The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-19
MINNESOTA INTERESTED IF.
~. ~. :. !. IN VENEZUELA AFFAIR."
ornoco Concession Long bycapasts
baul-Region Untold Natural Wealth of Various Kinds Has
Hands Mackenzie Mann, Celebrated Pro
moters Under the British Flag..@s* :* 1880

ly sold it to Donald Grant Of Faribault.,
The la alter, with F.::-B. Clement and -otlTs:
ers formed a company and became direct
ors Of the Orinoco' Concession company.
s. About, 1899 the value of the property 4
BECAME known in New: York, :and a power
full syndica te,;$ Of which Fred Corning, Of
sfinancialt fame was to, be president, was
formed. But for some reason these plans
never matured.a. a: ;.
: About this tim e. the company was dis:
turbed in its. peaceful possession by the
claims Of "a man called Turnbull, who as |
serted. rights to the Imataca Iron mines, |
EWhise: rich deposits lay within the big |
concession The: lmataca mine. was, how
ever, Ito tbe;S the handle seemingly to a
much larger. claim: = Turnbull, who, like |
the others interested: was an American.
claimed title to the Imataca by virtue of |
some right which he asserted had been
granted to his wife s first husband. The !
latter, long, deceased, appears to have been
a: British citizen. Turnbulfs claim Tim led to
a. series of small and runi1np ortant. suits
settling various petty rights onetimes in
his favor and som etimes In favor zof. the
company. <,si- - s, S. - = 5:'I
t In: the course Of one Of these rather
remarkable forgerjes. the story of which.
was published exclusively I'M h Q
I j. q u r.1i: al, was exposed. #..Issc2
f. The law of Venezuela requires the pub
llications at full length of e.thea decisions
Of the courts in one OF. more Of the Span
ish papers. This portion of the law was
/ compiled with properly enough, but by
! some means, in the translation into Eng
llishy two lines. Of the judgment were sup:
! pressed and these two lines declared that
! the decision Of the court in the case be
Isfore*Eit was without prejudice to the title
Of any portion Of the Orinoco concession:
| To this suspicious omission there was an
added forgery which raised the title OF:
1.-the. court from that simply of the fsn-
Epryerne court Of a province to the full name
land style Of the supreme court Of Vene-:
! zuela- (federaD. Brought to the notice of
freely for the decision Of the court.in the
leriginal tongue and the two. ingenious
; forgeries were detected.
i s: But this was not the end, and the Ori-
|noooTe com pally was further .harassed by
the publication Of reports that gangs OF
/ the rival Claimants men had been sup
Piled with arms and might at any moment
attack it's property The unsettled posi-
:ltion;gof the Venezuelan, boundary dispute
might we'll. hayes afforded cover. TO- some
Isucl1H act: and the matter thus taken
frank as; an international quarrel. At that
Itime Great Britain was after: the Bari
ina gold fields. "a large part of whose rich
Idiggings were in the Orinoco tract. If the
Hover and more southerly mouth OF the
Essequi DO rtY YER was held to be the boun-
4 dal1ys5 Of British Guiana. the Venezuelan
government contended that. the full con
lcession. as originally obtained would fall
4 within the confines of the republic, and
1.-The Orinoci companyswas4 secure. On the
.Eother hand If the upper of The two mouths
Of this river was the line fanda this Great
|Britain strenuously asserted. a. portion
jof the Orinoco tract would lie in British.
TERRITORY. and the grant to that extent be
E(yoid.5 Two. years ago. when the award
Twas given In. Great Britain's; faver. the
q Orinoco COMPANY lost several +. hundred
$lacres. go ~. ~ akas - ..s
In Powerful Hands
IS Mackenzie & Mann. tile new holders OF
4 the property, are wellknown dealers in
! large projects What their intentions are
4 in; regard to the development OF this prin-
/. cipality has not yet been. given out That
4 they. have been fully impressed with the
q value Of its products, there IS no longer
i doubts But, the. development Of the un :
Il told wealth. is a tremendous undertaking
n Magnificent forests. virgin and almost inn
j penetrable. lie waiting for the ak. The
= rubber trees alone offer, fabulous returns.
81 Untold quantities of mahogany and the
Eother splendid hard woods of the tropics
Z offer rich arrest to the lumberman. Min
s erals in place and the.r rich graveiss In the
I. streams are even more seductive. But all
. require the vigorous labor of the white
]. man with ample capital at his back S
B Helen Gregory MacGll. s