Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-24
The SO-Called Arist0cracy Of Gotham

The SO.Called AriStOCracy Of Gotham.
From New York Letter.
Look at the Astors. Only few generations
ago and they were butchers, selling meat to any
one who wanted to buy it; now they are con-
sdered the most exclusive family in New York.
The AstOrs. by the way. will celebrate the CEN
tennial of the arrival of the first Astor in New
York some time next month. Old John Jacob
Astor came over here from Germany hundred
years ago, and set up butcher shop in the
Bowery, where he made great deal of money.
The brothers of this original Astor were mus-
cal instrument makers, and when the famous
John Jacob started in the fur business in New
York he had musical instruments as one of the
departments OF his trade. Between flutes and
furs he made about a quarter of a million dollars
in sixteen years. They were real merchants in
those days and owned their own ships. and Mr..
AstOr used to load his vessels with furs and send
them to London; from London they would 90
to China and return to New York with cargo
OF teas 1t is said that he often netted as much
as SIC, 600 single importation of that article:
The greater part of his money. however, was
made by judciOus investments in real estate.
The Astors bought property up town when other
people were buying below Canal street. l be-
lieve they own as many as 800 houses in the
most thickly populated uptown districts. Most
of their houses are built of a grayish yellow
stone, and are devoted entirely to renting
The Aston home is now on Madison avenue
at least that is where Mr.. William B. Astor, the
senior member of the family, resdes-and it is
built Of the same cOlOred stone as his tenant
houses Over the front entrance is a glass and
stone inclesure devoted to flowers, which breaks
the mOnOtOGy OF the stone walls and gives it a
very pretty appearance from the street. Mr.
William b. AstOr looks every inch the million
aire. He Is not pretty, but he is distinguished
looking, is tall and stout, with rudy COM
pleXiOn and close cropped mustache and long
lsh side-Whskers that grow straight down from
the ears But Mr.. Astor is very much afraid of
getting too stout, and he used to walk all the
way from his office, which was in the lower part
of the city-Prnce street, l thnk-up to his
house on Madison avenue. This is about the
only exercise that most of the New York men
get. They dislike walking for walkings sake,
but will walk up or downtown once day as a
sort of duty. l fancy they find it necessary,
because most of these bankers and brokers are
high livers, and II they do not take some exer-
else are very apt to be visited with ills that
come from high living. The wealth of the
AstOr family now is said to amount to $50, OOO,-
600 apiece Tor William and John Jacob, the two
oldest. John Jacob has but one son, William
w. Aston, Familiarity known as Willie, the pres
ent United States Minister to Rome.
William II. Vanderbilt ought never to lose his
interest in hotels, for his father once kept the
Raritan house, New Brunswick, N. j., which
wac sort of a canal-bOatman's tavern. The
house is there yet. just as it was in 1921, when
the present head of the family was born there,
and when sign dangled from the door post
reading: &c. Vanderbilt, proprietor" There
were very few financial giants in those days!