The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-03
DAILY INCOME $41,666
JOHN ID. RoCKEFELLER HAS PILED
UP A FORTUNE OF $145,o0O,Oo0.
The Standard Oil Kings Wealth Has
Increased Until He Is Now the
iches Man in America.

0eO1 lAAS ASAkIS AAr 49,
try do in a day? John d. Rockefeller, the
Standard Oil king, is the man. His fortune
has now reached the gigantic figure of
$145, 000, 900. Before the end of the year it
will have reached the terrific sum of $780,
0O0.W0 People who claim to know say that
his wealth is growing at the rate OF $15. 0O0.-
600 a year. He is not an ~extravagant man;
his family is even more modest in taste
than he is, and that he does not spend
one-twentieth of his annual income is gen
orally believed by his friends. Mr.. Rookie
feller's income is unquestionably somewhere
in the neighborhood of $15,000,000 a year.
The Standard Oil Company pays immense
profits to its owners, and Mr.. Rockefeller
is the principal owner. Based on an annual
income Of SIS. 00o,0 600 a year. the Oil king has
a,250.00 a month to spend. or $1, 666 every
day in the week, including Sundays and
holidays.
A great many men would be satisfied
to retire from all business pursuits If they
had as a fortune just one days income Of
Mr.. Rockefeller. Not so with the latter.
Perhaps the ambition of his life is to have
a daily income of 100000 In that event
he would lave built up a fortune OF $685.
100000, and have every cent of 1T bring
in as much interest as his present fortune.
IL - HUI WlluOuC tue pdie u poSSiOAiey
that Mr.. Rockefeller will. live to see his
daily income reach the 100000 figure. Thir-
ty-dve years ago Mr.. Rockefeller was
worth $1,000. In that time, practically 81 start
ing on nothing, he has made SLAB 600, 0OO.
He is ffty-five years old now, vigorous
and healthy, and in all probability will live
not be unreasonable to suppose that he
could double his enormous wealth.
Mr.. Rockefeller's day is a plain, matter
of-fact one. He spends it much the same as
the man WORKING on a salary ana Will d
family to support. There is no show or os-
in uhe fna aeaar o wf BUSINESS me- a0 World fs Know eH Sim
even by sight. Not one out of fifty of the
employees of the Standard Oil Company in
have ever spoken a word to him.. Many. of
them would not know him if they saw him.
HIS MORNING JAUNT.
Mr.. Rockefeller is methodical in every
thing. He gets up at z in the morning and
breakfasts with his wife and two daugh-
tiers, Alta and Edith, and his son, John D.,
jr., at 8 o'clock. At 9 o'clock he starts for
his downtown office. The Rockefeller
home is On the south side of Fifty-fourth
street, just west of Fifth avenue. and over
looks the park fronting St. Luke's Hospital
on the opposite side of the street.
h house is a big, substantial brown
stone affair Of no particular kim Of archi,
lecture. 1t is built on the lines of solid
comfort, with a wide entrance In the mid
die and with large rooms opening on the
central ndlI. line mousse has d Il1IldLuI6
park around it, a very exceptional thing
in that part of the city, where ground is
worth in the neighborhood of $4,000 a front
foot.
When Mr.. Rockefeller leaves his house at
8 a. M, If the day is fine, he walks toward
town town i IN ahe di TecH o't of &c n rairI Par ap-
Sometimes he is accompanied by. one or
both Of his daughters and sometimes by
who is now learning the ropes of the oil
---x =.
the efficiency of walking and all kinds of
exercise as health givers, and he has taught
all the members of his family to believe
in the park MI. Rockefeller turns back to
Fifth avenue, and often walks down to
Twenty-third street. where he takes a
walks ali the way down to the office, a dis
lance of four and a half miles from his
home. On these tramps he is sometimes
accompanied by his son or by his brother,
William Rockefeller, who is also one of the
Standard Oil princes;
At times Mr.. Rockefeller can walk the
whole distance from his home to his Office
without meeting a single acquaintance. He
has never figured in public life, has never
taken any apparent interest in politics and
has studiously avoided meeting people.
thus making of himself the least known
millionaire in the metropolis. His clothes
nave the appearance of the ready-made
article, and in every way this modern
Croesus looks the plain. ordinary business
man.
IL
Arriving at the building of the Standard
Oil Company, which overlook the historic
Bowling Green, Mr.. Rockefeller goes at
once to his suite Of private offices. There
he is met by his two private secretaries.
One of these secretaries attends to that
part of his business relating to the Stand
ard Oil Company, while the other attends
to his personal business interests.
Hundreds Of letters addressed to the rich
man are raRalUa6 wary daU hnf hn dnaS
not see one out of twenty of them. The
secretaries, under secretaries, stenograph-
erS, typeWriterS and clerks take care of
the others. 1t is the same with people
who call with the intention of seeing the
Oil King. Many of these callers have re-
hearsed in their minds what they would
say and how they would act to favorably
impress the millionaire, only TO be met by
the polite but firm secretary, who in very
few words, turns the caller homeward a
disappointed man.
The chiefs of the various departments
sal of Mr.. Rockefeller, and the reading of
Few of these chiefs have. ever had any
although many of them have been connect
ed with the company for years.
There are, less than half a dozen men in
the army Of people employed by the con-
Germ who have access to Mr.. Rockefeller'S
personal sanctum. These men include Henry
NJ. Flagler, the representative of the
Charles Pratt interest in the company;
William c. Whitney. as the representative
OF the FayQG IdIQlly, WlllldH TOCk6I6uGF,
his brother, and one or two others.
A large percentage of the callers are men
and women, who. having read of the wide
philanthropy of the man who endowed a
single educational institution in Chicago
with 81, 500, coo, think 1t will be an easy mat
ter to induce him to turn some of the gold
en- stream in their direction.
But it is just here that the personal pri-
vate secretary of Mr.. Rockefeller comes in.
This gentleman devotes nearly all his time
to the philanthropic work Of his employer.
How much money the latter gives away in
a year can only be conjectured. His char
tiles are conducted on the same retiring,
unostentatious plan hat characteriZes his
whole life. No one outside of his secretary
and himself knows what he gives away.
LITTLE GIFT OF $100, 600.
AS an example of the generosity and the
desire to escape notoriety OF Mr.. Rockefel-
Ter a little incident which happened four
years ago at Christmas time well Illus
trates. The Rockefellers are great church.
going people and are extremely earnest fol-
lowers of the beliefs of the Baptist church.
They are the main support of DIR. Mac
Arthur's Baptist hurch in West Fifty-sev-
enth street. Some years ago Dr.. Mac
Arthur had a mission scheme in view which
GRAFTON on the lines mapped out. He men
toned the matter to Mr.. Rockefeller in the
hope that it would draw 4 Eoodly subscrip-
ton from the millionaire. Mr.. Rockefeller
had the project investigated, and it seemed
feasible as an agency for accomplishing
much good.
He said nothing more about the matter