Delaware tribune, and the Delaware state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??, 1877-10-18
MON b. CRRIsTO NBIGGs.

come to hand, WAS the great Spectator
and builder of railroads, whose labors OF
late years have added 20 greatly to the
of Chill and Peru. Born at
Catskiil, Greene county, New York, on
the 18th of July, 1911, he first attained
prominence us q young merchant IN
Boston. From that city he went to New
York, in 1885, where he engaged in the
lumber business and acquired considerable
wealth, which he. however, lost entirely in
the panic Of 1897. A year later, however,
he found himself the owner of lumber
yard at Williamsburg. He was one OF the
principal citizens of the place, and Presi-
dent Of the Board of Trustees which gov
orped the town before its incorporation.
In 1912 he again failed, and took up his
residence in New York city, where he
again engaged in business, and was promi-
nent for tho interest he manifested in all
matters of music and art. OF specula.
tive and rowing disposition, he was among
the first to take advantage OF the Cali
fornia gold fever, and in the early part OF
the year 1s49 set sail for that far-of land.
His departure was characteristic one.
Together with his brother, John n.
Mejpcs, he chartered the schooner Mantle,
and, loading it with lumber, sailed around
Cape Horn to San Francisco. His arrival
was a welcome one to the thousands OF
tent jewellers TINT had gathered on the
Pacific coast, and the goods he brought
he speedily disposed of at prices yielding
him profit of $bO,0OO win This
money in his pocket he engaged IN q
lumber yard with view OF studying me
timber interests of the new territory. In
short time he had formed the plan Tor
great speculation.
With five hundred men he went into the
forests of Contra Costa ana 1eiieo tne
noblest trees, which we're hoated tnrougn
San Francisco Bay to 9 wharf whlch ne
lad built in the city, and in steam saw
mill which he had erected with part OF
his capital the lumber was made saieapie,
and from tho results of his enterprise the
profit to Henry Meiggs was Sooo,ooo.
| His enterprise, wealth and Aberality soon
made him the prominent man IN JAIL
| fornia, and with clear head and STEADY
| hand he conducted vast lumber ano iano
! enterprises. The panic of 1854 founa MN
unpfepared. ne mao oeeh iareeiy um
| ested in supplying wood for paving the
streets of San Francisco, and complications
| in this work, together with other enter
prises he was engaged in, served to cripple
him financially. He was aided by several
large houses, who advanced him money
on the city warrants he had received, and
for time his difficulties seemed to be over.
On the 4th of October, 1854, he gave an
entertainment to number of friends, and
was gay and apparently in the best OF
spirits. The next morning San Francisco
was shaken to the center to hear that
during the darkness of the night the great
specuIator had sailed off to some unknown
shore in a schooner which he owned, and
Ind taken with him every article of his
household effects, as well as large sums of
money. After his departure it was dis
covered that about 5000, 900 OF the city
improvement bonds, on which he had OBJ.
tanned advances, we're forged, and that
altogether he had left liabilities amounting
to over million of dollars.
The details Of his flight have never beer
asoertained, but it IS known that ne 1ouno
a refuge in Chill, where his name speedily
became famous as the contractor anc
builder of railroads and other great pubic
works.
Engineers of note estimated that Il
/ build the Valparaiso and Santiago raliroai
. from Llailai to santiago weuia COS
, $27,00O,00O, and that tne WORK wouN
take eight years. The distance was .hilty
, three miles; there was q rise OF lou
thousand, eight hundred feet, anu 'nel
, were mountains OF rock and huee apysse
all along the way. Meigss n nm oeo w
/ work in four years Tor Sla,uu,To. als
secured proit OF ,s-oooo ior n'ih s;.,
III se,y ar in" sso thn President Of Chill
Sie" aon NJ, AVID The archbislop riding o,
h ,a n-;na of Tho first train with the con
tractor MeieQs resided at Santiago il
Iav a. ,,osdns until the vsar 1867. whe,
S g. Sa''an IN hu;ld railroads for Peru. Il
y ~ sn,,rtr, bo contracted for the con
.u"v ~ not Ices tban six railroads
Il e'.vA 4, ora Gpished and the res
a tGfee ~ 4, VIM nn,,roach completion, Tn
a OF Nl'.n "fplsf a. cnnstrunted ia on
= so'ai n IL, III ,oTon miles which have &
a thousa s. . n p.ruv;an Hoyernment til
n lar eost ~. nc 600 nnn
sum OF si-o'o ,,atoJ h;s srst pa,pvis
Meibe' eo aa eron, Mollendo m III
= ehleipti's' ,,;,a ,,;naty villas inland. i
n coast 10 areIu'P"' MI missy Ill mas M,
e January 10 srnola of Anoust 1SGs
n fuptea ny NV n eu,' .prasrS uiti, aiacr;t
If but was PuSneu ~, ma " Us comnl,
IL aiterwaIu: ~ J.; 1nrn.taJ ~ hove sne,
z ton Meigss ~ sePo H. aova rnsan;f;ce,
% $500, ooo III meaais ne sass va Asanu;,a
le enterSainMenH ~ Moa S,ae, "1u nannina
IN and chatterea u,e s'es as.a f-o~ IN
r. bring SIX hunufea suss.s tha seta
S, President baltat aWehaea we 80 =,
Of Arequ'pa WIN nins',y ssi"t iva IN
thousand law, ~"- ale'sss A'eV 49,. ~ Ano -
house two stories high, the .o"-. A'o'
VI which was occupied by stores, while u
L. npper floor contained seventy roomS, fit
mn MIN in regal style.
D. y e entertained with freedom and gent
lie osity. OF the six roads constructed by Ii
is ,he most remarkable is the Callao, Lii
is AVID Oroya railroad. o work displaying t
ur most wonderful features of the science
he anoineering, and very properly called !
ult s.rs;lroad through the Clouds" It j
snccs ssful attempt to connect the Allan
os and Pacific Oceans BY a railway across
AIDES from Callao to the head of navi
j., ,;on IN the Amazon, The hight ascent
lth - -. 3; ,,,;tl,;, ann hundred (