The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-09-05
NEW YoRk's PLUTOcRATS.
Origin of the Fortunes of the Astors, the
Vanderbilts and the Lorillards.

John Jacob Astor had his store in
Versey street, in the building in which
DR.. Halleck lived. Fitz Greene Hal
leck. the doctors son, was one of As
tors clerks. Old Astor got his start In
life by hiring out to a furrier to beat
housekeeping the moths out OF them
at dollar day. He was economical
and saving. and presently began to
buy cat furs and muskrat furs, and
when he had accumulated lot OF
them he took them to England and
sold them at large profit. Then he
established his own business here and
extended his connections westward
and rorthward until he became the
largest dealer in the country.
Commodore Vanderbilt was at this
time running a ''perry-auger'' (perl-
agua-a small ferryboat, carrying two
masts and lee board) between Quar-
antine Station and the city, and was
becoming very popular with boatmen
and others who were thrown in his
way. Fulton G Livingston owned an
exclusive charter to run steamboats,
between New York and Albany. and
the monopoly was paying 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 difficult by
going from New York to Jersey City,
and making that the starting point for
Albany. Thev encountered all sorts
of difficulties, however, the monopo-
lists going so far as to willfully run
their boats down and otherwise Grip
plinr them, and they were threatened
with bankruptcy.
One of the proprietors was at New
Dorp one day, when he asked old Mr..
Guion if he knew of man competent
to take hold of their line and make a
success of it. Yes" said GuiOn, Il
know such a man. His name is Cor
neel Vanderbilt. He'll take your
boats to the mouth of hell if you want
him to-" 'That's just the man want"
was the response, and in little while
the bargain was concluded and Cor
nelius Vanderbilt 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 in
structions to arrest Vanderbilt if he
should attempt to move the steamer
ready to 90 and then stood by with an
AK, and when the wheels had begun to
revolve and there was good strain on
the hawser he up with an ak and cut
the hawser and steamed away to AL
bany with the Sheriff on board. A
continuation of the vigorous policy
finally broke up the Fulton & Living
ston monopoly and established the OPP
position line on profitable basis.
Vanderbilt's daughters were wild
kind of girls. They were perfectly at
home everywhere on Staten Island and
were very popular. l used to see them
in a grocery over there sitting on the
counter swinging their feet and talk
ing to the young fellows who were
chatting them.
The Lorillards had snuff and to-
bacco business, and they made a good
deal of money out of it. There were
three brothers of them-Jacob and
Peter and George. Jacob had butcher
shop up near the Bowery Theater.
Peter-that was the Dutch of it; it
came to be Pierre after it had been
transpianted into French soil few
months; Peter and George were the
snuff and tobacco dealers. After they
got wealthy, nothing would do but old
Lorillard most have a carriage and
coat-of-arms upon it. He chose for
his coat-of-arms, Who'd thought it
snuff bought it." This made the
people laugh, and so he changed it
after a while, putting on in place:
"Quid rides" which means: eat what
do you laugh?" His tobacco store
was in Chatham. street.-M Y. Times.