The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-26
THE VANDERBILT FAMILY.
Old Cornelius as a Pedd1er of WaterInelons
and Business Pirate.
''Gath's' New York Letter

Old Cornelius Peddler of Watermelons
and a Business Pirate.
''Cath's' New York Letter.
About two years before Cornelius Vanderbilt,
or Commodore Vanderbilt, died, the publisher OF
the richest newspaper here at that time asked
me to prepare his life for what were called, by
an exaggeralion of conceit ''the archives" OF the
Office 1t was labor that pleased me- So
started first to New Brunswick, in New Jersey,
where the Vanderbilt family began its career in
steamboating. ! went into the town and con
suited with somebody, and he told rae that an
old gentleman who kept q bookstore in the place
had stood up with Cornelius Vanderbilt when be
was married. | went to the store and found a
grave and pleasant gentleman, who told me 50
much more and SO much better about old Van
derblt than anything that have printed that
always felt as if l knew Vanderbilt better thnn
ANYBODY in the country
lie said that when he was young man, or
perhaps boy, Vanderbilt boarded in house
with him where they paid a small sum OF money,
| perhaps nor more than half dollar day for
board Vanderbilt said the old gentleman,
was very neat man, proud about his person
| Clearly, one who washed himself every day
| once or twice, who took pains to have his spine
| straight, who rode horse with character in the
riding, and walked with eeftain sef-eonsaious-
ness. When he was to be married said my
! friend. The asked me to 90 with him to the
| church" Then he described the simple
wedding, and from that William Vanderbilt Is
the only important result
The Nanderbits were so obscure that when
| they left Long Island, and settled around in
Staten Island and New Jersey, they hardly kept
track of each other, but they retained the sturdy
| Dutch qualities among which vera the passion
| for wealth, devotion to open-air life, fondness
| for boat and for sailing somewhere Old Van
derbilt had little boat hardly worth 500, and
he used to sail all around with his bed in it, and
| sometimes carry watermelons to sell 1t Is SAID
| that when the British came into the lower bay,
| during the Revolution, that he went off to the
TAM TO Of he
| to the officers who wanted some kind OF anti
| seorbutie food. The furthest he ever got in
| his youth from New York was to the North Car
| DINA coast He was considered in New J DIRK
| to be very good specimen of the native boat
man, and he had an address that people remem-
! bered, and consequently, when the steamboat
| came into use and a certain person determined
| to break up the monopoly in steamboating he
| was asked to take Vanderbilt for his captain.
| man came 20 New York from the South by
the name of Gibbons. He was a lawyer, and a
| smart fellow, and bclgerent one He made
up his mind in the honest spirit of Federalist,
| that the State monopoly over the steamboat was
humbug he made up his mind to build a
| steamboat and have lawsuit by invading the
waters of New York and New Jersey. To show
that he meant war he called his little steamboat
the Bellona. Now" said he, II want to find a
| captain somewhere who will have the nerve to
take this boat where want her to CO." Gibbons
| had made his home at Elizabeth, New Jersey, a
mile or two from the landing called Elizabeth
port Vanderbilt had married his wife, who
was a plain woman named johnson, at Eliza
beth. The people, therefore, of that region said
to Gibbons: You take Cornell Vanderbilt"
I Vanderbilt was, therefore, put on the steam
boat, and Gibbons had a great lawsuit at
Trenton, N j., and as the end of that lawsuit
State rights In steamboats, were broken all to
pieces. and federal rights were maintained. The
greatest lawyers of that period figured in the
| steamboat cases, among them the brother
Lof the Irish RevOlutlonist. Gibbons argued his
1 4l,,. hafA
| toned asked me to write up for its archives
| the Wander bilt history, made my
way to Bellona Hall, where Miss John
son, that was kept eating able
for the steamboat and stage passengers. When
! the steamboat got TO New Brunswick the passen-
gers went off and got into stages and were driven
! across New Jersey to Trenton, and there another
| steamboat took them down the Delaware river.
OF course, they wanted something to eat. Van
derbllts wife saved all his money, and one day,
! according to the legend, her husband said: II
see chance to be a rich man if | could only buy
i steamboat" His wife asked how much il
would cost He told her the price of an engine
| and the price of q hull, etc. She took her old
| stocking from some place where she had it con
| eeaed and brought out part of the money.
| Vanderbilt then, in imitation Of his own
patron, began TO buck against everybody
| that had a steamboat Wherever there was
an established line he ran in opposition. He
ran steamers up the Hudson river, up the Sound,
everywhere. lie was a kind of pirate in the
business, but strong one Then he got
| to building steamships to go on the ocean, and
! he saved his money and watched business, and
| he became the greatest merchant this country
has probably eyee had for his opportunities.
| When he found the sea was played out
| for Americans, he came ashore and be-
gan to operate in railroads. Now his
son, who is something like sXtysix years old, is
! to spend $500. 600 in building a great stone
temple to put the family bones in. Vanderbilt
always regarded Staten Island as his fatherland.
Staten Island is a mountainous island in the
| Bay of New York about sixteen miles long by,
| perhaps, eight or ten miles wide Modern times
have given a black-eye to this island, and prop
erty there is not worth anything like what it
| was twenty years ago. When was married, in
| 1865. ! went TO housekeeping on Staten Island,
| and if I had stayed right there without moving
| to the present day, ! would have been fairly well
| off The rolling stone gathers no mossbacks or
greenbacks On State Island there is an old
| Moravian German town called New DOrp
| There is very ancient church there in
teresting situation. overlooking the lower bay
| In the chureh-Yard Commodore Vanderbilt is
| buried under granite tomb which has consid-
able taste. Over it is Yeled figure representing
! grief,or mystery, or death William Vanderbilt is
about to put up house there and has bought
| some acres of ground in portion of the Gene
terry. The people of Staten Island. as the people
everywhere are in the habit of doing, stand in
| tkeir own light Vanderbilt the elder proposed
! to give the Moravian Church large donation.
| when whole lot of other Moravian geese from
| the Lehigh valley and other places shouted that
| the money ought to be given to the whole
church; that the Moravians were community
and not series of aggregatiops Old Wander
! bit butt0ned up his pocket and said You can
| be what you please
Senator Vanca's New Venture,
| Letter in Lancaster Infelligeneer