Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-10-24
HENR Y lfElGGS.
MS WONDERFUL AND ROMANTIC CAREER

: MS WONDERFUL AND ROMANTIC cAREEI
: Henry Moiggs, who died at Lima o
3 The 18th ultimo, and whose death nee
cessairly occasions most profoun
sensation in Peru, and indeed, through
out South America, was born in Green
county, N Y. in the year 1911. 0
y his ea.ly life little is known. Ho frs
emerged from obscurity in Boston
while he was still young man. II
became noted as one who could handl
heavy interests easily, and gained
reputation as q successful lumber deal
er and contractor. From Boston h,
came to New York. Here he soon be
came magnate of tho lumber trade
and was organizing vast schemes o
traffic when the financial earthquak,
of 1887 shook all his plans to ruin. IL,
was one of the first to get on his feet
again IN these tronblous days, and had
. it not been for his boundless generosi
, ty, be would soon have become cnor
nous y rich. But he lavshed his re.
sources without stint on his struggling
friends and repeatedly crippled him.
sell to save Others from rum. He also
spent large suma 70 encourage and de.
velop art. lie founded Tho American
musical institute in New York, which
had a brilliant success SO long as he
remained there to direct il.
The discovery of gold in California
gave new direction to Mr.. Meiggs'
energy. Determining to try his for
tunes in that then almost unknown re-.
gion, he loaded the ship Mantle with
lumber, and, taking his brother John
Meiggs with him, set sail for San
Francisco, where he arrived in July.
lS49. He sold his shipload of lumber
at twenty times it cost, making a clear
profit of $50, 900 on the venture Then,
with consummate discretion, he took a
subordinate position in a lumber yard
aud studied all the phases and prom
lses OF the situation before he risked
dollar OF his capital. Foreseeing the
lutnre greatness Of San Francisco, and
the inevitable demand Tor lumber, he
quietly maturod schemes for grand
success. When every thing was ready,
he hired five hundred men, sent them
into the forests Of Contra Costa coun
ly, felled tho choicest trees in that
then densely wooded region, hauled
them in saw logs to the shore OF the
bay of San Francisco, built them into
huge RATS, floated them to a wharf
which he bad constructed in the city,
converted them into lumber by the
agency of steam sawmill which he
had erected, aud made 100000 in
gold by the operation.
Thcnoeforth, until he fell, Henry
Meiggs was foremost man in Cali
fornia in business, in municipal politics,
and in social life. He had three man
ias-laud, lumber and music. His
land and lumber operation were con
Quoted on scale Of unprecedented
magnitude, and he was popularity be-
lieved to be the richest man on the
western coast of America. But when |
the great financial pressure of 1854
seized California with It's paralyzing
grip, bankruptcy came upon him like
an armed mar. He rose to the con.
test with such enormous strength and
such resourccful genius that, had he
sought only to save himself, he might
have como off victorious; but, with i'll.
judged generosity which was a pervad.
ing element of his character, he at
tempted to save all his friends, and was
by them dragged down into bottom
less ruin.
in the frenzy OF that death struggle
Mr.. Meiggs committed forgeries of
commercial paper and city warrants
amounting in the aggregate to over
100000. AZ last, finding the strug
gle hopeless, and fearing detection, he,
on Thursday, the 9TH day OF October,
1854, with his wife and three children,
secretly left San Francisco, and going
on board the bark America--which he
had bought three days before ana which
was lying at anchor off point three
miles south Of the city-set sail for a
not even known to himself
The discovery OF bis fight and OF bis
occas;oned wild excitement
and widespread grief, and in some
bosoms excited sentiments ofveDgance
which were destined never TO be either
gatiied or pacated.
The next that was heard of Mr. 4
Meiggs he was superintendent of {
bridges on the Valparaiso and Santa
20 railroad in Chill. The road led
from Valparaiso to Llailai--sixty miles I
had been completed The road had !
been under construction for years, had
ruined every contractor who had un. I
iertaken to build il, and had become q
he dspair of the Chilian government. {
Mciggs constructed his bridges with /
skill, and while he was build {
ng them he studied the situation crit. !
cally and profoundly, with view to
obtaining contract to complete the q
'oad From LlaIai TO Santiago, a dis. G
ancc of thirty-threo miles, the cngi- |
leering difficulties were stupendous. d
There was rise OF $500 feet, huge q
masses OF rocks seemed piled to the {
louds, and wide and deep abysses q
-awned along the way. Every cng. a
Icer that figured on that thirty.three Il
niles estimated that IL would cost over 4
~, 900, 900, and that it would take
rom six to eight years to complete it +
ii, indeed, it could be built at all. {
Iitor through analysis Of the work, /
ieiggs offered to build the road from a
Ilailai to Santiago for sl2, 900 600, and {
o complete it IN four years. Tocorn. n
|, tho Secretary of State for Chill and "
he richest man in that republic, who d
ad become an ardent admirer and a
larm friend of Meiggs secured the con. o
ract for him, went security on his a
ond, and got him an advance of a a
,illion Of dollars from the government. k
And now began most wonderful k
iece Of work Hitherto contractors Il
ad brought their laborers from Eu. 81
ope. Meiggs had studied tho Chic. II
os, won their confidence, and now, il
ith the aid Of able American over. q
,crs brought fromthe states, he trans "
,rmcd them into an army OF skilled Ii
orkmen, at cost TO him of only O.
lirtccn cents a day per man. Mciggs'
'ay Of disposingof distinctions to his d
rogress nstouDdcd the gbilonOs TO r,