The sun., 1884-12-25
CYRUS THE CASH BOY.

CYRUS THE CASH BOY.
How Cyrus ". Field Rose From PoverA
to Rtohss-His Methods Of Money Max
ing-orsat Enterprises Engineered.
New York Morning Journal
The PROCESSION in celebration Of the
first Atlantic cable has long since been
eclipsed by granier pageants, and At.
lantic cables have become as much mat.
ter of course as ordinary telegraph lines
but at that time New York had never be-
fore seen so splendid q show IN the
streets. The city was SO crowded with
sight seers that the people slept in arm
chairs at the hotels, or camped out In the
parks. The military parade, the civi
societies, swelled the large line; the
trades union sent tableaux or
wheels representing various artisans al
work. Then, standing in an oper
barouche and bowling to the right and
left in response to cheers of the crowd
came the hero of the occasion, Cyrus
w. Field, tall, nervouslooking gentle
man, with light brown hair and beard
Roman nose, bluish-grey eyes, and
the sanguine face of born Yankee
As he was then, SO Mr.. Field is now
trife stouter, perhaps, and with q
tinge of silveramong his auburn hair.
The years since this great triumph have
touched him lightly.
A born Yankee Mr.. Field certainly is
He first saw the light at Stockbridge
Mass. ON o ,tober 80, 1910. He was
the youngest son of New England
clergyman, who subsequently removed
to Haddam, Conn. His brother, David
Dudley, was given collegiate education
instead of q classical education Cyrus
received $25 in cash and his fathers
blessing. With these treasures and fair
knowledge of reading. writing and
arithmetic, he was sent to New York
and obtained situation as cash boy
in A. T. Stewards store, at the liberal
salary of 81 q week. For three years
young Cyrus worked and starved in
the employ of the dry goods mill
lionaire, and then better and bright
er life was opened to him as travelling
salesman for paper maker at Lee,
Conn. Even in Stewards establishment
Cyrus made his mark by his energy and
ability, and when he went away the
clerks clubed together and present
ed him with diamond pin and fare
we'll supper. A. L. Stewart gave him
nothing. Strangely enough Mr.. Field
has lived to see the name of A. L.
Stewart as thoroughly painted out as if
that millionaire had never lived.
Comforted by one good supper and
adorned with his presentation pin, Cy-
rus threw himself into the work OF sell
ing paper with such zeal that in two
years he had mastered the business.
He then formed copartnership in this
city. His venture was unsuccessful,
and in few months he was bankrupt.
The blow was heavy one; he had been
recently married, and had lost every
dollar, but Mr.. Field bore his misfor-
tune with his accustomed courage. He
started in again, and on the first day
that he took possession of his new Of
fee he made the sanguine remark: II
shall make fortune here in twenty
years." Better than his word, he made
his fortune in twelve years and retired,
still in the prime of life, to enjoy that
rest which he had never before known
since his boyhood.
In leisure moment he formed an
acquaintance with one Gisb orne, who
had conceived the project of an Allan
tic cable, and had procured charter
for the laying of the cable from the leg
islature of Newfoundland. The Gis-
borne's work had ended; but he talked
it over with Mr.. Field, whose leisure
hung heavily upon him, although he
had travelled through Bogota, Guaya-
qui and Ecuador with Church who paint
ed the Heart of the Andes,' to try and
while away the time. Mr.. Field be-
became interested in Gisborne's scheme
and one night, while studying the geo.
graphical globe, which still stands in
his library, his interest famed into en-
thusiasm, and he shouted: "1t can be
done and it shall be done." The next
night he called together his friends
Peter Cooper. Moses Taylor, Marshall
o. Roberts, Chandler White and Wilson
G. HuDt-and preached Atlantic Ca
BILE to them until they were converted
to his plans. A stock company was
formed, the necessary capital for pre-
liminary expenses subscribed; his
brother Dudley acted as lawyer of the
and Cyrus sailed for Eng
land to wrest the money for the cable
from British investors. No monk of
old ever preached the crusade with
better vehemence, and in wonderfully
short time, ard in defiance of innumer-
able difficulties, the cable was COM
and the ships chartered to lay
it.
Before the Atlantic cable was an ac-
fact Mr.. Field had labor
ed upon it for twelve years and crossed
the ocean fifty-one times. The first
cable would not operate, but lay
dead in its ocean grave. The second
cable spoke for three weeks. then part
ed and was dead as the first. In 1866
the Great Eastern succeeded in per-
uniting two worlds. Then
all the terrible labors of twelve years
were forgotten in the triumphs of suc-
cess. Congress voted Mr.. Field med
al; the queen of England knighted his
and he would have been Sir
Cyrus had not his American birth and
prevented.
In 1879 he celebrated, at his Gram
ercy Park residence, the silver wedding
Of the cable project, and here as in
England the best society did honors to
his achievements. William M. Evarts,
in his commemorative address, de-
c1ared Columbus said; Here is one
world, let there be two But Cyrus w.
Field said; Here are two worlds, let
there be one.' and both commands were
obeved."
Mr.. Field is the owner of the Wash
ngton building and other real estate
valued at $10, 200, 600. In stocks, bonds
md other securities has $40, ,0OO, 600
more.
He owns q country house at Irving
ION and mansion opposite that of his
former business associate and recent
rival, Samuel j. Tilden, in Gramercy
Square. In Mr.. Fields shirt front
1ashes one of the largest and purest
smeralds in the world, and one often
as he admires that Jewel
Mr.. Field really values it high