The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-17

Celt Astoria enterprise II E4i~ut nave
succeeded but for the outbreak OF the
war OF 1872 The fact that he sank some
: some four million dollars in il without
Gripping MS resources is a sufficient inii-
cation % the wealth at his command
when tho &C. arse came.
AZ ;he beginning OF he present century
1 n. Aston had already commenced Luy-
ing ;rset. o. land in tire island of ~
/ haitian. These investments were made
I with such foresight In the Hnef of NUM-
I cipal expansion that he frequently Ie-
s2l1 the lots after a few years for double
or tribe ;he purchase price. He sh wed
even greater foresight in the matter e
rsts:Eing his owperships. Mr.. william
Vldcrf Aston. over his own name, Is au-
thori.y foi the statement that piece
OF farm property bought by his ereat-
grandfather in ISL for $500 IS row worth
with its improvements. S7,ooO,ooO.
In short, when John jacob Astor died.
March Il. 1916. his estate sas valued at
$20. oo0. 900. HIS name stands as an Illus
tration Of what New York can do Cor
shrewd and thrifty man who stakes all
his earnings upon the growth OF the city
The reason the Aston fortune has gone on
rolling up Its millions every year has
been that his successors have Initiated
his thrift and shrewdness IN banking up
on the same contingency
mr.. Astor in the Pail Mali Gazette has
fun with the amusing notion prevalent
IN America that by some queer rule of
he descendants no purchase has ever
been or ever can be parted with" (our
erstwhile uterateur seems TO have for
gotten the famous dlctum Of the old
grammar that a proposition Is a bad
word TO end sentence with" But this
by the way He declares that ''as a mat
ter Of fact the estate books records the
sale Of hundreds Of plots OF land during
the entire century. and II should require
no extraordinary acumen 20 perceive that
so silly ard narrow minded q rule could
only be imagined BY very silly and mar
row minded people
Mr. Aston. II It indeed be he who who
contributed some Of the Aston biograph-
les TO the Tribune book. had already ex-
patiated upon this and other errors in
what reads Ike an autobiographicai
sketch.
'In the midst Of the fudge which the
newspapers print about this (Astor) fam
lily. four mistakes deserve passing cor
rection. First. It is supposed that the As
tors delight in the foreclosure Of mort
cages The truth IS that foreclosure.
being sagreeable and Improbable pro-
cess, is resorted 70 only In rare Instances.
Second. it Is true that they are their own
Insurers against fire. Third. the assum2-
ton that much Of the fortune was de-
rived from the Astoria enterprise Is in
correct. that brilliant and romantic ven
ture having resulted In heavy loss. and.
last. the alleged rule never - sell zeal
estate. does not exist. Only narrow /
minded and Impractical men would Inn .
agine so silly a rule
THE first John jacob Astor was con /
tinuaHy selling horses and land when 4
ever they could be disposed % ar large I
profit. HIS son and grandson did che I
same az they found & expsdient. Tho I
subject OF this sketch sold million dol /
lars worth Of unp-gmisiuZ tenement /
house property in 800 and &, g. not rash /
tn say that ne Il always ready 70 part .
with any % his New York real estate for +
double lts value.
John Jacob Astor The first. left three
chlidren-Johu Jacob Astor p william +
Aston and The wife - Tincent 4
Runpn. or John Jacob Aztor the sec-
onA e is briefly but s1cclnctIy recorde3 !
In the Tribune series that che received I
Injuries IN re head while riding whieh 4
unsettled his mind 10 wrote some cred
table verzss after that. however. lived far 4
many years on what was then farm On 4
street near Ninth avenue
the tract extending 20 what is now Fff-
tenth street and died when ahaai Esy-
enty." william p. Astor. the sec9ai con.
inherited ere bulk - The estate A. far
back AZ 1sso be bad been admitted 70
partnership bv his father and became an
.Tcseat factor 81 4 trade thai already
sacircled the gioae-
After hlz fsther'a death. ~ derrofr3
b -1seI. 20 IRE preEervat}on an develop
rent z the Arr1- estate. He vas ore
= ;he most actlvs builders - his reaer-
AEON. !, was assd In f-G7 fhat he had
Inherited and bs1t seven hundrsi end
za7tv 8zelffrrs ard rtares is this c4fr.
-vaen ~ died Sove-5eT = - the
main p.ortlon % rs sszte zss <lFtdei
.qua7lv t,stwsaa SIS s7ns. JOIN Jaeoo tae
ht-a aad wHl.zn AHfor
John JACOB -ae talrd (ises-isssi lsft a.
ais Fsn.tae present. EgEiis-a wzisarf
,~tor Erfllsu Asfsr eLss-s-i had for
.snrAse-s al o-e ssu- re present Gil
es7 Ia-9s Aetar. tns fosfsa q ths
.zule-
yTgsis-- gra1so-f Azfor as tsea .ak~n
10 re aface of ne Astor estate FRI is1l
I, re zrr e. rreatr-sh~ee Here 49,
- Trasne aook. re zas ls.striscfs3 81
very b-z-eh o. tszs.nesz roes1as Ehieh
~ gr1aaalsr been seTsgoEe1 irta "a
ss-s-a-s as cesnp-easszsTs sgstsl- sas
ras SEE zaout ihs city wHh 80
la2 rn.n - k-sw AZ tse family proser-
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~ that fs-se - aF1eE - s@e AEer
sac uas 81 a ra-asssskss soass - 80
Prince street. Szs; - BysassaY PAR
: ne 5zgzszE ae@ eecgpsss - asEsrz
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