The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-05

and finding that the Commodore" had left
| note for 500, 600 drawn by Mr.. Work he at once
| brought suit for it. He had perfect right to
sue Mr. Work, but it was a trifing amount to
Mr.. Vanderbilt, and his action in the matter was
| always attributed to spleen.
| Of course, it is well known that the Windsor
has come to be an evening rendezvous for Wall
street men, and Mr.. Vanderbilt used to frequent
| ly walk down from his house and spend pleas
ant evening there. He has not visited the place,
| however, for about four months. When he
| came he would, after his rupture with Frank
| work, generally 60 into private paror with
Harvey Kennedy, or hold confab with some
| others.
| Com Vanderbilt, is is we'll known. always dis
| liked Mr.. Gould but his and principal heir
| has been generally considered friendly to that
gentleman. Mr. Vanderbilt, however, has
| sneered at the fortunes of men whose wealth
| he declared existed for the most part on paper,
| in such way and under such circumstances
that it was generally understood that he referred
| to MIR. Gould. Everybody was surprised then
to see the two gentlemen in close conversation
one evening, and the loungers duly
| noticed the fact that their talk
| lasted fully half hour and that it was about
| the agreement entered into by the Union Pacific.
| the Chicago q Rock Island and the Milwaukee, q
| ST. Paul railroads. concerning the freight traffic
| which had led TO railroad ''war" To the nov
ice in financial affairs, by the way, these railroad
wars are dull matters to read about in the news
papers, but If the inside history of such contests.
| the personal feeling strung sometimes to the
| pitch of bitterness, the mutual determinations,
the Jeaousies, the fears, the hopes, the vast in
| terests involved were set forth with anything
| approaching lifelike fidelity, it would be in
| tereStng exemplihcatlon of a fact, obvious to
| the reflective observer that something not
| mote from the dramatic sometimes enters into
| the conduct of business interests spread over
thousands of miles, in which hundreds of thous-
ands of men, with their families, are interested,
wi in heir ordip al q
| pect seem prosaic.
| The conversation referred to, from which /
| have dlgressed, was an amcable one, but the
| two men, while now not precisely unfriendly,
| do not often meet In the afternoon Mr..
| Vanderbilt is apt to take drive in Central
Park behind twinkling footed span of thorough
| breds.
He is off-hand and Democratic in his ways.
He will walk around to his stable in Fifty second
| street. and drive off alone; returning he will
| leave the horses there and walk around again to
his house. In the evening-especially on Nilsson
and Patti nights-he will go to the opera Only
| his herculean build would attract notice the
| street There is nothing in his appearance to
| indicate wealth. Hedoes not even wear watch
chain; he is rather careless than otherwise about
his personal appearance. as is apt to be the case
with men of great wealth. There is not the least
personal display.
TX.
His home is a palace of which a Doge of
| Venice might have been proud. It cost him
| about So, 000 000 1t is of brown stone, and is
| more elegant shan snowy in its appearance. 1t
has fine gallery of paintings, which is open to
| artists and others at certain intervals. Here
| are examples of the best work of contemporary
artists both in this country and in Europe; here
| are canvases by Corot MISSIONER, Daubigny,
Jean Francois Millet Delacroix, Whistler, Moran,
| M1llais, Watts and many others, not to mention
| the scuptors represented Mr. Vanderbilt is
Al IN ha hiatt iI1dOQ Of init
, have supposed.
| The appointments of his palace, for it is moth
ing less are elegant. not to say gorgeous, in the
extreme One of the bronze doors is said to
| have cost $50 600, and the bronze railing around
the house. 500, 000 1t is located at No. $40 Fifth
avenue, and extends from Ffty-first to Fifty
second street. it is one house divided into two
portions, that on the corner of Fifty first street
being occupied by Mr. Vanderbilt himself while
in the other end, at Fifty-second street. reside
two of his daughters with their husbands. One
married William ID. Sloane, the carpet dealer,
| and the other Elliott F. Shepherd. the lawyer.
| Mr. Vanderbilts youngest son. George, is, be-
lieve, still at college. Frederick w. Vanderbilt,
| another son, lives further down the avenue,
| while Cornelius resides in Fifty seventh street.
One Of his daughters married physician DR..
| Webb, and another, II. M. Twomby who is one
of firm owning large grain elevators.
| x
! Mr.. Vanderbilt's social position is not CON
sdered very high. Like Mr.. Gould, he is almost
| ignored by many of what are termed
the best families. He is said to be practically
| ignored by such families for example, as the
Astors, Livingstons and Rhinelanders, the Van
Renssalaers Beekmans, and Roosevelts. They
| still think it appears, that there is little too
much of the noveau richie about him, too much
of the horse jockey and too little of the cultiva
| ton usually supposed to be associated with fami-
lies whose wealth dates back further than yes
/ terday.
| Drn ad hos
| Thackery; it is made out without faint of
SnobbishnesS, and the ancientness of our 'oldest
| families" goes such little way back into the
! gray and messy centuries as to provoke smile
at its being made a claim for social distinction;
the retrospective vista usually terminates
with the figure of an honest faced, we'll
meaning, if somewhat slow old Dutch trader in
buckled shoes, and three cornered hat and knee
breeches, things, of the comparatively recent
| past. Nevertheless, if what is usually consid
cred our best society is disposed to insist that
wealth alone shall not be deemed sufficient to Sc
cure its recognition, it is assuredly entitled to
| commentator
| Still, whenever Mr. Vanderbilt gives bali or
an entertainment of any sort, his stately parlors
| are crowded The Astors it may be added go
! there on such occasions even if they afterwards
only make party CALLS" and, as to the rest, most
| persons are glad to respond to his invitations
| whenever he sends them. His children and es-
pecially his grandchildren, will have much bet
| ter social position, just the Astors, descend
ants OF John Jacob Astor, now stand well in the
most exclusive society, though their famous an
| cestor enjoyed little no social distinction. It
takes several generations to rub off the bristles
of traffic, and fit family of rough origin for the
refined and cultured enjoyment of wealth.
| Mr.. Vanderbt's family is now so large, how
| ever increased as it is by numerous grandchil-
| dren, that he requires little outside society. He
has always been an indulgent father; the i'll
treatment and neglect from which he suffered as
a son, and the results of which he has often de-
| piored. have made him the more indulgent to
| his own children, who are much better informed
| than himself and in far better circumstances
than he was for many years, even when his
| father was famous millionaire His family
| relations, in a word, are very happy.
He has, it is said, expressed some regret that
! he built his house where he did in Fifth avenues
| it is too noisy and crowded, there is ceaseless
| roll of eauipages over the Belgian payement and