The Washington times., 1903-06-07
BIG FORTUNES LOST BY
THE MEREST SCRATCH
Millions That Went to Other Men
Because of Accident.

Africa.
If II had not been for bit of faulty
track just outside Chicago it would have
been Hayden Bennett who would have
made a fortune by organizing the steel
corporation and not J. Pierpont Morgan.
If Burton Neville's horse had not
foundered in the last mile of race for
a land registers Office he would have
won one of the richest California gold
mine claims.
If Arnold Bryands salvage steamer
had started an hour sooner from Rio
he would have been able to secure the
treasure of tabled Spanish galleon at
Trinidad.
! Those were four golden opportunities
which could not wait. 1t was heart
breaking for the men who saw untold
wealth within their grasp and then saw
it disappear just as they were about to
clutch it. 1t was heart breaking, but
there was nothing TO do but philoso-
phize.
Farm for Old Clothes.
SalZman was surveying in Griqualand
when he missed his great opportunity.
The farm which he was tempted to buy
at first sight was as dismal a piece of
South African ground as ever man
looked upon, but there was that in its
appearance which made the surveyor be-
lieve it was valuable.
De Beers. the owner of the farm. was
SO tired of hopeless and fruitless toll
that he offered to sell it for change of
clothing. SalZman looked at it again
and refused suit of clothes seemed
to be too great price to pay for heap
of rocks in a land where rocks were
plentiful.
He went back to Cape Town. but kept
| thinking about that farm which he could
have bought for suit of clothes Fin
ally he decided to go back and purchase
it. He had been hearing strange tales
OF the finding of enormous wealth in dia-
monds on just such rocky land, and it
was worth a try, anyhow.
He made the trek in hurry. but just
as he got to De Beers gate a stranger
drove up ahead of him and entered.
When Salzman entered the house he
found that the man who had arrived
! three minutes before him had just com
pleted the deal for the purchase. Three
weeks later It was learned that the De
Beers farm had proved itself an inex-
| haustible mine of diamonds,
Lucky Accident for Morgan
few minutes breakdown caused the
missing of a fortune SO large that,
though another man has 1t now, nobody
knows quite how big il is. It was missed
by Hayden Bennett. He was Mr. Nor
gan's competitor for the formation of
the United States Steel Corporation, and
it was only matter of minutes that
he did not get the control of that most
gigantic of all fortunes.
He was competing with Mr. Morgan,
and was little in advance of him in
the negotiations. When the great prof.
ect was all but ripe he took a special
train from San Francisco for New York
and came near creating a record. There
Is not much doubt that he would have
brought off the big stroke and gained
the mastery, though nobody knows what
Mir. Morgan may have had up his sleeve.
However, a stretch OF faulty track out
side Chicago brought the special train
10 a standstill by derailing II. though
without any fatality. 1t was half an
hour before the journey could be con-
tiEued; the trip into Chicago was fin
ished by single engine. which took the
! fnancicr in the cab. But Mr.. Morgan,
who was already at Chicago made his
arrangements by telegraph-he never
seems 10 be in breakdowns of any kind
and won the coup. He is said to have
acknowledged afterward that only his
rivals breakdown gave him time.
Race for a Gold Mine.
One of the biggest fortunes missed,
and by minutes-almost seconds-only,
was in the great race for the new con-
cessions in California. When new and
valuable land which has been partially
prospected is to be allotted in large
claims those who want TO get hold of
| them have to peg out" their portions
! ard then deposit their papers at reg
listers office.
The result is a magnific Sltly exciting
race. in which good horses. fine horse
manship, and endurance win. Those who
peG-out and register first win their
claims
| The best of all these ciaims-now the
big Los Patos" mine-worth over $780,
900 a year, was first discovered by Bur
ton Neville, who got an inkling of the
value of the claim from a hasty inspec-
| tion
Several others became aware of the
value of the place. however. though
neither the finder nor anyone else had
any idea how rich 1t really was. On the
appointed day. when thirty claims were
to be allotted, over forty riders ap-
peared for the forty-mile and back race.
Any number could compete for the same
claim, after marking 1t out. and the
| race, as usual, was 20 the swiftest. Mr..
| Neville. who was as fine a horseman as
any. being an old Cow puncher." was
| first on the new grounds. marked his
| claim, and raced back His horse foun-
dered. and came down when only a mile
| from the registry office on the return
| journey, and though he started to run
the rest of the journey. a young Cali
| rornian named Davis. who had been
/