Arizona silver belt., 1905-03-30
BARTENDER TO MILLIONAIRE
Rise of Charles F. Murphy, the Tam-
 many Leader

York Contracting and Trucking com pany, with its millions of dollars worth of contracts, is now rated among New York's multi millionaires.
 Until the recent amazing disclosures of the real proportions of the business done by the contracting firm ms wealth was estimated at $2,OOO,OOO but now 1t is thought to be very much more.
 He made it all out of politics and the saloon business. The greater part Of it he has made in the last two years His income now is believed to exceed that of any leader Tammany ever had even Crocker's. Tammauy men say that, while Croker had many more sources of income than Murphy, he never had nything on the scale of the Murphy contracting business. Croker is said by John C.. Sheehau to have made $l, 800, 900 out of the Naus hton x Co.,, contract for changing the motive power on the surface car lines of this city, all in one year.
 Murphy is now living with all the outward evidence of man of wealth country home, Sl5,00O Italian tour ing car, and trips to Atlantic City, Mount Clemens, Hot Springs or what ever other expensive resort happens to strike his fancy.
 His latest fad Is his new country estate at Good Ground, l.. l., overlook ing Shinnecock Bay. Here he has bought l10 acres, with a magnificent view of the bay and only three min utes spin from the ocean. A hand some countfy villa, erected by a wealthy Wall street broker, is situated on the grounds, but this is being greatly improved and beautitied, and when summer comes the millionaire leader of Tammany Hall will have one of the pleasantest places on Long IS- land.
 The first store where Murphy made his debut as a bartender is now occu pied by an Italian green grocery, and above it are four floors of tenementS.
 Murphy did not remain bartender long. A year later he went over to the east side, where he was born, and opened beer saloon at 29S Avenue A. At that time he made his home at No 509 East Nineteenth street, in the Gas House district, where he has always lived.
 One year more and he opened an. other business at No. 5l Madison street, beer shop like the fest. Still in search of promising stand from which to develop hlS political aspira tions aud also recsive a good income, Murphy next opened a place at No.3Sl Avenue A. Then he went tO No. II East Twenty-tlird street. This latter place he ran for years, aud out of it is said to have made great deal of mon ey. His brother also had two saloons on Twenty third street, in the sam neighbOrhood, ,and the Murphy saloons were strong factors in the politics oi the district
 It was in 1885 that Murphy finally found the site he was looking fOr-a No. 345 Second avenue. There now i. the headquarters of the Tammauy or ganization of the district-the Ana wanda club. The building is smal Old-fashiOned one, three stories high The sidewalk in front is twenty feel wide and more-broad enough fo half the voters of the Gas House dis trict to stand on summer nights. Al the corner was lamp post which be came famous in th9 politics of the dis trict.
 The scene in front of this saloon be came unique. Like gathering at the country grocery store the Tam many men of the diStrict collected every night at the saloon, entering occasion ally to buy drinks.
 It became highly profitable busi ness and the nucleus oi strong polit ical power.
 Murphy was still running this saloor when he became dock commissioner and then his fortune began to rise by leaps. It was no longer the slow plod ding rise of the east side saloonkeeper He soon began to buy property and to figure as man of means.
 In the ice trust inquiry it was de YelOped that Murphy had $s0,000 (pa value) of ice trust stock. That his firs sale of this netted him $2l, 900 he ad mitted at the time. During the three years he was on the board all the prof itable contracts which started tht New York Contracting & Trucking company on it's road to fortune were made.
 How valuable these contracts have been to the Murphy contracting firu the World showed by it's disclosures O the receipts last week. The two pier, on the Hudson river that were leased