The National tribune., 1900-11-08
CHILE'S SILVER KING.
George B. Chace, South Americas Richest
Yankee. Won Fortune Through the Friend
ship of Priest.
AinSIee's.

| AinsIees.
| The most successful North American in
Chile, and probably the wealthiest of all
the Yankees who have sought fortune in
/ the southern Continent is George B.
Chace know in the mineral markets of the
world as ''Chile's Silver King"
| But Mr.. Chace was not always Croe-
sus. Thirty-ive years ago he left Califor-
mia after long and futile search for a
paying prospect. In 1865 he landed at
Iquique, Peru. From there he went to
Tarapaca, Chile, where he got work in the
nitrate beds. He made friends with old
Padre Miguel, who read mass in the little
church at Pozo Almonte, little town in
the interior, surrounded by the great nj
| trate deposits. The priest taught Chace
| the Spanish language and helped him to
| acquire an acquaintance with the geog-
raphy of the locality. AS soon as Chace
| had laid aside sufficient from his earnings
| he would start on prospecting tour. For
nine years he searched and toiled in vain.
Chace was beginning to lose heart. One
| day when he was talking to Padre Miguel
about his luck, the old priest told him of
wonderful silver mine in the neighborhood
that had been worked by the Spaniards a
| hundred years before. Where was this
wonderful minew was Chace's first query
| And the old priest told of its location
somewhere to the northwest of Pozo Al
monte, exactly where Miguel could not
say, but if memory served him rightly
there was among the archives of the little
church a map of the mines location. The
Spanish discoveries in their gratitude had
given to the church an interest in their
fortunate lind, and with much devotion
christened it lei Minas de San Pedro
San Pablo" (the Mine OF st. Peter and st.
PauD. So it happened that the map was
filed in the old church at the corner of
Pozo Almonte's plaza. The old priest glad
ly promised to look up this map on the
morrow.
The following day from the church's
archives was brought an old sheet of
parchment, yellow with age. traced with
the rough outline of a mining location.
Down in the corner were the names of the
original owners, the date of discovery, and
the dedication of portion of the mines
production to the church. One line, and
one only, gave anything like a distinct
clew by which the mine might be traced,
and that was a struggling mark stated to
be the road to Huantajaya.
Chace presented n request for tracing
of the map, the padre accommodated him,
and with the next dawn the prospector
was away on his search.
The antique map-makers had drafted
better than first appearances indicated,
and further to aid the seeker after wealth,
there had been no change in the trail lead
ing from Huantajaya past the mines loca-
ton. Fortune was at last with the Yam
kce miner. Inside of three days his pick
vas delving into the abandoned and for
gotten pile of tailings. The mine itself
was uncovered from the midst of thick
growth of underbrush. Delirious with his
great find, Chace made his way back to
PozO Almonte and thence to the coast
An assay proved that the half-worked
tailings of the San Pedro y San Pablo
We're richer than many original discoveli les,
and it was not hard matter to secure the
required capital for working the find. But
the good fortune did not end in the pile
of tailings. With his now plentiful sup
ply of money, Chace reopened the mine
itself, and with little trouble picked up
the lost lead. For years the once aban- |
doned property has paid sums even more |
fabulous than in the days when the Span
iards crushed their ores under the press !