memoirs of general william t. sherman-1-第39章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


。　　We　could　loan；　at　three　per　cent。　a　month；　all　our　own　money；　say　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　dollars；　and　a　part　of　our　deposit　account。　　This　latter　account　in　California　was　decidedly　uncertain。　　The　balance　due　depositors　would　run　down　to　a　mere　nominal　sum　on　steamer…days；　which　were　the　1st　and　15th　of　each　month；　and　then　would　increase　till　the　next　steamer…day；　so　that　we　could　not　make　use　of　any　reasonable　part　of　this　balance　for　loans　beyond　the　next　steamer…day；　or；　in　other　words；　we　had　an　expensive　bank；　with　expensive　clerks；　and　all　the　machinery　for　taking　care　of　other　people's　money　for　their　benefit；　without　corresponding　profit。　　I　also　saw　that　loans　were　attended　with　risk　commensurate　with　the　rate；　nevertheless；　I　could　not　attempt　to　reform　the　rules　and　customs　established　by　others　before　me；　and　had　to　drift　along　with　the　rest　toward　that　Niagara　that　none　foresaw　at　the　time。

Shortly　after　arriving　out　in　1853；　we　looked　around　for　a　site　for　the　new　bank；　and　the　only　place　then　available　on　Montgomery　Street；　the　Wall　Street　of　San　Francisco；　was　a　lot　at　the　corner　of　Jackson　Street；　facing　Montgomery；　with　an　alley　on　the　north；　belonging　to　James　Lick。　　The　ground　was　sixty　by　sixty…two　feet；　and　I　had　to　pay　for　it　thirty…two　thousand　dollars。　　I　then　made　a　contract　with　the　builders；　Keyser；　&　Brown；　to　erect　a　three…story　brick　building；　with　finished　basement；　for　about　fifty　thousand　dollars。　　This　made　eighty…two　thousand　instead　of　fifty　thousand　dollars；　but　I　thought　Mr。　Lucas　could　stand　it　and　would　approve；　which　he　did；　though　it　resulted　in　loss　to　him。　　After　the　civil　war；　he　told　me　he　had　sold　the　building　for　forty　thousand　dollars；　about　half　its　cost；　but　luckily　gold　was　then　at　250；　so　that　he　could　use　the　forty　thousand　dollars　gold　as　the　equivalent　of　one　hundred　thousand　dollars　currency。　　The　building　was　erected；　I　gave　it　my　personal　supervision；　and　it　was　strongly　and　thoroughly　built；　for　I　saw　it　two　years　ago；　when　several　earthquakes　had　made　no　impression　on　it；　still；　the　choice　of　site　was　unfortunate；　for　the　city　drifted　in　the　opposite　direction；　viz。；　toward　Market　Street。　　I　then　thought　that　all　the　heavy　business　would　remain　toward　the　foot　of　Broadway　and　Jackson　Street；　because　there　were　the　deepest　water　and　best　wharves；　but　in　this　I　made　a　mistake。　　Nevertheless；　in　the　spring　of　1854；　the　new　bank　was　finished；　and　we　removed　to　it；　paying　rents　thereafter　to　our　Mr。　Lucas　instead　of　to　Adams　&　Co。　　A　man　named　Wright；　during　the　same　season；　built　a　still　finer　building　just　across　the　street　from　us；　Pioche；　Bayerque　&　Co。　were　already　established　on　another　corner　of　Jackson　Street；　and　the　new　Metropolitan　Theatre　was　in　progress　diagonally　opposite　us。　During　the　whole　of　1854　our　business　steadily　grew；　our　average　deposits　going　up　to　half　a　million；　and　our　sales　of　exchange　and　consequent　shipment　of　bullion　averaging　two　hundred　thousand　dollars　per　steamer。　　I　signed　all　bills　of　exchange；　and　insisted　on　Nisbet　consulting　me　on　loans　and　discounts。　　Spite　of　every　caution；　however；　we　lost　occasionally　by　bad　loans；　and　worse　by　the　steady　depreciation　of　real　estate。　　The　city　of　San　Fran　cisco　was　then　extending　her　streets；　sewering　them；　and　planking　them；　with　three…inch　lumber。　　In　payment　for　the　lumber　and　the　work　of　contractors；　the　city　authorities　paid　scrip　in　even　sums　of　one　hundred；　five　hundred；　one　thousand；　and　five　thousand　dollars。　These　formed　a　favorite　collateral　for　loans　at　from　fifty　to　sixty　cents　on　the　dollar；　and　no　one　doubted　their　ultimate　value；　either　by　redemption　or　by　being　converted　into　city　bonds。　　The　notes　also　of　H。　Meiggs；　Neeley　Thompson　&　Co。；　etc。；　lumber…　dealers；　were　favorite　notes；　for　they　paid　their　interest　promptly；　and　lodged　large　margins　of　these　street…improvement　warrants　as　collateral。　　At　that　time；　Meiggs　was　a　prominent　man；　lived　in　style　in　a　large　house　on　Broadway；　was　a　member　of　the　City　Council；　and　owned　large　saw…mills　up　the　coast　about　Mendocino。　　In　him　Nisbet　had　unbounded　faith；　but；　for　some　reason；　I　feared　or　mistrusted　him；　and　remember　that　I　cautioned　Nisbet　not　to　extend　his　credit；　but　to　gradually　contract　his　loans。　　On　looking　over　our　bills　receivable；　then　about　six　hundred　thousand　dollars；　I　found　Meiggs；　as　principal　or　indorser；　owed　us　about　eighty　thousand　dollarsall；　however；　secured　by　city　warrants；　still；　he　kept　bank　accounts　elsewhere；　and　was　generally　a　borrower。　　I　instructed　Nisbet　to　insist　on　his　reducing　his　line　as　the　notes　matured；　and；　as　he　found　it　indelicate　to　speak　to　Meiggs；　I　instructed　him　to　refer　him　to　me；　accordingly；　when；　on　the　next　steamer…day；　Meiggs　appealed　at　the　counter　for　a　draft　on　Philadelphia；　of　about　twenty　thousand　dollars；　for　which　he　offered　his　note　and　collateral；　he　was　referred　to　me；　and　I　explained　to　him　that　our　draft　was　the　same　as　money；　that　he　could　have　it　for　cash；　but　that　we　were　already　in　advance　to　him　some　seventy…five　or　eighty　thousand　dollars；　and　that　instead　of　increasing　the　amount　I　must　insist　on　its　reduction。　　He　inquired　if　I　mistrusted　his　ability；　etc。　　I　explained；　certainly　not；　but　that　our　duty　was　to　assist　those　who　did　all　their　business　with　us；　and；　as　our　means　were　necessarily　limited；　I　must　restrict　him　to　some　reasonable　sum；　say；　twenty…　five　thousand　dollars。　　Meiggs　invited　me　to　go　with　him　to　a　rich　mercantile　house　on　Clay　Street；　whose　partners　belonged　in　Hamburg；　and　there；　in　the　presence　of　the　principals　of　the　house；　he　demonstrated；　as　clearly　as　a　proposition　in　mathematics；　that　his　business　at　Mendocino　was　based　on　calculations　that　could　not　fail。　　The　bill　of　exchange　which　he　wanted；　he　said　would　make　the　last　payment　on　a　propeller　already　built　in　Philadelphia；　which　would　be　sent　to　San　Francisco；　to　tow　into　and　out　of　port　the　schooners　and　brigs　that　were　bringing　his　lumber　down　the　coast。　I　admitted　all　he　said；　but　renewed　my　determination　to　limit　his　credit　to　twenty…five　thousand　dollars。　　The　Hamburg　firm　then　agreed　to　accept　for　him　the　payment　of　all　his　debt　to　us；　except　the　twenty…five　thousand　dollars；　payable　in　equal　parts　for　the　next　three　steamer…days。　　Accordingly；　Meiggs　went　back　with　me　to　our　bank；　wrote　his　note　for　twenty…five　thousand　dollars；　and　secured　it　by　mortgage　on　real　estate　and　city　warrants；　and　substituted　the　three　acceptances　of　the　Hamburg　firm　for　the　overplus。　　I　surrendered　to　him　all　his　former　notes；　except　one　for　which　he　was　indorser。　　The　three　acceptances　duly　matured　and　were　paid；　one　morning　Meiggs　and　family　were　missing；　and　it　was　discovered　they　had　embarked　in　a　sailing…vessel　for　South　America。　This　was　the　beginning　of　a　series　of　failures　in　San　Francisco；　that　extended　through　the　next　two　years。　　As　soon　as　it　was　known　that　Meiggs　had　fled；　the　town　was　full　of　rumors；　and　everybody　was　running　to　and　fro　to　secure　his　money。　　His　debts　amounted　to　nearly　a　million　dollars。　　The　Hamburg　house　which；　had　been　humbugged；　were　heavy　losers　and　failed；　I　think。　　I　took　possession　of　Meiggs's　dwelling…house　and　other　property　for　whic