ilt the superstructure
of his fame and secured his great wealth.

The one great act of John Jacob Astor's life, which must forever keep
the name of Astor before the people, is the establishment of the Astor
Library by donating for that purpose $400,000, to which have been added
large contributions by his son William B., to whom the elder Astor left
about $20,000,000. The library contains about two hundred thousand
volumes, the catalogue alone contains two thousand five hundred pages
alphabetically arranged. The Astors are the principal real estate owners
of America.

POTTER PALMER.

A hotel that has averaged five hundred and fifty daily arrivals for a
dozen years. This naturally awakens interest; where is it? Who built it?
How does it look? In answer, we speak of the Palmer House, of Chicago,
the 'Palace Hotel of America,' built by Potter Palmer. The building is
as nearly fire-proof as any building can be made, and is swarming with
servants.

You are accommodated with a room which satisfies your desires
financially; and upon entering the dining-room you can choose between
the American and European plans. This hotel is, indeed, first-class in
every respect. It certainly enjoys the widest reputation as such of any
on the continent, and is undoubtedly the finest hotel in America, save
possibly the Palace Hotel, in San-Francisco, which is a rival in
magnificence.

Mr. Palmer was born near Albany, New York, where he worked summers among
the farmers as a day-laborer, and attended the district school winters.
This kind of life was maintained until he was nearly nineteen years of
age when he entered a store at Durham, New York, as a clerk. Here he
allowed nothing to escape his attention and, by industry, coupled with
frugality, he was enabled to enter a business on his own account when
twenty-one. Mr. Palmer, like all other young men who have risen from
poverty to affluence, was constantly alive to the problems of the day;
especially did the subject of this narrative watch the indications of
progress in his native country.

Being filled with the idea that Chicago was to be the city of America,
he in 1852 moved 'West' to that city. Here he opened a dry-goods
business which grew to mammoth proportions for those days. After
fourteen years of successful trade he retired, investing heavily in real
estate. When the great fire came much of his vast gains were swept away,
but with that indomitable will and courage which