Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-01
JOHN DUBOIS MILLIONS.
Pennsylvania's Lumber King Gives an
SS.OOO,OOO Estate to His Nephew.

From the New York Sun
On Tuesday John Dubois, the lumber king
OF Pennsylvania, filed in Ciearfield an absolute
deed conveying all his property, valued al
about SS,OOO.OOO, to his lavorite nephew, John
E. Dubois. The deed bears date January II
1884, SO that although for more than two
years young John Dubois has been in his
uncle's employ, taking orders from whatever
superintendent he CHANGED to be working un
der, he has been the actual owner Of the entire
property. Nobody knew it but himself and
his uncle. The senior dubois, who Is ~ years
old, has been ailing lately, and decided ia
make the deed public. The only consideration
in the deed is that John +. Dubois shall pay all
debts and fill all contracts his uncle may make
till the day of his death.
His purpose in making the deed was to make
sure that his business should go ON in single
Quoted it for the period of twenty years, after
his death, and that the 500 workmen In his
employ should not be distressed by the stop
page or embarrassment of his enterprise. The
deed makes no mention of any of the other
heirs. OF whom there are "A great many, John
Dubois being the only bache or in a family OF
fourteen. 1t is left entirely to the conscience OF
John Il. Dubois whether any of them shall
ever have any share in the estate or not The
young man Is about twenty-five years old and
unmarried. He was educated at Chester Mill
tary academy.
The Pittsburg Dispatch says that John Du
bOis stood easily at the head OF the lumber busi
ness of Pennsylvania. It's doubtful if there is
any man between Maine and Michigan who
owned more timber land and cut more timber
than he did. Every year he cut and sawed
about 36OOO,OOO feet of boards, enough tC
build the dwelling houses of town of 10, 600
people. He owned at the time of his death
about his town of Dubois, ON which there is
standing about 35O,OOO,OOO feet of white pine
lumber, besides many million feet of hemlock
About 6, 900 acres OF 1t is undertake with valu.
able vein of coal, being on the western side O.
the eynoidsyille basin. Besides his large build.
ings in Pittsburg, John Dubois had one
fourth interest in tract OF 10000 acres in
WestVirginia, which the axe has never touched
and large real estate interests IN Havre de
Grace and Wiliiamsport. At Dubois, where he
has lately lived, he had mill improvements
worth S75O,OOO. When he went there, ten OF
twelve years ago. there were only three houses
lation.
John Dubois began life with almost no capi-
tai, and was raftsman on the Susquehanna at
the age OF II. His inventive genius helped him
greatly. His mills are full OF his devices
Whenever he found an impeachment in his
path, he invented something to overcome it,
more and Ohio Railroad company for the use
OF his patent for deep.water foundations. The
automatic dam which bears his name is well
known. He owned about fifty patents alto
gether. He owed the fine hotel and half the
property in the town OF Dubois, and had just
state outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburg.
He got the first large start in his fortune by
investing in cheap timber lands, and the secret
OF his large profits in recent years has been the
perfection of his machinery and the variety OF
his products which enabled him to use up ali
the timber he cut and avoid waste and middle.
mems profits He manufactured houses and
shipped them all fitted and complete SO that q
hatchet and nails were all that were required
to put them together at their destination
rough pine log brought from the woods to his
mill. over his own line OF railroad, came out al
the end OF the works in the shape of boxes
boards, lath, and barrel heads. Every SCRAP
was turned To profit There was no waste ex
cept spllnters and sawdust.
His works at Dubois have q capacity Of
rel heads and 10000 shingles per day, besides
hemlock mill with q capacity OF 10000 feet
daily, and large tannery and machine shop
men and knew every one of them. He had
been seriously i'll for several months and re.
Gently had DIR. Agnew, OF Philadelphia, taken
thirty-hve minutes. Though man of warm
heart and genial disposition, MIR. Dubois never
married. He never used liquor or tobacco.