New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-21
SENA TOR CLARK OF MONTANA
THE ROMANTIC STORY OF HIS RISE
FROM POVERTY TO GREAT WEALTH.
10y TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE

IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNE.l
washington. Jan. 2O.-William A. Clark, whose
right to z in the United States Senate Is being
contested and is now under investigation by the
Committee Privileges and Elections OF that
body, on charges of bribery and corruption, is
most remarkable product Of the West. He Is the
architect of his own fortune for he tramped over
the Western plains in poverty and obscurity long
before the railroads had reached the Platte or
Missouri rivers. The story OF his early life in the
mining camps of the Rockies. chasing the phantom
of gold reads like romance.
It is the belief OF his friends who are OF course
confident Of his ultimate success in the present con-
troversy that member of the upper house Will
attract more attention than he. not by reason OF
the proceedings in which he now figures, nor OF MS
great wealth but his intelligent grasp of public
questions and the ability with which he VIII as
charge his duties. Senator Clark has the reputa-
ton of being enormously wealthy At a fair esll-
mate his wealth may be stated at about $50 OOoOOO
and his daily income in the neighborhood or $SOV'
It's accumulation began when he was mere boy
at labor. Now his operations reach from one tide
water to the other. In Old Mexico is the Impulse
of his resources felt. In Europe painters ana
sculptors know his name and respect his judgment
He owns mines of gold and silver; he extracts
sugar from beets; he operates coal mines and ral-
roads; he factory for the manufacture OF
copper wire; he is beginning to grow coffee, sugar
cane and rubber, and may become grower OF TEA
he is a broker and a stock grower.
Mr.. Clark was born on January s, 1899. near Con-
nellsviIle, Penn. From Pennsylvania his parents
moved to Van Buren, County. Iowa. The elder
Clark was farmer, and the son had three months
of winter school and nine months or farm WorK'
Later he attended Laurel Hill Academy, and AFTER
ward an academy at Mount Pleasant where ne
studied law for two years. In 1883 ne Went 70
Missouri taught country school for year ana
then went further westward. In 1852 he crossed
the plains to Colorado, locating at Central CITY
where he engaged in quartz mining Ihere ne
gained the practical experience thae mas O0eH "a
such value to him since.
The next year the news Of the gold finds In Mon
tana reached him, and he started for the ne" III
Dorado The first season he made $lSOO net lie
realized that there more money IN nlerchah-
dizing than in placer mining and with his Sl'oW ne
went to Salt Lake City. bought all the goods ne
could and returned with them to Virginia CITY,
where they were disposed of at enormous pronts
For several years he followed this business ana IN
1868 the original cash capital OF N0W nao grown "
az MANY thousands. Then he formed a partner
shin with r W. Donnell of New-York, for the
purpose Of carrying a mercantile and banking
business Deer Lodge SELECTED and the 0anS
interest purchased by Nj Clark who ~ %oy ysa
the bank to Butte and TO-DAY 1ytb IL IS one VI ING
In 1872 Mr. Clark purchased d "a gr9%R GI rcb
near Butte and they pg0He9 10 S DC Business he
course in the department OF mines al OT ii
studies up, and while he employs mining experts d
he is personally the final Judge or value wh i
after mine in the Butte district, and now owns a
SG1ee 05 he thoWg6 was in the Verde copper
at jerome Ariz. Other capitalists had looked at It
valueiess. Mr. Clark examined it personally, con
Quoted his own tests bought the property ana owns
copper in the world, not excepting the great Ana
ing offer Of $50 100000 for it.
IN THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.
has tray cd
for a part of each year in Europe. few years ago.
while in Germany he became interested in the
beet sugar industry, He studied it from the point
of view of a chemist and business man. and as
a result he has made some experiments in the
culture of the beet in Southern California So salts
factory was the result that he purchased ten thou
sand acres of land in the vicinity of Las Almitos
built a factory equipped it with the latest and
best machinery, and this year he will extract the
sugar from $4,000 tons of sugar beets at his fac
tory Five years ago he bought tract Of thrty-two
thousand acres of Wild land in Old Mexico eighty
miles from Vera Cruz the Gulf. It has been
cleared, and sugar cane coffee and rubber will be
the products To get the best results from the
copper produced by his Arizona mine Mr. Clark has
built at Elizabethport, N. j.. factory for the pro-
ducton of copper wire. 1t is known as the w. A.
Clark Wire Works, and has capacity of one hun
dred tons of wire every twenty-four hours.
Mr.. Clark is a widower. He has two sons and
two daughters of whom is married Dr.
E. NJ Culver, of New-York The eldest son.
Charles w, is married and lives at Butte; the
youngest graduated last June at the Uni
versity of Virginia and is practising law in Mon
tana. Mr. Clark is now building In New-York
magnificent house. which will be the home of his
art treasures.
There are few better lnguists in the Senate
than Mr.. Clark. He speaks French. German and
Spanish. having studied those languages abroad
everyday English. How with the multitude
of enterprises Mr.. Clark has had on his hands
could find the time to study and equip himself in
tellectually to the extent he has Is regarded as
more marvellous than his ability to amass mill
ions.