The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-18
From the Kansas City Star.

<<XN HERE u ne get II!
N/ Anthony Nicholas Brady. the
w only New York millionaire
who ever drove a financial bargain with
the cut out open being dead and hav-
ing died possessed of $100000,000. 1t is
perfectly pertinent to ask that imperti-
nent question.
Little lessons on how to put by oO,ooo,-
900 for rainy daN are always helpful
Every boy should be taught how to turn
the trick before he is married. He will
never do it afterwards But about An
thony Nicholas, who went through life
with a muffler on and never broke any
speed laws.
In New IorlS they called him 'the Mole
of Wall Stdeet." That was all right If
they meant to refer to Brady's habit of
burrowing into money making opportuni-
ties, but it wasn't all right IL it implied
the same sort of blindness commonly at
tributed to the underground mammal. I'm
like the mole. Brady had eyes and used
'em. He began using 'em when he was
cashier in the Delavan house at Albany.
Brady could see there was more money
COMING dcfOSS lI3 DdI III tnc HOtcl IMAM
found its way into the barber shop till.
And when he got behind the bar he was
never too engrossed mixing a cocktail not
to be able to tell off hand just how much
his savings account would have increased
six months from the moment he was mix
ing the drink.
He saw also that a lot more people
We're drinking tea than cocktails. Hang
ing up the white apron, Brady opened a
tea store by dint of the small capital he
bad accumulated. The store prospered.
Brady opened others in Albany, in Troy
and other New York towns. He soon had
both capital and credit. And he was still
using his eyes. People in Albany were
beginning to notice the growing use of
granite in paving and building. Brady
went into the study of granite and its pos
sibilties. He learned all about the best
granite, cost of production, freight rates,
and he got control of the granite market
for Albany. He took contracts to pave
streets, build bridges and buildings, and
Albany is filled today with lasting ex-
ainples Of his handiwork.
Incidentally, Brady saw that Albany
was badly and extensively lighted. He
ran across a man who had some new
idea about making artificial gas for IL
Illuminating purposes. This man was Baron
JerzmanowslSi. His success did away
with the necessity of roasting coal in
producing tho gas. Brady didn't know
anything about the chemistry of gas
making. but he mastered the subject.
presented his scheme to a banker friend
and a politician or two whom he also
knew well, and the result was they bought
out the Albany gas plant and took Jerz-
manowsld In with them. They made a.
File of money out of the reorganization
and management of the company.
He saw electricity coming before It got
here. It's possibilities for lighting pur-
poses he mastered as he had the gsa
question and in 1881 he was lighting Al
bany with electricity. From this it was
only step. and Brady was a quick step
per, to the acquisition of horse car lines.
He converted the horse car systems VI
Albany and Troy into electric lines. He
got control of a patent he saw would
be indispensable to successful trolley line
construction and equipped his line with
it. About this time the Union Railway
company was gridironing what is now
the Borough of the Bronx with electric
lines. Brady took the contract to build
the road. When the time came to pay
the bills the Union company couldn't pro-
duce enough cash. Brady and his friends
may have foreseen this. too but anyhow
they took control of the company. That
was Brady's bow to New York city.
He went in with William c. Whitney in
developing the Metropolitan street rail-
way system in New York and once drew
his own check for s10OO,0O0 when the city
demanded security against the failure of
his plans. Associated with him also was
Frederick P. Olcott head of big trust
company in New York. On a certain
Friday they herad there was good thing
in the horse railway line in Providence.
Brady took the first train. He was back
again in Wall street Monday with COM