The morning call., 1893-09-15
THE LAST OF THE AMEsES.

The Frederick L. Ames who died on
Wednesday was the nephew of Oakes
Ames. who acquired worldwide celebrity
in connection with the Credit Mebilier, and
the grandson of Oliver Ames. who founded
the firm of Oliver Ames & Sons, which
supplied this State with the bulk of the
shovels that were used in the first gold
mining era. Oakes Ames died in 1873 and
was succeeded as head of the firm by his
brother. Oliver the second. who died in
1877. Frederick was the son of this Oliver.
He was only just 80 when his uncle's
little pocket book began its fateful travels.
Still. he was in the councils of the Credit
MObilier, and if he had chosen to tell the
story of the exciting times through which
he passed it would have been an interest
| ing history 1t has never been written
because those who knew the facts did not
dare to disclose them for fear of running
their friends.
The war was in progress and no one
could tell how it would end. England
kept her eye steadily on California, in
tending to take advantage of the openings
of providence. Congress granted charters
for a line of railroad from the Missouri
River 20 the Pacific, and was so eager to
have the line built that IL gave to the CON-
panies which undertook its construction
money. credit. bonds and land, without
stopping to count The willy operators
who had the job in hand gauged correctly
the mpatience of the Government. They
had good thing. They spied a still bet
ter thing, and Congress, thinking only of
the national importance of the road. gave
them what they asked, which amounted to
a stupendous fortune for ali hands. How
the builders at this end of the line turned
the windfall to account everybody on this
side of the continent is well aware.
Things were different on the eastern
half of the line. That had been under
taken by the Durants, Farnum and other
Eastern railroad-Duiiders. 1t turned out
that the enterprise was beyond their
capacity. They failed and sued for help
to Oliver Ames & Sons of Boston, who
were known to command vast capital. 1t
was then that Oakes Ames appeared on
the scene. He had resolved to make a
great many millions, and he had formed
his plan for doing it by establish hing a
construction company, to which he gave
the name of the Credit Mobilier. To work
out his scheme he required certain things
of Congress, and he was told by those
who knew the ropes that he could not get
those unless he interested certain ap-
proachable members. He approached
them accordingly, and pretty soon a strong
body Of Congressmen was enrolled on the
secret list Of stockholders in the Credit
Mobilier.
The facts began to be whispered round.
ln such cases they always do. Clamor
arose. Charges of corruption were ban
died about. Oakes Ames saw a storm
burst about his ca the like of which he
had never dreamed OF. a first he denied.
Then his sturdy cOmmOn-sense came 10
his aid, and he stood up like a man
and told the truth, with name, date,
place and circumstances. Whenever he
had beguiled a Congressman into his
parlor he set his name down in little
greasy pocket-book he carried, and added
the date and the number of shares the
Congressman had got. When the inYesti-
cation became serious Mr.. Ames produced
his little pOcket-bOok and answered ques-
tons with perfect candor. "Mr. A?"
"Tes, on such date gave him so many
shares. Dividends paid him so many dol
lars" "Nr. B ?" "Yes, such a date so
bdb9 Sacn pdlu IliIu 80
much" And so on throughout the alpha
bet. Everybody remembers the story.
The Panama scandal was not much worse.
All which did not prevent Frederick
Ames, who was found dead in his state
room on Wednesday. from leaving an
estate which is reckoned in the tens of
millions. Nor did the censure of Congress
impair his standing in his own State of
Massachusetts. For over a quarter of
century the Ameses have been leading
people in the grand, high-toned old COM
monwealth. They have occupied the DO
sition once filled by the Lawrences, when
Amos and Abbott Lawrence stood ready
to fill any post from State Governor to Sem
atOr or Minister to England, as men who.
in any capacity, were certain to do credit
to themselves and to reflect honor on the
old BaV State