The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-05-18
cEcl RHODES, SUCCESSOR.
Alfred Belt, Who Is Worth d Paltry
Hundred Millions


Hundred Millions.
From Curtis Browns London Letter.
Now that Cecil Rhodes is deed the rich
est millionaire IN Europe and erhaps in
the world. Is coming from under cover.
He VIII be, in many respects, Rhodes sue
cessor, and the fierce light that bonts upon
throne viii soon make him one q the
most talked about men OF the time.
His name is Alfred Belt. Short and ugly
as It is. that name could moke an other
wise worthless bit OF paper into check
that might be used TO snake wall street
and Lombard street "a the foundations.
Whether he Is reilly richer than John n.
Rocket, !ldr Is question mat Bot LIN
self probably could not answer Two men
who have been closely assnci tied with
him In widely different ways have told
me in the last few days thar this huancler
could probably not scrGpe toe 'thrr more
II has been stated ~ print that he has
that many ponnds-0r $50 ,OOlU0. B0th
Of these authorities agreed, however, that
the end Of the war IN South Africa, where
this vast fortune has It's roots, woald as
smcdly bNag a prodisious Increase In the
Belt wealth
If he keeps on at the rate Of the last ten
years the world will not have TO wait
much longer before getting It's hr5t sight
or q blllionuirC
This mysterious multl.minlonaire was
born in the same year, 1853, as the man
Into whose shoes ne Is expected TO step,
Like Rhodes. he Is a bachelor. and Cor the
same reason that Rhodes and KtcAener
got the credit OF being woman haters-,be-
cause they were too much engrOssed in
their ambitions 10 have any time 10 give a.
tention TO domestic auairs.
Like Rhodes again, ne gave no Indicate on
In youth of being anything unusual lie
was corn i'm Hamburg forty nine years ago.
coming Of 40 old. solid Hebrew family, not
vastly wealthy. but rich enough to rive
him a good education IN the German schools
and to GET him "a good place IN a banking
hcusc. Ills luck began when he was twcnty.
two ana was drawn 10 South Africa br news
Of the diamond discoveries He got there
a little before Cecil Rhodes arrived. IN the
hope u keeping out OF the early grave 10
which his physician had surrendered bin.
Belt mndc money ns a diamond NOR
chant al Kimberley, and invested - in dia-
mond mines. which brought him into close
touch with young Rhodes, who was laying
the foundations OF his fortune by Ills
scheme for consolidating the diamond inter
! ests-a scheme thai proved a godsend 10
klt, n fact, Belt seems to have Teen
Rhodes chief helper IN the business
Belt brnnched out Into the banking bust
ness, becoming partner In the firm OF
Jules Porges & Co, predecessors OF the
present great firm Of Werner Belt q Co.
when gold Was discovered ia the Trans.
wal, Belt was on the ground floor again,
and. with his Johannesburg partner Her
man Eckstein, soon became one OF the
great captains OF the South African gold
Industry lie is credited with having trans
formed South African gold mining from
q speculation into a steady wellorgan-
ized. conservative business. lie had the
good Judgment 10 import the highest lual-
ity Of American machinery and 70 pay
prodieiors salaries 10 such mining en-
gineers as John HAYS Hammond, Herman
Jennings and Louis Seymour 90 advise ana
sunerlntend the huge enterprise which,
before the war, was putting ont S0O0J4,0lp
worth Of pycclors metal q year. ana which,
urslfCd paving hedir taxes % hfnser,
iis shareholders
This lucky son OF Hamburg was grub
! birg along with only meagre two on
three millions In 1890 Most OF the stream
Of wealth that has poured into his cof.
| fers ever since came from the gold OF
johannesburg and the diamonds Of Kim