Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-24
TRAITS OF ". II. VANDERBILT.
He Came Near Giving New York q MAJ
mfficent Museum.

He Came Near Giving New York Mag.
nf6cent Museum.
| IT WAS TO STAND OPPOSITE HIS HOUSE IN FIFTH
AvENUE-wHY IT DOES NOT-A RAILROAD
PRESIDENT GREATER IN HIS EYES THAN A
SENATOR FROM NEW YoRK-CHARMs OF
POWER.
From the n Y Sun.
During the past week. Mr.. CLANCY NJ. Depew
has been asked innumerable questions about
William II. Vanderbilt. He has met them all
with the utmost good nature, and it seems as If
| there is no end to his fund of anecdotes of the
dead millionaire. For twenty years past Mr..
Depew had been on terms of the closest init
macy with MIR. Vanderbilt, and no one was
more thoroughly acquainted with his ways of
life and habits of thought. Mr.. Depew was
asked last evening what especial benefit Mr.
Vanderbilt had derived from his vast riches
This question led him into meditative frame
of mind, and he said:
"Mr Vanderbilt often said to me that his
enormous wealth really gave him no advan-
might not possess. :! have my house, my pic
lures, and my horses he said, and so do they
l can have steam yacht If I want to- but it
for it. 1t is true, however, that can do big
things, and there is certain pleasure in the
II have frequently seen a look Of distress on
Mr. Nanderbilts face when he was talking with
cause he could see that they were evidently
trying to learn the bent of his wishes, so that
they might follow him. What he wanted was
an honest expression of personal opinion, and
he found few men Independent enough to give
him their real opinions if they differed from
know everything himself and that his iI i, DO.
ment was not tnfallibe, and he was anx-
ious to learn the real truth about things
regard to them. He might differ with man
ana inns contest his reasoning but his own opin-
In this respect he differed entirely from his
father, the Commodore, who followed his own
Judgment solely, and who was impatient Of
Mr.. Lambert Wardell, who for forty years was
the private secretary of the Commodore. The
11ugn an watch Of which he
that the watch was q poor one, and that War
dell had much better timepiece. The Com
modore put his mead around outside the screen
and said
.Wardell, what time is it?"
- same time as you, Mr.. Vanderbilt replied
Mr.. Wardell, who knew too much to put him.
self in conflict with the Commodore.
whatever Mr.. Vanderbilts opinions were in
roads in which he held the controlling interest.
he never interfered with the wishes of the Off.
GERS; When he made man the president of a
president; and. while Mr.. Vanderbilt was free
to express his opinions on all subjects he let
the president have his own way and held him
responsible for the consequences. When Presi-
dent Ruter put on the first fast train to Chicago
MIR: vanderbilt said it was q very foolish thing
and he had some right to say SO as the train was
run at a loss of six hundred dollars day. Mr.
Rutter argued that the Pennsylvania railroad
was running train through in twenty-six
hours, ana mat owing TO popularity OF the
Chicago mind. all ChicagOans would inmedi-
ately believe that all trains on that road ran in
not change their ideas. The Central road, Mr.
Rutter said, could save its business only by
doing doing the sam, same thing. Mr.. Vanderbilt dsa-
greed with him. At one time Mr.. Vanderbilt
went TO Chicago On this train, and while on the
way he was told that a couple of newspaper
men wished to see him, and as he was always
very friendly to them, he invited them into his
private car
How do you like this fast train . asked one
az don't like it at all. It's losing business,
but think OF the benefit to the public
The public be damned replied Mr.. Van
I'm saying this he did not mean to express
MS opinion us to the general public, but what
was Damn the public; it doesn't patronize the
train
"The interview was published in Chicago
paper and telesraphed to this city, and the edi-
tors made great uprOar about it. Mr. Wander
bilt did not understand the trouble, as he did
not remember having used the expression. I
nave little doubt, however that he did use it, as
1t Is meaningless form of oath very common
among men with whom he associated. Mr.
Vanderbilt was anxious above all things to he
considered good fellow; he did not care about
being thought great man, and he did not wish
people to humble themselves before him. It
on the road among horsemen, who considered
themselves quite as good as he was, and talked
nnm on h;s Of perfect equality This
he was able to obtain the expression of unpreju-
diced opinion,
while letting others have their own wav. he
never cared to undertake anything himself
unless he had his way in it,. AT one time he
thought s of doing some great thing for the city.
something different from what other men had
done. Hospitals and libraries, accessible and
inaccessible, had been founded by other men
ana were common enough. and his family had
already established q university in Tennessee
SO $. there was nothing new in those lines. He
finally, decided on building museum. it the
ground could be obtained, on the block Opposite
his house on Fifth avenue, and now occupied
by the Roman Catholic Orphan asylum. He
commissioned me to buy the land, and said
that he would build on it magnificent
museum and endow it with S5.OO0,OOO. 1
Cambridge College museum, and lie said that
u museum richly endowed would be ten
world, and would in fifty years completelyexce
all other museums in the extent and value
OF Its collection told this to Mr. Vanderbilt
and it added fire to his enthusiasm. He wanted
TO see the museum going up opposite to his own
house, where it would be constantly under his
eye, and where he could boss the work. tried
for u year to obtain the land, but was unable to
procure it because of the peculiar way in which
1T is held by the asylum. Itbelongs TO the CITY,
used only for asylum purposes If the CITY and
asy lum authorities should Jointly agree TO tel
| inmate the tease anu Sell Tie land the purchase
price by law would have to be turned over to
the sinking fund OF the city. OF course the asy-
lum people would have agreed to the sale of the
land If the million or more of dollars were paid
over to them, but this could not be done unless
by act of the legislature. and it was known for
q certainty that the legislature would not do
anything Of the kind Not being able to have
his own way MIR. Vanderbilt abandoned the
plan, and the city lost one of the most valuable
monuments in the world.
although Mr.. Vanderbilt was SO enormously
wealthy he had very clear idea as to the value
OF money. He invariably invested his income
a long time before he received it, SO that he was
constantly in debt and pressed for money This
caused him to look out for his dollars very
sharply. He considered his money not rel;s.
lively to his great wealth, but ON the same foot.
ing as the money of other men, and expected
as much for it, He had poor opinion of poll
| ticians OF all kinds. He said to me:
"'What is there in politics to be desired?
| man breaks up his business and is generally
unable to resume it afterward. 1t laws h m
open to constant abuse and gives him endless
trouble. There is very little honor in il, Poll
ticians never impressed me at all. had three
United States Senators in my office the other
day, and paid no more attention 10 them than
If they we're SO many clerks. II they had been
business men OF any kind, should have been
interested in them, but as it was Ididn't under
stand them. They do not impress me at ali
Whenever 60 to Washington they want to sell
me patent or ask for place on some of nv
roads, saying that they want to get out of pOli-
| tics"
Mexican Telephone Methods.
| From the Troy Times