St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-28

| variety, ilO duVcIIulc, uO COlupOSlIlOn- 10
pitting of one strong mind against another
as there was in the building up of the Van
derbit fortune and as there is in the ac-
quirement of most colossal fortunes. The
| plan of the original John Jacob was 70
mantle and impressive about organizing
| fur trade from the lakes to the Pacific by
| establishing central depot at Astoria
and making one of the Sandwich Islands
station, SO as to supply China and India
with furs directly from the Pacific coast.
| But it was never completely executed.
The absorption of city lots at low
rates are more congenial to the
Astor mind of which Judgment prudence
and plodding patience are the predominant
traits. The Astors appear to be, on
the whole, dull, thrifty, conventional
welded to responsibility. They have for
four generations been careful and saving:
| their entertainments, though costly, are few
| and deliberate. and their savings are al
ways sagaciouslY reinvested in real estate.
They employ competent men to look after
their affairs, are guided by their ad-
vice and endure almost no friction.
They are commonplace, cautious, comfort
ables steadily employed social means to
social ends One head governs. In tina
second generation it was William B.; in
| the third it has been John Jacob; in the
about forty, the sole child of his father.
albeit he has several children him
self and will doubtless have more, so that
! the succession will be secure. Nobody
| can tell the value of the Astor estate-they
themselves are anxious to keep it from the
public-but it must be from 500, O00 600 to
$50. 600, 600, and it has thus far been yir-
tually entailed.
| THE REAL JAY GOULD.
Jay Gould's wealth must be close upon
| that of the Astors, but it is less solid, con-
sisting largely of bonds and stocks, subject
to constant fluctuations. The youngest of
our great millionaires-he is barely So
and the most noted, or notorious. it is
only about twenty years since he be-
came financially conspicuous. A native of
| Delaware county, the son of plain farmer,
| he had no taste for tllling the soil, and for
| that reason was not a favOrite at home.
When a mere lad his father, as the story
goes, gave him 81 and told him he might
go to the devil as soon as he choose.
He had no confidence in his abil-
ity because he did not like to pillow,
SOW and fell trees. Jay was glad enough
to quit the parental roof, and soon showed
his capacity for other things. He after
ward took care of his father in his declining
years, surrounding him with every comfort
and administering to his happiness in every
manner possible. The younger Gould had,
as may be imagined, an aptitude
for speculation, and bought and
sold in divers ways after starting out
for himself, and was not long in accumu-
lating considerable property. His atten-
ton was drawn to the Erie railway, which
ran through his county, and in which he
saw an opportunity for making money He
purchased considerable stock and disposed
of it to advantage, and had the intent to
increase his operations, when he saw an
| opening in New York in the leather trade
| He opened an establishment in the Swamp
with a partner, and while there fell in love
with pretty girl and ran away with her
her. She is the present Mrs. Gould, an
amiable, sensible. intelligent woman, en-
| tirely domestic, without the least desire for
society or any kind of show. He subse-
| quently failed in business, and again turned
his mind to the Erie road, which had
already acquired the reputation it has since
maintained of making money for everybody
connected with it except its stockholders
He continued his operations until he and
James Fisk, Jr., mad become its controllers
and were credited with buying Judges.
forming alliances with the most corrupt pol
iticians and practicing wholesale swindles
under the guise Of law Fisk was sub
sequentiy killed about wanton woman
and Gould elected from the corporation by
legal process and obliged to disgorge
$4,000, 600 or 100000 of ill-got gains.
| Since then he has been engaged in gigantic
schemes in which he is supposed to
have made vast sums He scarcely seems
to have an equal in Wall street in astute-
ness, resources and power of combina-
| ton, though very few trust him or believe
that he has any principle whatever. Last
| January no q IIyr rod +Eo
street. but his retirements are onlv nominal
Of late he has grown conservative on ac-
count OF his great wealth. although many
| persons still think of him as he was
fourteen or fifteen years ago an assailant
| of solid corporation and railway
wrecker, He would not do to-day what he
would have done in the past; prosperity
improved his principles. Whatever he may
have been in point of integrity, he has
always been an exemplary husband and
father and a model of manners and ordi-
nary behavior. He is strictly domestic;
has no private vices, no love of osten-
tation; is fond OF reading and entirely
| quiet in his tastes and pleasures. He ap-
pears as modest as fine woman, publicly
and privately; is remarkably reticent and
is wholly free from the slightest assump-
| tlon lie is not half so INSCRIPTIONS as he
| is represented; is not guilty of one-tenth of
what he is charged with. He may be, after
all, but the embodiment of Wall street.
CYRUS W. FIELD.
A very rich and notorious man, whom
love of greed seems to have seriously in
jured, Is Cyrus w. Field. He came here
from Stockbridge, Mass, more than fifty
years ago-he is now 66-and was clerk
in commission house at 50 week. He
was very shrewd and energetic and
| i'm W. hIrcin fnrh
self and was prosperous. He travelled in
South America for six OF eight months and
on his return began to agitate the subject
OF an ocean telegraph, which he
continued until his pet idea was carried
out. The first cable, in 1858, was broken
and lost and the second was not laid
until 1886. Fields ceaseless labor of
| twelve years was finally crowned and the
object of his life attained. He was hon
ored and lauded throughout the land.
Congress presented him with a gold
medal, the grand exposition of Paris
awarded him the grand medal, the highest
it could bestow. John Bright declared him
to be the modern Columbus, who. with his
cable, had connected the old world with
the new. Then it would have been fortu-
nate for his reputation if he had died, fog
then he enjoyed the esteem snd admiration
Of mankind.
Ever since he seems to have been declin.
ing in public opinion. As he has advanced
in wealth he has deteriorated in fame
He has been engaged in various schemes
which are generally regarded as jobs His
name has been soiled by lust of lucre
and is scarcely mentioned save with de-
rision. He has succeeded materially; he
must be worth from $40. 600, 900 to SIS. 00O,-
| 900. He appears satisfied with the finan-
cial result He entertains titled English
| men and ecclesiastics: he owns a news
| paper, in which he rewards himself
and abuses those who censure him; he
claims to be pious and public benefactor;
he is the incarnation of vanity and restless
ness; he declares himself great and good
and his satellites echo him. 1t is pos
| sible that his conceit and egotism