Morris tribune., 1886-06-09
A Castaway Who Became a Million.
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There are very few people in this
city who know what big figure Phil
adelphian is cutting down in Montevi-
dec, the capital of Uruguay, in South
America" remarked Captain Timer,
lately commanding the barkentine Wan
dering jew, of this port, who is now in
the employ OF the Pennsylvania Rail
road Company. Il was down there
about wear ago" continued the cap
tain. land saw considerable of the per-
son in question, man named W. D..
Evans. we'll advanced in life and one of
the wealthiest citizens of the Uruguayan
republic. He claims TO be an American
and Philadelphian, but the prevailing
idea among the citizens of Montevideo
is that he is Scotchman. AT any rate
he insists that he is not Scot, and he
has brought all his children up with the
strict understanding that they are Amer
leans to the backbone, and must never
acknowledge any flag but the stars
and stripes of Uncle Sam. He struck
Montevideo about thirty years ago with
out cent to bless himself with, having
been wrecked while mate of the ship
Young Mechanic, Of ROckland, Me-,
and having saved only the clothes on
his back and a battered old boat, in
which he got away from the wreck. He
had unlimited pluck. however, and
went to work at once to make a living
by ferrying people about the harbor to
and from ships lying i'll the roadstead,
and jobs of that sort. Not long after he
took to the business he was caught in a
sharp squa!l Just out the harbor and
was capsized. Four hours later a
steamer coming in hove to and picked
him up while he was clinging to the
keel of his upturned craft. He thanked
the officer in charge of the men who had
put off to rescue him, but declined to go
on board the steamer, asking as great
favor that the sailors help him in right
ing his capsized boat, as it was all he
had in the world to make a living with.
Admiring his grit, they gave him the
required assistance and in an hour after
the steamer dropped her anchor he
sailed past, and was given a hearty
cheer BY men on the TO castle deck.
HE picked mp a little money by
means of the old tub which he had re-
fused to desert, and invested in bit of
property, which soon doubled in value,
and then, going into real estate as a
business, fortune smiled on him and he
became wealthy ina few years. Now
he owns whole blocks of houses in the
city, and his. own place is one of the
finest in the entire country, while his
fortune is continually swelling. His
hospitality is by-word down there.
and it appears to give him especial
pleasure to entertain Americans, while
for the Yankee naval officers and ship
masters who sail into port he can not
make too much fuss over them. He Oft
en- talks about Philadelphia, but does
not say anything about coming back
here to live Poverty is no bar to man
finding a friend in Mr. Evans, for he is
as ready to welcome poor chap out of
the fo'castle as the commander of n
man-o'-war, but he won't take any
stock in men unless be thinks they are
square. He has always given cold
shoulder to Winslow, the Boston fQrger,
who found u haven in Montevideo.
I'm the center of his private park
there is splendid bronze fountain
which cost him good many thousand
dollars, and it is surrounded by a huge
basin, stocked with splendid trout and a
big school of gold fish. Floating about
on the waters of the basin is the old
boat he saved from the wreck, and he
thinks as much of it as he does of any OF
his children. No stranger ever escapes
being taken to do reverence to the boat
that twice saved his hosts life and laid
the foundation to his splendid fortune.
when | was flat broke she was my
only friend, he says to the people he
takes down to the fountain to see his
rickety old pet, and though you may
not notice anything pretty about her,
she's themost beautiful thing / ever
saw OF course, such man is inn
mensely popular, and in all the valley
of the River Plate there isn't a man
who don't feel proud of Evans acquaint-
ance if he has the pleasure of knowing
him. -PhiLddeIphia Record