The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-12-15


Five years from to-day John d. Rookie.
lelier will be the richest man in the world. y
Inc speaker was Judge Stevenson Burke,
OF cleveland. Judge Burke is no idle
talker. He is several times millionaire
n'inself. He is director of half a dozeu
great railroad corporations, legal counselfo,
the Vanderbilt interests, and an old friend
and neighbor of whom he made the predic.
ton. His competency of knowledge &c
discuss Rockefeller's wealth is beyond
the question. This is how the Judge figured
out John ID. Rockefellei's fortune; q The
standard Oil Trust is a corporation With
$fo,ooo, 900 stock, par value. It is the ag-
gregation of all the oil companies that exist
ed when Rockefeller began the work of con.
sohdation. The stock is held in the market
at 200. Mr.. Hardness of Cleveland, who
holds several millions of stock. told me that
while the stock is held at 200 that this ia a
mere nominal price, as there are no sales
and that the organization is earning and
declaring dividends which make the stock
worth ESQ. For three years a dividend OF
ten per cent has been annually declared of
this enormous capitalization of $40, 900, 900
while surplus has accommodated which has
been but in stocks and bonds amounting to
$i5 1000, 600. John d. Rockefeller owns
$40 700, 600 stock of the Standard Trust.''
Forty millions of stock at market value
OF 200, and its proportiopase share of the
Ss3,O00oo surplus, makes Rockefelles
worth $l04, 900, 900, not to mention his out
side Investments in real estate and securities
which may safely be estimated at SIC, 900
900 to $4,000, 900.
II not the richest man in the world he is
the richest man in America. Neither the
Astors with their vast real estate investments,
nor jay Gould with his railroad possessions,
nor the richest of the Vanderbilt heirs, can
make any such showing rs this II oil ac-
counts can be trusted there is not another
such money making concern in the world
as the Standard Oil Trust, and Mr.. Rookie
feller's millions are duplicating themselves
with rapidly equal to the mad rush Of the
age in which he lives.
John ID. Rockefeller started at the bottom
of the ladder. He YVES working man
For that matter he is still a working man.
He works as hard to-day rs when he was
doing odd jobs on the streets of Cleveland.
You may guess from his appearance that he
Is q Scotchman, but he will never tell you
80. twenty-five years ago he climbed up
from the position Of clerk to partnership
in small commission house in Cleveland,
o., with man named Clark. His homo
had previously been in New Bedford, N. Y.
AT the begin ig of the Pennsylvania oil
excitement in il65 he and his partner
bought some Pennsylvania oil land. and
through Samuel Andrews tried the expert
ment of refining crude petroleum. Andrews
was the rehner, while Clark aud Rockefeller
furnished the capital. This was the nucleus
from which the greatStandard Oil Company
sprang. He found the oil business divided
among scores of persons and firms. No one
was making any money. Quietly and iu.
them into what is known as the STANDARD
Trust.
Petroleum is slick and rapid. In twenty
months the brokers in the petroleum market
saw it decline from $40 to Ave cents bar
rel. II goes up or down at the dictation Of
the Standard Oil Trust Why shouldn't
John d. Rockefeller be rioh2 He is tho
Aladdin of the age.