Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-08
NEWS IN BRIEF.
John Blair Of BlairstOwn,

"e"'h Of One of the Most Remarkable
wen OF the Country at the Age OF o.
---bullt over ~ Railroads and Am.ss
ed +" Fortune Of $40, ZOO, 900 to SEQ
100000.
John l Blair, 81, one of the richest man
IN tne United States died Friday night AT
ms home in Blairstown, N. j. He was
porn near Belvedere, N j., and until II
years old his life was that of an ordinary
farmers boy He then went to work in
the general store of his cousin at Hone. N
a., and at 10 opened store of his own at
years.
His first large speculation was the pur-
cuase Oh an apparently valueless cargo of
600. INV u Si''-
MIR. Blair aided the first attempts to make
IRON WIN anthracite coal at Slocum Hollow,
aiterward Scranton, Pa, and became in
Cerested In the Scranton coal and iron COM
pany This company obtained a charter
tor railroad from Scranton to Great Rand
called Leggett's railroad, and which was To
connect with the Erie railroad This was
the real beginning of the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna aud Western railroad. In all the
successive stages in the building of the road
MIR. Blair was the master spirit. Before
the war there was little or no demand for
iron, but Mr.. Blair's company, with won
deItul sagacity, went right on manufactur-
ing 1t and piing it up Suddenly iron rail
rose 800, $50 and then 500 a ton: Mr.
Blair, IN referring to it, said: "There is
no gold mine in the world that could have
yielded money faster than our iron works
did then"
In 1899 Mr.. Blair was in Iowa and ex-
amined the route of railroad which had a
very large land grant. The projectors ap.
| Piled to him for 40 miles of rails The iron
company would furnish them on the secur-
ity of the land and bonds The directors
thought scheme to build railroad in that
remote country utterly visionary, but Mr.
| Blair, with his wonderful foresight, CON
clu ed he would furnish the iron himself
After he had delivered some of it he learn
ed that the projectors we're issuing unearn-
ed bonds to themselves and were otherwise
defrauding him. Upon threatening to take
back his iron, they agreed to place every
thing in his hands and to allow him to build
the 40 miles of road. He did so, and after
ward built more, making 1870 miles all told,
having in the meantime made Cakes Ames
his partner in the undertaking. The roads
at once did a tremendous business, on &C
count of the great tide of immigration
West, which was then just beginning.
This was the first demonstration of the
real scope of Mr.. Blair's genius for great
enterprises. He next joined Cakes Ames
and others in getting the charter of the
Union Pacific railroad, and built the first
100 miles westward from Omaha.
After this he built in rapid succession %
or more railroads in different parts of the
country but largely in the West. His sys-
TEN was first to construct roads on cash
payments only, then to lease them from 30
to SO per cent ON their earnings, and final
ly to sell them when he could get his ice.
In 1868 the Republicans of New Jersey
persuaded him to run for governor. The
campaign is said to have cost him 500, 1000,
and the Democratic candidate was elected
Mr.. Blair had not been particularly ac-
tive in business affairs for the past four
years, but not until year ago did old age
compel him to give up his business. He
made money for his own pleasure. He
spent it for the pleasure of others. He had
always been of philanthropic nature and
a generous friend of education. He gave
more than $500, 900 to Blair college. He
gave 500, 900 each to Princeton and Lafay-
cite. He rebuilt Grinnell college, Iowa,
when it was blown down by tornado.
Hundreds of other institutions have been
helped by him
His success was marvellous, and he leaves a
fortune estimated at between $40, OOO, 600,
and $60,000,0 600 He was widower with
two living children. His daughter married
Charles Scribner, head of the well-known
publishing house.