The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-21

gineers. He told them that he wanted this
road built and survey was made for the
the purpose. The surveyors laid out the
road in a sort of zigZag line taking in the
biggest cities and the best grades This
survey was shown the Car Nicholal. He
looked at it and then said, "That is not
what want, and then taking down map
OF Russia he laid a lead pencil upon it rest
ing one end Of the pencil on the city of
Moscow and the other on ST. Petersburg.
There is where [ want my road to rum
said he, it must be in straight line from
one city to the other and the railroad will
make other cities between its chief points"
The Winans built the road, and through
Latrobe got this twenty tive years. contract
to run it. After twenty years were passed
the Russians had learned all about the road
ana its machinery, and they wanted to
take it out of the hands of foreigners [
was minister to Russia at the time, and the
Wlnans hearing of this disposition of the
Car came to and asked me what they
should do. l replied, eff the Gar wants
the road you had better sell out to him and
fix q price on it when he offers to buy If
you don't, he will take it on some pretext
or other and the chances are you will have
to take what they choose to give" A few
days after this Winans was asked to sell
the road to the government. He fixed his
price at 100000 and got it without a
word.
CHECKS FOR MILLIONS.
Speaking of this 100000 check which the
Winans boys gave Latrobe for his legal SER
vices reminds me OF story of Jay Gould
which have never seen in print. It re-
lates to the purchase of the Missouri Pacific
railroad which JAY Gould bought of CARR
son. The road was paying good dividends
and Garrison was not at all anxious to SELL
Jay Cloud asked him what he would take for
the property and his reply was, Two and
one half million dollars"
''That is too much' replied Gould, and |
can't give it,"
well" returned Garrison, ''you don't
need to take it if you don't want to, but 1
will tell you that the price will be three
millions tomorrow Gould laughed and
went away.
The next day ne called again and offered
to give the two and half million dollars
for the road. You can't have it'' replied
Garrison. 1.-The road is now worth three
millions 81 won't give it" said Gould.
81 am not anxious to sell, F." replied CARR
son, land l don't care whether yon take it
or not, but by noon tomorrow the price
will be three millions and half" The re-
suit was that Gould waited over the next
day and actually paid three and one half
mllllOn dollars Tor the road.
The largest check ever given in this coun-
try was that given by-Gould to Thomas
Allen for the Iron mountains. He paid
100000 for it, and he handed Allen a
check for that amount upon his acceptance
of his offer. Allen looked at the paper that
represented this vast sum and said, Isn't
this a good deal of money for one man to
have in one banker 81 don't know replied
Gould, perhaps it is. Let me have the
check Allen then handed the check back
to Gould and he handed it over to his Office
boy saying, Here boy, take this check to
the bank and have the cashier certify to
It," And the boy went out and did it.
ACoAL-oIL CHECK FOR ONE MILLION DOLLARS.
Rufus p. Ranney, of Cleveland, once told
me OF check for million dollars which
was given by John Rockefeller 1t was
draw in favor of Sam Andrews, another
coal-oil millionaire, and was accepted by
Andrews only because ne was too proud to
refuse it, Rockefeller and Andrews were
poor young men in Cleveland together
twenty or thirty years ago. In connection
with F'lagler and others they organized the
Standard Oil company, and at once began
to make money and grow rich. Rockafel-
Ter IN some way got the start of Andrews,
and Andrews was very jealous of his grow
ing power and wealth. He tried to out
shine Rockefeller IN everything he did, and
when Rockefeller built big house in
Cleveland, Andrews put up bigger one,
bringing artists from Italy to do the fine
work in 1t, and making one of the finest
residences west of the Aleghanies. Then
Rockafeller bought country seat near
Cleveland and Andrews bought another.
and so the strife went on. When Rocka-
Teller was made president of the Standard
Oil company, Andrews became very Jealous.
and in order to show his own importance
he came III one day and asked Rockefeller
how matters were getting along. Mr.
Rockafeller said everything was going off
right, and Mr.. Andrews asked for look at
the books of the company. ''You can't see
the books just now," said Rockefeller, 'sbut
If you come in, in day or two | will have
statement made out for you" A few
days later Sam Andrews came in again and
asked for the books. In reply he was
handed long sheet of paper covered with
figures which he was told was the state
ment of the condition of the Standard Oil
company. He looked att and as he did so
his face got red and his eyes grew angry.
This is not what want, Mr.. Rockafel-
ler," said he, 81 want to see the books of
the company. If l can't see the books |
want to sell my stock" What will you
take for your stock!" replied Mr. Rocka-
Teller, very. cody reaching for his check
book II want just $l,000,000 cash." said
Andrews. "All right, you shall have it."
replied the president. of the Standard Oil
company, and he thereupon wrote out
check for 81 ,000, 900 for Mr.. Andrews An
drews had to take it or back down. He
was ashamed to refuse and he had for the
next few months all he could do in trying to
invest that million dollars He put, think.
100000 in government bonds aud scattered
the rest here and there.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.