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Show VANDL F? B1LT. Till: f,A.TE COM.Monoiilc'.S FAMILY It EL A ' ' TIOKd. Williain Vanderbilt, tho young man, bo called, ia really within four years of 00. . The hey-day of hia life is passed. lie is as old as Washington Washing-ton in tho height o! Washington's fame, and live years older than Robert Fulton when ho died. William Wil-liam Vanderbilt lias eight children, and the eldest of his four boy Car-iuelius, Car-iuelius, jr., is 32 years old, and treasurer treas-urer of the Harlem road. Another, William K., is 2tf, nnd his father's teei-elary. So Commodore Vanderbilt Vander-bilt it a great grandfather, and spans tlie whole hifetory of steam travel. Me waa fifteen years old when Fulton floated the first eteamboat, and he ; lived to see a fast-mail train run to tlio Pacific in four days-. AVjHiam Vanderbilt's third son, Fred, has just graduated" from- the Yale scientific, school. One bf tho daughters is mar-, rietl to a'son of Sloan, the richest car1-pet car1-pet man but one in the world. When hia fathor look him from an rtiri-if nllnrnl Bfhnnl nt. RiYfpfMi vpnr nf age William was put on the farm at Newdrop, Staton island, .near hii good, old Uncle Jake, and . made to plough,, ditch, reap, feed cattle and drive tlie waton to market. If the old; gentleman visited him, it waa to stand over him like a commander. The young man was more social and easy than bis father, but there was no resisting that superior will and intelligence. in-telligence. "A man isn't fit lo do well in business busi-ness until he's forty," aaid the Commodore. Com-modore. At the age of 44, when he had become be-come a good farmer and was over the time of temptation, Vanderbilt brought William to the city and made him vice-president of the Harlem Har-lem railroad. This waa in 1SG5. In a little while he was made vice-president of the Hudson River railroad, and given a salary, at the contolidft-tion, contolidft-tion, of $20,000 a year. He alao made some money in the rise of the family stocks, getting no help to-apeak of from his father, and he fettled his family a few years ago in an elegant house at the corner of Fifth avenue and Fortieth street. He owns the farm at Newdrop, which is one of the largest and bsst near New York, and where all his children were born. After being summoned to Now York the aon denied himself all pleasure, worked over accounts, and on the liue from morning to nigut, and mastered mas-tered the business of the railroad. His father grimly watched over him, (or Vanderbilt does not like his own children if they have no capacity. V ANDERB rLT ' S DOME5XIC LIFE. His first wife had been as crude and material as himself, and without bis opportunity to miDgle with club society, steamship passengers, public men and distinguished women. At her death ho marrird Mrs. Francis Crawford, a divorced lady, born in 'he south, and under middle agt. Sue was a refined woman, a Methodist, Method-ist, and her society gave him the domestic equality he desired. Unfortunate Un-fortunate in her first marriage, she expected nothing more than occupation, occupa-tion, home and tho devotion of an old man. She was also individual and positive, and, conceding no more than became Vanderbilt's lawful wife, bo learned to respect her. For five years past he has been comparatively a civilized spirit. It was she who induced in-duced him to give $SOO,000 to found a Methodist university in Tennessee something worthy of him and nothing noth-ing of that kind had been suggested by his Own family. "The last years of my life have been the happiest," said Vanderbilt, recently. ''All that troubles me in leaving the world is to leave Frank here." He had two other sons George and Cornelius jr. George Vanderbilt was educated at West Point, and entered tho army aa a lieutenant. He was a fine-looking, spirited fellow, and he died in France just after reaching manhood. Ho was engaged at the time to a young lady, and Vanderbilt forthwith settled upon her, in memory mem-ory of his son's ailection, $100,000. The son Cornelius ia well educated and of good tastes and some literary talents. He was atlected with epileptic fits in early life, and hiB mind appears to be weak for continuous conti-nuous application and for business stability. He incurred his father's displeasure by borrowing money and losing it at hazard.. Hfl was naturally incensed at his brother William for being promoted, and said many light and biting things about their relative re-lative intellects. Vanderbilt put him on ;a Jmonthly allowance of $2o0, which is all he receives, and ho ha-vainly ha-vainly attempted to have his father or brother increase it to $3o0. Vanderbilt's Vander-bilt's oldest daughter is Mrs. Cross. The broker and yacht-sailor, Osgood , is a son-in-law. The late Horace Clarke married another daughter, and f-.r a while po.-y-satd the Corn-tnixlore'i Corn-tnixlore'i admiration, hot he abused his position as president of the Lake S:,ur raiiroad with Banker and rvholl, and died west, a bankrupt. Vanderbilt settled the ea'a'.e, but probably to the prejudice of Clarke'a bein. Some cf the Commodore's posterity have not been mindful of tbeir mother's sacrifices and loyalty, and there have bo.n two bad scandals in the family. Yet with so much podteriiy, can we blame the ancestral tree, any more than hold Adam and Eve responsible for the lattat generation? |