Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made | Page 3

himself--The fur trade of North America--A survey of the field of Astor's operations--His capital--His tramps into the wilderness in search of furs--Predictions as to the future settlement of the country--His first consignment to England--His marriage--A good wife--Improvement in his prospects--Buys his first ship--The secret of his success--Close attention to business--His economical habits--His indorsement disputed by a bank clerk--Statements of the profits on furs--He engages in the Chinese trade--How the Government aided the early China traders--Amount made by Astor in his legitimate business--His real estate operations--His foresight and courage--How eight thousand dollars yielded eighty thousand--His real estate in the City of New York--Purchases the half of Putnam County--The Roger and Mary Morris estate controversy--Astor wins his suit, and makes half a million of dollars--Astor's scheme of colonization--A grand enterprise--Settlement of Astoria--Betrayed by his agents, and the scheme brought to failure--Astor withdraws from active business--His boyhood's vow and its fulfillment--Builds the Astor House--His voyage to Europe--The return--The troubles of a millionaire--The great man seasick--A curious draft--The last years of his life--His fondness for literary men--His death and burial--His will--Opposite views of his character--How his refusal to buy a chronometer cost him seventy thousand dollars--He remembers an old friend--His gift of a lease--His humor--"William has a rich father."
CHAPTER III.
ALEXANDER T. STEWART.
Birth and early life--Becomes his grandfather's ward--Designed for the ministry--A change in his plans--Comes to America--Teaches school in New York--Becomes a dry goods merchant--Receives a legacy--His first importation--How he began business--An energetic trader--His sample lots and their history--Success of his enterprise--He begins by encouraging honesty in trade--Wins a name for reliability--The system of selling at one price--Inaugurates the "selling off at cost" feature--His courage in business--How he raised the money to meet his note--Improvement in his business--He enlarges his store--As an inducement to the ladies, employs for clerks handsome young men--The crisis of 1837--Stewart comes out of it a rich man--How he did so--Builds his lower store--Predictions of failure--The result--Compels the Government to purchase goods from him--His foresight and liberality--Charged with superstition--Lucky and unlucky persons--Story of the old apple woman--Remarks at the opening of the St. Nicholas Hotel--Reasons of Stewart's success--A hard worker--How he receives visitors--Running the gauntlet--How he gets rid of troublesome persons--Estimate of Mr. Stewart's real estate in New York--His new residence--His benevolence--Aid for Ireland, and free passages to America--Home for women--Political sentiments--Mr. Stewart's appointment as Secretary of the Treasury--Feeling of the country--The retail store of A.T. Stewart & Co.--A palace of glass and iron--Internal arrangements--The managers and salesmen--List of sales--Wages given--Visitors--The principal salesroom--The parcel department--The wagons and stables--Extravagant purchases--Mr. Stewart's supervision of the upper store--The system of buying--The foreign agencies--Statement of the duties paid each day--Personal appearance of Mr. Stewart.
CHAPTER IV.
AMOS LAWRENCE.
The Lawrence family--A poor boy--Early education--Delicate health--Obtains a situation at Dunstable--Returns to Groton--Becomes Mr. Brazer's apprentice--The variety store--An amateur doctor--Importance of Groton in "old times"--Responsibility of young Lawrence--Is put in charge of the business--High character--Drunkenness the curse of New England--Lawrence resolves to abstain from liquors and tobacco--His self-command--Completes his apprenticeship--Visits Boston--An unexpected offer--Enters into business in Boston--Is offered a partnership, but declines it--His sagacity justified--Begins business for himself--Commercial importance of Boston--Aid from his father--A narrow escape--lesson for life--Amos Lawrence's method of doing business---An example for young men--His business habits--He leaves nothing unfinished over Sunday--Avoids speculation--His views upon the subject--Introduces double entry in book-keeping into Boston--His liberality to his debtors--Does not allow his business to master him--Property gained by some kinds of sacrifices not worth having--Forms a partnership with his brother Abbott--Business of the firm--They engage in manufactures--Safe business principles--A noble letter--Political opinions--His charities--Statement of his donations--Requests that no public acknowledgment of his gifts be made--Character as a merchant and a man--Advice to his son--His religious character--Loss of his health--His patience and resignation--The model American merchant.
CHAPTER V.
ANDREW V. STOUT.
Early struggles--Acquires an education--Undertakes the support of his family--The boy teacher--Hard work--Is made instructor of Latin--A trying position--How he conquered his difficulties--Is made principal of a public school--His first business ventures--Engages in the building of houses--His platform of integrity--His success--A great mistake--He indorses a note--The consequence of a false step--Liberal action of the bank--Mr. Stout resolves to accept no accommodation--Pays the notes, and loses twenty-three thousand dollars--Establishes himself as a wholesale boot and shoe dealer--Enters the dry goods trade--Close attention to business--His system and its success--Organization of the Shoe and Leather Bank of New York--Mr. Stout is made Vice President, and subsequently President--Character as a citizen--Is made City Chamberlain--Generosity to the police force--Interest in church affairs--Kindness to the poor--Encouragement which his career affords others.
CHAPTER VI.
JONAS CHICKERING.
The largest building in the United States--The Chickering piano factory--Birth of Jonas Chickering--Early love of music--Is apprenticed to a cabinet-maker--Is employed to repair a piano--Succeeds in the undertaking--Consequence of this success--Becomes a piano-maker--Removes to Boston--Is employed as a journeyman--The labor of his life--His patience and skill--Is known as the best workman in the establishment--History of the piano--Chickering's