The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-13
HIS DREAM NOT REALIZED
CelsO Caesar Moreno Dies Disap-
pointed and Poor.
Devoted the Best Years of His Life
to Urging n Trans-Pacihc Cable
a Career of Romance and Adven-
turc-WSu Known in Washington.

| the life of a true soldier of fortune. In
| Providence Hospital. comparatively de-
| serted. Celso Caesar Moreno dled from
! the effects of an apoplectic stroke emu
| ing an existence that had been filled from
I end to end with all that was romantic
| and adventurous In seventy-one years
| of life Ceso Moreno had touched nearly
every plane. from high to low. lie had
! been Prime Minister he had grasped
| in friendship the hands of Europes great
| sovereigns. lie had known what it was
| to want for food and for friends. man
who had developed most gigantic schemes,
| found himself, at the last moment, un-
able to borrow the few paltry dollars
| that would have given him in his OLD
age a comparative comfort. The unvar-
| nished facts of his life would form a
novel of which the cleverest romancers
of today could hardly produce the equal.
Moreno was soldier of fortune but a
soldier who had the misfortune to fight
always upon the losing side. At times
he would be victorious over circumstance,
only to be bested in turn, and borne down
with the ruins Cf his schemes. He had a
tenacity which brought him always again
to the conflict. When he died the hope
of his life was within a few months of
realization.
His story and the drama of his exis-
tence plays around one central point-a
trans-Paciflc cable. All the best years
of his life were given to the development
of plan for connecting the Pacific
Coast of the United States with Honolulu
and Japan and China. Whatever lie did,
it was always with the forwarding of that
scheme in view, and into the prosecution
of his purpose he put all the energy of
nd nd
He defeated continually his own scheme,
for cursed with a quick temper he man
aged to arouse animosity where he should
have cultivated friendship. There lay his
ruination. At times he had enlisted in his
| interest the greatest statesmen of the
| United States, and the greatest capitalists
but they failed him in the end, and his
great trans-Pacific table was never laid.
Moreno was born sevcnty-one years ago
in little Italian village in the Piedmont
country, just i'll the shadow of the foot
hills of the Alps. His parents were mod
erately well-to-do, but he was especially
| lucky in having as an uncle a bishop of
| the Catholic Church. Under this mans
| tutelage he fell. and was given first a
fine education in a Catholic seminary He
left the institution brilliant Latin, Greek,
and Hebrew scholar and had already laid
growth
which was to help him master twenty-five
| languages and eight dialects The life of
priest did not suit him. and by the in
| fuence OF the, same bishop he was ad-
mitted to- the Naval Academy of Italy
After finishing his course there he en-
listed in the army. and as member of
the celebrated Piedmontese Regiment took
| part in the Crimean war.
He tired warfare apJ
the cloister again, entering the University
! OF Genoa for the purpose of STUDYING to
| be civil engineer. He finished his course
ana graduated in about 1856 After a
snort experience with the life of a civil
engineer ne found 1t did not suit and re-
turning to the trade Of his earlier years
| shipped as captain of steamer running
TO Mediterranean ports, through the Red
Sea, and TO the East indies Cruising
about i'm the indies he left his shin and
settled down upon tie island of Sumatra.
In a year or so he had made himself in
dlspensahle 10 the Maharajah and had
married his daughter At that time the
Dutch were IN control of Sumatra and
they were fearful of the influence which
Moreno would exercise upon the Sultan.
An attempt WIS made to send Moreno out
of the country. He resisted and brought
his friends TO his defence A civil war of
short duration followed. which resulted
| untSVorably Tor Moreno. who was obliged
to nee, leaving his wife. In few years
she died OF grief at the separation.
From the date of his flight from Suma-
ira MoreIioS 8 star was on the ascendant
He was smuggled on a French man-of-
war and taken TO France. The story of
his life In Sumatra told to Napoleon
III, who Immediately took an interest in
tine young Italian. Moreno WAS sent to
French Government, and from there he
went to China. While in China he in
gratiatcd himself with the Chinese Gov
ernment, and made copEections which
stood him IN good stead In after years
1t is said that he was made Admiral of
the Chinese navy, but the statement has
not been verified.
After leaving his post In China he
came to the United States and landed at
San Francisco. There began the real
work of his life, for he fell in with a
cOterie OF wealthy men. In China he had
already developed to some extent his
trans-Pacific cable scheme. 1t was not
all easy sailing. He arrived in this coun-
try in 1870, and worked upon the scheme
until 1876. He had succeeded then In get
ting interested with him such men as
Leland Stanford. Field, and Mackay.
With these men behind him. he came To
Washington, and from that day to the
hour of his death he was a familiar sight
in all public places of the Capital After
working hard among the Legislators here
he succeeded in getting AN act through
Congress granting a franchise TO the
Trans Pacific Gable Company. II seemed
then that everything promised success to
the enterprise. But there We're quarrelS
and disagreements, interest in the project
on the part OF AIackay and Stanford
. Jagged, and everything went to pieces.
But Moreno was not to be 40 easily
thwarted. Leaving the United States, he
went elsewhere to seek financial aid He
had friends in Japan and China, to whom
he appealed. but without success. In 1879
ne landed in Honolulu. He had met King
Kalakaua when the latter had been on a
visit to the United States and he pro-
ceeded to utilize his acquaintance He
soon became the chief adviser of the Ha-
waiian King and rapidly rose In power.
He Influenced the King to aspire to be
Emperor OF the islands of the South
Seas and urged him to oppose the mis-
sioDaries.
Moreno pressed his cable scheme before
Kalakaua and eventually succeeded in
getting the Government to vote him a
million dollars to prosecute his work In
addition to this $4,000 was voted as "A
yearly subsid" for line of steamships
which Moreno intended to run past Hon
ululu. only one of which, however. ever
touched at the port. In 1881 the energetic
Italian reached the summit of his career
lie was appointed Prime Minister to kal-
akaua. but his power was of short
duration. He had aroused the animosity
Of all the foreign consuls resident at
Honolulu. and Immediately after his ap-
lodged by the American, British, and
French representatives. In five days he
was once more plain citizen
lie found it advisable to leave Hawaii
for a while, and with three young men,
j. X Booth, Robert n. Boyd, and Rob
vail. he started for Europe, intending to
place his three proteges in school in
Italy His journey was a triumphal prog
ress From Kaakaua he had letters of
introduction to almost every monarch in
Europe His own acquaintance among
mid