The times., 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-Wcnf known in Washington.


the life of a true soldier of fortune In
Providence Hospital. comparatively de-
serted. Celso Caesar Moreno died from
the effects of an apopleCtic stroke. end
ing an existence that had been hlled from
end to end with all that was romantic
and adventurous. In seventy-one years
OF life Celso Moreno had touched nearly
every plane. from high to low He had
been a Prime Minister, he had grasped
| in friendship the hands of Europe's great
sovereigns. lie had known what 1t 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 oid
age comparative comfort The unyar-
nished facts of his life would form
novel of which the cleverest rOmancers
of today could hardly produce the equal.
Moreno was a 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 Ct his schemes. He had a
| tenacity which brought him always again
to the conflict When he died the hope
of his life was within few months of
realization.
his story ana the drama or MS eHiS-
! tenCe plays around one central point-a
| trans-PacifiC 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 he 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
! his wonderful personality and fine mind.
He defeated continually his own scheme,
for, cursed with n 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 cable was never laid
Moreno was born seventy-one years ago
in little Italian village in the Piedmont
country, just in 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
fine education In a Catholic seminary. He
left the institution brilliant Latin, Greek,
and Hebrew scholar, and had already laid
the foundations for intellectual 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
| fluence OF tne 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 a member of
the celebrated PiedmoRtese Regiment took
part in the Crimean war
lie tired of warfare and then took to
the cloister again, entering the University
or Genoa for the purpose of studying to
pe q clVll engineer. He finished his course
and graduated in about 1856 After a
snort experience with the life of a civil
engineer ne found it did not suit and re-
| turning to the trade of his earlier years
shipped as captain of steamer running
70 Mediterranean ports, through the Red
Sea, and TO the East Indies Cruising
about IN the Indies ne left his ship and
Setued down upon the island of Sumatra
In year or so he had made himself in
dispensahle TO 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 was made to send Moreno out
Of the country. He resisted and brought
his friends TO his defence civil war of
short duration followed. which resulted
unfdyOrably for Moreno, who was obliged
to fee, leaving his wife. In few years
she died Of grief at the separation
From the date of his fight from Suma-
ira Moreno's star was on the ascendant.
He was smuggled on French man-of-
war and taken 10 France. The story of
his life In Sumatra was told to Napoleon
III, who Immediately took an interest in
the young Italian. Moreno was sent to
TonQuin as the representative of the
French Government, and from there he
went 10 China. While in China he in
gratiated himself with the Chinese Gov
eTnment, and made conDectionS which
stood him in good stead In after years.
! 1t is said that he 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
/ s-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 i'm get
/ ting interested with him such men 5s
I 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 franchise 20 the
/ Trans Pacific Gable Company. It seemed
then that everything promised success to
/ the enterprise. But there were qudrrels
and disagreements, interest in the project
on the part of AEackay 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
he 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 10 aspire to be
Emperor of the islands of the South
Seas and urged him 10 oppose the mis-
souaries.
Moreno pressed his cable scheme before
EaIakaua and eventually succeeded in
getting the Government to vote him a
million dollars to prosecute his work In
yearly Subsidy for line Of steamships
which Moreno intended to run past Hon
uluIu only one of which however ever
touched at the port. In 1881 the energetic
Italian reached the summit of his career
He was appointed Prime Minister to kal-
akaua. but his power was of short
duration. He had aroused the animositv
Of ali the foreign consuls resident ut
Honolulu and Immediately after his ap-
pointment protests against him were
lodged by the American, British ana
French representatives.. In five days he
was once more a plain citizen.
lie found it advisable to leave Hawaii
for a while and with three young men.
j. X Booth, Robert y. Boyd and Rob
ert w Wilcox now Delegate from TIa-
vail he started for Europe, intending to
place his three pTotcgcS In school in
Italy. Ills journey was triumphaI prog
ress From Kalakaua he had letters of
Europe. His own acquaintance among
mon az upta WAS wide Victor Hugo Fer