The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-03-07
NEW YORK PLuTocRATs.
Origin Of the Astor, Vanderbilt and Lori
lard Fortunes,

virgin oI the AhiOFs thhuerDilI anu LOFll-
lard Fortunes.
John jacob Astor had his store In We
sey street, in the building in which DIR.
Halleck lived Fitz Greene Halleck,
the DOCTORS son, was one Of Astor's
clerks. Old Astor got his start in life
by hiring out TO furrier TO beat fnrs-
keeping the moths out of them-at a
dollar day. lie was economical and
saving, and presently began TO buy cat
furs and muskrat furs, and when he had
TO England and sold them at large
profit Then he established his own
business here and extended his connec-
tions westward and northward until he
became the largest dealer in the coun-
try.
Commodore Vanderbilt was at this
time running ''perry-augur" (periagua
Ia small ferryboat, carrying two masts
and lee board) between Quarantine
Station and the city. and was becoming
very popular with boatmen and others
who were thrown in his way. Fulton &
Livingston owned an exclusive charter
to run steamboats, between New York
and Albany, and the monopoly was pay
ing immensely. Two old Jerseymen
then started an opposition line, but as
they could not run direct between New
York and Albany they got around the
difficulty by going from New York to
Jersey City, and making that the start
ing point for Albany They encounter
ed all sorts of difficulties, however, the
monopolists going so far as to willfully
run their boats down and otherwise
crippling them, and they we're threat
ened with bankruptcy.
One OF the proprietors was at New
York one day, when he asked old Mr..
Guion IL he knew of man who was
competent to take hold of their line and
make success of it, Yes, said Guion,
4 know such man. His name is Cor
neel Vanderbilt He'll take your boats
to the mouth Of hell IL you want him to-
That's just the man / want, was the
response, and in little while the bar
gain was concluded and Cornelius Van
derbilt took charge of the line. The
monopolists tried every possible means
TO prevent the line from doing business
in New York, and at last put sheriff
on board with instructions to arrest
Vanderbilt il he should attempt to move
the steamer from the wharf Wander
bilt got all ready to go and then stood
by with an axe and when the wheels
had begun to revolye and there was
good strain on the hawser he up with
his axe and cut the hawser and steamed
away to Albany with the sheriff on
board. A continuation OF his vigorous
policy finally broke up the Fulton Il
Livingston monopoly and established
the opposition line on profitable
basis.
Vanderbilt's daughters were wild
kind Of girls. They were perfectly at
home every whore ON Staten Island and
were very popular. | used to see them
in grocery over there sitting on the
counter swinging their feet and talking
to the young follows who were chatting
them,
The Lorillards had snuff and tobacco
business, and they made good deal Of
money out Of 1t. There were three broth
ers OF them Jacob and Peter aud
George. Jacob had a butcher shop up
near the Bowery Theater Peter that
was the Dutch of 1t; 1t came to be Pierre
aftor it had been transplanted into
French soil few months; Peter and
George were the snuff and tobacco deal
ers. After they got wealthy, nothing
would do but old Lorillard must have o
carriage and o coat-of-arms upon it. He