New-York tribune., 1908-02-02
PIRICTIT1N LUNBERING
Ho7c T5co Columbia Boys II U'on Sue
cess against Heary ODDS.

Outside Of the Diplomatic ana consular
vice most of the North Americans VINO
!aet With in Argentina. Brazil Uruguay or Para
kuay are in those countries for various ana
rundry good and sufficient reasons, the principal
tne DESPITE the latitude being that life would
b likely to prove hotter for them in North than
IN South America. II the visitor fnds North
American III good circumstances in Rio or Mon
tevideo. the odds are that he has been a banker
H. his dear. dead past and if the traveller
Fccognizes Il familiar accent il the sIeech Of the
Iuenos Ayres waterfront loafer who stops him
for the price of meal, he may be reasonably
certain that he is being addressed by deseFtcr
from the United States navy the merchant
aDarine Vow and then it is the ex-banker who
aeeds meal. and the eX-sailOr who is in good
circumstances. but ta both cases, though they
saay live in the midst of fever and pestilence.
ihey are there because the southern continent
Is healthier for them than the northern.
Many honest and fairly successful, well as
several successful ard fairly honest, American
merchants scattered among the great ports Of
the East Coast are not to be included in this
sweeping naturalization. The most worthy
and spectacular achievement that can be cred
tied to any Of these open and -above-5oarders'
of known origin is that Of the Holt brothers,
American timber exporters. in systematizing and
putting upon a Iayine basis the Colorado que
bracfc industry Of the Paraguayan and Argen-
tine Chacos.
Dick" and Jim" HoIt-they call them
Ricardo and Diego on the Bolsa and in the clubs
If RuenOs Ayres-Were born in Chicago and were
educated at Columbia College, in New York. Fol-
lowing their graduation from the latter insti-
tuition. the two each with 5000 letter of
credit-the present Of a rich Western uncle
in his pocket set out on an eighteen months
tour Of the world, starting by way of South
America. Two days after reaching Buenos
Ayrcs they fell in with smooth spoken young
Engshman, who so he said had just come
into his money at home" and for that reason
was willing to sell for song his rights TO
the largest Colorado quebracho concession on
the Rio Pilccnayo, in Paraguay. SO well did
the scion of famous British house state his
case that 5000 of the boys capital was
turned over him, together with much warmly
expressed appreciation of the magnltcence OF
his generosity in letting them have his princely
timber concession cheaply.
\ week later they had embarked on the
Parara River boat fer Paraguay: two weeks
later they had landed at Rojas, their main tim
ber camp. and three weeks later. each with his
stomach ripped open from the underhand thrust
OF a long knife in d row with lumhermen. they
wer. lying at the point OF death in the Asun-
cion hospital. After reroTering from their
wounds malaria overlook both while their
way back to Euenos Ayres: and when two
months from the date of the original transac-
ton. they were at last discharged from the
British hospital in the Argentine capital they
had little money left, and less strength. Nor
was there any consolation to be gained from
the fact that every one whom they met told
them that theirs but repetition of the
experiences of the six and twenty former hold
ers OF the same concession. The exploitation of
Colorado quebracho an easy matter on
paper. the people said, but in practice-'muy
GInerencia senores,''