The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 15, 1906, Page 13

¥ ZZG Lo TR Sy 2= 2 T 2% = ES SSSaSs o oz aire class, almost super- g tn- reet ¥ ted heavily improving hoidings in Rialto by both were in d the Cr dings They BY THE PARSON. ¢ H_how I wi could live my te r a The speaker aisle from me on the ralway tral addressed n about his own age. men and the one ac- “Well, wouldn’t be half another chance.” And then relapsed into silence for a time, as were living over in memory the they were boys and young sat across ays. when The incident set me to thinking about desire that comes to most of us or later to live our lives over t is usually due, first of all, to a sooner gain lization of the mistakes made, and to retrieve them. Oh, why did that corner lot when it depre- ted immediately in our bands? Why we choose the course we did at & jcal moment? So far as we can see notr, it was the wrong choice. Why did we sey that mean thing to one we loved sc much twenty years ago end more? SN S Seusaeewas co is Mr opera these propertie: 3 to 50 per c d of the va holdings at the pre he owns several hundre erty. L. H. is a :state has been eight years ago Mr. Sly’s capital was about $8000; today he is rated.at $1,300,000. We would give half our possessions to- day to blot it from our memories. Then, again, we covet the chance to re- Heve our lives, because we think we would more quickly avail ourselvés of the opportunities that came in our way. Oh, to go through school or college again! We wouldn’t loaf away our days, would we? Oh, to face once more the chance to enter upon & delightful and profitable ca- reer that we ignored when within our reach! And sometimes, too, we think we would Jike to retrace our way simply to retaste the joys that once were and have gone never to return. Almost every one of us carries in memory some fair image of the past, the day when our beloved one piedged her troth to us, the day when the cooing of a child was first heard beneath our roof, the hour when we scored that victory on the athletic fleld, and were carried off the fleld on the shoulders of our comrades amid the huz- zas of the crowd, the day when we scalea 2 famous lofty mountain peak and felt the exhilaration of the climb and the prospect. Golden moments those, when We drained the cup of joy to its dregs. HAYSSLER oo st purchase was the lot on eet upon which the Palmerlee now Selling that and the improve- t on it before the latter was finished, rofit, he kept on buying and selling property with a substantial gain on n the property follows: The on Stockton ter, valued at $270,%0. nsley apartment-ho on Turk eet, near Van Ness, containing 280 rooms and valued at $250,00. The Ains- worth, a 2i8-room apartment-house on the er of Post and Polk streets, valued An entire island near Vall:jo, tock ranch in Nevada near ac near Madera, a anta Clara County, lot on Van Ness nd California and Sacra- mento upon which he purposes erecting a twelve-story apartment-house which is to be the best equipped structure of its class west of New York. Another man who from a small begin- ning' is said to have .cleared $250,000 in x years’ time Charles Schlessin- ey Up te the period mentioned Mr. Schlessinger was a bookkeeper for Bauer Bros. Coming to this city with limited means, so limited in fact that Mr. Schles- singer has been known to say his sole itai was about $3 and a return ticket which he sold for $20, which Iboked as big to him as a thousand does now. About six years ago he began operating in real estate with his savings of fourteen years spent with the one firm as an accountant. As a sample of his success a few deals > 4% ON LIVING ONE'S LIFE OVER AGAIN. % 2 e "\;\%*5:;_-;. 3 B e e =z e = g A AROA/SON Vavcudn & frzs7A & & o 7 e may be mentioned here. A lot on How- ard street, near Second, bought for $15,- Why, we would almost be willing to live our lives over again, even its mistakes, failures and sins, for the sake of freshly experiencing these radiant, unforgettable moments. Almost we say, for, after all, when we talk about living our lives over we usually have in mind a career which would be free from the errors and short- comings which disfigure our past. Not many of us would really care to live our lives over unless because of the lessons learned in later years we could make a better record. ‘Well, is such a feeling as this a whole- some one? No and yes. No, if it makes us morbid, remorseful and supine. Yes, If it prompts us to confess frankly our mis- takes in order to escape duplicating them in time to come. .And why waste strength and nervous force in vain regrets, when, as a matter of fact, we are living our lives over again every day? That is to say, we repeat certain normal, physical processes. The foreground of our life may change its scenery and color, but the background is unchanging. With us always are the great elemental abiding obligations to our kin- dred, our friends and the world at large. We may not be able longer to smooth the brow of our beloved dead, but we can to- day minister tenderly to our beloved liv- ing. We may not seize today that oppor- tunity of a decade ago, but nightfall will not come without bringing us some other and perhaps equally g0od opportunitys ‘We need to get the perspective of the years when we discuss such a subject as this. There is a vastly longer streteh of, time before us than there is behind even the oldest of us. Edward Beecher, the talented divine and kinsman of Henry ‘Ward Beecher, once replied to a man who had praised him for some good deed by saying, “Mr. Beecher, you ought to live forever.” ‘‘Well, sir, 1 expect to.” To those of us who count on | vastly better to go forward than ward—not backward to the inno untempted childhood, but forw virtues of a proved manhood; not ward to the careless, happy days but forward to tige ennobling ties of mature ; not backs chance that came our way yi forward to tomOrrow’s certain ¢ nity. 000, he sold in less than six months’ time for $30,000; another on the northeast cor- ner of Van Ness avenue and Clay street, for which he paid $45.000, he sold the next day for $60,000; another lot an the south- east corner of Sutter and Taylor streets was purchased by him for $0,000 and sold thirty days afterward for $50,000. As a matter of fact this same piece of prop- erty was sold again afterward for $55- 00, proving that the top price of San Francisco real estate is a movable quan- tity. Another of Mr. Schlessinger's pur- chases was a lot on the south line of Mis- sion street, hetween Fifth and Sixth, for which he pald $92,500, and three days afterward sold for $115,000. One of the largest speculators in real estate in this city is Louis Fried- lan@eér,«who is estimated as having clear- ed over $150,000 in a space of five vears, during which time he and his associate, Mr. Houston, are said to have purchased and sold over $2,600,000 worth of property. Up to that time and for years previous Mr. Friedlander owned a cigar store on Montgomery street. The Starr brothers have been among the big speculators who have been fortunate within the past few years. Their success \ ) <3 - - LT TP o S Z 7N z .A_ SIS, 1! B L S0 has lain in fifty and one hundred property. They have been ver) with quick sales. As an example, th purchased the northwest corner of El and Mason streets for $192.500 and sold it within thirty days for $270,000. They pur chased also a piece of property on Tay- lor street between Eddy and Ellis for $65,000 and sold it within thirty days for $75,000. Yet another property on the cor- ner of Third and Natoma streets for which they paid 3200,000 they sold within three months’ time for $230,000. Away up at the head of the list of men who have amassed colossal fortunes from real estate ventures is A. Aronson, who in five years’ time has made over $2,000,006. Improved real estate is Mr. Aronson's hobby and he points with con- siderable pride to the bulldings, some twenty In all, which he has erected. Among them are the Redondo Hotel on Post street, near Jones; the San Francisco News Company’s building on ary street, near Powell; the Bullock & Jc building on Sutter street, near Mon gomery; -the Elysium on Geary street, near Jones, and the Dorchester Hotel, at Sutter /and Gough streets. His main property interest is now the Aronson building on Third and Mission streets, which is held at a valuation of $300,000 for the realty and $380,000 for the build- ing, which would of itself seem to be a fairly good profit on the few thousand dollars which were Mr. Aronson's capital some five years ago and which he accu- mulated in a second-hand furniture store which he owned south of Market street. Mr. Aronson is in favor of large, well bullt buildings as an investment, wherein, as he puts it, the lack of proportion is not 80 great between the decrease in the valus of the improvement and the Increase in value of the land. He Is particularly rabid against the speculators, who, he claims, I inflated values until they have made it almost impossible to secure a property paying a legitimate percentage on in- vestment. Among those who have made real estate a side issue is W. B. Pringle, who, as he himself expresses it, has been “remarkably lucky.” His opera- tions began in 1900 and, like many others, he had but the shall ~apital of his sav- ings to invest. His first venture was a tract of land In the Western Addition, which he subdivided, and which was all sold within a period of sixty days, and at a good profit. Being a real estate lawyer he has invested much money for other people, with which he has been squally lucky. Mr. Pringle considers close In retail business property as the best investment. He gives it as his opin- fon that property in what is known as the business center of the city has In- creased from 30 to 50 per cent within the past two years. A. D. Bowen, the organizer and general manager of the Ocean Shore Rallway Company, owes much of his real estate profits to investments made south of Market street, where he estimates the increase of his holdings in that locality at about 33 1-3 per cent in a year’'s time. Mr. Bowen is also heavily interested in outlying property along the line of the Shore road, in which he saw great possibilities when he was looking over the proposed route for that line. During the past year $1000 has been offered for property in that vicinity formerly sold at Louis Samuels is ome of the young men who have made a good real estate, having picked up from 3 000 to $75,000 profit within a perlod of ab: one year. He hag had good Misston property. Mr. Samuels a his success to his luck erty not boosted out speculators and then fi it, some gne who wanted he aid. Among those who have had the ad- vantage of of their own for backing are t who are ae credited with $100,000 prof year. ‘Their investni principally in the b d llam W age and olff, who is said t of a million doilars. ent on the property was move hem ttenti about on at rer lucky od of six $50,000. nbered among with a profit Nathan-D nann prop- e refused $150,000 profit on Aronson is one of e Mackay cor eets, and of which hal of the are members, They sold side portion for the corner a clear got $1,250,000, 0 profit with provements. k is noted as one of the suo- perators, having made ug $150,000 In two years and a half in south of Market street property. Lillle Hol as made about 330, side of a year speculating in Mis- sion and south of Market street property. As an example of the rate at which property has d hers within the past few years, the Biythe estats, con- trolled by the Bankers’ Realty Company, may be me . which in four years' time increased in value about 33,250,000 The Crocker esta which has made & specialty “of buyt ne properties and retaining them as investments, is said to have increased in value m $7.000,000 the time of Colonel Crocker’s death, 000,000 at the present time. is anoth: r gentleman eclalty of b uying fine ale. It s s proper- e about sh-American . de Young nes Flood property on Market and Powell streets is another investment which shows a r rkable percentage of Flood, who has for desirable corners, 000,000 to The land alo Another of sions is the Nevada block, also Iy valuable. One of the shrewdest real estate in this ef Thomas Magee, but it n ined for his sons to make the family fortune. They are sald to be positively fearless in back- ing their judgment and that it is good is evidenced by the fact t 'y are ag- credited with having mac a million at the very least in the past three years, Among those way up in the millionaire class who have made their money in real judges was the elder of estate is M: itt, who far the past fifte: been speculat- ing in property in this ci r. Lewv: tritt’s specialty has been b ng small properties on main thoroughfares and consolidating them and then holding them until he saw a big chance for a profitable sale. ‘Another of the real estats millionaives is Charles R. Bishop, vice president of the California Bank. Mr. Bishop made his first great real estate success in Hom- olulu. Coming from there to California he invested heavily in San Joac Valley property, which proved equally profitable. From there he came to this city, where he has continued his opera and ac- quired many very valuable pieces of real estate. Another millionaire who has made the most of his large fortune in real estat is William Mitchell Bunker. at one time cne of the owners of the Daily Re- port. Mr. Bunker always had the utmost faith In San Francisco real estate. He bought largely In the extreme Western Addition. He started first with lots and subsequently bought blocks in that lo- cality which have since become extremely valuable. The Gerstles, many times millionairves, have been large investors in real estate here. Thelr purchases have been gener- ally north of Market street and in the business section, 1. W. Helilman, the noted banker, is an- other millionaire who owes most of his prosperity to real estate. For many years Mr. Hellman was the adviser of the Ro- man Catholic Bishop In the southern end of the State when the church owned much property there, which property has since increased to twenty or thirty times its then value. Mpr. Hellman made Xis start in the south. Since coming here he has been a heavy investor in valuable San Francisco properties. Danfel Meyer is also beholden to real estate for much of his enormous wealth. Andrew MeCréery is another man who has piled up many millions by Invest- ments made in business property in this eity. The Keils of Goldberz. Bowen & Co. are extensive real estate owners here whose wealth runs up into large figures. Their specialty is big lodging-houses. E. M. Gunn is an extensive holder of ‘real estate in this city and has been instrumental in getting big Eastern cap- ital interested here. Most of his hold- ings are in the northern part of the eity and along the water fromt.