The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-08-06
MEN WITH MILLIONS.
The Central Pacific Railroad as
Foundation Of Wealth.
Huntington, orooksr, August Belmont,
and Others.
now Great Fortune. Are Made.

Times says: c. p. Huntington, a ma
tive of Connecticut. believe, went to
California, in the early days, but did
not try to get rict by mining. He was
too shrewd for that. He dabbled in
gold dust for a while, but soon set up
a hardware establishment In Sacrament
to and adhered closely to business un-
til he had n large and lucrative trade.
At that time he would never have
dreamed of fortune of more than
81, 900, 900, which he would have thought
sufficient for any man, even for HIM
self. When congress, however, decid-
ed in 1862 to build the Pacific railroad
Huntington, with several other enter
prising Californians, took the contract
for constructing the Central Pacific
from San Francisco to Ogden. seeing
the amount of money he might make
thereby.
That was the beginning of his great
wealth, and ever since he has been rap
idly increasing his store. He probably
made several millions by the Central
Pacific contract, but that merely whct-
ted his financial appetite. A man may
be satisfied with few hundred thou
sand dollars, but when he has gained a
million there is usually no limit to his
desires. He covets the whole world.
Huntington now controls lines on lines
of railroads, and is reaching out for
more. They are called the Huntington
system, and are as well known as the
systems of Jay Gould or the Wander
bilts. Between the three is a continual
struggle for predominance, for they are
all ambitious, more of power than of
money. Huntington, unhappily for his
further acquisition, is 65. and, though
recently married a second time. has had
no children. He has an adopted daugh-
ter, young, pretty, and clever, to whom,
in all probability, the bulk of his vast
estate-reckoned at $25, 900, 900 to S4O,-
0OQ 00O-will in due time descend He
may have twelve or fifteen years of
work in him yet, for he is of strong
constitution, excellent health, simple
habits, and takes the best care of him
self. He is considered rather hard GEN
orally, but they who know him init
mately say that he has soft side to his
heart.
Wholly self-made, he owns few inner
resources and cares little for the ordi-
nary pleasure of life. He is best salts
fed, doubtless, when engaged in big
operations, and he gauges his happiness
by the size of his income He has one
of the very best financial brains in the
city or country, and if he were twenty
years younger he might be the richest
of Americans. 1t may irk HIM some
times to remember Gould's age and that
Cornelius and William K Vanderbilt
are less. respectively, than forty and
thirty-seven. Such men are apt to
crave heirs who can bear their name
and continue their monetary glories,
But Huntington reveals no symptoms
of discomfort of any sort His tall
brawny, heavy figure is familiar in Wall
street, His manners are pleasant,
though rather bluff. and he shows no
purse-vanity, however much he may
possess. Like so many rich Californi-
ans, he prefers New York to San Fran
cisco and has made his home here for
years.
Charles Crocker, another man who
got his first start from his contract of
building the Central Pacific railroad,
has come here to live. He has been
much associated with Huntington and
is still, though considerably younger
and of less financial ability. He is re-
ported to be worth from $4,000, 900 to
10000 600. and is plain, sensible, kind
hearted. with marked practical ability.
He, too, was an fastener, who had be-
come merchant on the Pacific slope
and had struggled up from nothing to
pecuniary independence, when the rail-
road contract opened the way to great
wealth.
Some years after his sudden prosper
ity he was in Europe with his wife, to
whom he was devoted and with whom
he wished to share all the financial adj
vantages of his newly-acquired posi-,
ton. He wanted to get her everything o
that money would buy and in his gener-
osity purchased such splendid diam monds
for her that she was in constant dreaG
of being robbed whenever she wore
them. AT last she became SO nervous
about them that she refused to put them
on at all and had them carefully lock &c
up in bank vault. For months they
were a source of terrible anxiety, bui
finally growing accustomed to theil
possession they ceased to trouble her.
have heard of her marked personal
improvement at that time. She put
herself in the hands of Partisan "art-
ists,'' and they transformed her into ;
new being by developing nature in hel
good intents but inadequate perform
anccs. Her husband. however, lef
Paris very much as he had entered it
except that he was delighted with the
change in his wife. This shows wha
money will do for women, who seem
at least in this country, to need onl,
leisure and means to take on the high
e1 aesthetic forms.
August Belmont, one of the grea
bankers who counts his fortune b,
millions, is said 10 have had an humble
origin. His father German and hi
mother French he early displayed un
usual capacity, so that his parents
though possessed of slender income
made special effort to give him
cood a6ucotiop Ho ayhibitaI wanna ~