The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-29

Standard Oil stock. 40,0OOOO0
Premium ON same ......... 2S,000,000
Real estate -. 1o000,o00
Lead trust 100000
Railroad stocks and bonds ..... 2o,oo0,0o0
Natural gas stock. 4,VuuWo
Manufactured gas stock .........-.. 3O00,WgU
Steamboat stock Qnman line, etc.l.... 1,000,W0
Mines in Utah Wisconsin etc 100000
Cash on hand Observation-Disclosures. 100000
Miscellaneous ..........,.1 10000, COO
Total. ..................----... sIZ9uoo,V"
1t will be seen from this statement that
Mr.. Rockefeller's investments are OF the
most solid, substantial and remuneratlye
description. This estimate of his wealth,
by the way, is confirmed by no less author
ity than Mr.. Rockefeller's associate mil
lionaire, Henry NJ. Flagler. Mr.. Flager
not long ago said he knew Mr.. Rockefel-
ler's income was in the neighborhood OF
So. 0OO, 900 year. Reckoning that his in
vestments yield an average of per cent,
and there is not much doubt that the gilt
edged securities he holds pan out at that
figure, this gives him capital of $1,000
COO The yastness of this income may,
perhaps, be better realized when it is cal
culated that SO, 600, 900 year means some
thing like $25 600 day. At the same time
as making the statement referred to Mr..
Flagler said that his own income was
100000 year, and estimated the wealth
of Colonel Oliver Payne, another Standard
Oil magnate, at $22,0O0,0O0.
The only man, probably, who has ever
lived in America whose possessions were
larger than John d. Rockefeller's posses
sions at present was William III. Wander
bilt. There is no reason to doubt that at
the time of William H. Vanderbilt's death
he was worth over $500, 100000. Indeed,
close friend of Vanderbilt once said that
Vanderbilt took him into a safe-dSh1sit
vault and showed him securities thaf ag-
gregated in value even more than thfs. w.
HI. Vanderbilts wealth, however, was
divided up at his death, and no
one of the Vanderbilts now - not
even Cornelius Vanderbilt-has any
thing like this amount of money.
After Rockefeller, the wealthiest
man in America today is unquestionably
William Waldorf Aston, who is worth
probably $100, 900. Jay Gould is worth,
according to the most careful estimates by
well-informed Wall street men, about $780,
600, 600 or $50, 600, 900. In comparing the
Rockefeller fortune with the Rothschild
fortune it must be remembered that al
though the entire wealth of the various
branches of the Rothschild family adds up
perhaps billion of dollars, no more than
$75, 600, 600 is in the hands of any one mem
Der of the family.
In establishing any comparison between
the Rockefeller fortune and other notable
fortunes held by human beings on the face
of this earth, this fact deserves to be
pointed out: The Rockefeller fortune is the
accumulation of comparatively few years,
and it is the accumulation of one man and
that by no means an old man. John D.
Rockefeller was born in 1889, and is there
fore now only little over so years of age.
He did not go into the oil business, out of
which his vast fortune has been made.
until after the war, that is to say about
1868 or 1869, when he was about SO years
old. The $l25000.0 900 or $3.50, 600 men
toned represented, therefore, the result of
a business career extending over little
more than score of years. To make one
more arithmetical calculation, it NAV be
pointed out that Rockefeller therefore
made at the rate of between So, OOO, 900 and
100000 year ever since he started in
small oil refinery with 3 capital of S.. 900.
Unlike the Rockefeller fortune, the great
fortunes of America, and, of course. the
great fortunes of Europe, represent the
successive and successful labor of several
generations. The foundations of the Astor
fortune were laid nearly 100 years ago, and
when John Jacob Astor built the Astor
house something less than sixty years ago,
he was already very wealthy man. The
Vanderbilt fortune is thirty-tive or forty
wears old and the Rothschild fortune
dates back to the last century
Although John d. Rockefeller thus
seems to be the richest man in America he
lives III a comparatively modest fashion.
He has never built palace on Fifth ave-
nue., and his equipage is not of that gorge
Gus character calculated to attract atten-
ton on the street His New York house Is
at No West Fifty-fourth street, opposite
St. Luke's hospital. The house is sur
rounded by spacious grounds, and is hand
somely furnished, but there is no ostenta-
tious or even notable display of the evil
dences of wealth. There are no servants in
livery; in fact, there are no men-servants
whatever. The door is opened by maid
in cap and apron, and maid-seryants
wait on the table. 1t has been repeatedly
remarked, by the way, that Mr.. Rockefei-
Ter looks like a preacher. He is not a
large or impressive looking man, but has
STOPPING shoulders and solemn face. He
is in fact a deacon in the Baptist church.
and is probably the largest Contributor to
the work and institutions. He and his
family are not occupying either the
house in New York or the hous Z. Cleve-
land. They are apt to go TO ,enwicn,
Conn.,, or down to the seasb5, Or few
weeks. Atlantic City is FIRE thy cho-
sen.
John d. Rockefeller's immediate family
consists at present of hi wife and TWO un-
married daughters. Edith, she elder, is
20, and Alta is II. Tley ar sand to have
quarterly allowance OF 500 each, and
out of this they dress themselves and pay
all their incidental expenses The eldest
daughter. Bessie married IN 1889 the Rev.
Charles E. Strong, young Baptist cler-
gyman and son Of the president
of the Uica Theological Semi
nary. Alta, who IS very pretty. with
a vivacious face, lit by brown ewes,
is ambitious to be a great musician and
practices zhree hours day. Edith is said
10 be determined to learn japanese and TO
go TO thas country as missionary. Pre-
sumably the Rockefellers have a great
number of relatives about whom nobody
ever ears. but the wealth of John d.
Rockefeller will probably be divided up at
his death between the immediate members
of his family and the Baptist church.
There arr Two or three interesting facts
about the rls yelous growth Of the Stand
ard Oil Coni8 ny that have never been put
together. Tie value of the first refinery
built ~ r. 6ck afeller was about 5000. and
this repr ser ted the capital put in by
Rockefe er nd Samuel Andrews. An
drews ad BEEN porter in commission
house end Rockefeller had formed his ac-
ouainfaace while be was still a book
keeper When the operations of the firm
becarae so great that the original capital,
Increased by the rapidly accommodating
prot -, was still altogether inadequate.
HeyEry W. Flagler was taken into the firm