The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-10-24
JOE STEINHARDT
THE APPLE KING
(From System)


New York docks stared open-mouthed
when Joe Steinhardt droVe his nice
new wagon up to the steamer S gang
way. Ii was all red and shiny. and
MIR. Steinhardt's name covered most Of
both the port and starboard quarters.
The owner of the name sat upon two
barrels of apples, and smiled his con
tent at all the world: >,
"For the love of Mike, said the re-
ceiving clerk, loudly. What's this
steamship line coming to, that it has
to buy its apples from peddler's
wagon?" m
Ii hurt Mr.. Steinhardt's 5 feelings.
That wagon was spick and span new
that week. He was proud of 1t, for il
was the outward and visible sign Of his
rise from push-carter to man OF proper
ty. On the spur of the moment he
wandered into prophecy. he indicated
that the time would come when instead
of hawking apples by the barrel to the
steward of rusty one-funne ed tramps,
he would be supplying whole steamer
lines with holds full of the JUICY fruit.
That was in the late eighties. Today
they call Joseph II. Stelnhardt, of New
York, the "Apple King. For several
years in succession he has purehastd
the entire crop of the HOOD River val
lev of Oregon, through the Apple
Growers Association. Recently he
has become the chief buyer in the Bit
ter Root region of Montana, which is
perhaps the second apple region in i'm
portance in the United States. From
forty to one hundred carloads Of apples
are continually rolling toward his New
York warehouses. Not only does his
firm purchase more apples annually
than any other single house in the bus
mess, but it buys outright, accepting
nothing on consignment.
"We do not buy apples SO much as
personalities, is Mr.. Steinhardt's de-
claration. 1--WE study the grower We
base our purchases on what we know
of him"
The Apple King is squarely built,
ruddy faced, straIght-eyed man of for
ty.fve. A slight dip in his waist line
proves that he lives generously, must
his constant activity keeps the fat
confined to a tendency. Most of those
with whom he does business know him
as Joe" He likes stiff.brimmed
sombrero, because neither sun nor
wind has an effect upon 1t, and he
usually wears clothes OF the sort de-
scribed as "serviceable.
No office boy is permitted to sift his
callers. The door is always open, and
the man who has business can walk
right in. The one thing that he is
really proud of is that the first man
who ever bought an apple from him is
still a customer. He attaches more
Importance to that than to his achieve.
ment last year, when he reached HooC
River on noon train, took lunch,
bought a million dollars worth of ap-
pies, and took the four-o clock trair
back east.
His own belief is that he has sue
ceeded because he loves his business
He mingles practically and poetry
To him, an apple is not merely more
fragrant than a flower; it has the
added virtue that you can :eat the ap
pie. But it may be that his success il
partly due to the hard luck that drove
him into business he could love. He
reached New York from Germany, via
steerage, when he was thirteen years
old. He had that excellent rudimen
tary education which Germany give
its children, but he did not know
word of the English language. 1t wa
good luck that secured for !him jo
as night copy boy on the New Yor
World, because conversation played n
part in his duties. All he had to d
was to jump when some one at th
desk shouted copy" For the yea
he held that place he managed to a t
tened school every day, although h
did not quit work until two o'clocI
in the morning. Then he had stretc
of hard luck. An irritated copy-re ade
fired him, because bis speech was still
thickly clouded with a German accent
He had no cash reserve and no friends
For bitter time, there ore. he slep
on the benches in the parks, and earne
his meals by washing dishes. in Bower.
restaurants and doing other odd jobs.
The experience sharpened his wits
He discovered that one co. Id buy p
Piles three for a cent, and sell then
two for a cent. He celebrated hi
seventeenth birthday by discarding hi
basket for pushcart. Two year
later, in 1885, he found that Richar,
Kelly had become a dangerous com
petitor. His legs were as tireless, hi
voice as loud, and his idea of bar
gain as keen as SteinhaTdt's own
Harlem S housewives welcomed tht
day when both Steinhardt and Kell!
came "apple-o-ing" down the street
The obvious thing to do was to form |
partnership. Ten years later TIVE
pushcarts had made them money, they
had saved it, and had established credi
wherever they were known. So they
rented store and had sign painted
and then their great business expan
sion began. 1t was perfectly prosai'
expansion, as Steiuhardt sees it
Others might find bit of romance il
it, for they have been pioneers as wei
as buyers. They have aided in the
opening of new orchard districts, that
the apple needs of the world may bt
supplied. ,,; ;,
Steinhardt, with his odd mingling Of
poetry and gumption. "You work ir
the fragrance of the best fruit OF al
and there are 35, 600, 600 barrels of ap
Piles to be sold this year.
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