The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-03-07
NEW YORK PLUTOCRATs.
Origin of the Aston, Vanderbilt and Loril.
lard Fortunes.

Origin of the Aston, Vanderbilt and Loril.
lard Fortunes.
John Jacob Astor had his store in We.
sey street, in the building in which DR..
Halleck lived Fitz Greene Halleok.
the doctors son, was one of Astor's
clerks. Old Astor got his start in life
by hiring out to a furrier to beat furs-.
keeping the moths out of them-at a
dollar day. He was economical and
saving, and presently began to buy cat
furs and muskrat furs, and when he had
accumulated a lot of them he took them
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
"a small ferry boat, 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 were threat
ened with bankruptcy.
One Of the proprietors was at New
York one day, when he asked old MIR.
Guion if he knew of man who was
competent to take hold of their line and
make a 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 if you want him to-
That's just the man I 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 a sheriff
on board with instructions to arrest
Vanderbilt if 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 revolve and there was a
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 &
Livingston monopoly and established
the opposition line on profitable
basis.
Vanderbilt's daughters were a wild
kind of girls. They were perfectly at
home every where 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 fellows who were chatting
them.
The Lorillards had snuff and tobacco
business, and they made good deal Of
money out of it. There were three broth
ers 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 transplanted into
French soil a few months; Peter and
George were the snuff and tobacco deal
ers. After they got wealthy, nothing
would do but old Lorillard must have a
carriage and a 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 while, putting on in
place: ''Quid rides" which means: "At
what do you laugh?" His tobacco store
was in Chatham street.-N. Y. Times.