The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-12
NORTH THE NITRATEKING
-,a GREAT WEALTH, PALACE AND
RACING STABLES.

SAAAS1&O
Nsrt Year-Description of His Palace
IN England.
washington Cor. of the Chicago Herald
Perhaps the greatest sporting event OF
49, coming year will be the American
Isrbv. which is to be run in Chicago next
1nna and in which the pick OF the horses
:, the world will take part. One Of the
.biaf competitors in this race will be Col.
Tobn T. North, the famed nitrate king, of
voolsnd. Col. North has nearly score Of
horses in training for this race. and among
,bsss are a number which have acquired
.,orld-wide reputation FOR their speed in the
asst During my stay in London this fall
visited the stables where these horses
,ora IN training and spent some time at
,bs mansion of their owner in Kent. While
Twas there the colonel was offered e15,0
tor his horse Nunthorpe, which had just
aon in one of the great races OF England,
and has in ell probability brought back to
,bs nitrate king the money which he had
last on him in the city and suburban race a
yaar or so ago. At this time Col. North
hacked Nunthorpe to the extent OF about
s500. 600, and when he was left at the post
the colonel's face never changed, and from
his smile you would suppose ne had won
rather than losbs
here are Colorado, Lady Hermit, FL Diablo,
Sir Frederick Roberts, Iddesleigh, Lady
Morgan, Sheldrake, Lucy Locket and a
nunber Of other wellsknown horses of Eng
land, the most Of which have been bred In
his own stables and few which are practi-
oslly unknown as yet. 1t is almost impos-
sble to describe the care that is taken of
nd ugopdarS,,R
ments which Col North has for keeping
them in the best OF health and training.
They are more carefully exercised than any
prize-fGhter and the stables at Ethan have
better sanitary arrangements than many
hospitels. They are heated by steam, and
under one OF the stables is a Turkish bath,
BIZ which a horse can be thrown into a
perspiration and the cold steamed out of
him. The walls Of the stables are lined
with costly tiles. The box stalls are of
hardwood aud the floors are Of cement The
eooneIs horses during the past year have
been managed by Lord Randolph Churchill,
and his winnings from them must be enor-
nous. Two of the horses which he brings
20 this country won $4,000 for him in q
single year. and he puts as much business
into his racing as be does into the manage
ment OF his immense nitrate fields in Chile,
which makes him one Of the richest men
in the world.
CANNOT ESTIMATE HIS OWN RICHES.
No one, in fact. knows just how much
John T. North is worth. / doubt IL he
knows himself He has ventures in nearly
svery part Of the world, and his nitrate
fields are better than any gold mine in ex-
istence. One of his most intimate friends
told me in London that his expenses every
year, outside OF his business, are more than
$500, 900. and his income is supposed 20 be
more than S5,000,000 year. He has CO.
ment works in Belgium which bring him
in a fortune, and which were until he saw
them, nothing but brickyerd. Happening
80 pass by them in trip to the continent
he noticed the clay. ssw that it was of
superior quality, and at ouce bought
the whole field. He has now in this
place immense works which employ
thousands Of hands and he has put up for
his employees sanitary cottages and has
built churches and schools for them. He
has never had strike and his people all
like him, He has other works of various
kinds in England and his Investments in
Chile extend TO guano beds as we'll as
nitrate fields. During the war between
Chile and Peru his fortune was for time
in danger and Balmaceda was 70 q large
extent his agent. 1t was he that helped the
rebels and it was his money that bought
the arms that carried on the war. Had he
failed he would have lost millions, and as
TIC ehW bbO oiiNG1 ~ DJ OuohGAo LS uSHCl
blinked his eye. but put up again and again
until he won a He is, in fact, big, bold
gambler and hiSstakes are millions.
how NORTH MADE HIS MONEY.
During my stay at Col. North's house
took lunch with him and the family, and
after this chatted with him for sme time
Of himself and other matters. He 10 now
about so years old and weighs, | should
Judge. 100 pounds. He is about feet 10
inches high. His eyes are blue. his face is
rosy and his hair and whiskers are Of rich
red hue. He puts en- no airs whatever ,
and when we walked around the
grounds he covered his head with
an old straw hat which looked some
what out of place among his magnificent
surroundings. He is an Euglishman by
birth and he comes from Yorkshire. His
father was coal merchant, who brought
him up as civil engineer and put him into
business as soon as he was eble TO do any
thing for himself He was connected as an
employe in a steam pillow works when his
fsthsr died, leaving about $4,000 to his
family. Young North, though ne was then
married, at once gave his share OF the
estate to his mother. and shortly after this
1 he went to South America with his wife to
seek his fortune. He went there "a civil
engineer and soon saw the immense posi-
bilitieS for fortune making which exist on
the western coast Of that country. He in
vested in a number Of different speculations
and made money. He then began TO buy
nitrate. and kept buying from time to time
until he at last got control of the biggest
nitrate fields in the world. He made mil
Hons by buying guano, and it seems thai
everything he touches turns into gold.
l wish l could give you an idea OF tht
country palace OF this nitrate king. 1t il
Tar more comfortable aud homelike thar
any OF the palaces OF the great monarchi
OF Europe, and it is a thousand times more
hospitable and happy. 1t is. in fact, .
gigantic home in which the guests, as vel
as the family. do and act as they please
and where there are no brass buttons OF
severe eyes to disturb you. | met MIR
North through his intimate friend
Co. Tom Ochitree, and wal
made as much at home as though the hous'
mad been given to me in the real Soutt
American fashion, by which your hos
Reets you with the words: II am glad Il
zee you, senior. Come into your own house
and take possession of it," Col. NORTH
calls his place Avery hill. 1t is vas
Drlck house Of two stories, situated IN tn
most of 200 acres Of lawn and forest. Th'
Souse itself is about 200 feet wide and i
aas wide entrancewey in the center
lne Vestibule. which is about thirty Zee
square, is finished in South AmeTi
caa mahogany and it is lghtet
win ceiling of stained glass. At eacl
IS .gs.A tnaVa