St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-01-28


sons OF immense wealth, says the Boston
Herald, of whom a few are herewith
given.
Blg-Hearted Phil. Armour.
To run successfully an establishment
which is undoubtedly the greatest in the
world, is work of no small magnitude.
and yet the apparent ease with which
Philip Armour gets around his multitude
OF cares is quite astonishing. But he is
never so busy as to refuse to see any man
or woman, no matter how high or 10 W
ones position may be, and no clerk, fore
man or other person in his employ ever
went with complaint but Justly. kindly
and promptly dealt with by Mr.. Armour.
1t is not a all unusual Tor the "old man"
as he is affectionately called, to give a
money reward OF some kind whenever
any of his young men" as he calls them,
successfully attend to some little personal
business.
An instance of this sort occurred only
recently, just as Mr.. Armour was leav-
ing for Europe. particular matter in
which he was interested had been as.
signed to clerk for investigation and
report which work was not accomplished
until the day before Mr.. Armour lett
Chicago. OF course, any man thus leav.
ing his business for month or two
would have great many things to do.
and could hardly be expected to think of
an emp oyein the hurry ofdeparture. This
young man handed in his written report.
and, so far as he was concerned, he sup
posed that that was "the end ont" But
on the train to New York Mr.. Armour
Hound time" to write that clerk letter
thanking him for his services, congratu.
lating him on the cleverness he had dis.
played, and wishing him good health
and happiness until he would return from
Europe. And with the compliments and
the best wishes went a check Tor $500.
John D. RockfeIIer's Income.
1t is doubtful il any other person ever
made money so fast in few years as
John D. Rockefeller, and he does it by
striking oil" every hour in the twenty
four. He is so rich that he cannot count
his own millions; he said under oath in a
legal proceeding not long ago that he
could not estimate his fortune within
$10,000,000 or $12 100000. He is sup.
posed to be worth $15O,0OO, OOO And
no other one individual on earth has so
much. M. Rockefeller was once very
poor, and that, too, within the past
Thirty years. For a time he was re.
porter on Cleveland newspaper, with
salary OF SIS week.
Most of Mr.. Rockteller's fortune is in
the Standard Oil Trust and he owns con-
siderably more than a majority Of the
stock in that colossal monopoly. He
wields the power of this trust from be-
hind portals that are shut at all times
but in the winter, when his goes to Flor
ida, he is accessible to men who used to
know him when be was poor and less
feared as schemer and monopoist.
The ambitious Napoleon Of Petroleum.
has no time, as a rule, however, to spare
the Ordinary mortals, and to him any
man worth less than million dollars is
very ordinary.
Aston rliIIions.
AS everybody knows. the Astor mil.
lions are invested in city lots, business,
houses and residences. The original John
Jacob Astor gained riches as a trapper
and purchaser of hides ard pelts, and
with this money he bought farm alter
farm along "the Kings Highway"
known today as Broadway. His heirs
followed his example. only they diverged
from that thoroughtare, so that now the
Astors own large part of Manhattan
Island. They have never been specu-
lators, hence their fortunes havenot been
subject to the movements o bulls or
bears. They have never been politicians
either, and the only one who has ever
aspired to political preierment is the
present head of the Astor house He has
served both branches OF the New York
state legislature, and was minister to
Italy few years back. While in Rome
he wrote novel that was successful from
both literary anu financial point of
view. AS a collector Of rents, or as a
builder and lessor of fine hotels, William
Waldorf is sans equal iii this world. 1t
may be added, merely as an item OF mill
tary gossip, that Mr.. Astor's father
served on Gen. McClelans staff as a vol
unteer aide-de.camp, with the rank OF
colonel, and was an excellent officer.
Bostons Rich Men.
1t is said that the richest man in Bos-
ton is Fred l.. Ames. and he is a "bue
blood among the Commonwealth ave-
'nue arstocrats. The fortune OF the Ames
Family is the accumulation OF three geuer-
3htions, and the founder oft made spades
Pnd shovels. He had two sons, Cakes
pnd Oliver. TIL, formers son Oliver was
'pnce governor of Massachusetts, and he
was worth $6,500,O0O. But his wealth
was hardly ANYTHING compared with that
pf his cousin, Fred L. Ames, son of Oliver
"a. whose fortune is now estimated at
$50 100000.
There are persons in Boston who say
'that John Nd. Forbes is "better Off than
rred Ames and certainly the finest sum.
gmer estate in New England belongs to
nm. is an island called Naushon, in
.puzzards Bay, and the whole of it is his
Prr.operty. The little harbor, in season,
ofers plenty Of anchorage for a dozen
snd more OF sailing yachts and one can
prive tor miles and miles on the island. 1t |
was Mr.. Forbes money that backed the
7bell telephone business when it was being
Started, and he is called the father OF the
Chicago, Burlinet ton and Quincy railroad.
Mr.. J. Montgomery Scare inherited his
large fortune Of $14,000.0OO, and as
lnost OF it is invested in paying real es.
Pate, and he is no spendthrift, his wealth
must be constantly increasing. His
1ather was Cape Codte who came up
70 Boston, poor boy and later on es.
tab'ished corner grocery. By astonish.
ing thriltiness he gathered in lew thous.
Pnd dollars, which capital he invested in
Iand that multiplied in value, so that
when he died he left n uood fortune