The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-05

Cyrus C. Adams, in Providence Journal
II has often been said that man
like the late Jay Gould would find
some way to make money even in the
middle of the Sahara desert. Here
and there, in out -of-theway places
that many OF us never heard of, men
are today, making fortunes simply
because they have the money-making
instinct and can see opportunities to
acquire property where the ordinary
man would think it hard scrdbbling
to keep the wolf from the door. The
illustrations Of this fact that are CIV
en- below, are proof that the right sort
of man can make money anywhere,
because he is keen enough to see the
particular opportunities which his en-
vironment affords.
The story of the accumulation Of
wealth in some of the almost unknown
corners of the earth through the re-
cent efforts of sharp, far-sighted men,
is almost as marvellous as the growth
of the late Cornelius Vanderblts for
tunes. Twenty-seven years ago d
young physician named Matthew Au-
guste Bibciro landed on the little
island of ST. Thomas. not far from the
African coast, in the Gulf of Guinea.
Before he left the medical school in
Portugal he had decided that the ranks
of his profession were overcroWded
at home and he picked out this little
island as n place without a physician,
where he might build mp n good prac-
tice among the natives. So he landed
there in 1870 with money enough to
buy a mule and to keep him in food for
about three months He had left his
wife and baby at home, for he wanted
to be sure of success before taking
his family so far away. BE began
travelling on his mule, through the
valleys and among the mountains,
healing the sick, and soon he had a
lucrative practice.
COCOA TREES.
He was the first to recognize the
astonishing fertility of the soil of this
island lie had the perspicacity to
see that in point of light, of humidity
and heat it had a great advantage
over any other island along the coast
of West Africa for the cultivation of
the coca tree. This is the low tree
whose seeds constitute the cocoa beans
Of commerce from which chocolate and
cocoa are made and, though it was
cultivated extensively in the West In
dies, Mexico and Peru long before Col
umbus discovered the Western world,
it had never occurred to any one 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 disCov
cry of the struggling young physician
and it made him a rich man. He
kept his valuable knowledge to him
self until his operations became so eX-
tensive that all the world could see
what he was doing. Day and night,
for years, he was off on his mule, visit
ing the sick, and after he had removed
his family to the island every cent
that he could save went into the pur-
chase of land. Land was cheap and
in n few years he was the owner of
various tracts that aggregated a large
area. As fast as he bought land he
hired natives to set out the young
plants that he raised in nursery
grounds till they were about fifteen
inches high. He took part in this
work himself and his wife also assist
ed him in setting out the plants. Peo-
pie looked on and wondered and it new
er seemed to occur to them that DR..
Bibeiro had found in the Island of st.
Thomas just the conditions Of rich,
well-watered soil, humid atmosphere,
freedom from cold winds and protec-
tion from violent storms that are es-
sentia for the successful cultivation
of the cocoa tree. They did not begin
to wake up until he began to market
his product and then they saw that he
had another form of gold mine and
began TO get into cocoa tree raising
themselves.
REPAID.
1t was four years after his plants
were set out before the trees began to
bear at ALL and it was eight years be-
fore they attained full productive
oil