Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-10-25
MONTE CHRISTIE IN REAL LIFE.

THE WONDERFUL CAREER OF HENRY MEIGGs,
THE RAILWAY KING OF SOUTH AMERICA.
The death of Henry Meiggs, which oc-
Cured at Lima, Peru, on the 10th of Septem-
Der, ended the career of one of the most re-
markable men of his time. Few men have
dominated empires as largely as he did; few
men have owned and controlled so much of
the worlds wealth as he, and few men have
left behind them so glitteriDg, and at the
same time 50 demoralizing an example. Be-
fore this brilliant meteoric course, which at
one time seemed to have he regularity of .
planets orbit, the careers of most modern ad.
venturers are as the tickle CLEANS of a rush
light. .s .,- a. So. 19.a...
Henry Meiggs was born in Greene county,
N. Y, in 1911. When scarcely out Of his
teens he became known as successful lum'
Der dealer in Boston, and for his ability to
manage great enterprises. But Boston was
not large enough field for his far.reaching
genius, and be removed to New York, where
he soon became the largest operator in lum-
ber, noble patron of art, upon which he
lavished large sums, and conspicuous for the
readiness with which he would enlist in any
new speculation or assist struggling friend.
The panic of 1837-he was then only TWEEN.
ty-six years of age-crippled the young capi.
talist, but he was rapidly recovering when the
discovery of gold in California gave a new
impetus to his tremendous energy and fired
his imagination with fresh dreams of the i'm
mense wealth which was bis aim. Starting
from New York, be landed at San Francisco
in July, 1S49, with cargoes of lumber, on
which he realized 1000 per cent. profit. He
cleared $500000 by one immense numbering
operation in California, and became the fore
most man of California in business, pelitics
and in social life. He had three manias-
land, lumber and music. He had made mon
ey by the hundreds of thousands of dollars
spending it as freely-and before the panic Of
1864 struck California, was thought to be the
richest man in State where millionaires had
been of mushroom growth. The disaster of
that year was, however, fatal to his fortunes,
not so much because of his own losses, it is
said, as because of his efforts to save his
friends-and nobody has ever doubted his
liberal, generous nature-and he fell. He
forged commercial notes and city warrants to
the amount of million dollars, and sudden
ly sailed in a vessel he had purchased for his
flight, as he said afterwards, he knew not
where himself, but anywhere to escape his
crime.
He was next heard of as superintendent Of
bridges on the Valparaiso and Santiago Rail.
road in Chill. One portion of the road,
thirty-three miles in length, was the despair
of the Chilian Government, the engineering
difficulties were so stupendous. The engin.
eers estimated that to build the road across
the mountain chain would take from six to
eight years, and cost $27,00O,000. Meiggs
took the contract for $12,00O,000, finished it
in two years, and cleared $1,32O,OOO. This
performance made him the acknowledged rail.
road king of South America, and secured for
him the control of the magnificent, and in
their way unparalleled, railway enterprises
which Peru was then planning to open up her
own mountain -hemmed resources In 1867
Mr.. Meiggs began the construction of the line
from the Andean city of Arequipa to the Pa.
ciic, at Mollendo, line the dizzy grandeur
of which is rivalled only BY his own subse-
quent achievements. The work was com.
poleted on New Year's day, 1871, when he Of
fered to the hundreds of guests he had as
sembled from all parts Of the world a ban.
quet at Arequipa, which, served on that lofty
tabeland and in that remote region, seemed
like page out of "Aladdin." Two hundred
thousand dollars are said to have been ex-
pended upon the festival. The commemora-
tive medals, many of very large size, in gold
and silver, struck off and lavisbly distribu.
ILL., II, J.. i Go IL
to bis guests are estimated to have increased
his outlay to $75O,O0O. Only the Khedive at
the fetes of Suez has in our time surpassed
this splendid hospitality. 1t was hardly an
extravaganza, however, for the profits accru-
ing from his contract-he received $11 $780,.
600 for building the one hundred and seven
miles of road-were enormous. A portion Of
these profits he set apart to discharge the debts
due his California creditors, and the Legisla'