Evening journal., 1912-11-13
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A.StOry Of the First Ap-
paIIinG Steamboat
Accident
-----
By Holland.

Lambert Wardell, who died in 1906
at the age OF ninety-two, was for
seventy years the confidential facto-
tum of Commodore Vanderbilt, his
son. William H. Vanderbilt, and some
of the younger members Of the family
He probably actually handled larger
amount Of the visible evidences
of the wealth of the Vanderbilts than
all of the others who were in the
service Of the Vanderbilt family
while he was He knew confdenti-
ally the stocks and bonds beld by dif-
ferent members of the family and
where the securities we're kept For
many years he was engaged almost
daily in cutting coupons off bonds
His services TO the Vanderbilts
were recognized not only by implicit
confidence in his integrity and accuT-
acy and by a comfortable salary. but
also by large gifts. Commodore Van
derbilt boqueathed to him fifty thou
sand dollars and William II Wander
bilt like amount. He frequently re-
ceivcd considerable houses at Christ
mas. He was found at his death to
have accumulated about three hun
dred thousand dollars He was bach-
elor and of an extremely modest man
ner Of life, living always upon less
than his salary and having learned
to high degree the art of saving.
Il was my good fortune many times
10 meet and chat with Mr. Wardell.
While he was loquacious and anec-
doial, yet he never betrayed any con
iidential information he possessed. He
knew what TO say and what to leave
unsaid
once asked Mr. Wardell. if IL were
true, as reported that he was a clerk
for Commodore Vanderbilt on the
steamboat Lexington at the time OF
the burning of that vessel i'm iS4t
viii tell you a queer story about
that he said in reply. "The steam.
boat Lexington was built and owned
by Commodore Vanderbilt and he ran
her upon the Long Island Sound
route between New York and New
London Conn. very successfully. she
was the most popular steamboat that
piled the Sound II was an awful.
cold night when she burned. II was
a regular blizzard that blew She
caught fire off Huntington. Long Is
land. The passengers who were not
drowned we're frozen to death EyerN
soul on board of her was lost except
one man. who got on 20 bale Of col
ton which drifted ashore He was
found half frozen That accident was
talked of all over the United States.
II WAS the first ono OF any conse-
quence that had ever happened to q
steamboat. know that nowadays
people think that was clerk ON
board the Lexington at the time she
burned, bot J wasn't And Just here
is where the queer part of the story
comes in
Captain. Jake Vanderbilt. the com
modorc's brother. was The captain of
the Lexington from the time the
Commodore put her into service:
was the FIRST clerk They may say
what they want 40 about Commodore
Nanderilts ability as steamboat
raptain, but his brother. Captain Jake
had him beaten-in that business One
day the Commodore said 10 Captain
Jake and me that he had just sold
the Lexington. Ho told MS that we
would turn the steamboat over TO her
new owners and q new captain and
clerk on 2 certain day
Wen. Wo did that. and when We
were coming away from tho steamboat
for the last time. Captain Jake said
20 me Iambert( something's going
10 happen TO the Lexington Well
J said in reply, then it's 4 good thing
that we've got through with her
You're wrong. Lambert Captain
Jake said If YOU and I could stay
with that boat. then nothing would
happrn a., hrr donff lp,,,- I,..,..
know a., but 7 know that something
Is going 10 happen TO the Lexington
within two or three days. and what
ever it is IL wouldn't happen If ] was
cantain OF her
When We got word that the Lex
ington had burned in Long Island
Sound and that everybody except one
passenger was lost. people congratn-
lated Captain Jake because he was
not on her, and congratulated the
Commodore because he had sold her
few days before TO everybody that
talked that way. Captain Jake said
If Cornele hadn't sold the boat and
If I'd staid on her. she wouldn't have
burned ! would have known two
minutes after FIRE got into the cot
ton what the danger was. would
have slowed her down instead OF run
ninc her head-on in that heavy wind.
which made big draught I would
have had that fire out in fifteen min
utes
Something told me when we turn
ed the boat over 10 the new owners
and captain that there would be some
thing terrible happen to her within
the course OF week. J don't know
no" ! knew IT, but knew it, and l
knew, too, that II Coronel had owned
the boat and ] had been the captain
of her she never would have burned
up
Captain Jake was right" said
Wardell to me. He was always right
about any business connected with
steamboats, He was good deal
more likely to be right than his broth
er the Commodore"
Copyright, 1912 by +. j. Edwards.
All rights .reserved.)