Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made | Page 3

the Chesapeake--The ice-blockade--Astor makes a
friend--The fur trader's story--Astor sees the way to fortune--Reaches
New York--His first situation--Learning the business--His method of
proceeding--An example to young men--His capacity for business
operations--He is promoted--His journeys to Canada, and their
results--Sets up in business for 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