The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-04-06

iedpihB up dS pOrtS- Men We're grow
Ing millions of bushels OF grain which
they couldn't ship except by lake {;
hundreds of thousands Of tons of ore
had to go by water; and there were
tens OF millions Of feet-of pine and
hardwood from the Michigan forests.
Sailing vessels. It is true. had seen
their day, and were disappearing from
the lnkes; We're being sold, many Of
them. as the saying is. to the insur-
ance companies by deliberate wreck
Ing. Steamers were taking their place.
Towing had come In felt, young
man though 1 was, that this trans
portation matter was all one thing,
and that I'm the end the railroads
would own the ships. have never
engaged very actively in the operation
VI the SHIPS; py daughter would like
Inc to be more active in it than have
been; but ever since, 1 have had
money In lake vessels. 1t was the
year that began that sort of invest
ment that l first met Corvet."
Alan looked up quickly. "Mr. Cor
vet was-Y' he asked.
"Corvet was-is a lakeman," Sher-
rill said.
Alan sat motionless, as he recol-
lected the strange eXaltatiOn that had
come to him when he saw the lake
for the first time. Should he tell
Sheriff. of that? He decided 1t was
too vague, too indefinite to be men,
toned; no doubt any other man used
only to the prairie might have felt the
same.
"He was shipowner, then," he
said.
Yes; he was shipowner-nOt,
however, on u large scale at that time
He had been master, sailing ships
which belonged to others; then he
had sailed one of his own. He was
operating then. / believe, two vessels
but with the boom times on the lakes,
his interests were beginning to ex-
pnnd. l met him frequently In the
next few years, and we became close
friends"
Sheriff. broke off and stared an in
slant down at the rug. Alan bent
forward; he made no interruption but
only watched Sheriff. attentively.
Between 1856, when l first met him,
and 1895. Corvet laid the foundation of
great success; his boats seemed lucky,
men liked to work for him, and he
got the best shippers and crews. There
was saying that in storm Corvet
ship never asked help; II gave 1t
certainly In twenty years no COrvet
ship had suffered serious disaster.
COrvet was not yet rich, but unless
accident or undue competition inter-
vened, he was certain to become so.
Then something happened"
Sheriff. looked away at evident loss
how to describe 1t.
"TO the ships?" Alan asked him.
"No; to him. In 1890, for no ap-
parent reason, great change came
over him."
"In 1885,"
THAT was the year"
Alan bent forward, his heart throb,
blng in his throat "That was also
the year when was brought and left
with the Weltons In Kansas" he said.
Sheriff. did not speak for a moment.
II thought" he said finally, ut must
have been about that time; but you
did not tell my daughter the exact
date"
what kind of change came over
him that year?" Alan asked.
Sheriff. gaZed down at the rug, then
at Alan, then past him. "a change
in his way of living" he replied. "The
Corvet line of boats went on, ex-
panded; interests were acquired In
other lines; and COrvet and those
allied with him swiftly grew rich. But
In all this great development, for
which COrvets genius and ability had
laid the foundation, Corvet himself
ceased to take active part. He took
into partnership. about n year later,
Henry Spearman, young man who
had been merely, mate on one of his
ships. This proved subsequently to
have been good business move, for
Spenrnan had tremendous energy,
daring. and enterprise; and no doubt
COrvet had recognized these qualities
In him before others did Since then
he has been ostensibiy and publicly
the head Of the concern. but he has
left the management almost entirely
to Spearman. The personal change
to Corvet at that time is harder for
me to describe to you"
Sheriff. halted. his eyes dark with
thought, his lips pressed closely to-
gether; Alan waited
when l saw Corvet again, in the
summer Of '3G--I had been South dur
Ing the latter part of the winter and
East through the spring. was I'm
pressed by the vague but, to me.
til ~IlADN
1ll|1t l|1te5!| nm IL