THE GREAT LAND FORTUNES
GEN. STEPHEN VAN RENSSLAER.
The Last of the Patroons.
(From an Engraving.)
CHAPTER I
THE ORIGIN OF HUGE CITY ESTATES
In point of succession and importance the next great fortunes came from ownership of land in the cities. They far preceded fortunes from established industries or from the control of modern methods of transportation. Long before Vanderbilt and other of his contemporaries had plucked immense fortunes from steamboat, railroad and street railway enterprises, the Astor, Goelet, and Longworth fortunes were counted in the millions. In the seventy years from 1800 the landowners were the conspicuous fortune possessors; and, although fortunes of millions were extracted from various other lines of business, the land fortunes were preëminent.