Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-13
A ROMANCE orRE.fL LIIE.
Henry Mefxgs, wena.rrur Career.

Henry N efxgs' Wonderful Career.
NAN WI MADE AND SPENT urGE ~ Z
I1Nks-sls GkEAr ACHIEVEAKNTs -
CHILL AND PERU.
! y Panama dispatch saws dISns.e5.S from
Peru say that Henry Meggs a al a L.rnsoI
September -. be mad D,sen SicN Tor >onle !
( Mouths. having had TWO strokes of 49, n
sis, and his final malsdy il said u haS,. -,
Sof ening of the brain.
Tie liie OF Henry Meisgs must BE- ranked
| IN the singuiarily OF It's adventures aud In Tie
testimony which IL bears "a the marked "a 4
darn energy Of The man who lived it, with
such careers as That OF GOrdOa In CANA aud
kaJah Brooke I'm Sirawak. 10 was not the
life, lrde. d, OF a soldier or o: a great q scOv-
eIer. But this DO q American must De class
ed forever among the few men who have
changed the face OF great country and given
a new direction To Ihe fortunes OF A whole
people. lie was born in Caiskill New York
IN ISL, OF Eespecta bic and we'll do paren Is
he began bis business life al Boston, and al
the age OF 3 had made a fortune in Inc IuD1-
Der business. only TO lose Il In the crash OF
laSl, bis failure being due TO the generous aid
se eA ~ nut 10 Others; In two years he was
carried him TO California. He went out wi IN
esrgoes OF lumber, ON which he realized l. go
ltI cent PronL lie cleared $4,000 by one
immense numbering operation I'm CalIr irnia
aha became the foremost man OF California
In business, politics and IN social life. lie
1Sd three maniacs-iand. lumber and music.
The panic of 1854 swept him down W IA IL
he eenlnitted forseries TO the extent OF
sSOop- ard after paying of all his small
pc1Ofc TIE exposure came
He was neXt heard NJ as superIntendant o.
bridges on the NalpsI aisO and Santiago rail
read IN tctli. One portion OF the rOll. Ss
miles an length, was The despair Of tine Gail
ian government, the engineering dlfticll lie
were so staeendOus. TOE engineers e5timated
That 10 build the road Across ul, mou lJafu
ohAln w0Dio take 4 om six - ght years, aud
cOsI - ,CJO,cy. Meiggs tOOs the cDntrac. Tor
SI2,OnfSO llshod Il la two years. AMI clear
ed sl,S20 900. Tlis yerformPnre "a ads him
me ACKNOWLEDGED railroad king o. South
\ q "a e. D.,
the MAGNIFICENT ana In their way nnparal-
Ie!ed railroad enterprises which Peru was
iheG planning To open up her own mountain
helnnlCd resources. In lST Mr.. AeiEEs be-
gan The construction OF tn line lronFthe Az
dean city OF Arequipd u the Pacific an Mol
Ieldo, a line The dizzy grandeur Of when Is
rlEslieu only Dy his own subsequent achieve
ments. The work was completei GA New
ears day, ISL. wheB he offered 10 the hmm
dredS OF guests he had assembled from all
parts OF the world a banquet at A raquipa
winch, served ON that lofty table tsnd AID IN
mat remote region, seemed like . PAGE OF
AlfodIA." $4,000 are said ID have been
expended upon the festival. The comme no
rative medals, many Of very large size. ia
gold and silver, struck of aud IaVishly dis
tributeu, and the ABUNDANT ami prioceiy
glIt> made 10 his guests are estimated ID
nave increased has outlay To $1,000.
Only the Khedive at the fetes og
sue mas IN our time surpassed this
splendid hospitality. IL was hardly a.
extravaganza, however, for the prOnts
sccruing from his contract-he received 4
lOF the bullu = the lUG mile. rDal-
were enormous. portion Of these profits he
set apart toGlscharge the debts due his Cali
fOrDla creditors, and the Legislature of that
state passed acts OF immunity covering mis-
exit of 1854, and inviting hi m To return. He
had no intention, however, OF returning 10
san Francisco TO become a miner or "A spscu-
lator. Before the completion OF the Areautpa
road, In lsiO, he had sIgned contra IT'S TO hui q
no lever than six other Peruvian railroads
al collective cost of about Sis O0l0la Ia
1872 the Ito aud Moquegua road. % mile,
q Of - a, A.
leiJ the Pacasmavo, Gaudaloupe ana Ma
dalena road, ~ miles, built al q cost of =
$3.50, and the colossal Arequipa aid Piano
ROAD, wnlch crosses the Andes AZ q height OF
more than l5,000, feet, and renches Lake TIT
caca by a line 30 miles in length.
An objective point OF railroad in process
OF construction al the time of his deiGh was
The famous silver mi8es of the Cerro ue
Pasco, formerly the richest ia the wO. ID blt
long since flooded and neglected because OF
the olmculty OF reaching them with n .aVy
machinery. Mr.. Aeiggs had recently entered
into new contracts With the Peru yiaa gov
ernment for opening aud working these
mines, and II was but the other day ina; we
received a telegram from London anuounc-
ing that the engineers estim atel the amount
OF me silver already made svails pie in THIS
world famous region by Mr. Meiggs' explora-
Geo COO.
Previous 10 his death. however. he becl,ns
involved in difficulties, his credit br .Se
Gown, and 10 is doubled whether OF the
colossal fortune he has earned much re-
hdins ne was man oil remarkable ap-
pearance- He was about five feet eignt
inches in height, broad shoGliered, muscu-
lar, and weighed about e25 )unds. IL had
The largest bead and biggest fists in South
America. His eyes were gray, deep set.
piercing and kindly 10 expression. He had
a square jaw and chin, a big nose, a large
mouth, and frm-cloSei lips. His couute-
nance bore the impress OF power. he would
have been singled out in any company as a
superior man. He was a great mathemati.
clan, and so remarkably quick at figures
that the Chilians aud Peruvians are fond OF
telling stories about his wonderful arith-
metical performances. His manners We're
kind and even gentle, and his liberality I'M
bounded.