Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-06-03

my business pretty well, as the run of
them, but / can't paint, or sculp, or run
newspaper"
II am very glad to have met you, sir"
remarked. "You are the first man ever
met who confessed he couldn't run a news
paper. you're philosopher, sir"
''What's more" he added laughing, Il
don't want to-"
"That's more remarkable still"
Very much impressed with the cool
philosophy of my broker acquaintance,
left him, but the talk has been running
through my head ever since. I met
lady of culture last night and related it.
''Why, dear me- she exclaimed, II used
to think the same thing till 1 came to
Washington. I always suppose the presi-
dent lived in the capitol, and that it and
the white house were IDENTICAL
ventured little reportorial wit at her
expense, and then repented. Her com
panion retorted:
ooh, you newspaper men are so vain.
You think everybody reads what you
write. It's a mercy they don't. You are
so smart and know so much it actually
pains you. It's mercy some of you
don't burst! Why, [ can ask you more
questions in a minute than you can ans
wer in a week. Can't we, Jennie? And
don't know anything about-about labor
and capital and politics and laws
ARCH FAMILY.
The Value of the Astor PROPERTY New
York.
Looking out of my window last evening
saw the Aston brothers passing down
tvs vi
correspondent of the Philadelphia Times.
They were coming from their business Of
fee just below Broadway on the street
they were traversing. Here they have
quite pretentious brick building which
looks like banking house. 1t is fitted
up like one. On the inside it has all the
paraphernalia of screens, desks, big
books, and clerks which are so
common in financial establishments.
On the outside of the door there are
two brass signs, one bearing the name
John j. Aston, the other William W.Astor.
On the inside each of the brothers has a
private Office and plenty of clerks to do
the work. This place is singular little
institution. 1t wears an air of repOse en-
! tirely foreign to business establish
ment, yet within its walls there are more
transactions of Importance yearly than in
many pretentious financial institution.
| The score or more of clerks with their
big books are kept busy looking after the
real estate which belongs to the Astors.
! It is said that this establishment collects
in rentals more than a million of dollars
year. 1t takes as much time and atten-
ton to keep track of the property belong
ing to this noted family as it would to
conduct an extensive banking house.
The AstOrs are not spectators. They
! do not go upon the street for business or
invest money in ordinary business affairs.
They cOnfine their operations to real es
tate. 1t was the foundation of their great
fortune which was left to them by the
shrewd and miserly old parent who made
it. John Jacob Astor, the elder, was
singularly odd person. He labOred and
saved; all the money he accumulated
went into land and its belongings. The
most glowing business venture could not
coax money out of his pocket. He be-
Iieved in land and invested his fortune
i'll it. His life was anything but
happy one, and his family do
not seem to have improved much
upon it They live in good shape;
that is about all. They cut no figure in
the general life of the metropolis except
as large property owners and purchasers.
These two Astors are old men. William
| w. is a tall, robust citizen, near 60,
| should think. He has a round full face,
little inclined to be red, and sandy
complexion. His brother is fully as tall,
but not as stout nor as cheerful looking.
Both of them pass along the street with
out attracting any attention or scarcely a
! passing notice.
In dollars and cents l suppose they are
by far the largest real estate owners in
the United States. They are adding to
their possessions every day. Their
present ventures. believe, are
in the direction of the new
property about Harlem that is just
now attracting SO much attention. Next
to the Vanderbilts [ suppose this is the
richest family in America. How many
millions they have no one seems to know,
yet in 1860 it was heralded over the United
States that John Jacob Aston was the
richest man in the country. He had
million of dollars then. Just think of
the great fortunes that have been accumu-
lated since. The Vanderbilt estate is one
of these; while old Astor's investments,
once thought to be worth million, must
by this time have grown to a hundred
millions. The fortune he left to his
family is one of the very few in New
York that has been kept intact and built
upon by the increase in the value of
houses and lands.