150 WALL STREET AND THE WILDS 



contribute if, and as, the accumulation of stock 

 caused the need to arise. My name is the last 

 on the document. Above it is the signature of 

 the head of a big importing house, from whom in 

 the way of Wall Street business I had often bor- 

 rowed single sums exceeding a million dollars. 

 He assured me of his confidence in the safety and 

 success of the operation. The president of a 

 great savings bank, who had signed, told me that 

 he and his trustees looked upon the stock as gilt- 

 edged collateral and were always ready to loan 

 upon it. The largest steamship owner in the 

 country, who was the only man who ever fought 

 Commodore Vanderbilt to a standstill, the Stock 

 Exchange member who was to manage the pool, 

 and the president of the steamship company com- 

 pleted the list. 



The operation began and the stock was made 

 active on the Exchange in the way that was cus- 

 tomary then as it is now. Orders to buy 

 and orders to sell were given daily to brokers on 

 the floor and the price of the stock was lifted and 

 lowered as a boy dangles a baited hook before 



