Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-17

l showed signs of breaking down, and thus In
 the place of becoming, at the age of 21, partner in the frm-a step which It IS sad
 had been seriously discussed-he took pos
 session of part of his fathers barren farm l on Staten Island and tried to make living | by working such parts of it as his father con-
 sidered useless. Even at this early day he
 was independent enough to try to push his
 way without his fathers aid, and to his inde-
 pendence he added no little boldness, for be-
 fore leaving the Wall street business he ven
 tured to marry on salary of $16 week, choosing as his wife Miss Nissan, to whose
 relatives he has since given, in the shape Of 1 brokers commissions, millions Of dollars When his father found out that he was really
 doing some work on Staten Island, he bought | him farm at New Dorp, near the old home 1 stead, of some 75 acres, and here at the age of 23, young Vanderbilt began 8 hard, un- 1 grateful life, which for nearly 20 years he was | to lead in getting living out of some of the | most barren acres of Staten Island The
 cultivation of the New Dorp farm required | something more than endurance thrift | and untiring labor; it required capital, and young Vanderbilt had none. Feeling that he
 had already considerably improved the prop erty and given good proof of both industry and earnestness of purpose he determin- ed to asked the old man for some help in the shape of 8 loan of $5, 900. As he did not dare to do so himself he requested a friend to intercede on his behalf. The answer was 1 refusal and the young farmer had nothing left to do but to mortgage the farm. He obtained SC, 900, and went on with his im- provements. year passed away without the father apparently having any knowledge
 Of the step his son had taken. The old com modore was, however, at all times surround
 ed by voluntary spies, toadies who tried to
 make themselves agreeable to him by report
 ing all they knew of the members of the
 family, as well as of outsiders he happened
 to be connected with. One of the spies
 found out all about the young mans mort l
 gage transaction and reported the fact to the |
 father, who meanwhile saw the improve
 ments that were going on on the farm. He |
 did not ask any questions, but one after
 noon when the son called upon him, he |
 took him out driving and delivered to l
 following kind: ''You don't amount to i
 row of pins anyway. You won't never be I
 able to do anything but to bring disgrace |
 upon yourself, your family and everybody |
 connected with you. I have made up my |
 mind to have nothing more to do with you"
 The young man was stunned. He could not | imagine the reason of his fathers displeas- | ure ''Did you not mortgage your farm for | $6, 900 to so and so ?'' inquired the old man.
 angrily. 'I did," answered the son, with | submission, ''and I had to do it, for the farm required considerable investment and had | no money. My object in life has always been to please you ; and am profoundly grleved to see that am unable to do it. can assure you of only one thing, and that is that not a cent of this money has been di- verted for my personal comfort. The transaction is perfectly business like undertook to- pay the mortgage of at a cer tain date, and know I shall be able to do so. cannot see that have done anything to be ashamed of" The old man did not utter word more all the time they were driving. But on the next l morning the son received a check for SC, ,OOO, with peremptory order to pay off the mort gage right away" It was about this time, Ii not in consequence of this episode, that the attitude of the commodore toward his eldest son began to assume a character of greater confidence and intimacy. The speedy progress of the farm and the popularity which the young man gained among his nelghbors pleased the old man. He began to think ''that there must be something in he boy after alb
 The neighbors were not slow to perceive hat there was something in him.
 The Staten Island railroad was at that time n state of hopeless bankruptcy and dilapi- iation. W. H. Vanderbilt was appointed the receiver, and that one-horse affair, without money, without credit, without materials md without organization, was the school rom which the greatest of our railroad 1ings graduated In two years he had paid 'f all claims, had put the road in good working ordier and connected it with \ New York by permanent ferry. | p when thls Staten Island road was again on 2 ts legs, he became it's president and contin- . led to display the same skill in perpetuating 1 = hat he had in creating it's success. But he esigned this post in consequence of a call o perform a domestic duty. His brother Ieorge was in feeble health and was ordered o travel in Europe. William accompanied he invalid, and travelled with him for nearly wo years. On the death of his brother, he eturned to New York, and in 1864 his fath- IT'S influence placed him in the position of ice president of the New York and Harlem oad. In the next year he became vice pres dent of the New York and Hudson River rail oad, and when the latter was consolidated Fith the Central he was appointed vice presi lent of the combination. In this situation e was the confdant and executive officer of he old commodore, who gradually placed nore and more reliance on the judgment and nergy of him whom he had been so slow to ppreciate. At the death of the commodore was found that with the exception of 8 few riding legacies of a million apiece to his ther children, the bulk of his fortune was oft to w. H. Vanderbilt. His life since that ate has been prominent before the world1 he public events of it are too we'll known nd too recent to need repetition here.