The sun., 1900-08-15
COILS P. HUNTINGTON.

Huntington family at once sent cable
gram to London to the Princess Hatz-
feldt, his adopted daughter The princess
was already booked to sail for New
York on the White Star liner Majestic.
Wall street took the announcement of
Mr.. Huntington's death very quietly, and
the news had practically no effect on the
market. He had not been an active
speculator for many years, and his large
holdings of securities We're investments
and not carried on margin.
Career of Mr.. Huntington.
Mr.. Huntington started in life without
a dollar and died worth so much that
his possessions could be estimated only
indefinitely as worth Millions" He was
intimately connected with the business
life of the entire country, as his belong
ingS were scattered from ocean to ocean.
The monumental work of his career was
the building Of the Central Pacific rail
road. With all his wealth, he never ceas-
cd to labor, and death found him still one
Of the virile forces of finance.
This man, whose life story seems like
a romance, was born 1T Harwinton,
Conn, Oct. %. 1921. He was Of the
same family that produced Samuel Hunt
pcndence, president of the continental
congress. governor and chief Justice of
Connecticut. The family also gave to
the world Bishop l.. y. Huntington and
Daniel Huntington, the famous painter.
The father OF AIr. Huntington was Il
farmer and, like many another Yankee.
made little articles Of novelty for sale
during the winters to help out
,f / fitft mil
lionairc quit school, his father agreed
that if he would support himself entirely
thereafter he might have for himself all
he could earn. This offer was taken up,
and the boy came to New York at once
and bought enough goods on credit to set
up n store near home.
While carrying on his little business as
a youth he Travelled much through The
middle states and the south. At % he
went into business with his brother al
Oneonta, Otsego county, this state. He
was married soon afterward. In 0c-
tober, 1913, the brothers made a ship
ment of goods to California, and next
spring Coils followed. He Joined the
army of gold hunters by way of the
isthmus. He fingered on the isthmus for
three months and then proceeded to San
mento. In the latter city he decided to
make start and, in company with Mark
Hopkins, set up hardware store in a
tent.
That store made a fortune for the
partners and is today one of the insti-
tutions of the city under the firm name
of Huntington 4 Hopkins.
Great Railroad Planned.
It was in this store that the plans for
a transcontinental railroad were origi-
mated and perfected by Mr.. Huntington.
and his partners, Leland Stanford and
Charles Crocker all united in paying the
expenses of Il preliminary survey across
the mountains. In 1886 these men or
ganized the Central Pacific Railroad
company, with Mr.. Stanford president
and Mr.. Huntington vice president. In
that capacity lie went to Washington and
put through congress the bill authoriz-
ing the construction of the road and con-
tributing bonds to help in the construc-
ton The day the bill was signed he
telegraphed TO his partners:
"The bill has passed and we have
drawn the elephant"
Before the charter could become avail
able the company had to raise $1,000 a
mile. This money Mr.. Huntington got
in this city at once by the use of his
wonderful credit. He and his compan-
ions then began the construction of the
road and completed with private capital
enough mileage to make the federal
bonds available.
With this road as a nucleus, Mr.. Hun
tington designed and built the entire
California system, which has now over
1900 miles of steel tracks. He also built
an Atlantic system that, with the South
ern Pacific and Chesapeake and Ohio,
forms continuous line between Newport
News and San Francisco of 1000 miles.
Not satisfied with the conquest of a
continent, Mr.. Huntington made his road
world influence by extending it by
steamship from Newport News to Lon
don and from San Francisco to China.
The great shipyard at Newport News
is also child of his brain. 1t was in
this yard that the huge battleships Ken
lucky and Kearsarge were built.