Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-30
10. CHAEEEE.
How He Made His Fortune and Gulled
the Puhlic

the Public.
One Of the men who went down in this
weeks panic in Wall street, says the San
Francisco Chronicle, is Jerome B. Chaffee,
generally known as 10. Chaffee. He was
in some respects zone of the most re-
markable men in our country, SIR,
Twenty years ago he went to Colorado,
then poor Territory, and located in
Clear Creek county. He has related him
self how he spent his last 500 piece in
treating his fellow travellers at the end of
the journey. He went to work at the
mines, and in ten years he could probably
have cleaned up 100000. He embarked
in politics, secured Colorado's admission
to the Union, and became her first
Senator. His political sagacity soon
secured him a high place in the
national councils. and for many
years his influence at Washington has
been very large. When the Leadville de-
posits were discovered he went into them
with ardOr and was the ruling spirit in
the coalition which took $2,500,000 out of
the Little Pittsburg and ChrysOlite claims,
and about as much more out of the pock-
cts of Wall street gulls. None knew bet
ter than he that great horizontal deposits
of lead carbonates carrying from 100 to
1000 ounces of silver were sure to peter
and that at certain depth the veins
would turn into common sulphides lean
in the precious metals. He sold his stock
at the top of the boom, bagged his million
and went to Florida. The collapse oc-
CURED While he was on his voyage.
But he was not satisfied. He matured
a grander scheme. Las Animas and other
southern counties in Colorado are a des-
ert, not worth five cents an acre. Yet
along their northern border runs the Ar
kansas, and, if tapped at point near the
Grand canyon, there is ample fall and an
ample supply Of water to irrigate the
whole tract. Chaffee offered two propo-
sitiOns to the government. First. he of
Tered to construct the required bitches
and reservoirs, providing the government
would give him an option on 5000, 900 acres
of land for five years at 81 % an acre; sec
Ondly, he offered to buy 1000 900 acres out
and out on the government terms
il the government would undertake irri-
cation works, which he agreed to contract
TO construct. In either case the profit of
t1e operation would have been something
like $45, 900, 900. To carry out the scheme
il was proposed to Mr.. Arthur TO give
Chatlee the Interior Department, This
was declined, but Chaffee was allowed to
name the man. He named Mr.. Teller, but
whether the latter proved less pliable
than was expected, or some obstacle in
teryened, the scheme has never been pub
licly preached.
He is one of the most adroit manipula-
tors In modern pOlitics-Withal n singu-
larry OutspOken and indiscreet man. He
was to run for Senator in Colorado against
Hill next January; yet he told party of
clergymen who called on him for a sub
scription that he had no use for churches.
He wrote to the leading Republicans of
Colorado, who begged him to come and
help them at an election. that he would
come some day. would hire hall, hold a
matinee, and they might all come and
kiss his foot.
And now he is smashed nothing left
but some unprOductiye mines and a few
idle mills in Colorado. There is one man
who will be glad and have reason to be
glad, and that man is Hon. Nathaniel y.
Hill, Chairman of the Senate Committee
on Post Offices. If Chaffee had kept his
money he would have had HIPS scalp
next January