Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-03-03

whole Pacific frontage, unconnected with us excepting py
ties of blood and common interest-and enjoying hKe
us, the rights of self-goverment"
A company was formed and two expeditions set out
for the mouth of the Columbia river, one by land ana
the other by sea.
The land expedition barely got through alive-it was
a perilous undertaking, with accidents by flood ana neid'
But the route by the water was feasible.
The town was founded and soon became a center OF
commercial activity. Had Astor been on the ground TO
take personal charge a city like Seattle would nave
bloomed and blossomed on the PACING 5o years ago
There came a grand grab at Astoria and it was each
for himself and the devil take the hindermost; it was a
stampede. System and order went by the board me
strongest stole the most, as usual, but all got a NIUE.
And England's gain in citizens was our loss.
Astor lost a 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 VIII Vindf
cate my reasoning"
When the block on Broadway bounded by Vesey and
Barclay streets was cleared of its plain two-story
houses, preparatory to building the Astor house, wise
men shook their heads and said, Its too FAR up town.
But the free bus that met all boats solved the diff
Guilty and gave the cue to hotel men all over the world.
Aston was worth ten million, but he took a 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.
Astor was tall, thin and commanding in appearance.
He had only one hallucination and that was that ne
spoke the Eglish language. The accent he possessed at
80 was with him in all its pristine %effulgence at 30. NO
DOdy would know L vas q Cnerlndu -dluu L IL! nc uoo
to say. Yet where John Jacob wrote it was English with
out a flaw.
In all of his dealings he was uniquely honorable and
upright. He paid and he made others pay. Ills word
was his bond. He was not charitable in the sense OF
in~discriminate giving. ITO give something for notnlng
is to weaken the giver," was one Of his favorite sayings.
That this attitude protected a miserly spirit it is easy
to say, but it is not wholly true. In his later years he
carried with him a book containing a record of his
possessions. He would visit a certain piece of property
and then turn to his book and see what it had cost him
ten or twenty years before. To realize that his pro
phetic vision had been correct was to him a great source
of satisfaction.
His habits were of the best. He went to bed at nine
O'Clock and was up before six. At seven he was at his
Office. He knew enough to eat sparingly and to walk, Sc
he was never sick. Millionaires, as a rule, are woefullJ
ignorant. Up to a certain sum, they grow with theh
acquisitions. Then they begin 70 wither at the heart
The care Of a fortune is a penalty. | advise the gentle
reader to think twice before accommodating ten millions
John Jacob Astor was exceptional in his combined
love of money and love of books. Fitz-Green Hanecl
was his private secretary, hired on a basis OF l1terar,
friendship. Washington Irving was a close friend, too
Astor died, aged So. 1t was a natural death--a thin
that very seldom occurs. The machinery all ran dow
at once.
William B. Aston, the son Of John Jacob, was brough
UP in the financial way he should go. He was studlous
methodical, conservative, and had the good sense t
carry out the wishes of his father. His son, John Jaco
Aston, was very much like him, only of more neutrs
tint. The time is now ripe for another genius in tn
N ASCOT family. IL Wllldm D., fAStol ehO Souho
and initiative of his parent, he had more culture an
spoke English without an accent, The son Of job
Jacob Astor, second, is William Waldorf Astor, VIII
speaks English with an English accent, you know.
John Jacob Astor, besides having the first store IL
the sale of musical instruments in America, organize
the first orchestra of over 10 players. He brought owe
a leader from Germany and did much to foster the loy
of music in the New World.
Every worthy Maecaenas imagines that he is a gre'
painter, writer, sculptor or musician, side tracked
cares thrust upon him by unkind fate. John Jacob A
tor once told Washington Irving that it was only bui
ness responsibility that prevented his being a novels
} and at other times he declared his intent to take
music as q profession as soon as he had gotten all
his securities properly tied up. And, whether he work
. out his dreams or not, there Is no doubt but that tn
S added to his peace, happiness and length Of days. Hap
a is the man who escapes the critics by leaving his lit
Q airy masterpiece in the ink.