The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-19

go realized $4SS, $780, the teas selling for $3.50
a pound. Girard never trusted q cargo IN
the MOnteSquie again. He sold her ana
she was lost on her next voyage.
OF all the fleet of fine ships the Rosseau
survived the longest. Two years ago she
lay at the wharf at New Bedford dis
mantled Whaler to be broken up for her
copper fastenings Years after her degra-
dalton one instance of her positive good
luck is on record. She made what was
known in sailor tradition as the plum
pudding voyage" leaving New Bedford for
the Pacific. She struck a school of enor-
nous spermacetis off the Brazilian banks
and took in cargo Of oil in fifteen days
w Orth $780, 600.
The Votaire was sunk in the harbor of
Charleston in 1863 to keep the rebels from
coming, and the same fate befell the
Wardrop Sims another famous Philadel-
phia merch lntman.
AS an instance of his good fortune, his
cleaning out of a balance of over 81, 100000
in the hands of the BARN gs in London just
before the war broke out is an evidence:
He bought from English holders stock OF
the Bank of the United States at 1920 per
share, and at the closing of the institution
was paid. par, $500. Moreover. he bought
their bank building on Third street Tor
$12O, OO0-it had cost $780, 0O0-and began bank
ing 1916 was a panic year. There was
frost in every month. snow lay in the
and wheat sold at So per bushel. Girard
alone of all the bankers, redeemed MS
rotes in specie, but they We're as scarce
as gold, as he never paid them out, IL pos
sibie
It was Girard's real estate purchases
that made his works of benehcence per-
manent In 1907 he bought from John Dun
lap the square of ground bounded by CHEST
nut. Market. Eleventh and Twelfth streets,
paying 100000 for it. and this produces to- to-
acres of fine farm land in the Neck. and
this, sold at high prices, has greatly
strengthened the estate. But after his death
troubles came thick and fast. After he made
his will he bought considerable property
and after long litigation it was decided that
this was not included in the dispositions OF
the will He had bought from the trustees
of the Bank of the United States four tracts
of coal land in Schuyikill county, and in
1855 lust as the property began to yield a
large income the Girard heirs in this coun-
try and France brought suit and recovered
them, while at the same time Il large tract
of land and slaves in louisiana worth half
a million were lost to the estate. The 5000
eco he set apart for building proved made
uuate owing to the shrinkage in value of
the securities. due to the failure OF the Bank
to draw upon the fund set aside for per-
manent endowment The college cost si,9l5 =
SOL 49, Among the executors were Thomas
p Cope a sagaciouS old Quaker who had
no faith in the management of the, Bank of
the United States, and, after much OPPOSE
ton ne succeeded in persuading mis- cock
ecutors to sell large block OF the stock.
and this eventually saved the estate nearly
100000.
SO slowly did the estate gain in resources
despite the most careful nursing that 1t was
fully believed that it would be necessary
to appeal sooner or later to the state for
aid in maintaining the college. but the
enormous enhancement in value OF real es-
tate that came with the termination OF the