The morning call., 1894-09-16
THRUST ON HIM.
How John IVancovich Got
His Wealth.
= HE TRIED HARD TO BE POOR
But in Spite of His Efforts He
Grew Rich.
A HANDSOME NEW BUILDING.
Some Unsightiy Structures on Davis
and Washington Streets That
Have Disappeared.

For the last two weeks the ramshackle
old buildings bounded by Davis, Washing
ton and Cedar streets have been rapidly
demolished. Yesterday the last of them
was torn down and on their site hand
some new structure Of pressed brick. terra
Gotta and iron will soon be erected for the
business premises of John Ivancovich.
John lvancovich has prospered in bnsi-
ness. it is true, but it was not by trading
in tropical fruit and nuts on the San Fran
cisco Rialto that he first ACQUIRED the
ducats which will enable him to put up his
new mart of commerce. Some are born
great. some achieve greatness and some
lave greatness thrust upon them" John
1vancovieh had greatness. or rather wealth,
which is an excellent substitute, forced
upon him against his will. He tried his
level best to keep poor. and the attempt
was an utter failure. If he were asked to
give maxim TO a young man starting in
life it would probably be: ''Strive after
poverty, and fortune. who is a tickle god
dess, will shower riches upon you"
Fifteen years ago tue Slovenian fruit
man had neither fame nor fortune. He
married for love, and when, good easy
man, he found that his wife had fallen
heir to fortune of $4,000 he did not put
the money into a savings bank. but deter
mined 10 make what is proverbially called
ducks and brakes of it. Eight thousand
dollars he and his wife decided would be
enough to take pleasant little European
trip. Not knowing how to get rid of the
remaining $1,000 expeditiously himself Mr..
IvancOvch handed them to stockbroker,
with orders to wire to a certain hotel in
of ba Of
seven days.
Apparently the fruit man went on his
way rejoicing that be had seen the end of
that $1,000, for he never took the trouble to
call at the address he had given his broker
IN New York. He sailed tor Europe with
"a light heart, and after wandering about
the Continent for sUme time without leav-
ing apy address to which letters or tele-
grams could be sent he repaired to the
haunts of his childhood, in Slavonia.
Meanwhile, by a singular turn of for
sHne's wheel. John Ivancovicn had scarcely
left the State than his stocks began to go
up ike a skyrocket. During he five days
he passed in j0urneying to New York he
was getting rich at the rats of $4,000 a
day. When his broker wired TO New York
it was to say that the S200e had made $50
~ telegram.
and as the days went by and the stocks
continued to get sky-high the broker be-
came wild to sell. He wired to New York
again. to the Slavonian's home. and to
every other point he could think of, but
John IvancOvch was as lost in the mazes
of European travel as a needle in bundle
OF hay, and NO answer came to the frantic
appeals
he rin Of in
creasing at the rate of a snowfall rolling
down hillside, for the stocks were climb
ing higher and higher. just as they reached
the top notch John Ivancovich saw fit to
visit the SD AIDES of his ancestors and the
haunts of his childhood in SlaYonia. He
received his brokers' kilograms just in
time to take the tide of fortune at the very
flood. His cablegram to sell arrived in the
very nick of time, and the fruitman's
stocks realized the nice little sum of
100000.
The beauty of the story is that Ivanco-
vich, having realized the fckleness of for
tune, determined never to trust her again.
He managed his affairs thenceforth in a
systematic, everyday manner, and at
present be would not think of such a
thing as altering his plans in a manner to
necessitate negecting to call for his bust
ness letters and kilograms. The couse-
quence is that his wealth has increased
Senator Fair was at one time desirous to
obtain possession of the three water lots
upon which the new building is to be
erected, and offered 500, 900 for them. Mr..
Ivancovich demanded an extra $4,000 and
the negotiations fell through. The build
ing will be occupied for frontage of forty
five feet on Davis street by |. Kohn. Ivan
covich viii have front ge of 1876 feet
on Davis street and 12O on Washington.
The structure is being built on piles, with
a solid concrete foundation, capable of
supporting at least four stories. At pres
ent, however, there will be only two
stories, though it is intended to add 10
them later. The lew round arches which
are to form the exterior decorations of
both stories will be in handsome terra
Gotta, and altogether it is expected that
the new building will have something the
appearance of a modern pelican in the
midst of a wilderness Of pioneer shanties.