The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-11-09
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i LlaL upon HeF3 l4uSDa0u s expressing ILL
ardent desire fpf the possession Of q, 500
to purchase e1sloop with that was offered
at a bargain she, TO his amazement, pro-
| duced that sum, the result of her own
| venture. That $4,000 may be said to be
the foundation Of the Vanderbilt millions.
With that sum ne got possession of the
first sailing craft, afterward so profitable
| to him Soon he bought sloops and
schooners, and before reaching the age of
/ 25 years had, besides owning this prop
erty, accumulated over $4,000. About,
that time Cornelius Vanderbilt assisted in
| building the first steamer plying between
New York and New Brunswick, N. j. OF
this he was the captain, at a salary Of
81 900 year. y
In the following year he gained COM
mand Of a larger and better boat at an
advanced salary, and his wife had opened
| a hotel in New Brunswick, from the con-
Quoting of which. she was amassing
money. AT the age Of 80 Capt. Vanderbilt
had the sole control of a line of steamboats,
paying $4,000 year. While still super
! intending this route he leased the ferry
between New York and Elizabethport, n.
j., on which he put new boats, with great
| gain to himself. Then he built and oper
| ated steamboats, on the Hudson river, on
|
river.
He was past so years when he built
the steamship Prometheus, on which he
sailed to the Isthmus of Darien.e He had
purchased the controlling interest in the
American Atlantic and Pacific Ship Canal
| Company, and he inaugurated a transit
route from Greytown, at the mouth of San
Juan. to San Juan del Sur on the Pacific,
| which saved 700 miles between New York
and San Francisco over the old route by
Chagres and Panama. Capt Vanderbilt
| put three steamers on the Atlantic side
and four on the Pacific side and went into
| competition with the United States and
| Pacific Mail companies. With more steam
ers he started a branch line. from New
| Orleans to Greytown. In his yacht North
| Star he sailed to Europe about 1855. On
| his return he established an opposition
! line to another. and an independent line
| between New York and Aspinwall with
steamers on the Pacific side to compete
with the Pacific Mail line.
| He came to own more than twenty
| steamers, of which he built more than
| half, his whole steam fleet mum ering
sixty-six From his steamer and steam
| boat ventures his gains were estimated
at $40 100000, when he turned his atten-
l
roads, the New York and New Haven
| the Hudson River, the New York Central,
! the Lake Shore, the Michigan Central,
continuous and side lines and branches,
aggregating 2,128 miles of road, being in
, the control of this man and his associates
| and embracing capital of $140,000,000.
| 1t may be said with truth that Com
| modore Vanderbilt made his money fair
| ly. The enormous fortune in the family
! is the result Of his enterprise, pluck and
| financial ability, and the immense in
crease that places the Vanderbilt family
| among the richest persons in the world
| is but the logical sequence following upon
his original Accommodations and the oppor-
| tunities emanating from the wisdom Of
| his investments.
! =, But besides founding the house of Van
| derbilt, the founder took care TO rear his
successor as to perpetuate, not 6issipate,
! his wealth. Up to the age of 40 years
! the oldest SON and successor. William Fl.
Vanderbilt, conducted a farm on Staten
Island. At that mature age, when he
came into association with his father,
his habits were fixed, his Judgment ripe,
| and he was ready to go on sagaciously fol-
| lowing in the lines laid out by his exceed
| ingly able father.
| Like father, like son." the successors
| of William H. Vanderbilt are men Of dis
| erection and ability. They are valuable
| members of the communicate puffed
up by the possession of their hundreds Of
| millions. Cornelius, William r., Freder-
! ick and George Vanderbilt are good citi-
zey,s and good men. Commodore Wander
bile presented to the government at the
l 81 1o oir in "a
steamer Vanderbilt, which cost $500 900.
He also contributed to the quota of troops
going out to defend the Union his son
! George, the apple Of his fathers eye. He
was killed on the battlefield.
| Cornelius Vanderbilt endowed that seat
of learning, the Vanderbilt University, in
| Nashville; Tenn. 1t was opened for the
admission of students in 1875. 1t was
well equipped for its purposes, the tut
| tioD. in the theological, literary and scieIl-
| tific departments being free, to all pre-
pairing for the ministry.
This. is short history Of the founder Of
| the house of Vanderbilt, from which a
duchess has been chosen to rule over the
| house of Marlborough, and who will bring
| to that ducal house the many millions
needed for it's restoration to its old-time
glories.
| In the two centuries, nearly elapsed
since the gift of Blenheim was bestowed
on the family of Marlborough, the effort
of its first duchess to invest it with me-
dieval grandeur has been rendered some
what abortive by acts of the dukes who
have for a while held rule there. The
seventh duke, grandfather of his grace,
soon to convert ConsuelO Vanderbilt into
British subject, as we'll as duchess,
stripped 1t Of its grand library, which
Sunderland had ma1.velously enriched,
besides the precious poreelains and other
costly adornments, gathered from the rar-
est sources by the Duchess Sarah. The
next duke, the son Of this man and father
of the present duke, despoiled it OF Its gal
lery of priceless pictures, which he sold,
and without delay squandered the pro-
ceeds derived therefrom.
I It was after this, exploit that he the
late duke) cane to the United States.
where he met and married Mrs. Louis
Hammersly, whose millions contributed
a much needed roof to dilapidated Blen-
helm. Besides, this beautiful women
gave evidence of the great talent which
she must have possessed in converting SO
great a libertine and spendthrift as he had
been into 6 semblance Of tolerably well
behaved man.
| With the exception Of the duchess cor
onet OF strawberry leaves in diamonds,
first worn hyfthe. Duchess Sarah, and one
or two other inconsiderate jewels, there
~ Ssio1,