The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1910-03-12


Hence after three years apprenticeship. Astor
knew all that Bovine did and all he himself could mas
inc besides. So he resigned.
In 1856 John Jacob Astor began business on his own
account Water street, New York.
Astor had made friends with the Indians the Hud-
son Albany and they were acting as recruiting
agents for him.
Having collected several thousand dollars worth of
furs he shipped them London and embarked as pas
senger in the steerage
In London furs becoming fad. Astor sorted
and sfted buyers. he had his skins He himself
dressed a suit of fur and thus proved his ability as
advertiser He picked his men and charged all the
traffic would All Of the money he received for his
skins he invested in Indian goods"-colored CLOTH
beads blankets knives, and musical Instruments
His the first store in New York that carried
stock of musical These he sold to savages
and also he supplied stold Dutch the best Of
thing in particular line. from bazoo to stradi
varius.
When he got back to New York he at once struck
through wilderness buy furs Of the Indians
better still, interest them in bringing furs to him.
He knew the value Of friendship In trade as no man
Of the time did.
In 1870 John Jacob Astor married Sarah Todd. Her
mother was Brevoort and It was brought about BY
her coming Aston to buy furs with which to make
herself Her ability to Judge furs and make them
up brought young Aston into the best Dutch New York
society," combination that quite as exclusive then
This marriage was business partnership well as
martial and proved in every way Sarah was
worker with ali the good old Dutch qualities of pa
tence persistence, .industry and economy When her
husband went on trips she kept store.
Capt. Cook had skirted the Pacific coast from Cape
Horn Alaska and had brought to the attention of the
northern Pacific. He also gave psychological pro
phetc glimpse Of the insidous seaskn sack.
In 1870 ship from the Pacific brought hundred
otter skins New York. The skins were quickly sold
to London buyers at exorbitant prices
The nobility wanted otter. or royal American
ermine," as they called 1t. The scarcity doomed the
price. Ships quickly fitted out and dispatched.
Astor encouraged these expeditions. but at first in
vested in them. he considered them extra
hazardous" He not speculator
Until the year 1900 Aston lived his store in
Water street. he then moved to the plain and modest
house at 22S Broadway the site Of old Aston house
Here he lived for rs years
The fur business simple and very profitable.
1900 Astor owned three ships which he had bought
absolutely to control his trade Ascertaning that
London dealers reshipping furs to China early In
directly the orient with explicit written instruc
the captain to what the should be sold
for The money to be invested in teas and silks
The ship sailed away and had been gone year
No tidngs had come from her.
Suddenly o messenger came with the news that the
ship In the bay We can imagine the interest Of
Mr. and Mrs. Astor they locked their store and
to the Battery. Sure enough. It was their ship.
The profit on this voyage $4,000
BY 1910 John Jacob Aston was worth $2.ooo.ooo. He
began invest all his surplus money In New York real
estate He bought acreage property In the vicinity Of
Canal street Next he bought Richmond H the estate
OF Aaron Burr. It consisted Of 100 Just about
Twentythird street. He paid for the land thousand
dollars an acre. People said Aston was crazy
In ten years he began sell lots from the Richmond
Hill property at the rate Of $1,000 Fortunately
for his estate he did not sell much Of the land at this
price, for Il IL this particular dirt that makes up
vast property known a. the Astor estate"
During the revolutionary war Roger Morris Of Put
nam county X made The mistake q siding with The
sced and Morris and his family escapsd taking ship b
nnsland.