The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-10-26
A REMARKABLE MAN.
(New Orleans Tirnes.l

REMAKkABLE MAN.
New Orleans Times.1
A cable message from London, n few
days ago, reported the death at Lima,
Peru, on the 29th of September, of Mr.,
Henry Mciggs, man whose life has
presented more striking contrasts and
singular incidents than falls to tho lot
OF many men. Mr.. Meiggs was best
known AS the great South American
railway contractor, but his life and
achievements In the United States
attracted much attention ut the time
Henry Meiggs was born at CatskiII,
New York, July 2, 1911, and COM
menced business In New York city III
1885 as lumber merchant, In which
ne quickly anassed n lNrse property,
all Of which was swept away by th,,
crash Of 1887. The extraordinary en-
etgy of the man Is shown In the fact
Tint within two years thereafter, not
wtthstanding tho depression In business,
nc recovered his losses, and was again
u rich man. For some cause, in 1912
he again failed, having In the mean
time gained u reputation as II patron Of
art aud II scholarly man. In lS4S no
took u cargo OF lumber to San Fran
cisco. 1t was at time when there
was great rush for the gold mines,
and houses were in demand. He dis
posed of his cargo at twenty times It's
cost, and Immediately commenced tho.
lumber business on the Pacific coast,
anu soon became u prominent figure In
SAN Francisco. His business was so
large that he built fleet of schooners
anu sloops for conveying lumber along
the coast, and employed more than u
thousand men. His affairs were widely
expanded, and finally the san Fran
cisco crash came, and ono morning the
inhabitants of that city 0wOke to find
that Henry NIsiggs hntl tlecampetl
during tho night, after having given Il
grand entertainment. He went off in
II propeller OF his own, carrying with
him everything from his grand man
sion, and property valued at 81 900, 900,
leaving behind liabilities OF more tt,,n
81 ,OOO,00O. The details of his default
and flight have never been fully ascer-
tanned, but it may be said to his credit
that In the after years of his unparal-
lelei prosperity he paid nearly, II not
all, of the claims against hi,n.
When next heard from, Mr.. Mciggs
w,ss II builder Of bridges In Chill, nnd
ON the upward road of fortune. In
1868 he undertook to build the S,tnti-
ago and Valparaiso railway, agreeing
to finish 1t in four years, for 81 900 200,
Ho actually completed it In two years,
| clearing profit Of 81 100000. Thence
| forth he was tho railroad king of South
America, and transferred his operations
to Peru. One of tho improvements he
accomplished In that country was the
Improvement Of tho environs of Lima.
| He found that city diiapfdated and
dirty beyond imagination, hcmmed In
and made unWholesOmc by crumbling
| walls, without which rose vast mounds
of garbage and rubbish, the nccumu-
lated filth OF many generations. Mr..
MeiggS replaced these by park, Ole
! gantly ornamentctl, of more than seven
miles length; and for pay received tho
adjoining lands, which ho converted
into bouievartis, streets, gardens and
avenues, and selling tho lots ut largo
prices. The old garbage lots became
ful part of tho city.
He contracted for the construction of
not less than six different railways in
Peru, the whole to cost some 2OO,OOO,-
900. The most remarkable OF these
roads he built across tho Andes, con
Meeting tho Atlantic and Pacific oceans
by way of the Amazon river, which
ranks among the most daring achieve
ments OF modern engineering. Ono
branch OF this road is planned to rcacl,
tho silver mines Of CerrO dc f'asco,
which are estimnted us containing
5000, 900, 900 worth OF orc.
Fabulous stories arc told as to tho
wealth of Mr.. Meiggs, but outside of
this he has done great and grand scr
vice for South America, that will give
him rank among the greatest engineers
of the world.