Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-16
NAPOLEON OF COPPER WORLD
Rustler Of Tbirty-Five Grapples with Two
Mighty Trusts.
VARIED CAREER OF FRED A. HEINzE
Engineer, Reporter, PrOspeetor and
Mine Owner-why the Bottom
Dropped Out of the
Copper Market.

That one man should defy the power OF
the Standard OILS millions Is not Of itself
remarkable. Many men have fought this
company only to go down in defeat at the
end. But that one man should defy this
enormous aggregation OF dollars, do 1t sue
cessfully and heretofore win every phase
of the contest, is astonishing. 1t Is more.
1t is unparalleled in financial or Industrial
history. Yet that is what Frederick Au-
gustus Heinze (Hine-say) OF New York and
Butte has done and is now doing. 1t is
a 400 to 1 shot, and the one is still much
In the race. 1t has been a hve-year run.
with handicaps every week and hurdles at
every month.
Heinze's company, the Montana Ore Pur-
chasing company, has a capital stock Of
$1,000, 900. The Standard Oil at market
value has $3.50, 900, 900 and It's offshoot, Anal
gamated Copper, has s155, 900. 900. Two mill
lions matched against $500, 900, 900; one
against a score Of the richest and sbrewd-
est hnanciers in America. Thus far the one
man has been shutting the cards, cutting
them and most OF the time dealing the
hands.
Heinze, who is virtually the Montana Ore
Purchasing company, was born in New York
In the latter SOS. His father was a mer-
chant in easy circumstances. t 13 Heinze
ran away and was traced to Germany. An
uncle at Heidelberg was cabled to catch
the truant and send him home. He met the
frankly earnest boy and instead of lectur-
ing him, praised him and kept him two
years. Heinze returned to New York, fin
ished the preliminary studies and entered
Columbia. His father designed him for
belle lettres. Heinze went to the School
Of Mines and to the disgust Of his family
refused a life Of ease and afiuence and
left for the west. At 20 he drifted to
Butte, then taking rank as a copper camp.
In choosing mining be sought. a channel to
wealth where expert knowledge and brains
counted far more than mere money. Sue
cess came with quicker compensation than
in any other calling.
Going to the Bottom of Things.
He became a mining engineer at a mod
crate salary in one of the big mines and
In ~overalls and laced cowhides, he grubbec
patiently 1000 feet beneath the surface. HI
studied the trend and the dip of the copper
veins and compared his notes with the
surrounding location of other claims. HI
earned his salary by the excellence OF hi'
routine work. His absorption of the hid
den knowledge of the copper bodies b.
buried in memory. At night he was a halt
4 ItllOM well mClr oCJAnAh6AI ~
any future above a mine management; b!
day alert and intent on perfecting hi
knowledge Of the underground and undis
covered country.
When his knowledge satisfied him he fei
the need OF capital. Brains and abilit!
were his. New York had capital. He threw
up his position, came to the metropolis
and sought capital. He became a reporte
on a mining journal. He could write wei
and comprehensively Of the western mine
and his vocation brought him in daily con
tact with men of mines and millions. i
was this experience which made him
human auerist. He will ask twenty ques
tions and when he has extracted. what b
wants. say Good day" urbanely. And still
he did not breach his plans to capital.
year passed and he inherited $4,000. II wa
not enough. His brothers received a INK
amount and he persuaded them to emDar'
with him. He secured some more money
incorporated his company for 100000
and had $3.50, 900 in cash paid in. He erecte
a nondescript smelter. 1t was composed Q
secondhand pieces Of machinery, but 1t re
duced ores. He bought some ore, receive
some on consignment, c~heapened the exist
ing cost Of reducing ores, made fair return
to mine owners, and made money. Then h
bought an abandoned and supposedly worth
, less mine. He was laughed at by the selie
and by Butte. 1t was the old, old story
and the kid had paid good money for a hol
in the ground.
, They forgot the hours Of underground to
In adjoining mines. He knew the trend {
] the ore veins. He believed there were OF
! chutes with millions under his feet. In
month he found them and was a millionair'
I His $250,0O made $500. 900 in dividends
one year. Then he bought another worth
less mine and made 1t swell his bank az
. count, and his success became Heinze
luck. But 1t wasn't. 1t was In his bloc
and there was something due to this q
. year-old boy-man himself. AS he gre
u older his wealth increased. Did he find
Q fraction Of an acre or less near a goo
mine he bought 1t and II a vein apexC
(come to the surface at its highest poin
\ he mined 1t regardless Of other lines, b
y cause the law said a mar could follow
apex where It led him.. BY this time loci
ton and cross location and relocate
!" made a mining map OF Butte resemble notl
Ing as much as a 'eriss-cross of lines, throw
haphazard on a sheet CT white paper. repr
: senting original locations. relocations al
: mining claims. no two of the sans size al
shape.
- New FfeIda.