Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-05-21

time was me nome port OF great fleet
of American whaiers. That was before
the days II oil wells, and in the hey
day Of the sperm OIL trade. Young Rog,
ers knocked about among the whalers
and oil rehnerieS with his eyes open anC
an increasing appreciation Of the com,
mercial values OF oil. Then came the
discovery Of coal oil in Pennsylvania, al
event that instantly took the life out
of the sperm oil industry. Rogers iOineC
profitable employment. Here he begaI
to give evidence Of the genius for organ
izatiOn and executive ability that later
was to make him a multl-milionaire
He was prolific of ideas for saving anC
marketing the product Of the wells. and
some Of the ideas were 50 good that he
was employed by one Of the big opera
tors TO carry them out. This employ
ment gave him confidence in himself
and stimulated him to new endeavOrs.
Rogers finally proposed a scheme
which, at that time, was most daring.
This was that the owners of all produc.
ing wells should pool their product and
market it through one concern, the puT.
pose being by controlling the output, res
ducing the cost of handling, fixing a IN.
form cost for certain grades and stop
ping competition, to increase profits
Some Of the larger operators took ut
the proposition and this was the inceP
ton of the Standard Oil company. Be
fore long Rogers conceived the idea Of
buying out all the small producers anC
organizing the larger ones into combi
nation that would control the oil trade OF
the country. The capital was found anC
the project was carried out as far rs
the refusal of certain producers to sell
would permit. Then it was that Mr.
Rogers, so it is said, invented the plaI
to freeze out by underselling and dis
elimination all who refused to come
into the combination.
Many Demand His Service.
With his wonderful executive ability
once recognized Mr.. Rogers was in de
mand for many big enterprises. There
was the matter of putting the Standard
Oil cOmpanyS products into all the mar
kets of the world, and Mr.. Rogers had q
hand in the successful accomplishment OF
this task. Then there were competitors
abroad to be eXterminated. Later Mr.
Rogers came into prominence in connec
ton with his vast copper operations il
the Montana and other fields. He also
held heavy financial interests in various
banks, insurance companies, gas cOmpa,
MES and street railways.
Before Thomas w. Lawson began his
magazine attacks on him, some six OF
eight years ago, Mr.. Rogers was known
in the world of finance but comparative
ly little beyond the domain Of dollars
His actual power, to the world at large
was obscured somewhat by the name OF
Rockefeller This suited Rogers, who
stunned notoriety. He was satisfied tC
manipulate and grow enormously rich
without attracting personal attention tC
himself His wealth has been estimated
at close to 100000.
Mr.. Rogers was never known as one
of the nations very rich men who went
in for any special form of charity OF
philanthropic work. His sentimental
fondneSs for the town of his birth, how.
ever, was evidenced by his lavish expen.
ditUre of money for Fairhaven. To his
native town he gave more than $4,000,
600 for the erection of municipal build
ings, the laying out of streets and parks
to say nothing of his generous gifts tC
poor and needy residents. He gave tC
the town the Rogers school, built at q
cost of 100000, and a high school build.
ing which cost $750,000. A town hal
cost another 100000. AS a monument
to his DAUGHTER he erected the Milliceni
Rogers library, costing $350,000 and as
a memorial to his mother. Mrs. Mary
Eldredge Rogers, he built the First Uni
tartan church and its elegant parsonage
costing $1,OOO,OO0.
Was Twice Married.
Mr. Rogers was twice married. Hi.
first wife, by whom he had three daugh
tiers and a son, was Abbie T. Clifford OF
Fair Haven. She died in 1893. On June
4, 1896, Mr. Rogers, then IS years old
married Emelle Augusta Randel, daugh
ter of Il diamond merchant in New York
venture IN the matrimonial way. He
first had been unhappy, and she hac
been divorced from her first husband
Luclus K. Hart, a metal broker, only {
short time when he accepted Mr.. ROg
erS.
Mr.. Rogers had a magnificent tow
house at the corner of Fifth avenue anC
Fifty eighth street, and his country home
at Fairhaven cost him more than 81,
100000 and is one of the show point.
of New England. But nothing he ever
did in or for the town of his birth Great
ed the sensation he made when, in 1896
he made a trip to Fairhaven and pre-
sented petition to the selectpen tia
he be made superintendent of streets
The salary was So a day and the wOrl
more than any man of millions woulC
want to give to it. He was promptly
elected super" to the CONSERVATION OF
the first families of Fairhaven and tC
the disgust Of most of the other families
each of which had a member that want
ed the job himself. Previous to tina:
time the streets of the town had beer
neglected. Mr.. Rogers was an enthusi
astic wheelman. Thus. in a small way
he was being thwarted in a desire. Witt
characteristic prOmptness he applied the
same aggressive methods in this as in {
deal involving tens of millions.
Is Given the Job.
On his election as ''super" he got on,
the snow plows and kept the streets
clear of snow. This was followed by :;
general cleaning-up, repairing and over
hauling of the streets when the weather
permitted. He gave Fairhaven the bes
streets boasted by any New England
town. On another occasion the UniOI
Street Railroad company, which owned
the plant furnishing transportation tt
New Bedford and Fairhaven, having
been given a permit to build an extern
sion to the Fairhaven road and pro
ceeding only as far as to pile up som,
rails and ties. learned the Rogers meth
DDS of doing business. He had seen tn,
rails and supplies and didn't like tn,
dilatory tactics of the management. Rid
ing up to the door of the office in whici
the directors were holding a meeting
Mr.. Rogers called through the door tha
if the extension wasn't built in short or
der he would buy enough of the stock o.
the road to control it and build it him
self. The next dav 100 men We're a
work on the line
TO BE BURIED AT FAIRHAVFN.