Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-01-10
YANKEE SILVER KING
forth American Who Has Vast
Wealth in Chill.
rriendship of n Spanish Priest Brings
Him Knowledge of an Old silver
Nine which Yields an Inn
mense Fortune.

The most successful North American
In Chill, and probably the wealthiest oil
all the Yankees who have sought for.
tune in the southern continent Is
George b. Chace, known in the mineral
markets OF the world as Chili's silves
king, writes Douglas White, in Aims
lees.
ButMr. Chace was not always Croe-
sus. Thirty-ive years ago he left Cal
ifornia after long and futile search
for paying prospect. In 1865 he land
ed at Iquique, Peru. From there he
went to Tarapaca, Chill, 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 nitrate de-
posits. The priest taught Chace the
Spanish language and helped him to ac'
ouire an acquaintance with the geog.
raphy Of the locality. As soon as Chace
had laid aside sufficient from his earn
ings he would start on prospecting
tour For nine years he searched and
toiled in vain. Chaee was beginning &c
hose heart. One day when he was talk
ing to Padre Miguel about his luck
the old priest told him OF a wonderful
silver mine in the neighborhood tina
had been worked by the Spaniards
hundred years before. where wa
this wonderful miner" was Chace'
first query. And the old priest told o
its location somewhere in the north
west OF Pozo A.monte, exactly where
Miguel could not say, but II memory
served him rightly, there was among
the archives of the little church MAJ
of the mines location. The Spanish dis
coverersin their gratitude had given L
the church an interest in their forum
ate find, and with much devotion chris
tened il "El Minas de San Pedro y SaL
Pablo" (the Mine of ST. Peter and ST
Paul..
The following day from the OF
church's archives was brought an Oh
sheet of parchment, yellow with age
traced with the rough outline of min
ing location. Down in the corner wer
the names of the original owners, tn
date of discovery, and the dedication 0.
a portion of the mines production 4
the church. One line and only one
gave anything like a distinct clew by
which the mine might be traced, and
that was a struggling mark stated g
be the road 10 Huantajaya.
Chaee presented a request for trac
ing of the map, the padre accommodate
ed him, and with the next dawn the
prospector was away on his search.
The antique map makers had draft
ed better than first appearances in
Dictated, and, further to aid the seeker
after wealth. there had been nc
change in the trail leading from Huan
tajaya past the mines location
Fortune was at last with the Yankee
miner Inside of three days his pick
was delving into the abandoned and
forgotten pile of tailings. The mine
itself was uncovered from the midst
of a thick growth of underbrush.
Delirious with his great find, Chace
made his way back to Pozo Almonte
anu NHtntt 10 Tie GbhSt.
An assay proved that the half
worked tailings of the San Pedro
San Pablo were richer than many
original discoveries. and il was not a
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
supply of money. Chace reopened the
mine itself. and with little trouble
picked up the lost lead. For years
the once abandoned property has paid
sums even more fabulous than in the
days when the Spaniards crushed
their ores under the pressure of pa
tient burros' hoofs and stamp mills
were unknown even to the inventive
American.
The relocation of San Pedro v San
Pablo was but the beginning of the
Chace millions. for in the past 25
years he has located several proper
ties which have rivaled the old Span
ish find. Among these may be men
toned the Discobradora and San Au-
gustin mines in the interior of the
province of Antofagasta, both OF
which have yielded millions. His lat
est enterprise is a bunch of claiGs
in what is known as the Chuquicu
mata, a wonderfully rich mineral dis
trict well back in the mountains o;
Antofagasta. These claims promise
TO be the richest of the Chace pror
critics when their extent is consid-
cred, as they number 20 claims in all
With all this good fortune, Chiifs
silver king has not been allowed to
accumulate his millions in peace
First came the change in govern
ment, when the province OF Tara
paca passed from the hands of Peru
into those Of Chill at the settlement.
of the devastating war between these
two republics. This meant an over
hauling of titles and consequent dis
putes. One of these centered on
Chace's properties. with the result
that he has during the last 10 year
enent more time in the courts q