The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-18
L. Y. HARDNESS, OIL
MAN, DIES IN WEST
Second Largest Holder of Stand
ard Stock Expires in
HOLSTER, Cal.

HoLLIsTER, Cal, Jan. l7.--Lamon Yer
non Hardness, aged 10, former third vice.
president of the Standard OH Company and
second largest stakeholder In that com
pany, died this morning at o'clock at
the Pscines Rancho in San Benito
county. fifteen miles south OF HOLSTER.
the California residence OF his daughter
Mrs. NJ. X. Macomber.
Death was caused by diabetes and cir
rhoss OF the liver of many years stand
ing and was not unexpected. Mr.. Hark-
ness, who arrived here six weeks ago
was spending the winter In California on
the advice OF his physicians in the East
who thought the mild climate OF San
Benito county might prolong his life.
Mr.. Harknesss home In at his famous
Walnut Hail farm near Lexington, Ky,
one of Americas most famous breeding
places for fine stock.
As soon as arrangements are completed
tho body will be shipped to New York.
where II will repose In the family mauso-
leum. He was the son OF the late $. v.
Hardness OF New York. He leaves a
mother, two brothers, Charles and Ed
ward Hardness OF New York; two daugh.
tiers, Mrs. A. King Macomber of Paris.
Mrs. o. NJ. Edwards OF Plttsburg, and one
son, Harry Hardness of New York
Mr. and Mrs. A. King Macomber were
with him at the time of his death. Harry
Hardness and Mrs. Edwards are en- route
here from the East and Will arrive to-
morrow.
Mr.. Hardness is said to have paid the
Iar of Chicago
| $4,000 His fortune has been estimated
! at between forty and sixty millions.
Lamon V. Hardness was one Of the
largest stockholders OF Standard oil. Ills
| holdings in the various companies In this
| country and abroad were said to be sec
| ond only to those OF John ID. Rockefeller
himself. For many years he had also
| been one OF the leading directors in the
| Standard Oil Company.
The Hardness home In this city is at
| e33 Fifth avenue, but much OF the fam
ily's time and that OF Mr. Hardness HIM
self was spent in the West. lie was
quiet and reserved and was seldom In
the public eye.
York Yacht Club and was fond OF yacht
| ing His steam yacht, the Nakiva, was
one OF the prize yachts Of the clubs fleet
| When the European war broke out and
the plight OF the Americans abroad be
came known here Mr. Hardness was one
of the first OF prominent yachtsmen ir
this country to offer TO send his Wakiva
abroad to bring home the stranded refu
gees. The yacht is 2i0 feet over all, with
| "A tonnage of $50.
| About twenty-five years ago Mr., Hark-
| ness established the Walnut Hall stock
Farm, at Lexington. Ky, and since then
il has held a foremost rank AZ a producer
of trotting and pacing horses. II has beer
known among horsemen as probably the
finest and best equipped stock farm in the
world. Mr. Hardness spared no expense
TO make It the best.
From II were developed such horses as
Walnut Hall. who won the Kentucky Flu
| turity about eight years ago: Fereno
Peter the Great and jay McGregor'
Harry Hardness, a son OF the STANDARD
oil man, welded secretly In 1905 while
his father and family were In the Yves
visiting the ranch of Or, Harry Macombe
at Pasadena, Cal. The younger Mr. Hark
ness's bride was Miss Marie Moss Mar
beck In 1910 Harry Hardness distin
guished himself as an aviator and wa
Injured in an aeroplane wreck at GardeI
city. In August, 1914, after his fathe
had offered to send the Wakiva abroad
Harry sailed to France on her TO rescu
his sister and her husband.