The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-25

but there was no dishonor in this new
catastrophe. Neither was there discour-
agement for him. He went to Peru, be-
hesing that in that republic he had new
world 70 conquer. and he was welcomed.
The Peruvians had heard of him, and be-
ing about TO embark in some great ma
tlonai works, especially railways. OF which
there were only few miles in that coun-
the construction first of all of what IS
called the Southern railway. He went at
tins work with his amazing energy, and
MS amazing extravaganza as well. He
was man who never counted the cost.
Prodigions figures gave him no alarm if
they were upon the wrong side of the
books, and they gave him no citation if
they were on the credit side. Therefore
Meiggs found after he had partly finished
the southern railway that he needed to
extend his operations. The Peruvian
government had been for some time talk
ing OF the possibility of connecting Lima
by rail with the magnificent ter
ritory that stretched far away to
the valley of the Amazon from the
eastern slopes of the Andes. Some en-
glneers had pronounced a work of this
KIND impossible. excepting at ruinous cost,
perhaps not possible then. Yet it was ap-
parent that if Peru was to develop its re-
sources and take the place among the ma
tons Of the world 10 which its natural
wealth entitled II, some swift means of
communication between its territory be-
yond the Andes and its seaport must be
secured
When Mr.. Meiggs was asked if he could
build railroad and carry it over the
mighty peaks of the Andes, he said in
stantly, eff Peru will back me / can do
II. He seemed 10 revel in the thought
mai S.s M an,1if loo
Meiggs was in his highest genius a great
engineer, and not great iInancier, and
the problem OF the Andes appealed with
fascinating enthusiasm to his constructive
genius. When he said that he could do it,
the Peruvian government believed him.
The contracts were made with MIN, and
they were of the kind that not only gave
him Immediately great wealth but prom
lsed when he had completed his wo.k TO
make him one of the richest men in the
world. he set about the task in 1866 His
energy was something which amazed the
Peruvians. He showed them path over
the mountains. He had great. force of
men at WORK. Sub-contracts were dIstrD-
uted almost with the iavishness of De
Lesseps, and within three or four years ne
had carried his railway more than half
way up the mountains. and had demon
ssrated that the thing could be done.
Meanwhile Meiggs was living in Lima
the glorious life of luxury which had
characterized his stayin Chile. His house
was palace; 1t was filled with guests.
WAC reyeied in the atmosphere of luxury.
MeIggs himself was passionateiy fond OF
music. He paid the expenses of a costly
choir in one of the Peruvian churches.
lie had an organ in his house. and on
Sunday evenings he invited his guests to
assemble in the music room and there he
played while they sang the simple hymns
OF the Methodist church with which he
had been familiar in his boyhood days.
In other parts of the house he had grand
pianos. and he was accustomed frequently
to give private concerts, employing artists
whose pay was no small sum, and at such
times it seemed impossible that this man,
who appeared to be completely carried
away by the music which he heard, could
be the same whose engines and drills and
mighty appliances were at work cutting
paths along the edges of the precipices,
boring through the mountains and stead
lily making way for the locomotive over
the majestic peaks in the distance.
But this life was not to be long. Less
than six years of it Mr.. Meiggs enjoyed,
and one morning he found himself face to
face with bankruptcy again. Peru had
been compelled to permit its obligations
TO become dishonored. The crash was
a mighty one. The nation was crushed
under a debt of more than 5000. 900 900.
nations of Europe. All its public works
were suspended. Peru was bankrupt.
The reaction from the era of forced pros
perity was so terrible as to produce de-
spair, stagnation. and many believed
would result in the extinction of the
nation. Mr.. Meiggs was not overwhelmed.
for he took his third reverse quite as
philosophically as he did his second He
saved a little something from the wreck,
enough to live on with economy, and
awaited calmly and hopefully the day
when Peru would relieve itself of its en-
barrassments
He was never TO see that day; he died
before the tide turned. His brother, John
Meiggs, who had been his right hand in
all his enterprises, and who was a man of
unusual ability, started forth TO make
another fortune. He went to London.
He had almost nothing when he arrived
in the British metropolis. Within ten
years he had aruassed fortune of $1,000
COO through business relations with the
Argentine Republic. and two years ago
every penny of it was swept away by the
failure of the Barings. Today John
Meiggs is at work TO make another fortune.
The humiliation of bankruptcy was not
the severest which Peru was to bear. In
its helpless condition. discredited. without
power to raise money, and, therefore,
without the means to support an army, it
was in that condition which Chile had
long waited to see. The aggressive repub-
lie to the south of Peru had coveted the
nitrate deposits which were in the south
ern territory OF Peru, and also its guano
fields. which had been the chief source of
its prosperity as a nation. Before the col
lapse came Peru mad made contracts with
some American merchants, giving them
practical control of the nitrate fields. Had
she been able to fulfill the contracts, il is
probable that ex-Mayor Grace. OF New
York. and his partners would have made
q fortune, comparable only with those of
the Astors and Vanderhilts.
But Peru. powerlcss because of the obi
cations entailed by the Oroya railroad
and some others, was an easy prey to
Chile. The war was a short one, and
when it was over and treaty OF PEACE de-
clared, Chile had these nitrate fields worth
hundreds of millions and the guauo de-
posts. themselves mines OF wealth. After
the war was over there was no nation, at
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