The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-21
AMERICAN MILLI0NAIRES.
How the Vast Fortunes of Some Of
Our Wealthy Men Were Made.
Millions of Money Accumulated in All Sorts
of Enterprises-Men Who Started
Poor and Grew Rich.

Philadelphia Times
The rich men of New York-the Wander
bilts, the Goulds, the Astors-every body
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 a national reputation. There
is no one in Philadelphia, according to the
Sun, who is particularly noted for his
wealth. The average Philadelphia would
be puzzled to tell who are the richest citi-
zens but in Third street, where the brokers
are accustomed to sizing up fortunes, the
wealthiest men are reported to be Mr. Will
lam Weightman, Mr.. Frank Drex-
ell. and Mr.. l. V. Williamson.
These gentlemen are supposed to
be worth ten or twelve millions each. 1t is
curious that not one OF these men has
hobby of any sort. All live comparatively
quiet lives. They are not fond of fast horses,
OF yachting or of coaching Their names are
never mentioned in public meetings, and
they are never heard of in politics. Mr..
Weightman has made his money out of
quinine. The firm of Powers & Weightman
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 Ninth and
Parrish streets. Mr. Powers is dead.
Mr. Weightman has grown up in
the business, and a visitor at the works
would not know him by his dress from the
| foreman of department. His fortune must
be accommodating rapidly. He may give
| away money, but if so ne does it in secret.
He makes no donations in public. His
| daughter is the wife of r. J. C. Walker of
WilliamSnOrt Penn ay-pO
Mr. |. V. Williamson is a different sort of
| man. He is a director OF the Philadelphia ~
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 a break in the mar
ket and hold it. He has been very
successful. Mr.. Williamson is a very
benevolent man. He gives a great deal of
| money to all sorts of charitable institutions.
Mr. Francis A. Drexel is al the head of the
banking house of Drexe & Co. He lives in
a handsome house in Walnut street, above
Fifteenth His life is very quiet. B. is
| passlonately fond of music and is never hap
| pier tn an when seated at his organ and sur
rounded by large collection of musical
works, He is devout Catholic, and gives
largely to charities, but always through
church channels
BENEVOLENT MAN AND MIsER.
! The richest man in the District of Column
bia is probably the venerable W. w. Corco-
ran. His great start as capitalist was made
during the Mexican war, when he bought
government bonds when they were far be-
low par, and held them till they were re-
deemed at their face value. Since this for
! tunate speculation he has spent his bushes
life in banking and in the care of his prop
erty, which is reputed to be worth So, 500, O00
OF late years, however, the active manage
ment of his affairs has been in the hands of
an agent himself an aged and wealthy man,
while Mr.. Corcoran has INDUCED his taste for
art and fondness for public charities,
1t would be difficult to find two men more
unlike i'll 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 con- lectures of well-informed
citizens vary by millions. Some guess he is
not worth a million; others believe he is
worth from five to ten millions Joe"
Willard is an odd character, He lives all
alone In plain, old fashioned house in
Fourteenth street, near street, which is
always kept closed. He has no friends
and no haunts, takes part in no public or
business enterprises which involve social re-
lations, INDUCES in no sports or social en-
gagements, 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 contact as possible.
His sole aim, apparently is to accumulate
money. and in this he has been marvelously
successful. He owns one-half of Wizards
Hotel and large quantity of real estate in
the District and is the largest holder of gov
eminent bonds in Washington. Few resi-
dents of Washington have ever seen this odd
millionaire, for one of his eccen tricihes is to
rarely leave his house in the daytime AT
ter nightfall, however, it is his custom to
sally forth and walk about town to in
spect 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
attends to his rents himself, and as fast as he
collects 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 NJ
Fo rbes, Joseph B. Thomas, J. Montgomery
Sears, Benjamin P. Cheney, Augustus Hem
enway. The list of plain milionaires con-
tans some 10S names, according to the asses
sor's lists a ratio of just one in 1000 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 million
aire Leutenant-governor The best estimate
of Mr. Ames's fortune makes it between
$22 600, 900 and $25 900 900. He is assessed
for SIS 600 Oo0. He is quiet, unassuming
business man, about fifty years old. The
nucleus of his fortune, some five or six mill
ions, 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's
wealth at about $15, 100000 He is man OF
whose personal life his business associates
learn but little He is an old-fashioned
Boston merchant. He made money first in
the carving trade then in the commission