New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-06
STORY OF JAY GOULD'S LIFE
WHAT HE TOLD MR.. BLA1RS COMMITTEE
HIS EARLY STRUGGLES AND LATER sUCCEsshS-A
FALSE IMPRESSION CORRECTED.

co,otors Rlair and Call, of the Senate Sub
rm,ttee on EDUCATION and Labor sat In room NO 100
,fthe Federal Building for nearly an hour yesterday
morning awaiting the coming OF jay 1ouu' VINO nau
taao invited 10 appear before taem Al ongl1 sinan
go unnratentious-lookng man. wearing tail white
hat entered the room and took seat near the door, h
vasimmediaely recognizedby Senator Blair as MI ouio
and was invited to step within the railing which sep
arates the audience from the committee MI Could was
dressed IN dark OF mixed goods His manner wnlle
upon the s,aud was quiet and undemonsratye Whl'e
giving HE testimony he often spoke so low that the to
porters aud spectators sitting five feet distant founo
acme difficulty hearing what he said The attendance
during the day was much larger than on any previous
OCCASION In reply TO question asked by senator DIAL"
Mr. Gould said 81,
81 was born at Roxbury, Delaware County In TINS
State May 81 1886. My father was small farmer wac
teo dairy of twenty COWS the only boy IN tne
family; helped my sisters In milking the cows DoV"
morning and night and drove them TO anu from 'Ao P'
ture. As obliged TO so barefoot during tie summer
and often had my feet prcked by the thstes about 'he
fields and pasture concluded didn't like iarmDg ana
an one oav asked nv father TO allow me TO go TO
school which was situated about fifteen miles distant
from home. lie replied that as L wasn't worth muen
about tue farm he would give me my time iouno
blacksmith the school who would BOARD me il
would write up his books at night was theh ABOUT
fourteen years of age Iattended school for year ana
then obtained q eIerksbp in country store wheie
was obliged to work from w. to III p H. 10y tnis
time had acquired taste for mathematics especially
surveying. BY getting up in the morning at O'CLOCK
and studying until 6, obtained good kno~Ieuge Vi INC
later branch. length started out to find employ
mont rs a surveyor.
srARTING OUT AS SURVEYOR
81 made an engagement with man VINO was maAlps
amap OF Ulster County at salary OF S2oa month anu
exoenses When he sent me out with my instruments
10 suryey portion OF the county no gave me pass
book aud told me get trusted for my board az inc
several places through which passed. aud lie would
nav the bills soon found that people were not Wiling
10 trust my employer Tue second day out presen'ou
my pasS-bock to the who had entertained me- ana
told hn 10 put down the expense. He locked al me
very angriy, and then sad 4 guess you DON'T kho"
Your employer He's failed three times already you've
got money and Tm going to have It, THIS Irsntsneu
me, out managed to explain TO him tsat udho nave
a cont and proof OF the statement turneu NY
pockets inside out. Convinced OF my honesty NC sAu
he would trust me until could pay the BILL thanked
him for his aud left the house. As walked
along the road felt "a II my heart would break with
.r,ef could SEQ nothing ahead but failure and misery
In my despair 1 went into the woods ana had soou
cry Then got down on my knees ana prayeo'
Mr. Goud's voice treubled and his eyes oiled
s,e said this Senator Blair deeply moved by the
re,ta The effect upon the audience was marked For
,,snt NOT a sound was heard except the rumbling OF
the teams over the pavements In the street below
"when arose." continued Mr. Gould. :" l had made up
my mind to 20 ahead Late that AFTERNOON having mad
.o,hi,y Ia eat since morning called at farm house
and received some bread aud from the hands OF
kind-hearted woman. Just as was leaving the yaru
her husband called back and asked me to fix north
and souta ue by which the time OF day might 90 de-
termined did so and received, after paying Tor my
lunch shillings. 1t the first money had earned
aimee started out OF it gave me new cour-
are and confidence in myself. The man for whom was
working at length failed proposed 10 the oher young
men who were employed In the survey that We
go abesd and complete the map. We did so, and
,srest in the map for $500 Soon after 1 made
mans of Delaware and Albany countess and In this way
sneceedei in accommodating $1,000 While surveying
PStt who tooK great interest in me- invited
go tannery bus ness with nm Mt rt9 s SEM
fine hemock growth. We put up saw mill and BLACK
opeTations for some time just before the panic Of 1897
York VINO shortly afterward committed suicide
EMBARKING IN RAILROADS.
When the financial crash came everything went oo"h
gerry low Finding Rutland and Washington Rail
road bonds were selling at 10 cents on the dollar ana
believing money could be made by purchasing Them
left everything else and went into rairoadng was
resdent treasurer and general superintendent or the
road for long time. made study OF the business
and succeeded after . while In bringing
the stock up to par. Kept the
the Rensselaer, and Sar The Cleveland and Pitts
burg Railroad was my next purchase Mnsn po o!
long before tran up slao Then leased the road 10
Horace CarS, Of the Union Pacidc Railroad Ho
me good account OF tie enterprise ana ASKED me 10 IN
40 SaHn pCsrS lied soon after left Chi
cage and his in the Union Psohe was placed upon
Pacific stock. Tue outlook was ANYTHING but eneour-
aging for not only was there large d "n oc ce"
rapidly declining The directors aud myself bought up
ali the shares could find and did all III our power 70
Change ire wnich had been rolling in upon US We
opened coal and iron mnes encouraged agrent9re Dy
salnx p Ssss SOON began topay dividends When the
senrerprise had become a hnsncil success the cry
seemed TO arise all the country That lt was Jay
G0aa ,b rEa ar one man Control the line Thinking
It best TO bow TO public OPINION placed NY s.oSA ~ ING
ladies with to invest bought the shares Al the
time there are about 1000 Ss
purchase Missouri PACING from COmnodore CAR
risop The road extended from ST Louis to Kansas Sty
distance of 2s7 miles, did not purchase the road Tor
the purpose making money for mad passed tne poih
simply wanted to sec what could do with H. began
70 develop 1t by buying up oranch foaos anu IN o
faes of rail in Missouri Pacific system Whcnl took
the property IL was earning $4,000 per week ne net
earnipr "a of the road for $5,i0OOOO
am also director IN numDf o. otne, i IoA1o oos
TWO lines"
NR GoULp's CONNECTION WITH TELEGRAPH LINES
"wil you please to the committee said senator
Blair something about your connection Win the teie
graph systems OF the countryf"
The railroad and telegraph systems OF the country,
replied Mr.. Gould "go hand in hand for they are the
integral parts of great civilization owned large
amount Of stock Ia the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph
Company for several years Host opportunity TO in
crease my interest in that lne as REGARDED II as
sood paving piece OF property. When tue Atlantic and
Pacific was COZ soldated VITA the western Union sup
posed that General Eckert the general OF tha
hne, who dear friend OF mne would De made
genera manager OF the new line Much to my disap
pontment, this was not done. then resolved TO put
him head OF big line as had taken him from
and so established the American Union When that
company consolidated with the Western Union Lad
the satisfaction seeing hun made the general manager
Anar haaa al