The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-11


How He Made His Fortune-His Estate
at Sutro Heights-Tavish Hospitality
The Famous Bath.
Adolph Sutro, ex- Mayor of San Fran
cisco, and builder of the famous Sutro
tunnel, who has been adjudged mentally
incompetent. has long been one of the
most conspicuous figures on the Pacific
coast. He has been not only prominent,
but picturesque, being thus described by
California correspondent:
"Tall and straight as piue tree, his
white hair and his side whiskers with
but tinge of black, he is still vigorous,
despite his many years. Suuro is rich
how rich he himself hardly knows; but he
owns one-tenth of the area of San Fran
cisco County. He was born in Aix-la-
| Chapele, near the river Wurm, in Rhenish
| Prussia, one of eleven children. His
father was manufacturer of cloth. In
this calling Adolph was early initiated.
After the revolution of 184S the mother,
by this time widowed, brought her brood
to New York, landing in 1880, in the
same year reaching Baltimore. Adolph
caught the gold fever and was soon on
the Pacific coast He has been here ever
since, excepting for trips abroad, during
which he has visited all the civilized
countries, and he has been an important
factor in the development Of the city,
| Fame and fortune came to Sutro
through the Comstock tunnel which
bears his name, an enterprise which he
conceived and carried out in the face of
opposition that would have discouraged
and crushed another man. The tunnel
was begun in 1864 and completed in 1878.
and then Sutro was millionaire. By
| judicious investments his wealth steadily
increased He is of luxurious tastes, and
has gathered about him treasures of art
to enrich his home, Sutro Heights, and
made it beautiful with rare vegetation.
1t is his design to give it to the city some
day. He has library of great value,
also to be given to the city. He despised
capitalists, who seemed to him to COM
bine against the people, and this has been
| the keynote of his great popularity. The
baths adjacent to Sutro Heights are un-
doubtedly the finest and most spacious
| in the modern world, and a 100000
hotel has been added to the property. 1t
is his lavish expenditure on great enter
prises and his opposition to the Southern
Pacific that have made Sutro the object
of the peoples admiration. He is wild
over and has two children.
Sutro was nominated some years ago
ty the Populists to make the run for
mayor OF San Francisco. He had five
competitors in the feld-Mayor Ellert,
Independent and Republican nominee for
reelection q Democrat, an irresponsible
agitator of strength among class, a
Socialist Labor candidate, and Prohib-
Zionist. Ellert was supposed to be GER
tain of election But Sutro kept at work ,
and the A. P. A. came in to indorse
him. although he was born abroad. Su-
tros great card WAS his opposition to the
Southern Pacific monopoly. Sutro
Heights had been formed by him into a
magnificent public park overlooking San
Francisco Bay But the Southern Pacific
Company, controlling the street car lines
to the Heights, charged double fare.
Sutro tried to have the fare reduced to
five cents, and as the company stood ilrm,
he put q board fence about the Heights
and charged all persons coming out by
the street car lines twenty-five cents adj
mission, and asked nothing from those
| coming by other conveyance5. Finally
he got franchise to build a new street
car line, and when theS Southern Pacific
saw that he really intended to build it, it
came down to his terms of five cent fares.
| Then the fence was torn down, and all
the peoplesshout5d over him as the first
man ever TO beat the Southern Pacific.
None of the newspapers lad been sup.
porting him for mayor, but the tide al
once began to set his way. Then the old
party bosses made new com binations
But it was of no use. Sutro got 80, 67e
votes as againt 2S, 200 for the other candi
dates combined.
EFT has been a source of much delight
to Mr.. SutEo to entertain strangers In
California. When large parties OF invited
guests have driven but through Colder
Gate Park, they have seen him as they
approached his house, riding down on {
blooded horse. attended by groom, tt
greet the visitors; and when they have
inspected his grounds, the curiosities apt
works of art which he has collected, an(
particularly the great baths, he has taker
keen pleasure in setting before them, per
haps in tent ON the lawn, feast fit FOL
a king, with wines of the rarest vintage
and every other luxury to tempt even III
epicure. And all done, too, in modest
manner. When one is told that the blu'
Pacific dashes ON the cliffs just in TIN
rear, and on the rocks where the sea
comes year after year, and creeps up on