St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-01

big figures, and made it all in st. Paul.
He is the man that gave us Lake Phalen
water, and from that small beginning
he has worked out and brought to
good degree of perfection our present
system of water works. He now has
his family abroad, and travels much OF
the time himself in foreign countries.
His personal habits are not very eXpen-
sive, but he lives literally. He has in
vested considerable money in real estate
here in st. Paul and has erected several
costly blocks which are always rented
and pay well.
Tom Brennan as he is familiarly
known, but eX-Alderman Brennan, as
he is honorably known, is one of the
salts of the earth and very successful
gatherer of Shekels. A few years ago
he was worth nothing of any cOnse-
Quence, and to-day he can count his
wealth by the hundred thousand. No
one would take him for a money maker.
His quiet, good natured, easy ways are
well calculated to throw people of their
guard in respect TO what is passing in
his mind, and what he is really figuring
for. The quality of the man was sig
nally mistaken on one occasion about
SIX or seven years ago. AT that time he
was a member of the city council. Up
to that time the Silsby Manufacturing
company had furnished the city with
the SilSby fire engine. The city was
about to buy another steamer and, OF
course, agents of a number of manu-
facturerS we're here endeayoring to get
the contract to furnish the additional
steamer, and all of them were working
to the best of their ability to secure the
contract, and right here is where the
SilSby agent made his grand mistake
and one that was decidedly fatal. lie
ventured to go to Alderman Brennan's
house and there proposed to bride him
in the way OF liberal sum if he would
vote for the Silsby steamer. That prop
oSition settled the matter. OF course, 1t
was Indignantly refused, and at the
next meeting of the council the facts
were laid before that body. The agent
disappeared from town, and from that
day to this no more SllSby engines nave
been bought by st. Paul.
William Dawson is a banker, and
has been for more than quarter of a
century, and at the same time has al
ways dealt largely in real estate. His
general plan in regard to real estate has
been to buy large quantities of land
just outside of the city limits and hold
the same till the growth of the city made
it necessary to take the same in. He has
always owned considerable quantities
of real estate in West St. Paul, in which
part of the city he has always had great
confidence. He has owned more real
estate and dealt in it all along more than
any other one man in the city. He now
counts his wealth among the millions,
and is taking life a little easier, though
he finds it difficult to quit business en-
tirely.
Capt. Peter Berkey is also counted
among the wealthy men of st. Paul.
The captain is about as handy at one
kind of business as another. Whatever
he goes into he engages in it with an
energy that does not let up till he ac--
composites his purpose. He is a good
banker and was good hardware dealer
and splendid man to settle up badly
tangled up business of any kind. The
captain has seen this town grow from
very small beginnings and has made a
great deal of money here, but he could
have made ten times as much if he had
not been more than half as conservative
as he is.