The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22

over all South Africa il the deal had
failed. But 1t did not fail. The final de-
cision to form the De Beers consolidation
was taken at a famous all-night meeting
of four-the four richest white men in
South Afrca-which lasted about twenty
hours. At that meeting were Belt
Rhodes, Barnato and one other, and
when 1t ended the diamond war had ended
with 1t, and the control of the worlds
supply OF diamonds lay with the De Beers
company. The company was capitalized
at 1900, 900 and has for years paid huge
dividends. Its capitalization has since
been enormously increased. OF the three
chief men at the meeting, Rhodes died
worth about 5000, 900 and Baranto died
worth about the same amount it was
Belt alone who went on to the billion
mark
Rhodes, dashing, sensational, because
the chief figure in the public eye when
that eye sought South Africa; and all
the time, at work for the greatest amount
of money and the smallest amount of
notorety, was the firm of Wernher, Belt
& Co., guided by Belt. Now and then
Belt did something to amaze the trade
but not the publican example being the
occasion on which he had pure white
42sDa-carat rough diamond cut to 22SIs
finished stone and exhibited in a little
shop window in the Rue de la Paix,
Paris, the luxury capital OF the world, as
"a sample of our goods"
| Belt however, by no means confined
himself to diamonds. There was gold to
be mined in South Africa and gold mines
to be consolidated Belt turned to the
yellow metal He obtained absolute own
ership of control of most of the chief
holdings in the johannesburg gold fields
and made consolidation under the name
of the we'll known Rands Mines, Limited
At one time 1t was said Belt contem-
plated the formation of gold trust,
similar to his diamond trust and he was
reported to have made overtures to
American gold mine owners on the sub
ject.
Belt further secured control of the big
copper mines in Rhodesia, while one of
his firms held 10000 acres of the most
valuable agricultural and mineral land
in the Transvaal. Belt. however, did not
conf1ne his interests to South Africa. and
his possessions extended all over the
world. He owned gold and silver mines
in South America Siberia and Corea; he
bought the Oneida and Mariposa mines
in California, and from Mrs. Hearst her
share In the Anaconda copper mine at
Butte Mont He also owned controlling
interests in electric street railway sys-
tens in South Africa, Mexico, Chill and
Portugal
Belt had the highest regard for the bus
mess and technical genius OF the Amer
lean nation and wherever he acquired
new interests he passed by men of his
own and his adopted nation, German and
English, and obtained Americans Wher-
ever Belt enterprises were found. in
South Africa, South America. Australia,
Corea, Siberia or elsewhere, the man in
charge of the work was an American
engineer.
Although a man of simple tastes, Belt
lived In very good style in London, where
he knew some of the very greatest men
in the kingdom. Among Belts friends
were the Duke of Fife and the present
King of England, at the time when he
was Prince of Wales Another intimate
was Prince Adolphus of Teck. while Belt
also used TO be seen several years ago
with Lord Rosebery. who is said to dab
BILE occasionally in Kaffir stocks. Beivs
expenditures in London We're about 5000
a day besides which he gave good
deal of money for charitable purposes.
He lived in Park lane. known as thor
oughfare of millionaires. and his house