The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-03-04

whole Pacific frontage unconnected with excepting by
ties of blood and interest-and enjoying like
u.s. the rights of selfgoverment."
company was formed and two expeditions set out
for the mouth of the Columbia river. by land and
the other by
The land expedition barely got through alive-it was
perilous undertaking. with accidents by flood and field
But the route by the water feasible.
The town founded and became center OF
commercial activity Had Astor been the ground to
take personal charge city like Seattle would have
bloomed and blossomed the Pacific so years ago.
There grand grab at Astoria and it was each
for himself and the devil take the hndermost; it was
stampede System and order went by the board. The
strongest stole the most, usual, but all got little
And England's gain in citizens our loss
Astor lost million dollars by the venture. He smiled
calmly and said "The plan was right but my men were
weak that is all. The gateway to China will be from
the northwest. My plans were right Time will Vndi
cate my reasoning"
Barclay streets was cleared of it's plain twostory
houses, preparatory to building the Astor house. wise
men shook their heads and said Its too far town.
But the bus that met all boats solved the diff
Guilty gave the to hotel all the world
Astor worth ten Million but he took personal de-
light in sitting in the lobby Of the Astor house and
watching the dollars roll into this palace that his brain
had planned.
Aston was TALL thin and commanding in appearance
He had only hallucination and that was that hs
spoke the Egsh language The accent he possessed at
80 with him in all it's pristine efulgence at 85 mo
pody would know Cherman-andt it?" he used
to say Yet where John Jacob wrote it English with
out flaw.
In all of his dealings he was uniquely honorable and
upright. He paid and he made others pay His word
his bond. He not charitable in the sense OF
ndiscrminate giving "To give something for nothing
is to weaken the gver of his favorite sayings
That this attitude protected misery spirit is
to say but is not wholly true In his later he
carried with him book containing a record OF his
possessions He would visit certain piece of property
then turn to his book and what had cost him
ten twenty years before. To realize that his pro-
phetc vision had been correct to him
of satisfaction.
His habits were of the best He went to bed at nine
o'clock was up before six. At he at his
office He knew enough to eat sparingly and to walk
he never sick Milonaires. as rule woefully
ignorant. Up to certain sum, they grow with theiE
acquisitions Then they begin wither at the heart
The of fortune is penalty. 1 advise the gentle
reader to think twice before accommodating ten millions
John Jacob Astor exceptional in his combined
love of money and love of books FitzGreen Halleck
his private secretary hired basis of literary
friendship. Washington Irving was close friend, too
Astor died, aged &c. 1t a natural death-a thing
that very seldom The machinery all ran down
at
William B. Astor, the of John Jacob, brought
up in the financial way he should CO. He studous,
methodca, conservative, and had the good to
carry out the wishes of his father His John Jacob
Aston, much like him. only of more neutral
tint The time is now ripe for another genius in the
Asor family If William B. Astor lacked the courage
and initiative Of his parent, he had culture and
spoke English without accent. The of John
Jacob Aston, second, is William Waldorf Astor who
speaks English with an English accent, you know.
John Jacob Astor besides having the first store for
the sale of musical instruments in America organized
the first orchestra Of IL players He brought
leader from Germany did foster the love
of music in the New World.
Every worthy Maecaenas imagines that he is great
painter writer sculptor musician side tracked by
thrust upon him by unknd fate John Jacob AS.
tor told Washington Irving that it only bus'
responsibility that prevented his being novelist;
and at other times he declared his intent to take up
music profession as he had gotten all of
his securities properly tied And whether he worked
his not there is doubt but that they
added his peace happiness and length of days Happy
who escapes the critics by leaving his liter
airy masterpiece in the ink