The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 5, 1899, Page 21

MARCH 5, 1899. 20 THE SAN ¥RANCISCO CGALL, SUNDAY, HERE'S the Richest Farmerin fimerica He Owns Fourteen Farms in Missouri and Fattens More Gattle Than Any Other Man in the World. of a nomad. He moved meny times be- tween the Indiana home and the final set- tling in what is now Henderson County, as a young man amirer of Abra- up in Ilinofs, | you to find that he w day Call. a follower anc ham Lir coln A millio he was bc n County, llinois. David quit the schools at the } kins were age of 11, and set to work for his living. gin. David's father, a Began Business With One Colt. t have been something | Doubtless he earned something more, poor fa 2660600600050 0600 @ Hon. I than ¢ He owns the more his best eye 1s the NE of the vict Crown of In a but from her trim appearance, alow and alofr, 0 On the morning of May 5, 1898, the Crown of India was towed out up and caught the ship on a lee shore. It was then a question of carrying away twenty feet above the deck, the main topmast eight feet below Vessels came and went, in the distance, were in too much fear for their own safety to go near the disabled ship. lumber laden fro: Puget Sound for Adelaide, came along and immediately sen brought hi abandon the ship, up and towed in me w ard and expl pted Mr. Rank t s his own corn to town to sell. w Fattens Thousands of Cattle. . W., where it took six months to repair Mr. S During “the great Maitland storm” fourteen vessels went down with all hands. t Svery year with her. Neither of them was ever heard of again. One of the apprentice boys on the Crown deserted in Newecastle and shipped on a coaster. he buys a n thousand hurricane and he lost his life. ::ad{‘m’ll; l;\!"l’ m come f‘r:*m Tex- The passenger steamer Maitland, with over a hundred souls aboard, went down in sight of land. - e k ‘;\4'\:7".‘: a}r}fi five were saved. It was from the loss of this steamer the hurricane got its name. It is no wonder therefore t T e e D they “came out of the jaws of death.” PPOPIPIIPPIPPPPP999209000000000000000000600 T but it all went In the famfly fund. When | he was free, his father gave him a colt, the first thing he ever owned. Most smart youngsters would have seen In it a pros- pective saddle horse. David was another sort. He gold the colt for $i2, and-put | the money in calves, to grow while he | worked for more. Pretty soon he had [the chance to buy an elghty-acre farm. | Tt took grit to go in debt for it, with | wheat at 25 cents a bushel and firewood $1 the cord. Those were the prices Da- vid's father had got for what he had to | gell. Still David bought the farm. || Inside of four years he had pald for it, with money earned mostly by break- | ing prairie. The virgin sod is too tough | for horses or mules. It must be turned with the slow, steady draught of oxen. David Rankin managed to buy a palr. His breaking plow, a special imple- ment, he made himself by help of a local blacksmith. He had no money to buy | the necessary fron, but a friend stood se- curity, so he got it, and thus was enabled | literally to set his hand to the plow. | "It 1s no wonder he loves land, and pre- | fers it to all other investments. From the | first it has prospered him amazingly, | though from the first he has seldom sold crude products. That first elghty-acre farm had a herd of cattle on it even be- n a frelght bill of bunch, and pay on the §25,000. He has just now bought 5000 head | of Texas cattle to be delivered next No- vember, paying for them $30 a head. His shipments of fat cattle begitn in June. he 1st of June to the 1st of Sep- two or three train loads each week. e keeps 10,006 to 12,000 head of hogs all the ne, and sells fat ones to the value y. All these he ralses. In ot he never buys a pig, except for the ssion of new blood into his breeding Some years back, while there was in horses, he undertook the breed- $ rafight beasts, and built upon his home farm just outside of Tarkio a| hors n very much up to date. It cost £10.000, and is an octagonal brick butlding, ctories high. It s ligiited through- out with electricity. Hach stall has its own incandescent lamp, and’the cupola are light which turns midnight into ay all over the barnyard. David Rankin Personally. 1t 1s worth while to look a little into the genesis of this man and his fortune, Physically he is tall, raw-boned, sinewy, with keen blue eyes, a weather beaten face, gray hair and beard. Primitive to a degree, yet without roughness, he knows life, knows men, yet has never got far from the soil. It does not astordish STUDIES OF A WELL-KNOWN WAX-FIGURE MAKER For fourteen days the dismasted vessel lay like a log within five miles of the Seal Rocks. but no one offered ¥o go to the Crown of India’s assistance. Just when Captain Corkhill and his men had given up all hope the “I never saw a man handle a vessel better,” sald Captain Corkhill. hooner around under our stern, and in spite of the waves, He could do nothing for us as I would not but he steered away out of his course and beat up toward Newcastle to send us assistance. ! fore it was paid for. 8o driving and thriv- | ing, the master of it came to own 3000 acres by the time the Clvil War began. That era of inflation sent prices too high for his judgment. He kept on buying un- til he had 8000 acres, then went West. Atchison County has much more than justified his cholce of 8 new residence. It 1s no longer a region of one rallway. A new one, the Tarkio Valley, runs right through the middle of; it, and Tarkio town, & beautiful and thriving village, has grown up magically In its eighteen years of life. . Naturally Rankin Interests pre- dominate. David Rankin {s president and principal shareholder In the town's First National Barnk, as well as president of the Electric Light and Power Com- pany, the Water Company, the Rankin Auditorium Company and the Tarkio Brick and Tile Company. These various of Newcastle, N. 8. W., on her way to on sail or going on the rocks. bore down on the derelict. which were rolling mountains high, our damages.” WAX FIGURES That Gan Almost Jalk. It Requires Great Art to Make Them, but This Gountry is Beating Europe at the Business. Epectal to The Sunday Call The creation of a perfect wax figure fs as great a trlumph of art as the success- ful portrayal of life upon canvas. It takes as great & genius to accomplish this as to chisel from marble a laughing naiad, or Q@OQG@QO@00000000000000000000000000000000000000000@000@0&90 HE CROWN OF INDIA ESGAPED FROM THE GREAT MAITLA At 1:30 p. m. the tug cast , he rounded too under our lee. Captain Rasmussen was ‘the man that did stand by At the time the Crown of India towed out of Newcastle the barks The vessel he shipped on went down in the the merchandise record, we have exported far more than we have imported. While there are not more than fifty per- sons in the United States who can con- struct a figure in wax perfect, lifelike, the work ftself gives employment to a host of peorle, for in the actual work of putting IR R R A ND STORM. ims of “the great Maitland storm’—the most disastrous hurricane that ever visited the coast of Australla—reached port last Saturday. She is the British four-masted bark, as she sailed in through the Golden Gate, no one would ever think that less than nine months ago the captain and w had been huddled together in her after cabin for fourteen days, hourly expecting the stout ship to go d»wn. 3 San Francisco. Up to 1:30 p. m. of the 6th the sticks stood the strain, then the foremast carried the lower cap, while the mizzen topgallant mast went by the board. How she escaped going on that dangerous reef is a miracle Captain Corkhill cannot explain. The Japanese steamer Tokio Maru and one of the A. U. S. N. fleet passed her by, but American four-masted schooner, Golden Shore, her off. At midnight the storm came “Captain Rasmus- Later we were picked Frido and Hunter went {n company The beach was thronged with people eager to lend assistance, but out of all aboard only hat Captain Corkhill when speaking of his own and his crew’s rescue says that 260000000000 00000000000000000000000000 0000806000000 0060060006600 | enterprises represent the investments of over $100,000 of Rankin money. . In ad- | dition to them Mr. Rankin has trade rela- tfons with most of the trade centers and is in close touch with moneyed men all | over the country. Founds a College. | Surpassingly rich, he has forgotten what it means to be poor. As becomes his blood, he is a Presbyterian, and strives to live his religion as well as to believe it. Liberal in support of his church and | | her works, he can be depended on to be as liberal to any good cause, especially | | the cause of education. Tarkio College alone has received from him nearly $100,- |000. He had given to the institution above | $25,000, when fire destroyed the main build- | ing. He at once offered §25,000 toward re- | building if as much could be raised else- where. Since then he has had a stand- ing offer to give to the college a dellar for every dollar contributed outside. By his help, the college has put up its pres- | | ent magnificent bulldings, and holds its | | place among high-class Western institu- | | tions of learning. Needless to add, Mr. Rankin's picture appears upon the college | button, or that his unique and original | objurgation “Set fire” makes an impor- | tant part of the college yell. He has been ltberal to other schools | | than his home college, to other churches than his own United Presbyterfan. | Perhaps that i1s how a certain man and | ,brother of African descent came’to rely so confidently upon Mr. Rankin as the | (Lord's almoner. The brother lived in a; Tennessee town, and combined in his own | person the offices of pastor of a church and principal of a school. Church and school were in desperate need of moncy. The pastor told his brethren If only ttey | would raise money to send him to Tarkio | the Lord and Mr. Rankin would do the rest. So to Tarklo he came, saw and at | first dld not conquer. Mr. Rankin heard | him with patfent kindness—he even sent | courtecus answers to the most barefaced | begging letters—but answered with em- | phasis, which no doubt seemed to the trustful listener harsh, that help was out of the question; he had all he could do to furnish aid to his home college, his church, and ‘his church’s school society. The black man looked at him aghast. Pale he could not grow, but no words came—he tried to move to go away, but | tottered, and fell fainting, utterly strick- en by the shattering of his trust. In the end his trusting conquered. When he | went home a little later he.had in.his | pocket the necessary $300. David Rankin | had given two hundred of it. The rést | came from his son and the employes of | his office.: . “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it | holy” is a living law upon every foot of | Rankin jand. By way of helping his men to keep it, Mr. Rankin stipulates in the beginning that Monday shall be pay day. | As they are pald off weekly he thinks it | wise to minimize Sunday temptations. He | does ot relish the thought that a man | may waste his earnings in an hour, and | to perpetuate mythology in statuesque bronze. There are good and bad creators of wax figures, as there are daubers and painters, but nowhere in the universe is so great a | varfety of the sort of folk who make wax figures found as in the United States. Nor can any other country lay claim to such artistic work in that line as comes into being here. Nine-tenths of the wax flgures of the world are made in this country. A few years ago Germany and Italy held the fame and won the reward, but home pro- duction has forged to the front in this regard so strongly that, as statistics show O000000C0000000C HAD asked Mr. Sage for an opin- fon upon the money mistakes of the late Calvin S. Brice. Mr. S8age would not talk on this subject, but he did express himself upon the extravagances of New | York life as above quoted. Sage spoke earnestly. He was in slippered ease at home after the day's toil had been compensated for in some measure by a before-dinner nap. The most democratic of all milllonaires had come down to see me in his stocking feet, carrying his shoes In his hand. The picture reminded me of the stories of the simple and unaffeeted manners of Lincoln and Silas Wright.. Russell Sage is a gentleman of the old school and you take him as you find him, and you find him natural. - As usual, Mr. Sage gave voice to a theory prolific in surprises. It is not a growth of love of luxury which prompts the amazing expenditure of money by century-end New Yorkers. “What induces these unreasenable | outlays of money on personal ac- counts,” sald Mr. Sage, “is not the gratification of luxurious tastes and impulses. You understand me, that it is not, but it is an obnoxious desire to make an appearance before the public | which will attract the attention of the public. “Why, my dear young man, I assure vou it is a fact, a surprising fact, that men endure unwarranted expenditures of money on their living account which are made for no otuer purpose than to excite the jealousies of their neigh- bors. “How wicked that is—yes, Iymay say it is wicked. I do not say that a man is to be so much blamed for spending largely to gratify the honest tastes of himself and his family for expensive lixurfes—horses, carriages, pictures, music and things of such sort. leave. his family in want befors next ‘week’s money comes in. “But these are not the wrecking ex- {travagances.” z | a figure together almost every -step is a | trade by itself. Tkis is where trade and profession go hand in hand, for the artist loses none of his art, though he calls the tradesman to his ald. The fact that the average span Siia wax faigro e tmeive Seat e the substitution feature an tmportant one, It is the making of figures over and over | again which makes the professton, or in- | dustry, as you choose to call it, as profit. ‘able as It is. There are the same ex- | penses to be met in originating a figur in wax as fall upon a painter whe‘u 5 puts his ideas on canvas.—modely any paints—and it comes about {n this wu;-nd First, the sculptor—for only the sculpt. or can successfully follow the craft of making wax figures—secures his model It is necessary for him to work alto- gether from life, and that means in the nude.’ There 1s no difficulty whatever in securing beautifully proportioned figu but it is the face which causes the mo trouble. If the sculptor wishes to be ; ticularly true’to life he does not care 5 {dealize if that can be avoided. Theref he trles many models until he finds or whose features are such as to be capabls of reproduction in wax and still preserve their beauty. The model secured the molding of clay begins, and it fs’ here that tn sculptor’s early, lessons. in clay modeling are of the greatest use to him, for if he has neglected these in any W better say good-by to the try something else. The clay having been satisfactorily molded a plaster cast of the model s made. When the plaster is har- dened sufficiently mielted wax Is poured into it through an opening in the head, right where all humanity is born with a soft spot. This opening is closed and wax and cast are allowed to stand twenty minutes. By this time the contents of the cast have partly cooled, part of the. top of the head been removed and such ef the wax as has not adhered to the cast is poured out into the big receptacle used for that purpose. The amount of wax that has adhered to the plaster is generally about an inch in thickness. The plaster {s broken from it and then the wax is washed in turpentina in_order that it may be hardened, after which it is sandpapered. While the gen eral contour of the face has been retain during this casting process, the ey the mouth must be formed. T sculptor’s first -task, and he ¢ opening for the eyes and Insert orbs, for the eyes of every figure are of glass. It 1s by no means the case t is always constructed in ene pi often, to expedite matters, the trunk and head are cast separately, tends to each part. Wh sections of the figure are compl are wired together, all but th bust. These are in the hands of a ¥ woman, who s engaged in putting on tF hair. Most persons have an idea that figures wear wigs, but they do noth of the sort. FEach separate hair is fa tened In as tightly as nature has fastened the hair on a person. Nor is the hair ma ufactured. It is all human and comes most entirely from Germany. The task of placing this hair in the fig- ure's head is a rather tedious one. A needle, just a trifle larger than a halr, is used to puncture the wax, and in this puncture the young woman places the end of the hair. Then she presses the wax tightly against it. This process s con- tinued until a regulation head of halr is affixed. The most delicate task of this sort is affixing the eyelashes and eye- brows. These are so conspieuous that the slightest error has an {ll effect. Agaln, there is always the danger that the eyelids will break If the pressure upon them is too great, and this practically means the ruin of the figure—or at least {he head and bust. This work is done, in every case, with the view of the closest inspection being given, and it it is pro- nounced perfect the chances are that any flaw which exists will be visible only to the eyes of an expert. The task of affixing halr, eyelashes and eyebrows complete, the figure is ready for inspection, and {f this is satisfactory it 1s shipped to- the purchaser. The best of these figures are so lifelike that if the light be otherwise than bright only close. i{nspection will reveal the fact that the fig- ure is of wax. Of course these works of art—for they are nothing else—are high- priced and range from $200 to $300. A fairly good figure can be secured for a sum considerably lower, but the very best work always comes high. The $§ sort are to the figures dsecribed about as the fearful daubs sometimes termed paintings are to the work of the brushes of the Aca- demicians. They are cheap, and yet dear at any price. The wax vsed in the manufacture of these figures In the pure white refined beeswax. It comes from Texas, Califor- nia and South America, and the average price §s 20 cents a pound. To make the head and bust of a figure from eight to ten pounds of wax are needed, while a half figure takes from fifteen to seventeen pounds. The hands and forearms of a fig- ure are generally solid wax, but all the rest 1s a mere shell. Tn the studlos where these figures are constructed every nationality is represent- ed that is ordinarily found in the ranks of the workers. As no particularly artistic taste {s required to perform the mechan- ical tasks of figure work, there is little evident among the workmen. The mold- ers, those who put on the hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, receive from §20 to $24 a week, as do those who finish and paint the figures. The other salaries range from about $10 to $15 per week. The wax re- celves a certain portion of color when it {s melted by being mixed with artists’ paint, therefore the pah’nln§’ of the figure consists in the coloring of the features. All the larger museums of the country make their own wax figures. Each estab- lishment is presided over by a sculptor of high ability. Time was when an artist who engaged In a task of this sort was looked down upon_ by his jonal brethren, but that day fs past. . Jar- ley’'s Wax Works are no longer considered in trade. 00000000000000000000000000000000000 N begged that cipeEaed the subject be further th;?\'e}ll,{i}[ is like this,” aghtfully: “Men by this in ?‘yh;gxlt‘itpxar;viitment acquire 1\;]@;5:1_:::‘:: comfartable Incomes o o Y° & TaiLly ::'}}l'hal do they do? hey go abroad. They m who h_a\'e been accustomed :gtn‘;l“’g::. extravagances of another kind of life for generations. Perhaps they are per- mitted t e 0 lift the skirt of a Prince's sald Mr. Sage, Sage paused thoughtfull >ag y. Now,” he continued, “it { ngl-e thing that if an Am:r?c:;m:;: abroad and happens to lift the skirt of a Prince’s coat he returns home and at once sets about to spend money in a :"TEI‘:;C}O invite criticism. Yes, to invite £ &s;rj;.ctls that not strange? But “Young man, I have observ: rival, rise, fall and departurid;rhes:cr}; men during my business career of six- u;rour years—yes, sixty-four years. I have seen them spending money— :z:r] mnfney is hard to come by and easy clt%)env;l: no other purpose than to ex- ::A ow, how wrong, how foolish! “To excite envy i3 to Jaske enemies That is not its worst consequence. Men who have a fairly comfortable in- come, let us say men whose invest- ments are made so as to net them from $50,000 to $100,000 a year, not satigfied with living in the simple comfort ich reasonable economy would safely af- ford, proceed to live in a manner which Is obnoxious, which excites criticism and they establish a standard of if¥ing which their incomesdo not warrant and ;R.ei\ theymake an inroad on their cap- "XT‘hat is fatal! et me explain: If a young man running an elevator, let 13; mf, and }: paid, perhaps, $10 a week, and his mode of life is such that he is not always in the best physical condition to run that elevator, he impalirs his capltal as much as the man who has an income of $100,- RUSSELILJ SAGE On the Extravagances of the Rich: 000 and spends $110,000. The principle is the same.” I asked the Wall street veteran if he had an instance in mind which could be quoted of a $100,000-a-year man over- spending. Mr. Sage looked as if he doubted the questioner’s sincerity, and then said: “I could name a hundred in- stances, but it would not be charitable to do so. In a recent case—of course I shall not mention or indicate any name—a man died who is supposed to be worth $20,000,000. “Well, such figures are exaggerated. Now they are exaggerated, foolishly exaggerated, in my case. But the world believes the man I speak of to be worth many millions, surely.” Mr. Sage regarded the toe of his com- fortable slipper before he added, “I will not say what my estimate of his wealth was. That makes no difference. Of course I am in various affairs and it comes legitimately to my knowledge that gentlemen are sometimes mnot worth all that they are credited with. “But let us speak of his case. He dies and his estate is found to be worth about the sum he spent annually—and the liabilities of the estate are not yet known. “What pleasure, what moral gratifi- cation, did that man get out of his un- warranted expenditures? “‘None. “But, mark you, the evil of such a ca- reer is not to be found in the history of that individual. He sets an example. He did not gratify a laudable ambition. He—and I speak of him as a type— gratified but a conceited pride. But in doing so he excited to unwarranted ex- penditures the man whose income was only a little less, and he in turn excited the conceit of a man with still a Iittle less, and so the unfortunate example extended down, down, down in this town where display fs so brazen and purposely open until it affected the clerk—even the shopgirl, perhaps—who tried to make a $5 a week salary pur- chase the display only justified by an income of $6 a week.” -