Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1890-02-27
HERE AND THERE.
ODDS AND ENDS FROM THE WHlRL
OF THE METROPOLIS.


OF THE METROPOLIS.
The Head of the Astor House-Old Castle
Garden Writing New Books Society
Gossip and News of General Interest.
Especial Correspondence of the Times.
NEW YORK, February 24-The death
of John Jacob Astor, the head of the
Astor family and owner of the largest
part of the great Aston estate, removes
from New York circles a characteristic
American personality. He was not a
brilliant man, but plodder from the
cradle to the grave, plain, simply
honest man, who lived within COM
paratively narrow circle, but whose
mind grasped the wide and varied
questions of the day. He was trained in
a groove that suited his nature and he
followed the course laid down by his
ancestors through consciousness that
it was right. He was one of the best
business men in New York, and his
unlimited capital enabled him to carry
out heavy financial transactions that
other equally capable men could not find
the means to do. He was in the truest
sense characteristic New Yorker. He
was fonder of living here than any
where else in the world. He never
travelled much in this country, and in
all his life he was never farther west
than Chicago. He made frequent trips
to Europe, believing that the sea voyage
would benefit his health, but preferred
to live in New York the year round. In
fact he did live here, winter and summer,
going out of town only on Fridays and
Saturdays during the most heated
terms.
The accumulation of the Astor fortune,
which stands foremost today, will form
a history in business transactions that
will be of great Importance. The big
fortune was made and increased by a
simple method of accretion. Each sue
cessor to the fortune has added to it, so
that it has grown to it's enormous pro-
portions of today. The bulk of the
property, estimated variously between
$75,OOO,O0O and $100,0O0,0O0, will now
go to William Waldorf Astor, who be-
comes the head of the Astor family.
The Astor family began the accumula-
ton of their money several generations
ago, when the grandfather of the de-
ceased entered into the fur business in
New York. This business became profit
able. and during the life time of the
founder of the house large fortune for
those early days was accumulated. At
the beginning of the present century his
wealth was estimated at $250,0O0, at
which time he conceived the gigantic
scheme of supplying the whole world
with furs. 1t was his ambition and aim
To Oro9niZa the fur trade from the
Great Lakes to the Pacific Coast by
establishing a chain of trading posts,
making a central depot at the mouth of
the Columbia river, and then, by obtain
one of the Sandwich Islands as station,
to supply the Chinese, Indian and all
oriental markets. In the development
of his scheme Mr.. Astor expected no re-
turns on his investment during the first
ten or twenty years, but later on he cal
culated on an annual income of 81 100000.
scheme, and it was never carried
out But despite this he managed
to accumulate and to leave a fortune of
$20,000,000. From this capital his de-
scendants started, and added to it. The
present generation of the family have
been dealing in New York real estate
more than in any other kind of business
The present representative of the house,
William Waldorf Aston, has already
made name in literature by publishing
two good novels under an assumed name
but while his mind runs towards litera-
ture and art he is not lacking in business
training. and he will evidently help tC
increase the large estate of the old his
tOrical family.