Railroader

For nearly half a century William Vincent Astor, biggest, richest U. S. landlord, friend and fellow-fisherman of Frank-lin Roosevelt, has tinkered with trains-- toy and real. On his Rhinebeck, N. Y. farm a foot-high locomotive chuffs over 600 yd. of miniature track, while its owner potently sits on the boards of such full-sized lines as Great Northern and Illinois Central. Five years ago Railroader Astor purchased five acres of Bermuda's 19 square miles of tax free soil,* began to build a lordly tropical house, "Ferry Reach," and meantime extended his land along the waterfront on St. George's Island. Main difficulty was that "Ferry Reach'' was a fatiguing 850 ft. from the boat house where visitors ordinarily landed. Last week this difficulty was overcome as Vincent Astor inaugurated his newest railroad, a single track line from dock to home. No toy, its four-ton electrically driven passenger car seats six, hauls a big baggage van. From the Bermuda Railway was borrowed Chief Engineer Kitchen to supervise construction; into the island's collections went $2,000 in duty on materials. On hand for the inauguration was Bermuda's florid British Governor, Lieut.-General Sir Reginald J. T. Hildyard--who, like all Bermuda Governors, is a good friend to the island's richest residents. So pleased was Railroader Astor with his labor saving railway that he panned to extend it over the rest of the estate.

*Bermuda has neither income nor inheritance taxes, only a minute parish assessment on land.

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