New-York tribune., 1907-04-28
HAMMERSTEIN THE BOY
Oscar Refuses to GrOzC old, Though
the Years Roll On.

Oscar Fammerstein is cigar machine inventor
= real estni" specuator Taudevile manager. n
composer, theatre builder an Impresario a
shrewd man OF business a reckless plungor a Jaw
a humorist. the father Of six children He talks i'm
whimsical epigrams and thinks I'm cigar machines
and opera houses. Dealing with receipts and cx-
perdltures that up TO 5000 a week So Tar as
anybody has ever been able 10 discover he keeps
no books His ledger is IN his head. and he tells
nobody how the balance stands Ask hin, for his
opinions, his dreams. his ideals and you get as
little Information. You get an answer but ~ Won
arr wise or hay" sense or humor you Will not
believe Il.
on his admission Mr. Hamnersten is ffty-
seven years old He born In Berlin and ran
away from home when he was hfteen he SAYS be-
cause his father whipped him with a skate strap
lie oawned the family violin for So 20 raise the
money To get 10 Liverpool and from there he
shipped 20 America on sailing vessel When he
reached New York he went To work in a Pearl
street ciGar factory FOR 81 week But nature
never intended him for the two-doar-a-week class
lie soon attracted attention by iuyentlng IA machine
for binding cigar hllcrs. "a work hitherto done nv
hand He says he got $500 for this invention from
Yankee over IN Newark named williams" the
same Williams having since according TO Ar Ham
merstein made millions out OF g. which seems
probable. II Williams a Yankee At any rate
Mr.. Hammerstein in the late 7os took the lease
OF the old Windsor Theatre. on the Bowery and ran
II Tor a while as n German play house Then hs
became silent partner OF Adolph NeuendorfT and
they leased the Gcrmauia Theatre In l4th street
now Tony Pastors, II here they brought
Heinrich Conried. a young actor from Germany
Such Is the whirligiE OF time Mr. Conried is now
director OF the rival Metropolitan Opera House and
tries 10 take away Hammerstein's teuors while
Oscar retaates by grabbing OF a soprano or two
And they do not kiss when they meet
ON the 3D. OF last December after weeks o9
frantic haste to complete the Manhattan Opera
House. during which he fell through II stair franc
and nearly broke his back. Oscar opened his thea
tre with performance of Il Puritani"
He had dOnned unaccustomed white gloves for
this occasion; it high water in mis-
life But when he got back of the he pulled
them on Iii OF his homemade cigars sat
calmly down in chair amid tho tumult of shifting
scenes aud ballet dancers and painted chorus men
and women and watched the panorama with twink
ling eyes. with the inscrutnble curiosity of a boy
And his Whimsical humor was restored To him
threefold. He bought automobiles he gave no
dinners. he changed his mode Of life not one whit
But he had his hat. of the vintage of 1S47 freshly
ironed and nightly took his in kitchen chair
behind the scenes. pufred at homemade cigar and
watched. through twinklng eyes. the machinery
of illusion working Once in a while he would 20
"out 'front.' and ait in empty box. but he com
planned that the tloket window had trick Of SELL
ing the box after he had got settled comfortably