Evening journal., 1914-11-11
New News Of Yesterday
A Slave to Detail
B, Holland

81 have often thought that Cornelius
Vanderbilt, grandson of Commodore
Vanderbilt, would have escaped the at
tack which ultimately cost him his life
if he had not been such an abiect slave
to detail" said the late Charles Finney
Cox to me, some months after Mr. Van.
derbilt's death. Mr.. Cox had excellent
opportunities for observing not only the
business but the personal characteristics
Of the Vanderbilt family, including its
! founder, the commodore. He was long
associated with the family, holding an
] important executive office in the Van
derbilt organization and for some years
having authority over the treasury de-
partment of such poi,.v of the Van
derbilt system as were west of Buffalo.
Il have been brought into touch with
many men who are of influence in the
world OF banking, finance and railroad
transportation, and have seen certain
extremes in methods continued Mr..
Cox. zone extreme was that illustrated
by Daniel Drew, who was a partner in
the banking house with which was as
sociated in my younger days. Drew
never burdened himself with details, and
il is true that he kept a majority OF his
accounts on little slips of paper which
he carried in his hat. He was not igno-
rant of details, but he was not chained
TO them.
"On the other hand, Cornelius N~n-
derbilt. partly because it was his natu-
raj disposition and partly, | think, due
to his training as a bank clerk. became
accustomed to observe every detail and
to make not only a mental but an ae-
tual note of it.
This was true of his minutest af-
fairs. If he bought a newspaper and
/ paid ? cents for it he iotted the item
down in a little note book. remember
coming down from Albany with him.
when. looking from the car window, ne
saw a towboat handling six Erie Canal
barges. Mr. Vanderbilt said to me;
4 awe ought to transport at least half
of those things And then he took out
his note book and made a record OF the
fact that he had seen six canal barges
in tow upon the Hudson river and that
he ought to learn what kind OF cargo
,, these barges carried.
II "There was one detah, however. which
he put upon the shoulders of a subord-
nate. That was associated with ap-
peals made to him by those who wanted
charity. His begging mail was very
large every day, but his secretary did
not permit him to sec any of these let
ters, but put them in the hands of an
almoner whom Mr.. Vanderbilt found Il
eXpedicnt to employ. The almoner was
an expert at that business and he knew
what to throw aside. what deserved
further consideration, and what should
be brought to the attention of Mr. Van
derbilt.
''Had Mr.. Vanderbilt undertaken 20
read these letters and to investigate
requests. il would have taken more than
twenty-four hours of the day for him
TO get through with his daily mail.
"As he grew older and after he sue.
eeeded his father as the head of the
Vanderbilt systems, this slavery 10 de.
tail grew upon him and at last became
a real burden. II caused him sometimes
to worry, and he was not abe to throw
off anxiety or irritation. Therefore at
last his physical system was really
weakened bv the reflex mental action
and |, as well as other friends who hal
opportunity to observe him, was con.
WINGED that the first serious attack
which he had could not have come at all
II MS NiiNNl'tl cohulllOh hau not peer
weakened bv the slavery TO little de
tail so that he was unable TO throw of
or resist the advance of what becam,
an oreanic disease. At has been my Oh
servation that almost all of the mer
who have achieved greatly and wh'
, have been able 20 commit detail Z,
others have been those whose live
were PROLONGED and who maintained
good health"