Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-01-08
ENORMOUS WEALTH .
THIS is NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY or
MuLTI-MiLLlONAlRE


TIE Jmmenss Prosecutions of the Czar of
All the RussIas-Other Foreigners Who
Rank With Oar Americans Of Wealth.
Impossible to Calculate their Wealth.
The death of the Russian Gen. Alex
ander Basilewski serves to recall how
very little Is known in this country Of
the existence in the old world Of mill
lionaires, besides whose wealth even
that of the Goulds. the vanderbilts,
the Astors and the Rockefellers sink
into comparative insignifcance. True,
1t Is not wealth that is so extensive
ly advertised in the public press as
that of the great American Multi Mil
lionaires, and hence is but little heard
of outside their own country.
Yet l doubt II there is any American
or English millionaires whose riches
are so boundless as those for instance
of the late NJ Baseliwski. His fortune
was simply incalculable. and his gold
mines in Siberia, which have been in
his family for generations, and which
are famous for the richness OF their
ore, for their splendid org anization
and which are practically lnexnaust-
IDLE, constitute only a portion of the
estate which he leaves divided among
his four sisters, nothing being left
to his divorced wife, who was the
cause of such Sensational lawsuit In
ST. Petersburg and at Paris some
twenty years ago. Most of the large
sturgeon fisheries in Russia belong to
him, and his estates in Orenberg and
Smolensk are the size Of the Kingdoms.
He came to Paris shortly after the
Crimean war, in which he distinguish
ed himself and from that time forth
made his home in the French capitol.
1t was his friend, Prince Soltykoff,
who first turned his attention to art,
and who inspired him with the passion
of his life. From that time forth the
general devoted most Of his time to
the formation of collection, which
was perhaps the finest in Europe. his
unlimited wealth being Joined tG I'M
rivaled taste and soundness of judg-
ment
Il U mousse Ills LTedSuICS uC Oullt LIZ
palace which formerly bore his name,
but which is now known as the palace
Of Castillo, in the Avenue Kleber, and
which is to-day the Partisan residence
of Queen Isabella of Spain.
At the time of his divorce from his
wife he determined to get rid both Of
his art collection and of his house.
The art collection he presented to
Emperor Alexander H., and it now
constitutes the principal attraction OF
the imperial museum of the Hermitage
Palace at st. Petersburg. At the same
time he sold the palace itself to Queen
Isabella, who Is it's present owner.
Equally inexhaustible is the wealth
Of the Demidoffs, which also consists
in great part of mining property, this
house enjoying almost the monopoly
of malachfte and lapislabuli, besides
possessing gold and silves mines in
Russia of great richness.
Then, too. there are the Yousoupoffs,
who control almost the entire output
of turquoises In the world. This, how
ever, being merely an incidental feat
ure of the many resources OF the rev.
enue of the Princess Yousoupof, who
is now the sole heiress of the entire
property, and whose husband (who
was permitted by the late car to as
sumo her name and title) is a descend
ed in the third generation from an
American of the name of Elton, who
entered the service of Car Paul at the
close of the last century.
Similarly incalculable is the fortune
of the emperor of Russia, the income
from which is estimated at some 3d.
000, 900 per annum. But this Is prob
ably below the actual figure, for it
must be borne In mind that among
the personal estates of the car are
several huge tracts of territory each
as big as the state of New York, and
Astounding in mineral wealth only in
the early stages of development
Little is known in this country, too,
of the extent of the colossal wealth of
the late Archduke Albert, of Austria,
whose estates comprised goodly por-
ton OF the entire empire, and who
owns something life fifty per cent. of
all the big manufactures and indus
trial establishments in the dominions
of his nephew, Emperor Francis
Joseph.
In his case, as in,that of the Russian
millionaires mentioned, 1t is lit
orally impossible to calculate his Tor
tune with any degree Of precision,
since a portion of it consists in min
ing property. But it is known that he
left in seady money sum amounting
to some s5O0.oo0,o00.
There are some German noblemen,
especially in Silesia, such as the Prince
of Pless, Prince Pluckler and Count
Henckel Dennersmarek,w whose revenues
exceed even those of the English duke
of Westminster, who has an ever in
creasirg income of about $S,o00,000 a
year and whose one dread is that he
and his family are doomed to die in
q poorhouse.
During the few days that preceded
the Official deposition of Khedive Is
mail of Egypt, and after he had al
ready received private information
from Constantinople of the fate that
was in store for him, long trains of
ammunition wagons loaded with spice
and precious stones made their way
across the desert from Cairo to Suez
by night under strong escort of per-
sonal guards OF the Ihedive.
1t is estimated that he carried away
with him 500, ooo, 900 on that occasion,
In addition to the property which he
had already entrusted to various Euro
pean banks. and in addition also to his
enormous landed estates, which the
Egyptian government subsequently
purchased from him at cost Of an
othar R1h ono 400