The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-03-03

tatons and Aston hadn't
Hence after three years apprenticeship, Astor
knew all that did and all he himself could imag
Inc besides. So he resigned.
In 1856 John Jacob Astor began business his own
account Water street, New York
had made friends with the Indians up the Hud
to Albany and they were acting as recruiting
agents for him
Having collected several thousand dollars worth OF
furs he shipped them 10 London and embarked as pas
scnEeT IN the Storage.
In London furs were becoming fad Astor sorted
and sifed his buyers, he had his skins lie himself
dressed In suit OF fur and thus proved his ability as
an advertiser. He picked his and charged all the
talc would bear All Of the money he received for his
skins he invested in "ndia> goods" -coored cloth,
beads blankets, knives. ana musical instruments.
His was the first store in New York that carried a
stock Of musical Instruments These he sold to
also he supplied the stod Dutch the best Of every
thing in this particular line, from bazoo to stradi'
varus
When he got back to New York he at struck out
through the wilderness TO buy furs Of the Indians,
better stI interest them in bringing furs to him.
lie knew the value OF friendship in trade as no man
OF the time did
In 1890 John Jacob Astor married Sarah Todd Her
mother was a Breyoort and It was brought about by
her coming to Astor to buy furs with which to make
herself Her ability to judge fus and make them
up brought young Aston into the best Dutch New York
society" combination that quite exclusive then
This marriage business partnership well as
martial and proved a in every way Sarah was
a worker with all the good old Dutch qualities OF pa
tlcnCe, persistence, INDUSTRY ana eCOnOHy NHeu h'
husband trips she kept store.
Capt Cook had shirtcd the Pacific coast from Cape
Alaska and had brought to the attention of the
fur dealing and wearing world the otter Of the
northern Pacific. He also gave psychological pro-
phctic glimpse OF the insdious sealskin sack.
In 1890 ship from the Pacific brought hundred
otter skins to New York The skins were quickly sold
to London buyers at exOrbitant prices.
The nobility wanted otter royal American
ermine," they called it, The scarcity doomed the
price Ships quickly fitted out and dispatched
encouraged these expeditions, but AT first in
vested no money in them, he considered them extra
hazardous" He not n Spectator.
Until the year 1900 Astor lived over his store in
Water but he then moved to the plain and modest
house 223 Broadway the site of the old Astor house
Here he lived for % years.
The fur business simple and very profitable.
In owned three ships which he had bought
absolutely to control his trade. AscertainnG that
London dealers reshipping turs to China. early in
the century he dispatched one Of his ships oaded with
frs directly the orient with explicit written nsruc
lions the captain what the cargo should be sold
for The money to be invested in teas and silks
The ship sailed away and had been gone year.
No tidings had come from her.
Suddenly n messenger with the that the
ship was in the bay. We imagine the interest Of
MIR. and Mrs. Asor they locked their store and
to the Battery Sure enough it was their ship.
The profit this voyage $4,000
BY 1910 John Jacob Astor was worth s2OOOOOO He
began all his surplus money in New York
estate He bought acreage property in the vicinity Of
Canal street Next he bought Richmond Hill the
of Aaron Burr II consisted OF 100 acres just about
Twenty-third street He paid for the land thousand
dollars an acre. People said Astor crazy
In years he began TO sell lots from the Richmond
Hill property the rate of 5000 Fortunately
for his estate he did not sell much of the land at this
price for 1t is this particular dirt that makes up that
vast property known as the Aston estate"
During the revolutionary Roger Morris Of Put.
county ~ Y. made the mistake of siding with the
Tories and expressing himself too freely mob col.
lected and Morris and his family escaped taking ship
England.