The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-06
ADDISON CAMMACK DEAD.
The Once Famous Wall street Man
Expires in New York.


NEW YORK. Feb. 5.-Addison Cam
mack. for years a weIl-known figure in
Wall Street. died at his home. 81 West
Forty-ninth Street. at noon today. He
was seventy-four years old. The cause
OF death was Bright's disease
Mr.. Cammack had been confined to his
home for more than a month Two weeks
ago, when he was reported to be very ILL.,
members of his family said they thought
he would soon be able to be 10 again.
His condition did not improve and he
sank steadily.
Mr. Cammack has left in Wall Street
the impression of a singularly forcefui
character. No man is better remembered
than he and OF no one are there more
stories told. He was never generally
popular but he had his cronies who were
loyal to him and who rated him as a
heart of gold.'' Mr.. Cammack was a
Kentuckian whose father had left Vir-
sinia to settle In the bluegrass region. He
worked on his fathers farm until he was
sixteen years old and then he went down
the Mississippi River to New Orleans and
| there found employment in the shipping
house of G. p. Whitney & Co.
At the beginning of the civil war he
was the head of the house and the Arm
name was Cammaek G Converse.
When Cammack saw that the war was
coming on ne made up his mind that the
business OF ship broker was not a good
one, so he went to Havana. where he was
engaged in running the blockade which
the Federal Government established along
the Southern coast. He was daring and
lucky. Like the rest OF the blockade run
ners he took in munitions Of war and took
out cotton. At the eiieeSsS OF the civil war
Mr.. CammaelI returned to New York and
went into the whisky business. He was
successful. but certain changes in the in
ternal revenue laws made the business
Improbable and he sold out and went to
Europe. Three years later he came back
to New York determined to go into Wall
Street. He associated himself with what
was then known as the Twenty-third
Street gang" consisting of William B.
Travers. George Osgood. and Ben Carver.
This widely-known and powerful party
was not bound by partnership. 1t was
like secret society with a compulsory
harmony of action and individual inde-
pendence of means toward an end Cam
mack became the leader and they all made
money. They were all bears, and many
disastrous raid was planned at their head
quarters.
In 1875 Mr.. Cammack entered the stock
exchange. Although naturally bear and
I
earned the name of "Ursus sisjOT, he
was ready to be bull when he saw ~
/ coming. On more than one occasion this
disposition saved him from humiliation.
He had remarkably intimate knowl dse
/ of the inside working of the raiiTcad
/ He often got hold of reports of the de-
! crease in the earnings of a road before
! the directors did. When he did this the
/ results were lively.
| Cammack continued his. operations in
/ the street until the panic of 1893 and
! held his own with the rising powers. In
! that year he made a splendid coup on
/ the falling market. but he held on too
| long. and it was snid was badly hurt
when the market picked up. After that
/ he was changed man. Before he had
/ been playing 4 big game. Now he dealt
( in very small blocks. and with the utmost
/ caution. In 1897 he sold his seat on the
/ stock exchange and retired.
! Mr.. Cammack married Miss Mary Hill
| dreth, Of Washington, D. C. He was then
/ ffty-nine years old. His bride was
young woman. The marriage was a sur
! prise to his friends as he had been looked
upon as a hopeless bachelor.
His wealth was variously estimated at
1 the different periods of his life. When he
/ was on the top wave of success he was
/ said to be worth S6.O00.000 or $1,000 600.
/ He probably did not take as much as this
/ out of the street Reports credit him
/ with having turned over to his wife more
Z than 81. Geo. G0 which she would never
1 permit him to encroaeh upon in any Of his
1 speculations. - =
| OF late years Mr.. Cammack had lived
with his family at 81 West Forty-ninth
| Street He leaves, besides a widow. two
| children