The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-04-18
THERE'S PLENTY MONEY.
MEN WITH GIFT FOR MIXING n
CAN FIND ITANrUHERE,
Instances of Large Fortunes Made In the
Observation-Disclosures Piaces-Becames
Millionaire In a Little African Island.


/ Sahara Desert Here and there, in out
of-,ne-way places that many OF US never
! heard OF, men are to-day making fortunes
simply because they have the money
making instinct and can see opportunities
TO acquire property where the ordinary
man would think 1t hard scrabbllng 10
I keep the wolf from the door. The Illu-
! STATIONS of this fact that are given below
are proof that the right sort OF man can
make money anywhere, because ne is
keen enough to see the particular opp0r-
tunities which his environment Affords.
The story OF the accumulation Of wealth
in some of the almost unknown corners
! of the earth through the recent effort
| of sharp. far-sighted men Is almost IS
! marvellous as the growth Of the late
| Cornelius Vanderbilts fortune. Twenty
seven years ago young physician namCd
Matthew Auguste Bibeiro landed on tie
| little island Of 81. Thomas, not far from
the African coast, In the Gulf OF Guinea.
| Before he left the meGlca- school In Por-
! tusaI he had decided that the ranks Of
his profession we're ovefciowded at home.
and he picked out this little island as a
place without physician where he might
| build up a good practice among the ma
tlves. So he landed there In 1870. with
! money enough 20 buy mule and TO keep
| him i'm rood for about three months lie
had left his wife and baby al home for
he wanted TO be sure Of success before
I taking his family so far away lie began
! travelling on his mule through the valleys
and among the mountains. healing the
| sick. and soon be had q lucrative prac-
! tee.
! lie was the first 10 recognize the aston
ishing fertility OF the soil OK this island.
| lie had the perspicaclty 90 see that in
It..l.r bal u. .rrH
had a great advantage over any other
island along the coast Of West Africa for
the cultivation OF the cocoa tree. Thlz
is the low tree whose seeds constitute the
cocoa beans OF commerce from which
chocolate and cocoa are made. and.
though IL was cultivated extensively II.
the West Indies. Mexico and Peru lOLg
before Columbus discovered the Western
world. II had never occurred TO any ong
that the conditions for growing this most
lucrative crop were more perfect in the
island OF ST. Thomas. West Africa, than
In most regions where the tree is grown.
This fact was the discovery Of the strug-
Cling young physician and 10 made him =
rich man. He kept his valuable knowl-
edge TO himself until his operations be-
came 80 extensive that all the world
could see what he was doing. Day anG
night for years he was of on his mule.
visiting the sick. and after he had re-
moved his family 10 the island. every
cent that he could save went into the
purchase OF land. Land was cheap. and
In a few years he was the owner or var
ious tracts that aggregated large area
As fast as he bought land he hired ma
tives 10 set out the young plants that ne
raised in nursery grounds till they were
about fifteen inches high. lie took part
I'm this work himself. and his wife also
assisted him in setting out plants. l'co-
Die looked on and wondered. and IL never
seemed 70 occur 10 them that DR.. Bibeiro
had found in the Island OF ST. Thomas
lust the conditions OF rich. weil-watered
soil humid atmosphere. freedom from
cold winds and protection from violent
storms that are essential for the sue
cAssful cultivation Of the cocoa tree.
They did not begin 10 wake up until ne
began TO market his product. and 'hsn
they saw that he had another form G.
gold mine and began 10 go into cocoa rails
ing themselves.
10 was four years after his plants were
set out before the trees began TO bear
at all. and IL was eight years before they
attained fun productive vigor. and al
these years the doctor and his family
were living almost in poverty turning
all the money he could earn into more
He could not borrow money on any Sc
curity he could offer. for nobody shared
his enthusiasm nor had much faith IN his
experiment. His work, therefore, was
limited by the capital he could raise as ne
went along, but when he began 10 send
the finest Of cocoa beans 10 market de-
veOpment was more rapid. In 1873 Dr.
Bibero, eighteen years after he had
landed on an obscure island which many
Portuguese had never heard Of, though
Il belonged 20 their country, was already
regarded at home as very rich man
and he had been made so by the products
OF his plantations Though still a young
man. he decided a. that year to retire
from business and return 10 Portugal with
his family. so be sold ai his property
10 the Banco UltramarinO for N4oJO0l
and returned home worth considerably
over two millions. After nine more years
of cultivation and development the plan
tations he disposed OF are now valued at
10000
This young man found what an island
was good for and there was a fortune
in the discovery. IL was easy enough
FOR others 10 follow Ia the path he made
and IT IS really due 10 Dr. Bibeiro that
this African island to-day has the aspect
OF one great plantation on which labor
persons live on the little island. even l.0Ql
Chinese have heard q 81 and gone there
10 live. and IL is the home OF 5000 whites
The plant that has given the island its
greatest prosperity should not be con-
founded with the c0cOanut palm, which is
another thing entirely.
Thirty-five years ago poor German lad
named Carlos Schmidt emierated 10 South
America. and settled not lar from Santos
in Brazil. n was not Ions before IL oc-
CURED 10 him that coffee was In large
demand an over the civilized world and
that a very good article was being raised
i'm Brazil He decided 10 give his life 10
cOfee-raising. Land was cheap, and In
the course Of years he enlarged the
bounds OF the few modest acres with
which he began business until to-day he
owns what is said 10 he the second largest
coffee plantation in the world. He has
1 500 900 coffee trees IN bearing on 97S5
acres OF land upon which he gives con-
slant employment 90 1900 laborers. His
plantation. with all the improvements IL
the way OF houses stores bakeries. and
so on is said to be worth over e 900 0ol
The few hundred dollars with which h.
started 10 make his fortune In that far
away land has been nurtured with splen-
did results. still. this is the very land
from which Canadians have recently bee.
assisted 10 return. as they could not
make a living there The truth is that
they went TO Brazil without knowing
the conditions before them or how TO meet
them. and they failed OF course. When
men cannot get along wei In new
country il is not always the fault OF the
country.
In the middle Of this century the lead
80 go. .,.to Rad given attention ~