Iditarod pioneer. (Iditarod, Alaska) 1910-19??, 1912-04-27


life on the Inflated Titanic, was the
great-grandson of the John Jacob Aston
who came to America in 1888 from
Waldorf, Baden, and was the founder
Of the famous American family now
representing one of the three or four
greatest private properties in the
world. Colonel Astor had been man
ager Of the family estates since 1891.
He was born, July 81, 1864, the son of
William, and was the fourth of his
name, being nephew of John Jacob the
third. He was colonel on the staff of
Gov Levi P. Morton and in May, 1898.
was commanding lieutenant colonel of
United States volunteers. He presented
| to the government mountain battery
for use in the Spanish war, said TO cost
over 100000. After assisting Major
General Breckenridge in the inspection
of camp and troops at Chickamauga
Park, Ga, he was assigned to duty on
the staff of Major General Shafter, and
served in Cuba in operations ending in
the surrendered Santiago. He achieved
some note as a successful inventor,
| having TO his credit bicycle brake, a
pneumatic road improver and am i'm
proved turbine engine. He was an ex-
pert in marine mechanics and mem
Der of scientific and other intellectual
societies. He wrote "a Journey in
| Other Worlds: A Romance of the Flu
ture."
In 1897 Colonel Aston built the Asto.
r.a Hotel, New York, adjoining the
| Waldorf Hotel, which was built by
| William Waldorf Aston, his cousin, the
two now forming one building under
the name of Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, one
probably the most costly.
His accomplishments were undoubt-
ediy sufficient to gain him reputation
on his merits, but the greatness of his
own and his family wealth probably
detracted from his personal deserts as
talented man. The same influence was
manifest in the bitterness of the at
lacks made upon him when he married
| Madeleine Force last fall, he having
been divorced from his first wife who
was Ava Lowle, daughter of Edward S
Willing, of Philadelphia.
The Astor family has founded in
America as nearly as possible a terri
/ toral aristOcracy, impossible to de-
stroy, and fortified with legal immuni-
| ties and privileges. They form a group
Of immense hereditary real estate own
ers, with holdings so sOlidly based that
no apparent catastrophe save failure
of heirs could est nguish it; and though
originally springing from mercantile
| business, removed by some three quar-
ters of a century from its actual con
duct. For many years they were known
is 'the landlords of New York, and
the best of landlords, prompt, just and
courteous; still probably form the larry
est set of Individual real estate holders
| The family is also connected with nota-
| bic municipal charities and public
| foundations.
Francis Davis Millet, the artist, wa,
born at Mattaposet, Mass, Nov. 3.
! 1916. He served in the civil war, grad
uated in Harvard in 1869 and suisse
| quently studied in the Royal Academy
at Antwerp. He became member of
the National Academy OF Design in
| 1885. The decorations of Trinity
| Church, Boston, and those Of many i'm
portant buildings of New York, Chi !
cago and elsewhere were designed by
him. Among his best known paintings |
are AT the Inn" Union League Club; |
"A Cosey Corner" Metropolitan Mu-
scum of Art, and Between Two Fires"
National Gallery of British Art, Lon |
don. He served as a newspaper CORE |
spondent for the London Times and |
Harper's Weekly at Mani.a in 1898
having served the New York Herald |
the London Daily News and the London
Graphic in like capacity in the Russo |
Turkish war in 1877'78. He was
director of decorations and director of |
functions at the Chicago exposition
was United States commissioner to the |
Toxic exposition and had been highly !
honored by foreign countries and insti-
tutlons. Tostoi's "SebaStoDOln was
translated by him.
W. T. Stead. the English journalist,
was perhaps the greatest known stu
dent of world affairs. He was editor of |
the Northern Echo in 1871, at the age
of %; assistant editor of the Pail Mall |
Gazette in 1880, and in 1890 founded |
the Review of Reviews. In July, 1885, |
he published The Maiden Tribute to
Modern Babylon" and for some of his
methods in procuring evidence for this
Lool1 bo uac TO-, th,ao