The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-03-24

rev assistants. lie attends to his own
correspondence and dictates from two
hundred to three hundred letters day
He works rapidly, but intensely and with
out nervousness He is brief, but never
brusque. The polish gained by years of
residence in European capitals he carries
with him at all times. He is approach !
able, but not the kind of a. man to inspire
one to be familiar with him. He can
scent an impostor at long distance. His
business acumen is an instinct improved
by intelligence and experience in dealing
with all sorts and conditions of men.
Versatility and thoroughness should be
included among his most pronounced
characteristics. Whenever it is necessary
to acquire a knowledge of science in
particular line of business he sets himself
to the study until he has mastered it.
Thus he took up chemistry when he
wanted to raise sugar beets. He visited
the beet farms Of Germany and France
and the laboratories of chemists in
Europe, and he knows the beet now. He
Is a mechanic, and when he desires to in
stall machinery Into mine, no engineer
can fool him on the hoisting power of a
lift, capacity Of a pump or the ability of
a stamp mill to do the work required. He
understands railroad building; is abreast
of the latest improvements in electrical
machinery for Goa l mining, and the
chances are he could run locomotive or
| make up a freight train.
He paused at the busiest time of his
life to. take course in mineralogy at
Columbia college, in New York. That
was after he had spent years as a pros
pector and practical miner. The late
Senator Hearst used to say that Clark
was the best mineralogist on the Pacific
| coast. No one ever sells him "salted"
| mine, and when he purchases a property
every one knows it is certain winner,
for he goes into nothing to lose.
When he is contemplating acquiring
| mine he puts on pair Of overalls and
goes into the shaft or tunnel, hammer in
hand, and remains at the work until his
own eyes have seen the ore and his own
| judgment estimated it's extent and value
There is one notable instance of his policy
! in this respect. A New Jersey copper
| company became his debtor, and he had
| to take over the business In looking
| over the books, noting the slightest de-
| tails, he observed that during 1899 the
| largest amount of material received was
| a quantity of rich copper bullion from
| small property in Arizona His attention
! was attracted to the gold and silver
values of the bullion, and he investigated
| the source. He found the mine under
bond to others, who had employed ex-
perts to pass upon it, but their decision
had resulted in the forfeiture Of the bond
and lease. He promptly renewed them,
and a controlling interest of the property
was placed in escrow for a year with a
bond and lease for three years.
! Then he went to the mine, and, DON
ming overalls and jumper, spent three
weeks below ground. He says that the
/ experts had sampled in circle at five
! foot intervals. He took his samples on
| each side of the tunnel at intervals of
| twelve inches, and soon discovered that
| the other experts had happened to strike
| the unproductive streaks. His judgment
| was that the mine was a bonanza, and
he put his money into it, sinking to a 100.
! foot level. To-day the mine is turning
out copper at the rate Of 5000, 900 pounds
a month, containing more than enough
silver and gold to pay for the separation
I Of the metals. Its exploitation was due
entirely to the Skill energy and pertina.
cious inquiry of this northumberland
who was not above working like laborel
for weeks to see for himself what was
in the bowels of the earth.
When he takes UP an industry he trie:
to control all branches of it. Thus, own
ing copper mines, he must build smelter
to work out the ore: then he construct
railroads to transport it to the channel!
of conomerce; next he buys coal mines t.
run the smelters and the railroads. H.
owns wire mills to work up the products
| OF the mines and the smelters. He buy
! lumber forests to furnish timber for the
mines. He owns ranches and sells cat
| tie to feed his workmen. But these null
| t1farious Industries do not satisfy him
| He has not enough to keep him busy
even with his travels and his studies
| lie needs must embark in beet-raisine
| and sugar manufacturing, and, being still
| unsat1shed, purchases $4,000 acres of lane
| IN Mexico and starts in raising coffee
rubber plants and tea plants. All the
! Tune ne is keeling in view his pet hobby
| OF mining and is reaching out after lead
| and other minerals in the Rockies and
the coast ranges, And in 1878 he dropped
his business long enough to take a ma
! Jor's commission and head a battalion
| against Chief Joseph in the Nez Perez
! Indian uprising
| One naturally wants to know something
| OF the history of a man who has done SO
much and achieved such success In a
material way. It is an interesting story.
but contains nothing of the miraculous.
| 1t Is recital Of hard work. hard knocks
| and the success resulting from indomita-
BILE energy and unusual intelligence and
| aptitude for certain lines. He is of Irish
| extration, born near Connellsville. Pa. in
1889 His father moved to Iowa, and
the lad Of sixteen helped to break the
soil of the prairie farm of the pioneer.
He worked nine months Of the year. and
In the remaining three took his educa-
ton. Soon after reaching his majority he
crossed the plains driving a team to COL
orado, where he worked in quartz mines
A year or two afterward he joined a
stampede to tho gold mines Of Bannock.
driving an OK team for sixty-five days to
reach the spot. Then he stampeded with
| the crowd to Horse Prairie and secured
! claim which he worked for two sea.
SONS.
He cleaned up $1,5o0, and this was his
real stake" In life It WAS tho hoplnpipo