Random Reminiscences of Men and Events

Old F

rofess to be, random and informal, I hope I may

iates. In speaking of these friends in this chapter, I would not have it thought that many others, of whom I have no

what one's impressions were, but I shall never forget my first meeting with

the country visiting the point where something was happening, talking wit

he oil regions, and when I came to the hotel, which was f

chbold, $4

ns. The battle cry of $4.00 a barrel was all the more striking because crude oil was selling then for much less, and this campaign for a higher price certainly did attract attention-it wa

, and on one serious occasion, when he was on the

e you a director

a

occupation in

dividends," which led the learned co

he has great affairs on his hands, while I live like a farmer away from active happenings

the Standard Oil Company. It was my good fortune to help to bring together the efficient men who are the controlling fo

some fresh bereavement. Only recently I counted up the names of the early associates who have passed away. Before I had finished, I found the list numbered some sixty or more. They were faithful and earnest friends; we had worked together through many difficulties, and had gone through

e majority, and this is no doubt a desirable thing when the mere momentum of a large concern is certain to carry it forward. The men who have been very successful are correspondingly conservative, since they have much to lose in case of disaster. But fortunately there are also the aggressive and more daring ones, and they are usually the youngest in the

S VERSUS

t quite a sum-three million dollars, I think it was. We had talked it over and over again, and with several other associates discussed all the pros and cons; and we had used every argument we could command to show why the plan would not only be profitab

his mind is for the time being closed, and only obstinacy remains. Now these improvements had to be made-as I said before, it was essential. Yet we could not quarrel

do not need to

must be spent. There is no present need for these facilities you want to cr

made up our minds, as I have said, to carry out this idea if we could possibly get his approval, and we were willing to wait until then. As soon as the arg

expenditure turns out to be profitable the company can

im. All his reserve disappeared and

it, we'll go it together. I gues

uilt almost over night, and this was going on when old fields were being exhausted, so we were therefore often under the double strain of losing the facilities in one place where we were fully equipped, and having to build up a plant for storing and transporting in a new field where we were tota

moderate ones. It was usually a compromise, but one at a time we took these matters up and settled them, never going as fast as t

OF ACH

iably wanted to go ahead and accomplish great projects of all kinds, he was always on the active side of ev

k, single handed, the task of building up the East Coast of Florida. He was not satisfied to plan a railroad from St. Augustine to Key West-a distance of more than six hundred miles, which would have been regarded as an undert

have a market for their products. He has given work to thousands of these people; and, to crown all, he has undertaken and nearly completed

nsidered a full business life, and a man of any other nationality si

push. About the time we went into the oil business Mr. Flagler established himself as a commission merchant in the same building with Mr. Cl

much more often than in such a place as New York. When the oil business was developing and we needed more help, I at once thought of Mr. Flagler as a possible partner, and made him an offer to come with us and give up his commission business. This offer he accept

se walks, when we were away from the office interruptions, we did our thinking, talking, and planning together. Mr. Flagler drew practically all our contracts. He has always had the faculty of being able to clearly express the intent and purpose of a contract so well and accurately

uilt and which was held on a lease from John Irwin, whom we both knew well. Mr. Irwin drew the contract for the purchase of this land on the back of a large manila envelope that he picked up in the offi

hole document will be accurate and shipshape." Of course it turned out exactly as he said it would. I am almost tempted to say that some lawyers might sit at

loss that the meanest and cheapest buildings were erected for use as refineries. This was the sort of thing Mr. Flagler objected to. While he had to admit that it was possible the oil supply might fail and that the risks of the trade were great, he always believed that if we went into the oil business at all, we should do the work as well as

nd on the street, a German baker, to whom he had sold flour in years gone by. His friend told him that he had gone out of the bakery business and had built a little refinery. This surprised Mr. Flagler, and he didn't like the idea of his

han oil refining, but I'd feel better if we invi

l his debts, and he would be glad to have his mind free of many anxieties; but if Mr. Flagler said the certificates were going to pay good dividends, he wanted to get into and keep up with a good thing. It was rather a hard proposition to put up to Mr. Flagler, and at first he declined to advise or express any opinion, but the German stuck to him and wouldn't let him shirk a responsibility which in no way belonged to him. Finally Mr. Flagler sugges

E OF FRI

ey will not be useless if even tiresome stories make young people realize how, above all other p

tter than others, perhaps, a friend of whatever kind is important; and this one learns as one grows older. There is

e says, "because I have an agr

but I can explain why a

the friend cannot do as he would like to do. As I look back over my friends, I can remember only a few of this kind and a good many of the more ca

usands of dollars, of course, we were apprehensive about collecting such a large amount of insurance, and feared it might take some time to arrange. That p

money. I don't know that we shall need it, but

ining on my part. He simply heard what I ha

urned out, we received the check of the Liverpool, London & Globe Insurance Company for the full amount before the builders

owing fast, and the banks seemed very willing to loan me the money. About this time, when our great fire had brought up some new conditions, I was stud

he kind of real friends we had in those days, but I did not

man, was one of the directors. At a meeting, the question came up as to what the bank would do in case we wanted more

borrow more money I want to see this bank advance it without hesitat

e loans from another bank, whose president informed me that his board of directors had been making inquiries respecting our large line of discounts, and had stated that they would probably want to talk with me on the subject. I

making money for money's sake. If I were forty years younger, I should like to go into business again, for the association with interesting and quick-minded men was always a

hen I was fifty-five, I must admit that I managed to get a good many vacations of one kind or another, because of the willing

ts, no matter how small they were. When there was a matter of accounting to be done in connection with any plan with which I was associated in th

, I have spent many delightful hours, studying the beautiful views, the trees, and fine landscape effects of that very interesting section of the Hudson River, and this happened

peakably, on my special hobby, which has always been what some people call landscape gardening, but which with me is the art of laying out roads and paths and

suggestion for a business man to make in those days) and see some beautiful paths through the woods on my place w

"I have an important matter of

ou no such pleasure as you'll get when you see

ubbed his hands with satisfaction-"I'd not miss seeing her come in for all the wood paths in Christendom." He was then getting $120 to

with every nerve stretched to try to see an ore ship approachin

ctantly admitted, "bu

ng ore from the Marquette regions fifty years ago, and to think of the wickedness of this maker of woodland p

come to that later. I want to say something about landscape gardening,

RES OF ROA

em was, just where to put the new home at Pocantico Hills, which has recently been built. I thought I had the advantage of knowing every foot of the land, all the old big trees were personal friends of mine, and with the views of

you came upon impressive outlooks, and at the ending was the final burst of river, hill, cloud, and great sweep of country to crown the w

site of the house. How many miles of roads I have laid out in my time, I can hardly compute, but I have often kept at it until I was exhausted. While surveying roads, I have run the lines until darkness

ed to New York, I spent most of my summers at our home in Cleveland, and I do still. I would come to New York when my presence seemed necessary, but for the most part I kept in touch with the business t

ung trees from Westchester County to Lakewood, New Jersey. We plant our young trees, especially evergreens, by the thousand-I think we have put in as many as ten thousand at once, and let them develop, to be used later in some of our planting schemes. If we transfer young trees from Pocantico to ou

t liberties you can take with trees, if you once learn how to handle these monsters. We have moved trees ninety feet high, and many seventy or eighty feet. And they naturally are by no means young. At one time or another we have tried almost all kinds of trees, including some which the authorities said could not be moved with success. Perhaps the most daring experiments were

case of the larger trees the growth has been retarded perhaps two years, but this is a small matter, for people no longer young wish to get the effects they desire at once, and the modern tree-mover does it. We have grouped and arranged clumps of big spruces to fit the purposes we were aiming for, and sometimes have completely covered a hillside with them. Oaks we have n

f the dining-room of our home. I was for cutting it down, but some other members of the family objected, though my dear mother, I think, sympathized with me, as she said one day: "You know, my son, we have

turn