The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-07-26

enanters Of the strictest sort, and his
father had to do with the shipping of
iron from the Oxford IN. J. furnaces.
In 1916 the old gentlemen died, leaving
his widow with eight sons and three
daughters on her hands John L was
barely Il. He had been working in a
country store for a cousin for nearly
four years, and he told his mother that
his brothers and sisters might get an
education, . if they wanted to- but he
was going to get rich. Then he set about
it without delay.
His first dollars were earned, when he
was very young, trapping musArats, the
skins of which he sold at the rate of
eight for 90 cents. All the millions he
has made since that time have not
pleased him as much as did the proceeds
of those skins. When he was II, he
went to Buttstown, now BlairstOwn, n.
J., and opened a store as a partner for
his cousin. Two years later he bought
the cousin out A little later ne started
the Belvidere bank, of which he has
been president now for more than three
score years Then he made 81 3, 900 on
one cargo of supposed to be damaged
cotton which he bought s'on spec. - By
1914 he was ready for larger enterprises
than he had heretofore attacked, and
the chance for which he sighed shortly
came to him It was furnished by hard
coal and iron. He was laughed at when
he said he could make the latter by the
aid Of the former, but he went ahead,
supplied the Erie railroad, then build
ing, with rails, and under the title Of
''Legget's railroad laid the first few
miles of what is now the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western railroad
The extension of the D., l. and w
r11-O77orfx~ boIv,o7 tho ov,v,,or7f Of
Scranton, Pa, and it, in turn, helped
the railroad, and from them both and
the anthracite mines Blair drew trib-
ute.
In 1860 he turned his attention to the
west as a profitable railroad field, being
melted to do SO by his observations Of
the resources of the states he passed
through while ON his way to ard from
Chicago, where he was a delegate to the
Republican national convention He
was laughed at for his belief in western
railroads, as he had been for his conf
dence in hard coal, in iron rails and the
future, but he kept right on, and when
100 miles of the Chicago, Iowa and Ne
braska railroad had been laid it began
to pay, and very well too. Then he went
into the construction of the Union Pa
cific with Cakes Ames and others and
was later concerned in the building Of
many western roads, some short and
some long, and now most of them parts
of the Chicago and Northwestern and
other trunk lines. In no case was Mr..
Blair frozen out when these short lines
were transferred. He made money ont
of every transaction and was popularity
supposed to be worth $50, 600, 900 a few
years ago. He says $40. 900, 900 is near
er right, and it is enough for one man
ut all events.
In 1876 he built a railroad 2 miles
Tong to Blairstown for the convenience
Of students at the Blairstown academy.
In 1868 he ran for governor of New
Jersey at a cost to him of $50. 600.
He lost He has since then aspired to
nothing higher in politics than town
committeeman He never built rail-
road on credit, and he never specialized
He said the other day to an inquirer
that AL our present financial troubles
are due ID our speculation Though he
lives very plainly at Blairstown, his
son lives splendidly at Belvidere- Once
when he was asked about this differ
ence he said, ssOh, he has rich father,
and have not. -