Evening journal., 1914-01-05
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Two MiIIiOnaireS Whose
Careers We're Similar
By Holland.

"In the early seventies I was ASSOC
ciated with nay brother, Jacob d. Cox,
who was at one time governor of
Ohio and at another a member Of the
first cabinet of President Grant My
business frequently took me onto de-
troit. Our railroad had terminal at
Detroit and we were planning an ex-
tention of it across Canada TO Mag
ara Falls"
In this way the late Charles Fin
ney Cox, who for years was the treas
urer of the lines of the Vanderbilt
systems of railroads west of Buffalo,
began the narration to me of his
knowledge of Captain Eber B. Ward,
of Detroit, who at his death, in 1875,
left an estate valued at nearly S6.000,-
OOO He was the father Of Clara
Ward, who gained international no
toriety as the wife of Prince dc Chi
may.
81 used to hear a great deal about
Captain Ward" said Mr.. Cox HE
was a poor boy and he began life on
a little vessel which sailed through
the lakes. He was not content to be
mere sailor himself, so he gradually
accumulated money enough to buy a
sloop and then as he made money he
added to his fleet, until at last be
was recognized all through The west
as the greatest and most influential
owner and manager of shipping that
sailed through the great lakes.
81 was told that just about the
N..f.s ..ssI
suddenly abandoned his steamboat
and sailing vessel business on the
Great Lakes and turned his atten-
tion to the manufacture of Bessemer
steel. He was so successful that he
established mills at Chicago and he
actually made the first steel rails
which were ever produced in the Uni
ted States.
Captain Ward changed suddenly
and absolutely from his position as a
MASTER of navigation through the
Great Lakes to that of a manufac-
turer Of steel, and especially of steel
rails.
"Some years later ] became asso-
ciated with the Vanderbilts in their
railroad system, and it suddenly oc-
Cured to me one day that there was
am extraordinary similarity between
the careers of Cartain Ward, Of De
troit and Chicago and that of Com
modOre Vanderbilt. ! don't think /
ever heard any one speak of this re-
markable similarity, but / myself
have often thought of il.
Commodore Vanderbilt, like Cap
tain Ward was very poor boy and
he BEGAN life as a ferryman, rowing
na aesengcrs from his home on Staten
Island across to the mainland Of Now
Jersey He was shrewd and saving
and when the commercial practa-
bility Of steam as a motive power for
boats had been demonstrated the
commodore began to invest in steam
boats. at first in a small way, quite as
small as were captain Wards first
investments I'm a little sailing vessel
on the Great Lakes.
"Then Commander Vanderbilt
BOUGHT and built more steamfoats
exactly as Captain Ward did and az
about the same time. AT last the
commodore was recognized as the
steamboat king OF the East. Sud
denly and at about the same time
that Captain Ward abandoned his
vessels for steel making. Commodore
Vanderbilt absolutely abandoned his
business as a steamboat owner and
operator and turned his attention eX-
clusively to railroads. AS Captain
Ward was the first to make steel
rails so Commodore Vanderbilt was
the first to work out completely the
plans for unifying and controlling a
trunk line stretching from Chicago
to The Atlantic seaboard.
81 am sure there is no parallel to
these two eases. but there was one
point of difference. Commodore Van
derbilt's estate was approximately
a hundred millions. Captain Wards
was approximately six millions.
81 might speak of another rather
forced resemblance. Captain Wards
daughter married a prince of one OF
the courts of Europe. Two Of Com
modore Vanderbilt's great-graud-
daughters marred-one a European
prince and the other an English
duke"