Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-14
- = 10 . - q = > . 80 5 : =
NOTES ABOUT VANDERBILT.
. Many Anecdotes and Facts About q
!. Most Remarkable Son OF Most Re-
markable Family.


Many Anecdotes and Facts About !.
Most Remarkable Son OF a Most Re- !. |
markable Family. j.
!: !: ~.
( Cornelius Vanderbilt was worth s115,-
100000. His family's wealth aggregated
$500 900.
Riding ten hours a day in a railroad
train averaging forty miles an hour, in
GLIDING all stops, it would have taken
him forty-four days to have passed over
every mile Of track owned by his fam
lily.
In considering the Vanderbilt railroad
holdings it must be taken into account
that while they do not own the Union
Pacific nor the Oregon Short Line, their
holdings in the stocks and bonds OF
these roads are so large that they yir-
tually are managed on the Vanderbilt
plan and work in harmony with the
out-and-out Vanderbilt roads, This be-
ing the case, in reality the family con-
troll system OF roads that extends
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and
which traverses twenty-one states of
| the union
| Cornelius Vanderbilt, known as
| Commodore" Vanderbilt amassed a
| fortune of a hundred millions or more,
which was largely inherited by William
H., the eldest son, and which in turn
fell to the late Cornelius, grandson of
| the first Cornelius, and eldest son OF
William H.
One day in, the summer of 1875 Com
4 modore Vanderbilt, sitting with party
| of friends, said:
Any fool can make fortune; it
takes a man of brains to hold on to it
after it is made"
1t is not to be wondered at that both
he and his son William H. sought by all
4 means to educate the family how to
keep what had been won. When the
commodore died he bequeathed Corneli-
us $4,000, 900 as a testimonial of affection
and appreciation. Cornelius showed his
ability to keep what he had by trebling
the bequest within five years after it
came into his possession His abilities
as financier. executive officer and
practical railroad man were universally
admitted. When he had been ten years
in control of the Vanderbilt affairs it
was said of him:
4 I'm mental equipoise he is as much
the superior of his grandfather as in
conservatism he is the superior of hi.:
i father
4 He was first vice president of the New
York Central before the death of his
father, and when he came into the full
. swing of his fortune he was careful to
place his Investments along the same
line that his father had. He kept UP the
old traditions
What is once Vanderilt property is
always Vanderbilt property
DeSDite his fathers wealth. C'Orneli,,s
went through the common schools. and
then entered a bank as an ordinary
clerk. He worked early and late, saved
his money, made investments where
! large return was almost certain, anC
declined a trip to Europe with his
grandfather because he felt that hi
could not afford to lose his salary. Hi:
: reply so pleased the old commodore tina
ne secured the boy position in tn,
Nissan Brothers bank, where he re
: manned until called by his father to tn,
: management of the Harlem road
4 The Vanderbilt fortune. from whicl
: Cornelius got his start, was founded il
the transportation business, although
not in the same line in which it late
i, was built up. AT the age of 16 Carneli
us the elder was running a steamboat
which he owned, between his home OF
Staten Island and New York city
, Government Notifications We're bein,
) built then and the transportation of la
borers furnished an occupation for tn
: little boat. Al night the boat was use,
: for transportation of supplies to a for
up the Hudson and another at the Mar
e rows. In this way was started the for
tune now supposed TO amount to NOR
q than Sl00o00,000 and transportation
q system that reaches out over half tn
J continent.
Business prospered and the youn
Commodore" became owner of tw
4 vessels and captain of a third At TIL
!. age of % he was posssssors of $4,000. Ste
). by step he gained prestige until he be
: came the leading steamboat man of tn
country. building and operating steam
boats on the Hudson river. on Lon
$ island sound. and on the routes to Bos
" ton and Philadelphia. 1t was in Isl
: that he conceived the idea of broaden
# ing operations and including the cont
nent in a system such as he had inst
!. tuted along the coast.
Later in life he gave up shipping If
y terests and purchased the railroad
which increased the fortune of nor
than si0.0Oo,oOO accumulated in til
DuSlut7s. TIC loulutu. dI
!, derblt University, and died on Jan.
: 1877.
Mr.. yanderblt1s personal histor.
aside from business relations, was n,
- an eventful one, although of some il
terest. He was married at the age of
years to Miss Alice Gwynne, the daugf
:. ter of a wealthy Cincinnati lawye
:, Their children numbered five, the ele
). est, William II. Jr., dying while in co
:. lege at Yale.
- Mr.. Vanderbilt met his future Wi
while enjoying summer vacation. Mi.
Gwynne had been abroad, and on h,
return was spending a few weeks wi,
her mother, who was an invalid, at Sa
= atoga. She had been educated from
: young women's school at the age of
and had completed her education /
N two years of study in music and a
E while abroad She became the belle
~ the season at Saratoga, and when II
young bank clerk on his vacation sa
o1 her he fell in love al once. 1t was
ST July when young Vanderbilt came
Saratoga, and Miss Gwynne's presen
OF there made the place SO attractive th
he remained until September. When
left he had the promise of Miss Gwynl
that she would become his wife. tt
consent of both families was obtaint
readily.