OCR Text |
Show XEW YORK FORTUNES. Ltiornious Overestliiintlon of the Wealth oT Oothnmite MnUI-Mlllloimlrcs, A tock paragraph which might as well he kept standinc or stereotyped for Insertion whenever there is space to fill, goes the rounds of fhe entire press of tiie country once iu six weeks or so about the enormous wealth of the uinl-tJ-mlUtonnlres of this metropolis, says Colonel Cockrilt in his New York letlcr. The usnnl formula is about this; Rockefeller Rocke-feller $250,000,(KVi: Gould $,'). 000,000; all the Vanderbllta I400,OW,000, ; all the Astors &TO0,UO0,9O0, and so on. .Sonic-times .Sonic-times one and again another Is put at the head of tho list ns not only the "wealthiest "wealth-iest of the lot, but as "the richest man in America." Every one ot tin se s;rcat for-tunes for-tunes is enormously over estimated. Probably Pro-bably the heat of Ihcm, the Asters', may amoiint to the really immense sum of $100,001,000. At that it really is worth more than any other, very likely uny three more fortunes put together in this town, because it is tangible you can put your tingcr ou it and see it. since it is in houses and other rnl estate of compatible value anil not in wind or air, or watered stocks which can bo, called worth ns munv millions us the possessors clic i,e to put oil I hem. It is u-t ,;s easy, tor example to say Suit Jav Gould i worth J 1,000, OlKl 000 ns that he as .-::,h,ooo;ihxi and it would he just as true. The smaller fortunes are likewise immensely overated. A painfully conspicuous example came to light in the case of the estimable Cyrus V, Field, who has been rated at from $"l",onu,(sK) to ?'..r,000,. I 0(10, and yet his n oble sacrifice of S'jo.ooo',- ! IKK', only to meet the deliectieics or defalra-fc defalra-fc lions of his son is said to have "sw ept away his entire fortune." There is scarcely a ! week but some young woman is paraded In the "society" columns as "having in I her own right' anywhere from $20,000,000 U Wy"-""-- .vet wheu she murries her entire folium just about sullies to lurnish tin: Hat iii which she and her husband begin married life. 1 he preposterous "tains" about the great wealth of our "widows" become very thlu when they are unraveled. The publicity given to the engagement of Mrs, Marshall 0. Roberts has given ccjual and painful publicity to the exact amount of her heretofore estimated millions." She lias no millions. She derives frui" her late husband's estate an income said t '! about .4),0i which expires with l.oi ,,,vn death, so Hint Colonel Ralph Vivian cannot j he nceussd of being a fortunti-lnmter. In. ! deed, it is now snid thai Mr-. Roberta bttS.j Insured her life for $100,000 for the express bcuctil ol the colonel if lie survives her. |