St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-03-19

tations and Aston hadn't.
Hence after three years apprenticeship. Astor
knew all did and all he himself could mag
inc besides. So he resigned.
In 1885 John Jacob Astor began business his own
account on Water street. New York
Astor had made friends with the Indians up the Hud
clear to Albany and they acting recruiting
agents for him.
Having collected several thousand dollars worth of
furs he shipped them to London and embarked pas
senger in the steerage.
In London furs were becoming fad Astor sorted
and sfted his buyers he had his skins himself
dressed in suit of fur and thus proved his ability
an advertiser. He picked his and charged all the
traffic would bear. All of the he received for his
skins he invested in Indian goods"-coored cloth
beads, blankets, knives, and musical instruments
His the first store in New York that carried a
stock of musical instruments These he sold to
and also he supplied the stod Dutch the best of
thing in this particular ne from bazoo to stradi-
varius.
When he got back to New York he at struck out
through the wilderness to buy furs of the Indians
better STILL to interest them in bringing furs to him
He knew the value of friendship in trade man
of the time did.
mother Brevoort and it brought about by
her coming to Aston to buy furs with which to make
herself coat. Her ability to Judge furs and make them
up brought young Astor into the best Dutch New York
society," combination that quite exclusive then
This marriage business partnership well
marital, and proved in every way. Sarah
worker. with all the good old Dutch qualities of pa
tience. persistence, industry and economy When her
husband went trips she kept store
Capt Cook had skrted the Pacific coast from Cape
Alaska and had brought the attention of the
fur dealing and fur wearing world the otter of the
northern Pacific. He also gave psychological pro-
phetic glimpse of the insidious seaskn sack.
In 1880 ship from the Pacific brought hundred
otter skins to New York The skins 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.
Astor encouraged these expeditions but at first in
vested money in them he considered them extra
hazardous" He not Spectator.
Until the year 1900 Astor lived over his store in
street. but he then moved to the plain
223 Broadway the site of the
Here he lived for Is years.
The fur business simple and very profitable
In 1900 Astor owned three ships, which he had bought
absolutely to control his trade Ascertaining
London dealers reshppng furs to China early in
the century he dispatched of his ships loaded with
furs directly to the orient with explicit written nstruc
tons to the captain to what the should be sold
for The money to be invested in teas silks.
The ship sailed away and had been gone year.
No tidings had come from her
Suddenly messenger with the news that the
ship in the bay. We imagine the interest of
Mr.. Mrs. Astor they locked their store and ran
to the Battery Sure enough, it was their ship
The profit this voyage $4,000.
BY 1910 John Jacob Astor was worth 100000 He
began to invest all his surplus money in New York
estate. He bought property in the vicinity
Canal street Next he bought Richmond HILL the estate
Aaron Burr 1t consisted of 100 acres just about
Twenty-thrd street He paid for the land thousand
dollars People said Aston crazy.
In years he began to sell lots from the Richmond
Hill property at the rate of $4,000 Fortunately
for his estate he did not sell much of the land
price, for it is this particular dirt that up
vast property known 1.-The Astor estate"
During the revolutionary Roger Morris of Put
county N. Y, made the mistake of siding with the
Tories and expressing himself too freely A mob col
lected and Morris and his family escaped taking ship
England