Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-07

snanters 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 en- her hands. John /. was
barely IA. 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 muskrats, the
skins of which he sold ut the rate of
eight for 80 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 rs n partner for
his cousin. Two years later he bought
the cousin ont. A little later he started
the Belvide-e 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 Lought ION 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. 1t was furnished by hard
coal and iron. He was laughed at when
he said no could make tho latter by the
aid Of the former. but he went ahead.
supplied the Erie railroad, then build
ing, with rails, and under TIE title Of
'Legget's railroad" laid the first few
miles of what is now the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western railroad.
The extension OF tho D., L. and w.
property helped the development of
Scranton, Pa. and II, in turn. helped
the railroad, and from them both and
the anthracite mines Blair drew trib-
ute.
In 1850 he turned his attention to the
west as n profitable railroad field, being
melted to do SO Ivy his observations of
the resources OF the states he passed
through while on his way to and from
Chicago, where he was 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 out
of every transaction and was popularity
supposed to be worth $50, 600, 900 few
years ago He says $50, 600, 900 is near
er right. and it Is enough for one man
| at all events.
In 1876 he built railroad 10 miles
long to Blairstown for the convenience
of students at the Blairstown academy.
In 1868 he ran for governor Of New
Jersey ut q 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 speculated
BE said the other day to an inquirer
that oil our present financial troubles
are due TO oun 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, "Oh, he has q rich father,
and have not"