The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-28
pEMARKABLE CAR Ter.
MIA Enormous Wealth OF the Late
Mrs.. Mark Hopkins-Searles.


- her rise from penury to fabulous wealth.
Tbare IS no story of an American fortune
- 81 strange and so improbable as the
story Of Mrs MsrA llOPAlnS-AoeAr4eS auu ner
orornous wealth.
She touched both extremes in her expert
4 from abject penury TO the greatest
ras1th possessed by any woman IN the
ord perhaps. In her early life she did
4 bor own washing and schemed hard to get
money enough to provide for her daily
h-ead and her closing years were spent In
UD',ronderful palace beyond the dreams of
q aostarn fairly tales for magnificence.
Her wealth was $40, 200, 900 or more when
& she died.
4 sbo1t 20 wears ago. Her father was a
4 poor, struggling teacher named William
sherwood. There was Dig family OF the
Sherwoods, mostly girls
When they were still young they moved
TO Great harrington, Mass, where Mr..
Sherwood taught until he left this shifting
scene. and then three of his girls, including
the one afterWard so wealthy, opened a
little select school. Then lank, thought
fnI nenurious New Englander named Mark
Hopkins came along and married one of the
Girls without much of anything to keep
house on, and started with her for Califor-
mia in a sailing vessel around Cape Horn.
OFF TO CALIFORNIA.
This was in 1S49, when the great rush to
California was setting In. Young Hopkins
looked around and finally settled in Sacra-
mento, where he formed partnership with
man named Coils P. Huntington, and
with him opened little shop where they
sold hammers and nails to the miners.
Huntington q Hopkins was the name of
the firm. 1t is not without a place in the
history of California, by the way
All accounts agree that for the first few
years the house had hard struggle TO get
along. Business was pretty slow. 1t was
not always perfectly certain in the morning
where the Hopkins household would get the
money for the day meals. They were thrifty
souls and pinched along after the old yam
kee fashion. Mr.. Hopkins looked on both
sides of every penny that went out and his
wife managed the family expenses with
rare economy.
In a few years Huntington g. Hopkins
began to get ahead and enlarge their bust
ness. Before the war broke out they were
well-known firm and were doing well,
for both partners had the money-getting
habit-inherited it likely. With the easing
of their financial situation the Hopkinses
I'd not change their manner of life They
$ Ill saved and saved, and avoided unneces-
sary expenses like death until they began to
anass little fortune.
THE big FOUR"
California had become a populous state
by that time and the people wanted a rail-
road. Huntington & Hopkins struck hands
with two other pushing men named Leland
stanford and Charles Croker aud started
railroad project, which is known III local
history as the dutch Flat Fraud" They
built line about fifty miles long from Sac
ramento to place called Shingle Springs
ana stopped.
The war had called public attention to
the necessity Of a railroad across the conti-
nent that would bind the states together
aud enable troops to be moved from one end
Of the country to the other. Huntington,
Hopkins, Stanford and Crocker caught at
this idea. They worked the then Single
Springs line into the project and got, after
yea-s of effort and laboring. the support of
the government for the building of the Cen
trail Pacific railroad, support being in this
instance gift of 24S, 900 for every mile
they built in mountainous country and
$4,000 for every mile they built on the
level,
There was great deal of mountainous
country on the line that they built. L. bo-
came evident after a while that Hunting
ton, Hopkins, Stanford and Croker had a
fairly profitable enterprise on hand.
Mr.. Hopkins was the treasurer of the
combination. AS the construction of the
road began he had bright idea. Hunting
ton a. Hopkins, being in the iron line, would
furnish the material. He sent Mr.. Hunt
ington TO New York to buy his material
and sell the railroads bonds, and he stayed
in California to see that nothing was wasted.
MADE MANY MILLIONS.
The result of all which was that the COM
bination known thereafter as the big
Four" made in the neighborhood of $780,
000, 600 In about five years.
Mr.. Hopkins took bis SHARE about S40,-
1000 or 80, and retired. He went to San
Francisco with his careful, frugal wife,
who, as her fortunes grew, made no more
display and INDUCED in no more extrava-
gance than when she was penniless and
they made There the first outlay of their
wealth. 1t was house on Mob Hill that
cost 81, $50, 900, the costliest and one OF the
least attractive residences on the Pacific
coast.
Then Mr.. Hopkins died and his widow
Inherited and managed all his wealth.
She had no children of her own, but
there was young lad named Timothy Ha-
gan, the son of a man who had worked for
Mr.. Hopkins in the early days, in whom
she was much interested. She adopted him,
gave him an education and a business, and
was to have left him the Hopkins millions
when she died, only later events prevented.
PLAIN, MODEST BODY.
Mrs Hopkins left San Francisco when her
husband died and lived variously in New
York, in Paris, in London and back in
treat harrington. She was plain, modest
BODY SO far as dress or display or shining in
society was concerned, but she had one ex-
pensive hobby. She would build houses
wherever she went, She quilt fine house
IN Paris, one at Methuen and one at Block
Island
About six years ago she determined to
Guido all her previous efforts by building at
treat harrington, the home of ner child
MOOD house that would be a marvel for
IUO years at least.
She consulted eminent architects in Eu-
rope and America about this and planned
ana plotted for many months. About this
ume she concluded to have the old
castle III San Francisco redecorated, for
Mnat reason nobody knows. for NOBODY
HNed In It, She got New York firm to
seho an artist decorator out to superintend
Saarle
MIS- Hopkins was so pleased with what
sue heard Of Mr.. Searles work that she
eaIeu MIN IN to consult with her about this
ne" palace at Great Darlington. Mr.. Searle
t was great artist He planned a house
tt ma won Mrs. Hopkins admiration aud
t tasn ne finished the job by winning her
Ear and hand also. They were married
York. ON0Po'' 1'o"
MILLIONS FOR A HOUSE.
III. Ine mouse was completed about year
:'0i, anu Mr.. and Mrs Searle have lived in