The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-02-23
Amazing PrOdIgaIIty

Some time ago an article, entitled
"An American Peace 8Iaker.D an
peared in the Commercial, relatino- r.
the success of one Harry Meiggss Of
! California, as a railroad builder in
/ Chill. Further facts Of interest abonf
this truly extraordinary man are riv.
en- by the Milwaukee Sentinel, on the
authority of private letters from a
nephew of Hon. Levi Hubbell, Of Nil
Waukee. From these il appears that
Mr.. Meiggs has transferred his gigan-
tic operations from Chill 10 Peru
| From the same source we obtain some
knowledge Of the grand scale upon
which he conducts his beneficent en-
| terprises. "He gives away says the
letter writer, ''and spends vast
amount of money, and entertains for
kty and fifty every day to dinner, am
told In the contracts for these rail-
roads he agrees to take in payment
Peruvian bonds at seventy per cent,
and nOtlOng since received $50, ,OOO, 900
! from the government in bonds, which.
when paid in the European market
sold at eighty-twO to efghty-five per
cent, clearing for him over seven
million dollars. He at once notified
the Peruvian government that he was
willing to divide the profits, and that
It might have all the bonds brought
over seventy-nine per cent. Still he
makes over five millions, and inereas-
es his great popularity by giving away
two millions. -
Speaking of the decoration of the
houses in Lima on the 10Th Of July,
the Peruvian Independence Day, Mr..
Huooel says: Henry Meiggs lives in
the largest house in Lima, and it was
literally covered with flags. While i
stood looking at his house in the ev-
ening and admiring the manner in
which the gas lights were placed, for
the outside Of the house was covered
with them, grouped and arranged in
every conceivable deviee), the man
who put up the pipes and globes ac-
eosted me and said Meiggs gave hIm
81 900 for putting up the lights, not |
counting the gas itself.n On the ODen- |
ing of one of his roads Meiggs paid an /
artlss $4,000 for taking three large 4
Photographic views of the excursion /
train, at different points on the road. |
In a letter from CallaO, dated De- |
eember 16, Mr.. Hubbell says: On New I
Years day one of Mr.. Meiggs rail- /
roads, from the coast to Arequipa,
(the second city in Peru and some 4
distance south Of here, is to be OPEN
ed, it being now completed. Mr.. NJ. /
has invited several hundred friends to /
go down with him, and the trip viii /
cost him at least fifty thousand dol /
lars. He pays twelve thousand dol
lars for steamer to carry down the /
party, besides furnishing everything.
This mornings paper announces that
a contract for newrailrOad, amount
ing to five millions, has been awarded
to him, and l know he is about to get
another for forty millions. He does
an immense amount of good with his
for besides giving employ
ment TO so many thousand people, he is
developing this coast of South Amer
lea, which but for him wOuldproba-
bly, not have made such advancement
in many years to come as it promises
to do now. He gives away in charity
q fortune every month, for no Ameri-
can ever goes to him destitute with
out being relieved, and he places un-
Ter wages many men whom he has
no use for, but whom he thinks needs