The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-04-21

Germany and France and the labora-
tories of chemists in Europe, and he
knows the beet now. He is a mechan-
chineTy into a mine. no engineer can
fool him on the hosting power of a
lift, capacity Of a pump or the ability
ic, and when he desires to install ma
of a stamp mill to do the work re-
Quired. He understands railroad build
ing; is abreast of the latest improve
ments in electrical machinery for coal
mining, and the chances are he could
run a 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
prospector and practical miner The
late Senator Hearst used to say that
Clark was the best rnineraIogist on the
Pacific coast. No one ever sells him a
sailed mine, and when he purchases
a property everyone knows it is a Ger
tain winner, for he goes into nothing
to lose.
When he is contemplating acquiring a
mine he puts on a pair of oyeTalls and
goes into the shaft or tunnel hammer
in nand, and remains at the work until
his own eyes have seen the ore and his
own judgment estimated its extent and
value. There is one notable instance of
y
sey copper company became his debtor
and he had to take over the business.
In looking over the books. noting the
slightest details, he observed that dur
ing 1883 the largest amount of ma
terial received was a quantity of rich
copper bullion from a small property
in Arizona His attention was at
tracted 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 experts
to pass upon it, but their decision had
resulted in the forfeiture of the bond
and lease. He promptly renewed them
and controlling interest of the prop
erty was placed in escrow for a year,
with a bond and lease for three years.
Then he went to the mine and. dom
ming overalls and jumper. spent three
weeks below ground. He says that the
experts had sampled in a 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 DO
nsn2a, and he put mis- money into it,
sinking to 7G0-foOt level Today the
mine is turning out copper at the rate
of 100000 pounds a month, containing
more than enough silver and gold to
pay for the separation of the metals.
Its exploitation was due entirely to the
skill. energy and pertiuacious inquiry
of this multi-milliOnaire, who was not
above working like a. laborer for weeks
to see for himself what was in the bow
els of the earth.
When he takes up an industry he tries
to control all branches of it, Thus,
owning copper mines he must build
shelters to work out the ore; then he
constructs railroads to transport it to
the channels of commerce: next he
buys coal mines to run the shelters
and the railroad. He owns wire mills
to work up the products of the mines
and the shelters. He buys lumber for
ests to furnish timber for the mines.
He owns ranches and sells cattle to
feed his workmen. But these multi
fariouS industries do not satisfy him. !
He has not enough to keep him busy
even with his travels and his studies !
He needs must embark in beet raising
and sugar manufacturing. and being /
still unsatisfed, purchases 80. 900 acres
of land in Mexico and starts in to rails |
ing coffee, rubber plants and tea plants. /
All the time he is keeping in view his /
pet hobby of mining and is reaching ]
out after lead and other minerals in !
the Rockies and the coast ranges. In |
1873 he dropped his business long |
enough to take a majors commission
and head a. battalion against Chief Jo-
seph in the Nez Perez Indian upris-
ing.
a MAN OF MANY INTERESTS.
One naturally wants to know some
thing Of the history of man who has
done so much and achieved such sue
cess in a material way 1t is an inter
es1ng story, but contains nothing of
the miraculous IT is a recital of hard
work, hard knocks and the success re-
5ulting from in7omitable energy and
intelligence and aptitude for
certain lines. He is of Irish eXtrac-
ion, born near Connellsville, Pa, in
S39. His father moved to Iowa. and
he lad of is helped to break the soil
If the prairie farm of the pioneer. He
worked nine months of the year. and
n the remaining three months took his
.ducation. Soon after reaching his ma
ority he crossed the plains, driving a
cam to Colorado, where he worked in
he quartz mines. A year or two af-
erward he Joined a stampede to the
-old mines of Bannocl. driving an OK
cam for siXty-five days to reach the
pot. Then he stampeded with the
rowd to Horse Prairie and secured a
lsim, which he worked for two sea-
ons l.,
He cleaned up $500. and this was his
cal stake in life. It was the begin
ing of the immense fortune the real
mount Of which no one knows but .
imself. His experience in getting that
800 taught him there were other
rays than mining to make money
uicl5ly. Provisions were scarce and ,
Ugh and he brought in a load from {
alt Lake CITY, which he sold at fabu-
Jus prices. He took the proceeds and
ode horseback to Boise Citv. Ida.
here he bought several thousand
ounds Of tobacco at S1.50 a pound. l
nd. teaming back to the mines. sold 7
nut quickly at S. and Sc a pound {
His history for the next few. years is
ut a recital Of one successful mer-
antile operation after another, his
apital increasing ali the time In 1872
e began to take an interest in Mon
ana CONFER industries and branched I
ut rapidly into mining and smelling
Tis business has expanded prodigious-
: ever since