Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made | Page 4

first discovery--His hope of success based on intelligence--Becomes a master of the theory of sound--His studies and their result--Makes an improvement in the framing of pianos--Invents the circular scale for square pianos--Generously makes his invention free--A noble gift to the world--His business operations--Increase in the demand for his instruments--Death of Captain Mackay--Mr. Chickering undertakes the sole charge of his affairs--Fears of his friends--Magnitude of the business--The lawyer's question answered--The mortgages paid--Rapid success of Mr. Chickering--His varied duties--Sharp competition--A bogus Chickering--How a Boston bank lost his custom--His independence in business--His character as a merchant--Trains his sons to succeed him in business--The result of his efforts--The present house of Chickering & Sons--Destruction of the factory--Offers of aid--Mr. Chickering's kindness to his workmen--Sets to work to re-establish his business--The new factory begun--Sudden death of Mr. Chickering.
CHAPTER VII.
NICHOLAS LONGWORTH.
The grape interest of the United States--Growing demand for American wines--Instrumentality of Mr. Longworth in producing this success--Early life of Mr. Longworth--Apprenticed to a shoemaker--Removes to South Carolina--Returns to Newark and studies law--Removes to Cincinnati--Admitted to the bar--His first case--Is paid in whisky stills, and trades them for lands which make his fortune--Rapid growth of Cincinnati--The oldest native inhabitant of Chicago--Longworth's investments in real estate--Immense profits realized by him--His experiments in wine growing--History of the Catawba grape--Longworth decides to cultivate it entirely--His efforts to promote the grape culture in the Ohio Valley--Offers a market for all the grape juice that can be brought to him--The result of his labors seen in the Ohio vineyards of to-day--His wine cellars--Amount of wine made annually by him--The process used--How "Sparkling Catawba" is made--Longworth's experiments with strawberries--His liberality--Gift of land to the Observatory--His challenge to a grumbler--Estimate of his character--His eccentricities--His generosity to his tenants--How he made money by helping others to grow rich--His politics--How he subscribed one hundred dollars to elect Clay--His hatred of vagabondage--His stone quarry--How he provided it with laborers--His system of helping the poor--Is charged with stinginess--The "devil's poor"--Personal appearance--The "Hard-times" overcoat--Charity to a millionaire--Death of Mr. Longworth.
CHAPTER VIII.
GEORGE PEABODY.
Birth and parentage--Early education--His first lessons in business--An apprentice in a country store--Youthful ambition--A desire for change--The visit to Post Mills--Removal to Newburyport--Reasons for his attachment to that place--His first patron--Peabody goes south--A soldier in the War of 1812-15--A young merchant--A change of prospects--A partner in the house of Riggs & Peabody--Peabody's business capacity--An irregular banker--His reputation as a business man--Promising opening of a brilliant career--Retirement of Mr. Riggs--Growth of the business--A branch house in London--Mr. Peabody saves the credit of the State of Maryland--Tribute from Edward Everett--Success in London--A model American merchant--Establishment of the house of George Peabody & Co.--The Fourth of July dinner--The exhibition of 1851--Patriotism of Mr. Peabody--How he saved the United States from humiliation--Admission of the "London Times"--Mr. Peabody's business habits--His economy--Adventure with a conductor--Finds a conscientious hackman--Personal simplicity--Visits to the United States--His munificent donations--His last visit--Returns to London and dies--Honors paid to his memory--The funeral ceremonies--His burial at Peabody--Statement of his donations and bequests--His example encouraging to the young.
II. CAPITALISTS.
CHAPTER IX.
CORNELIUS VANDERBILT.
Staten Island seventy-six years ago--The establishment of the Staten Island ferry--Birth of Cornelius Vanderbilt--His boyhood--Defective education--A famous rider--His early reputation for firmness--Superintends the removal of a ship's cargo at the age of twelve--How he pawned a horse--Becomes a boatman--How he bought his boat--A disastrous voyage--His life as a boatman--His economy and industry--Earns three thousand dollars--The alarm at Fort Richmond--Vanderbilt's perilous voyage for aid for the forts--His marriage--His first contract--How he supplied the harbor defenses--Builds his first schooner--His winter voyages--Becomes a steamboat captain--His foresight--Leases the hotel at New Brunswick--The dangers of navigating the New York waters--The steamboat war--How Captain Vanderbilt eluded the sheriff--Becomes manager of the steamboat line--Declines an increase of salary--Only wants to carry his point--Refuses to buy Mr. Gibbons's interest in the steamboat company, and builds his own boat--Narrow escape from ruin--Final triumph--Systematic management of his vessels--How he ruined the "Collins Line"--The "North Star"--Becomes a railroad director--How he foiled a plan to ruin him--dishonest legislature--Vanderbilt's triumph--His gift to the Government--His office in New York--Vanderbilt in business hours--Personal characteristics--Love for horses--His family.
CHAPTER X.
DANIEL DREW.
Birth-place--Birth and parentage--A farmer's boy--Goes to New York to seek his fortune--Becomes a cattle drover--Leases the Bull's Head Tavern--His energy and success in his business--Brings the first western cattle to New York--Helps a friend to build a steamboat--The fight with Vanderbilt--Drew buys out his friend, and becomes a steamboat owner--Vanderbilt endeavors to discourage him--He perseveres--His success--Formation of the "People's Line" on the Hudson River--The floating palaces--Forms a partnership with George Law, and establishes the Stonington line--Opening of the Hudson River Railway--Drew's foresight--Room enough for the locomotive and the steamboat--Buys out the Champlain Company--Causes of his success as a steamboat manager--Becomes a banker--His success in Wall Street--Indorses the acceptances of the Erie Railway Company--His courage and calmness in the panic of 1857--He saves "Erie" from ruin--Elected a director of