The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 163

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I > Part 163

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OFFICE OF ASS'T COM .- GENERAL OF SUBSISTENCE, NEW YORK, Sept. 27th, 1864.

MESSRS. DAVID DOWS & Co .:

Gentlemen-With much pleasure I send you the following extract from a letter, yesterday received from General Eaton, Commissary-General of Subsistence, U. S. Army:

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF SUBSISTENCE, WASHINGTON CITY, D. C., Sept. 24th, 1864. Col. H. F. CLARK, A. D. C. & A. C. G. S., NEW YORK :

Sir-Your letter of yesterday, reporting the result of the purchase of provisions, made under your authority, by David Dows & Co., has been received. These purchases have been made with commendable mercantile skill, and with the evident desire to serve the economical Interests of the country. The thanks of this department are due Messrs. David Dows & Co. for this service.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, (Signed) A. B. EATON, C. G. S.

I am, gentlemen, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. F. CLARKE. COL. A. D. C. & A. C. G. S.

The transaction here referred to covered several millions of dollars in value. It not only embraced the purchase of provisions, but also the negotiation of government certifi- cates of indebtedness (with which in large measure the Treasury Department of the United States was, from neces- sity, forced to pay its debts), upon a plan suggested by Mr. Orr, and which proved much more favorable to the Govern- ment than that which was practiced prior to David Dows & Co's management. It was in some respects a test case, which worked so well that it was continuously followed till the close of the war.

The policy and aim of David Dows & Co. has always been to encourage the agricultural and commercial development of the United States ; and, as a means, it has always been identified with those enterprises which assisted in opening up and utilizing the products of new territories, and has ever been among the first to follow the pioneering railroad

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

into the wilderness. Nor has it forgotten its obligations to the city of New York, or its great dormitory, Brooklyn, where, on the water front of the latter, it has built some of the finest grain warehouses and elevators on the Atlantic sea- board. It has done much to make the harbor of New York the granary for the old world, and the city of New York the great grain center of the United States. In all these inatters Mr. Orr has actively seconded the indomitable energy and enter- prise of his senior partner, Mr. Dows, and has ever found in hiin a friend from whom he could accept counsel, and whose example it was his aim to emulate. Hence we find him asserting, when opportunity offers, the commercial su- premacy of New York, and advocating and supporting every influence that will tend to insure that end. Year after year, since 1871, he appeared before committees of the Leg- islature, urging the reduction of tolls on the state canals; until in 1882, as chairman of the New York Produce Ex- change Committee of Fifty, he presented the unanswerable argument of the Exchange in favor of " free canals," and made the demand " that every toll bar erected against the internal commerce of the state, and the interests of the citics of New York and Brooklyn, must now. be taken down."

In 1875 Mr. Orr was appointed by Governor Tilden a mem- ber of the commission charged with the duty of investigat- ing the affairs and management of the canals of this state. His colleagues were John Bigelow, Daniel Magone, Jr., and John D. Van Buren. This commission faithfully fulfilled the mission entrusted to its care. It was organized in April, and did not terminate its labors till the spring of the fol- lowing year. Through it a system of frauds was discovered and developed, which had been in operation for many years, and was sapping the moral condition of the governing bodies of the state.

Very many of the guilty persons were brought to justice, and made to refund their ill-gotten gains. Prominent state officials. who had either connived at, or profited by, these wrong-doings, were forced to resign, in order to avoid judi- cial removal; and others who could not be proved legally guilty, but whom the moral sense of the community deemed responsible, withdrew into private life as soon as their terms of office expired, and in a political sense, were heard of no inore.

This commission was clothed with extraordinary powers. It was authorized to send for persons and papers, and arrest all refractory witnesses. Its expenses were of necessity large; some $35,000 ; and yet it may be said to have paid more than its own expenditures, as it collected from persons wrongfully and fraudulently receiving, and returned to the state, either in cash or state certificates of indebtedness, $43,000; collected proofs which enabled the state to sue for hundreds of thousands of dollars, which had been wrong- fully or fraudulently paid to dishonest contractors, and caused contracts to be cancelled, and useless constructions to be stopped, which would have involved the useless expendi- ture of millions of dollars more. As a result, the recon- mendations of the commission were adopted by the Legislature; the pernicious elective offices of canal commis- sioners were abolished, divided responsibility was entirely eliminated from canal management; the office of superin- tendent of public works, with a direct responsibility, was created, and the expense of canal maintenance was reduced more than one-half.

Mr. Orr has been identified with the New York Produce Exchange since 1859. He was one of those active, earnest men who, after many defeats, succeeded in establishing in 1871-2 the organization that now prevails, and which since then has grown into such grand proportions, and promises

such splendid results. His constant aim has been to make the Exchange self-appreciative and self-asserting, and claim to be what it has the right to be, the great central commer- cial association of the United States. To insure this, it needed a building worthy of that aim and claim, and in 1879 it was finally decided to erect one at a cost not exceed- ing one million and a half of dollars.

A building committee was created, consisting of eight gentlemen, with full power as to location and character of construction within prescribed limits, of which Mr. Orr was one, and he was at once elected its secretary. The commit- tee immediately took the position that the sum named was much too small, and after many meetings and controversies with the board of managers and members of the Exchange, procured its increase to three millions of dollars, which, in the opinion of the committee, was more appropriate for the purpose. The wisdom of this action is now apparent. A building, creditable to the Exchange and the city of New York, is now being completed, which combines architectural effect with all present and prospective Exchange needs; and which will yield at the same time a yearly revenue, to be expended in the interests of American commerce for all time, of nearly two hundred thousand dollars. To the courage and earnest advocacy of Mr. Orr, in large measure, is due these praiseworthy results.

Other Exchange interest, only second to that mentioned above, has received his careful attention. In all large com- mercial bodies differences of opinion and misunderstandings must, of necessity, be frequent. To settle such by recourse to legal tribunals is expensive and tedious, and owing to the admissibleness of technicalities when so adjudicated, very often the equities of the case are entirely lost sight of. Mr. Orr has always advocated settlement of such differences by arbitration, and has devoted much time to the development of this system of mercantile justice. For the past three years he has been the chairman of the arbitration commit- tee of exchange, and so successful has that committee been in obtaining the confidence of the members, that in its late reports to the board of managers, the following statements are found :

"It is the experience of this committee that settlement of differences between members of this Exchange by arbitra- tion, without intervention of law, is rapidly becoming the general rule. Indeed, the prediction is ventured that, fol- lowing the lead of intelligent business men, and guided by the influences which they cannot fail to exert, the large cor- porations and associations throughout the land that are de- pendent upon commerce, either directly or indirectly, for patronage and support, will ultimately adopt the same sys- tem for adjusting controversies and solving problems that are now the foundations of tedious and expensive law suits. * * In this association of three thousand merchants, * the committee has not learned of a single instance during the past two years where the law has been called upon to ad- judicate between members."

In matters of finance, Mr. Orr's opinions are much re- spected and his services sought. He is vice-president of the Mechanics' National Bank of New York, and was tendered the office of president after the resignation of Benj. B. Sher- man, in 1883, but declined it because of more pressing obligations. He is also a director of the New York Produce Exchange Bank, and a director and member of the finance committees of the Continental and American Fire Insurance companies, and of several other kindred institutions; also a director of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.

On his arrival in the United States, in 1851, Mr. Orr came to reside in Brooklyn, and has continued to dwell there ever since. He thoroughly believes that that city will ultimately become the first in population, in manufactures, and in solid,

Harrison I. Vining

651

THE COMMERCE OF BROOKLYN.

home-like comforts, if the people will take advantage of op- portunities as they are presented, and are appreciative of the possibilities of the future, which, in almost all things Ameri- can, may be made to far surpass the expectations of the most sanguine. In his opinion, from its advantageous loca- tion and other favorable conditions, Brooklyn cannot be held back from continuous growth and prominence; but with moderate taxation, ample water supply, a thorough system of rapid transit, and a continuation of such upright municipal government as has been enjoyed since the begin- ning of 1882, together with its close identification with the financial and commercial interests of New York, it could be wonderfully helped forward; and, if it does not in all re- spects rank first, it will only be second to the great metropo- lis, to which it will always add lustre, and of which it really forms a part. For these reasons, he has always lent a will- ing and helpful hand to found, sustain, or direct those in- stitutions of a philanthropic, educational, or refining char- acter, which are so essential to the healthful development of all large cities. He is a trustee of the Children's Aid Society, the Eye and Ear Hospital, St. John's Hospital, the Packer Collegiate Institute, the Brooklyn City Mission and Tract Society, the Long Island Historical Society, the Art Associa- tion, the Brooklyn Library and the South Brooklyn Savings Institution, in which latter, with its twenty-one thousand depositors, owning over nine million dollars of deposits, he takes the deepest interest. He holds that the savings banks furnish the means of teaching, in the most direct and practi- cal manner, the science of political economy to the masses of the people. He believes that every one who is prospect- ively dependent upon his or her exertions should be encour- aged to avail themselves of this means of making future provision against " the rainy day;" and he makes it a condi- tion with those whom he employs, that they shall have an active savings bank account; holding that the best evidence one person can give another of intended faithful service, is that evidence of self-appreciation, that first duty which looks beyond the needs of to-day, and makes provision for the un- known wants of to-morrow.

In politics, Mr. Orr may be termed an independent, al- though all through the War he had very decided republican affiliations. He advocates absolute freedom of action, irre- spective of party domination, in the great national questions of the day, believing that a man's conscience is his best guide; and he is strongly opposed to the introduction of na- tional politics into systems of municipal governments. Al- though he is not a " protectionist," as that term is generally understood, he is equally opposed to "free trade" in the United States, his views being that there should be a tariff that will produce the needed revenue, and insure, at the same time, the fair remuneration and elevation of American labor. He also holds that raw material and foreign built ships, except when the latter are to be used in the coasting trade of the United States, should be placed on the free list.

He has never held political office, except once, when he was elected a member of the Electoral College that cast the Presidential vote of the State of New York for Hon. Samuel J. Tilden in 1876. Although of republican affinities, Mr. Orr was elected to fill a vacancy in this college, because of his known friendship and confidence in the democratic candi- date, believing that if he should be inaugurated, as he be- lieved he had been elected, Mr. Tilden would carry with him to Washington the same system of reform that he had intro- duced into Albany, when he was the honored and respected Governor of this State, in 1875-6.

In 1882, Mr. Orr was tendered the nomination of Comp- troller of the city of Brooklyn by both the Republican and

Democratic parties, and the year following he was offered the Comptrollership of the city of New York, by its Mayor, Hon. Franklin Edson, both of which flattering offers he de- clined because of his many business responsibilities.

Mr. Orr is a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and one of the corporators of the Cathedral at Garden City, which Mrs. A. T. Stewart presented to the diocese of Long Island. He is also a member of the standing committee of the diocese, and a trustee of several of the diocesan charities. In 1856, he married Juliet Buckingham, eldest daughter of Ammi Dows, Esq. (then senior member of the firm of Dows, Guiteau & Co., of New York), who died in 1872. He subse- quently married Margaret Shippen, daughter of the late Nicholas Luquer, Esq., of Brooklyn, a granddaughter of the late Dominick Lynch, Esq., of New York, and a great great granddaughter of Chief Justice Edward Shippen, of Pennsyl- vania. He has three daughters, Jane Dows, Mary Moore and Juliet Ector.

In person, Mr. Orr stands about six feet in height, but is rather slight in build for a man of that stature. In his man- ner he is active and quick, and his constitution is nervous and vigorous. He is now fifty-two years of age, but time has not laid its hand heavily upon him. He attributes this in great measure to a principle laid down early in life, and which, under all circumstances, he faithfully follows out, viz., that when he leaves his office he also leaves his busi- ness there, and never allows its cares and anxieties to invade the happiness of his home. He believes that the toils should be largely intermingled with the pleasures of life, and has ever regretted that the American merchant and professional man differs so much in this respect from the habits of life almost universally observed in the older countries of Great Britain and Europe. It is indeed a very true adage that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," and, it may also be added, a prematurely old man-a condition which could easily be avoided by all our business men, if Mr. Orr's prin- ciple was not the exception but the general rule.

HARRISON S. VINING-a resident of Brooklyn for the last thirty years, and widely known in New York as an authority in maritime affairs, and as the organizer and head of the "H. S. Vining's Bureau of Inspection" for grain-loading vessels; also, Marine Surveyer and Appraiser-was born in Lisbon, Me., Nov. 4, 1824.

His early childhood was passed in "S. W. Bend," a village of Durham, in that State, so called from a sharp turn in the Androscoggin River, at that picturesque portion of the town. When he was nine years old, his parents removed to Port- land, Me., in which city and the Seminary in the suburbs, he received his education, and from which port he sailed for many years. He went to sea, in his thirteenth year, with his father, who was captain of the vessel in which he sailed. From that time, for three years, he made winter voyages only, spending the intervening summers at Westbrook Acad- emy, and at a private school in the city, for the higher math- ematics.

The only books which he took with him to sea, to beguile his leisure hours, were McCulloch's Commercial Dictionary, and works upon Navigation and Astronomy, thus early pre- paring himself for a career, both as a merchant and a sailor. At school he studied bookkeeping, surveying, etc.

The whole science of Navigation he mastered perfectly, when very young, by self-study. He commanded a fine bark at the age of twenty-four. Every inch a sailor, he was very successful in his voyages, winning the respect and confidence of those under him by the masterly manner in which he took

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every possible advantage, and by his quickness to foresee and avert threatened danger and disaster. His judgment of the weather at sea was remarkable.

In 1853, Mr. Vining settled in Brooklyn, retiring from the sea, after seventeen years' experience of its dangers and vi- cissitudes. In his early voyages he acquired the Spanish language and various dialects, in foreign ports, which proved of great service to him in transacting mercantile business with people of many nationalities, during the sixteen years in which he was engaged in the shipping and commission business in New York; and later, in the great enterprise which has made him known, not only in the metropolis and the principal ports of the United States, but in Great Britain and the Continent. We refer to his connection with the grain trade, in which he has achieved a wide popularity. In 1872, he organized the "H. S. Vining's Bureau of Inspec- tion " for the grain trade with Europe, which has systema- tized and greatly facilitated business for the ship, the mer- chant and the underwriter in this vast commercial interest. Up to the present time, this Bureau has inspected and given certificates to over twelve thousand vessels of all classes. It is the largest institution of the kind in the world.

The facilities of this Bureau for promptness and dispatch are remarkable. In 1880, the number of vessels, including steamships and sailing vessels, that came under this inspec- tion was 2,125; 316 vessels of all kinds receiving certificates in a single month during that year.

An important feature of this organization is the establish- lishment of a perfect system, regulating lay-days, and the draft of water to which the ship should load, thereby saving disputes and litigation.

In all cases of arbitration in this country and in Europe, Mr. Vining's opinion has always been sustained.

In 1875, he received the written approval of fifty-four in- surance companies on the Continent, from Russia to the Mediterranean.

In the Grain Act of the British Parliament for 1880, "H. S. Vining's Bureau of Inspection " was incorporated.

The Nautical Gazette, published in New York, in its is- sue of September 13, 1879, has the following: "When it is considered that Mr. Vining's inspection is the growth of in- dividual ability and integrity, and has at times to combat with large and wealthy corporations, it will be seen that it is managed with the most thorough intelligence and rectitude, and has thus commanded the confidence and secured the patronage of the largest grain shippers in America, as well as many underwriting companies."

Mr. Vining has written a work, which is soon to be pub- lished, entitled, "The Nautical Handbook," containing a complete dictionary of nautical words and phrases, alphabet- ically arranged, together with a large amount of information in regard to ship-building, dimensions of spars, stowage, etc., and a table of comparison for finding the capacity of ships for various cargoes.

In 1852, Mr. Vining joined the Masonic body in the " An- cient Landmark Lodge," of Portland, Me., of which Lodge he is now a life member. In Brooklyn, he took the higher degrees, and was Eminent Commander of the Clinton Com- mandery for two years, devoting to it a lively, energetic in- terest. Of the second year in which he held this office, the following record appears in the published proceedings of the Grand Commandery, New York, 1882 : "During this year, the meetings were regularly attended, and more work done than in all the previous existence of the body." This cov- ered a period of thirty-seven years, from the time of its or- ganization. Mr. Vining has also taken all of the "Ancient and Accepted Rite " degrees, to the 33d and last degree, and

is an honorary member of the Supreme Council for the North- ern Jurisdiction of the United States of America, being, for 1882, the thirteenth on the list of living members, in the or- der of admittance.

Mr. Vining's activity in business is unabated. Thorough- ness, steadiness of purpose, and breadth of aim, still charac- terize all his undertakings, in a notable degree. Genial and versatile, he finds many ways to be helpful to others, and has many friends among all classes. Eminently useful in his day and generation, may " his days be long in the land."

RICHARD HARPER LAIMBEER was born June 22d, 1825, and has lived most of his life in New York and Brooklyn, having removed to the Sixth Ward of the last mentioned city from New York in 1849, and since resided there. His parents were William and Thomazine (Harper) Laimbeer.

William Laimbeer, who died at the age of sixty-nine, De- cember 13, 1861, was one of the most enterprising business men of his time, and it may be of interest to the reader of the history of Brooklyn to know that he was one of the num- ber who, in order to secure better communication between Brooklyn and New York, signed a bond to indemnify the Ferry Company against possible loss, as an inducement to run a ferry boat from Whitehall street, New York, to Ham- ilton avenue, Brooklyn. He was one of the pioneers in busi- ness at the Atlantic Dock, and built the first stores on the North Pier there, and subsequently others, which, with other improvements, constituted a valuable property. About 1853 he retired from active business, and passed the remainder of his days on his farm at Amsterdam, Montgomery county, N. Y.

In 1845, Mr. R. H. Laimbeer engaged in the storage busi- ness, occupying the block of property and privileges then be- longing to his father, at the foot of Congress and Warren streets. In 1848, he removed to the Atlantic Dock, and from that time until 1863, carried on his business on the North Pier.

In 1863, he removed to Clinton wharf, where, until 1868, he was the active manager of the business of the firm of R. H. Laimbeer & Co., consisting of R. H. Laimbeer, A. E. Mas- ters and L. B. Shaw. In 1872, The Grain Warehouse Com- pany was organized, and assumed control of the stores, for- merly of R. H. Laimbeer & Co., L. B. Shaw and A. E. Mas- ters, and David Dows & Co.'s Columbia stores, at the foot of Pacific street. Of this company, A. E. Masters was presi- dent, and Mr. Laimbeer was treasurer. Two years later, The Grain Warehousing Company was organized, with L. B. Shaw as president, and R. H. Laimbeer as treasurer. All of its warehouses and elevators are located on the Atlantic Dock, and its New York office is at No. 5 Moore street. It is probable that this company has to-day the largest capacity for, and is doing a more extensive business than any other single warehousing firm in the world; and it is due in no small degree to the wise forethought and admirable manage- ment of Mr. Laimbeer that it has assumed its present status.

The connection of Mr. Laimbeer with other prominent en- terprises is well known. He has been, since its organization, a member of the New York Produce Exchange, and was formerly a member of its board of managers. He is vice-presi- dent and director of the New York Produce Exchange Bank, and trustee of the South Brooklyn Savings Bank. For some years past he has been identified with mining enterprises, and he is a director in the Standard Mining Company of Cali- fornia, and some other similar corporations.

May 21st, 1848, Mr. Laimbeer married Kate J. Radcliffe. daughter of John and Susan Radcliffe, of Port Jackson, Mont-

Rt Laimbeer

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THE COMMERCE OF BROOKLYN.

gomery county, N. Y. They have a son and two daughters. The son, Richard H. Laimbeer, Jr., is a lawyer, with his office at 132 Nassau street, New York.

Mr. Laimbeer, from his youth up, has taken a deep interest in religious matters, and early in life became a professor of religion. At the age of eighteen, he was a trustee with his father in the Hammond Street Presbyterian Church of New York, and at the same time occupied the position of its treasurer. After taking up his residence in Brooklyn, he was for many years identified with the South Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Amity and Clinton streets, and he was one of sixty of its members who withdrew to constitute and organize the Westminster Presbyterian Church, at the corner of First place and Clinton street. To the establish- ment and success of Westminster Church, Mr. Laimbeer has been a generous contributor, as well as a faithful worker; and his official connection with it has continued from the first. To all of its interests, he stands in the relation of a willing and liberal helper, and it is not saying too much to state that he is, and has been, one of the strong pillars of the organization which have been necessary to its upholding. Upon all its means of grace he is a faithful attendant.

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The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 163

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1114

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114