money is becoming so common
among US that in a few years the pos
session of a million dollars will no
longer be a marked man. Formerly
500, 900 was a sum of money which
entitled its owner TO consider himself
man Of weight and Importance, SOW
we hear of one hundred million with
out staggering. Jay Gould, now on
the eve of retirement from business
will take with him into his private
life the last named life. This gentle-
man has thirty millions in the Bank
OF England safe place suppose in
case anything happens. Commodore
Vanderbilt died worth one hundred
millions, Of which he left fifty.two
millions to bis eldest sen, who is cred.
tied with having doubled it, and the
rest was divided among his other sons.
A nice little sum to divide that-n est
ce pas. A. T. Stewart, who, when
living, was supposed to be the richest
man in the States, caused much sur
prise when it was discovered that he
was only worth sixty-six millions. Ye
godsl only sixty-sixl We talk Of these
sums of money, which a few decades,
nay, few years ago, would have
seemed fabulous, with fine difference
nowadays.
| have just seen a copy of the first
New York Herald ever printed. It's
small page about the size of ioolscap.
1t was printed on July II, 1884, and
the father of the present proprietor
printed and published it himself, and
as finish to his days work sold it in
propria persona on the sidewalk. His
son, Mr.. James Gordon Bennett, de-
rives from this paper alone an income
ota million dollars, and one proper
tioHately large from the Evening Tel
egram. This gentleman gave $780, 900
to the Irish relief fund. On his recent
visit to fashionable German watering
place Mr.. Bennett had fancy for
having Strauss band, the most famous
band in Germany, to play daily on his
balcony for himself and friends during
their ten days visit. This little freak
cost him in the neighborhood of $780,
600. Happy man. One can only
shrugs ones shoulders and cOntem-
plate.
Mr., James w. Mackey is another
millionaire On his wite's return from
her late European tour the custom
house officers valued her wardrobe at
100000. Helis the owner ola bonanza
mine in Nevada. His father was
laborer, and was tilling the ground,
when click his spade struck some-
thing hard-silver-and in "a couple of
weeks he was a millionaire. Mr..
Mackey has purchased Victor Eman.
uel's country seat in Italy for $780, |
600.
Last, but not least, l will mention
the Astors. No bonanza here; no
specializing. The Astors belong to
the real old Knickerbocker families, |
and their money is derived from real
estate. As long as an Astor lives that
Astor will be a rich man, and his |
descendants forever. The original
Astor was among the Dutch settlers
before the revolution. The grand
father Of the present Astor, however,
owned at one time almost the whole
island of Manhattan in the form of an
immense farm, for which he paid
originally five or six hundred hardly
earned dollars. This farm stretched
from what is now Blocker street to
Harlem. 1t was famous for growing
the most beautiful fruits and flowers.
Imagine the strawberries that -four.
ished where now stands the Fifth
Avenue Hotel in all its glory, and
take breath and try to estimate the
wealth Of the man who owns three or
more square miles Of the city of New
York, where one cannot live in de
cent house unless one pays $4,000 a
year rent. The wealth Of the Astors
is said to far exceed that of the
Rothschilds.