Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-08
Jay Gould Falls a Victim t0 Pu!
mOnary Consumption and
Passes Away.
Sketch Of one of the AuSt Roman
tic Careers Of the Pres
ent Century.
Enormous Fortune Lett To Six
Surviving ChiIdren-Other
Facts.

NEW YORK, Dec. 2,-Jay Gould died
this morning at $40 O'clock. His
troubles We're diagnosed as consume
ton Of the stomach. supplemented with
a bilious attack, The direct cause %
Mr.. Gould's death, as stated at the
house this morning, was pulmonary
consumption. The scene at the house
at midnight was not extraordinary.
IL was stated at that time that the
strong master mind had ceased
to battle for life. His children
were at his bedside and thew
recognized that the hopes of the past
few days were vanishing and that the
end was not far off. They tearfullv
admitted this to few close personal
friends, and then began the vigil which
only ceased when the last breath left
the body. DR.. Mum, his physician,
had Dr.. Janeway in consultation, but
they said that nothing could be done
but make 3Ir. Gould's last hours
as comfortable as possible When
the end came the mem ers of the
family who were IN the house were:
Mr.. and Mrs. George Gould, Mr.. and
Mrs. Edwin Could Miss Helen Gould
Mr.. Howard Could Mr.. Harold Gould
and Miss Annie Gould
Jay Gould was born in West Settle
ment, backwoods village OF Roxbury,
Delaware county, n. Y, May n, 1895,
He was the sen OF John B. Gould. a
farmer, who was fairly well-to-do, and
who had been deputy sheriff in the
famous anti-rent war in the early '2O'a
Young Gould was also a cousin of
Alfred Gould, the inventor of the chain
well pump, and was closely connected
with the Mores, a prominent Scotch
family, and others well known in the
county. His mother died when he was
an infant.
MIR. Gould left home with so cents in
bis pocket and studied at Hobart
academy, in a neigh boring town. Here
he earned an extra penny by keeping
the books of the village blacksmith,
eventually enjoying brief partnership
in the business. He was fond of mathe-
MATES, and on leaving school found en-
ployment in making surveys for a map
OF Ulster county at salary of $40 per
month. The correctness of the work
attracted the at ention of John Della
field, who applied to the Legislature
20 authorize a map of the State to be
made, in which Mr.. Gould would have
a prominent part of the work. The
work failed, owing to the death of the
promoter, and Mr.. Gould, having
gained So 900 or 81, 900 through his
previous maps and surveys, wrote
History Of Delaware County"
After an unsuccessful attempt to
push the sale of a patent mouse tran
which he had invented, Mr.. Could en-
tered into partnership with Zadoo
Pratt in the tannery business. In 1880
the patent was sold, and Gould came
to New York with quite an addition to
his fortune He entered into business
with Charles D. Leupp, leather mer-
chant. In the panic of 1857 Leupp's cap
ital was wrecked, but Gould manaped
to come through without severe loss
Gould S father-in-law, Mr.. Miller, in
itiated the young fnancier into the
railroad business and sold him a mum.
Der Of shares in the Rutland & Wash
ington railroad at 10 cents on the
dollar. Gould showed so much inter
est that he was soon elected president
and general manager of the road, and
finally consolidated it with the Rens-
selaer & Saratoga railroad When the
stock went up Gould sold out at
handsome profit.