Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-01-10
THE yASDRRpILrs.


Money.
William III. Vanderbilt, the richest
man in the world may be seen driv-
Jag his mare, Maud s.. which, rumor
says, he Is spelling by injudiclous
handling, almost any fine afternoon on
Fifth avenue. Look for u large, heavy
man, with dark eyes, swarthy skin
and black side whi.kers, an intensely
earnest but not over intelligent face. Ii
the weather is cold, the owner of untold
millions will be wrapped up In close
fitting coat OF sealskin, and have over
his knees another robe of the same fur.
The superb horse or horses that he
happens TO be driving do not seem to
be going very fast rs they dance along,
but IL will be noticed that he goes fas-
ter than other people, and the groups
OF sightseers, who stop for u moment
to gaze ut the wcll-known figure,
wrapped up I'm his seal skin, IA he fiits
by, get but u brief glimpse of him.
Perhaps Jay Gould, looking out of his
library in the second story of his big
house at Foity-seventh street and
Fifth avenue, wonders that u man
with such magnificent opportunities
for making more money does not de-
vote his days and his nights to II, in
stead of trifling away his time driving
fast horses. Jay Gould never drives
fast horses or indulges In any
kind Of sport except money
making. From 2;30 to 4:30
every afternoon, Vanderbilt drives
his horses. Then his horses 80 to their
stalls of mahogany, trimmed with sill
yer, and Vanderbilt goes to his palace.
He always passes his evenings ut
| home, not having been to the theatre
or opera this year since Wallack's was
opened last January.
When the Baron james dc Roths-
child died in 1865 near Paris his wealth
was estimated at 100000, 900 francs,
| and he was accounted the richest man
in the world at that time. At present
the distinction of being the richest
man in the world certainly belongs TO
William III. Vanderbilt. With the
S70,000,0 900 which his father left him
he has made twice that sum, and,
moreover, put his railroad property in
such shape that il produces an income
of at least S per cent. AT present he
has an income of Sl0,000,000 year, or
$29a second. Thirty years ago he did
not know where to turn for 5000. Van
derbilt has eight children and eleven
grandchildren. His four daughters
are married to New Workers, and two
have been presented with small
palaces costing 100000 piece, while
he is bull ding houses for the other two
at the corner of Fifth avenue and IF
ty-fourth street, adjoining st. Thomas
church. The ground for the two
buildings cost 100000 last spring, and
! suppose the houses will cost double
that
His two eldest sons, Cornelius Van
derbilt, Jr., who seems destined To DC
cupy toward his father the same rela
ton that William III. held 10 the com
modore, and William X. Vanderbilt
the second son, are already million
aires in their own right, and are now
finishing palaces which even eclipse
the new house which Vanderbilt
moved into last year. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt is the iinan-
cier among the sons. Will,
William X is the aesthetic member o
the family, having employed Richard
| M. Hunt to build his white ston,
chateau at the corner of Fifty-second
street and Fifth avenue, and having
paid S2S5, 900 Tor the carving alone OF
the inside of his house. Some of thu
tapestries for his house are now on ex
hibition at the Metropolitan museum
while the painters and decorators mr.,
giving the last touches. The hous
has been three years in building, an,
has occupied the whole time of tw
architects, working under Hunt, an,
six draughtsmen. The design for on
of the mantels alone required tire
months work by two men.-Nee
York Letter.