Morning journal and courier., 1892-07-13
DEATH OF CYRUS w. FIELD.

Field, Mrs. Dudley Field, Mrs. Isabella
Judson, Cyrus Field Judson and Frank
Judson. Mr.. Fields condition was ex-
tremely critical for several days before his
death. Much of the time he was IN
conscious, and his death WAS expected
almost from hour to hour. It was the
last fight of strong constitution against
death, which for days baftied the pre-
dictions of his physicians and gave de-
luslve hopes to his friends
The serious illness of Mr.. Field dates
from last November, soon after the death
of his wife and just after the celebration
of their golden wedding. he was very
sick at the time of the failure of the firm
of Field, Lindley, Wiechers & Co., in
which his son, Edward II. Field, was senior
partner. His condition was rendered all
the more serious by the shock from the
revelations of the part played by his son
in bringing on the financial crash. His
death was expected at the time. After
| wards, however, he recovered sufficiently
| to be removed to his home at Ardsley,
near Dobbs Ferry. He went there about
| May Is. He showed signs of improvement
at first, and was able to take drives and to
| sit on the piazza. He soon after had
relapse and nearly died. Again he i'm
| proved, but his last relapse set in about
| two weeks ago.
Cyrus West Field was born In Stock
bridge, Mass, on November IS, 1919. He
was the third son of David Dudley Field, q
Connecticut clergyman, who was the son
| of Captain Timothy Field, who had been
an officer in the Revolutionary army. His
brothers are well known in this country,
| the oldest, David Dudley, being admitted |
| to the bar in 1928, when Andrew Jackson |
| was president of the United States, and |
| ever since that time he has not only been |
prominent at the bar, but has achieved |
fame as one of the drafters of the New |
York code of civil procedure. Stephen |
johnson, the second brother, three years |
older than Cyrus, was appointed justice of |
| the supreme court of the United States |
| by President Lincoln in 1868, and has been |
concerned in many prominent decisions. |
His younger brother, Henry Martyr, is |
well known Presbyterian clergyman.
Cyrus w. was the only one of the broth |
era who did not receive a collegiate edu-
cation. He came to New York from Stock |
bridge when he was fifteen years of age |
| and became a clerk in A. T. Stewards |
store at salary of $50 year. he was |
rapidly advanced by his employer, and |
before he was of age went into business |
for himself, in the manufacture and sale of |
paper. He accumulated money fast, but |
failed in the panic of 1857 and retired |
from active business and took journey to /
South America which lasted for about |
six months.
Between 1S41 and 1853 Mr. Field made |
fortune, and at the age of thirty-three |
years retired from business, having paid |
every dollar of the money due creditors of |
his early firm. In 1854 Mr.. Field became |
interested in the scheme for the Atlantic |
cable. The idea was not original with Mr.. |
Field, for Professor Morse, as well az 9TH |
of laying cables in large bodies of deep |
water had commended itself to Gisborae, |
and was being tried on the other side by |
Brett. But Mr.. Field seems the first man /
to regard a cable across the Atlantic as a |
practical commercial enterprise.
The story of laying the cable is known
to all. Mr.. Field raised the money needed |
for the enterprise and carried it through. |
Although Mr.. Field was obliged at one time /
to pledge his home, furniture and library,
he was enabled to pay back, principal and
interest. all his loans, and cleared about |
$21 ,O0O, 600 above his investments in the
cable scheme. Thenceforth he resumed
the position of q private business man. He
became largely interested in coal mines,
which yielded him an immense return.
In 1874 Mr.. Field was one of party of
citizens who made a voyage to Iceland to
take part in the proceedings of the one
thousandth anniversary of the European
settlement of that island.
Mr.. Field was one of the earliest promot-
ers of the elevated railroad system in New /
York and served for some years as presi- |
dent of the New York Elevated Railroad
company.
In 1887 Jay Gould made his great coup /
'etat, by which Mr.. Field was practically |
squeezed" out of all his Manhattan rail-
way stock. 1t was not his first expert
ence in that line, for there was much bit
tsrness between Samuel j. Tilden and Mr..
Field on account of Manhattan stock. 1t
was said that the two men were partners
in the Manhattan IDEAL" and that while
Mr.. Field was in Europe, in spite of an
agreement to the contrary, Mr.. Tilden had
sold out his stock to Jay Gould, clearing |
81, OOO, 900 by the transaction.
Then came the crash of 1887, when it |
was said that Mr.. Gould was SO anxious to
secure the stock owned by Mr.. Field that
he manipulated it in the market in order
that Mr.. Field could not hold it. Mr.
Field was at one time the proprietor of the
Mail and Express, which he sold to Elliott
F. Shepard at the time of the elevated rail
way "squeezs," when he was undoubtedly
badly crippled, although few years be-
fore he was quoted as being worth some
$50, 000, 900.
Mr.. Field was married to Miss Mary
Bryan Stone of Guilford, Conn, December
2, 1910, and seven children were born to
them-Mary Grace Mrs. d. A. Lindley) on
October 10, 1S4l; Alice Durand. November
z, 1S43; Isabella Mrs. w. F. Judson), JAN
uary 81, 1916; Fanny Griswold Mrs j. B.
Andrews), November 20. 1S4S; Arthur
Stone, January "a, 1850, who died August
20, 1854; Edward Morse. July 4, 1855, and
Cyrus W., March Is, 1857. On December
furn Nv ;all
brated their golden wedding, when their
six children and fifteen grandchildren were
present. Since that time, however, sor-
row has fallen heavily upon the family. |
Mrs. Field died but few months
aster and close upon this came the failure
of his sons firm and the mental collapse
of the senior member. The death of his |
daughter, Mrs. Lindley, accompanied this,
and, with the unfortunate disease with |
| which another daughter was afflicted. was
too much for Mr.. Field and he succumbed |
to the many attacks upon his peace of
mind.
OF late years Mr.. Field has spent much
| of his time at Ardsley, his country seat on
| the Hudson, near Dobbs Ferry. Incl
dents OF his busy life are numerous and va
| ried. In 1881, when Garfield was shot, |
| Mr.. Field began the formation of the fund |
| for she benefit of Mrs. Garfield and the |
children, and $685., 23S. SO was raised and |
invested in undoubted securities. Several |
years ago Mr.. Field purchased the old |
building at Broadway and the Battery,
| which Lad been known for SO many years |
as Washington's headquarters, and in its |
place built the Washington building, which |
is landmark TO vessels coming up. the |
bay.
| In 1885 one of Mr.. Fields enterprises
caused him to be severely criticised by the
people of this country. He was the owner
of considerable property at Tappsn-on-
he-Hudson, and it included the hill upon
which Major Andre hsi been executed.
Upon this hill Mr.. Field caused to be
| erected a monument to the memory of
Andre, not as spy, but as man who
| was considered to be remarkably brave,
and victim of military necessities. In
| the summer of 1885 the monument was
partly destroyed, and ON November was
still further damaged, on both occasions
by dynamite.
1t was In April, 1882, that an attempt
was made to kill Mr.. Field by means of
an internal machine which exploded pre-
maturely; this lead to the examination of
a like package which was addressed to
William K. Vanderbilt. Mr.. Field was
one of the few men successful in bringing
libel suits against newspapers, recovering