OMAHA
RAILWAY BUILDING IN CHINA
Line Through tbe Heart of tha Empire Whih
Americans Will Construct.
HOW THE CONCESSION WAS OBTAINED
tfrqtit-1 ( d nn Act nf rrlrmltil | > t nil
Injured Clilnniiinii li > nn Anicil-
t-on Ininu'iiNi ! Cniiltnl He-
hlnil tin : Scheme.
While the whole civilized world haa been
lllscuEtlng the diplomatic contention1 ? of
England nnd Ilussia for a foothold In China ,
American capitalists have bctn working
liilctly and l < a\e succeeded lu Bccurlng a
lallroad franclilto in thf > I'lowery Kingdom
which promises to gl\c that countiy thebig -
Kest boom It IIBJ had In centuries. The pub-
llcatlon In I'ekln of the documents of the
Imperial franchise awakened thu financial
vrorM to the tact that tbo entering wedge
of a gigantic flchomo of development has
been inscrtrd a scheme which In Its Incep
tion at least Is quite as Mist as Cecil Rhodes'
"Capetown to Cairo" project. This first
great Chinese railroad will extend from Han
Kow to Hong Kong , winding on Its way
through the populous and fertile provinces
in the valley of the Yang Tsc Ktang and
opening up thousanda of miles of territory
nhlch have icinatned almost as prlmltlvo as
they were In the days of Confucius. An
Ameilcan surveying party , working under
the protection of the Imperial government ,
is now In China mapping out a route foi
this railroad. Thu robter of the development
company behind the .scheme Includes borne
of tbo great names In American financial
rircles. The prestige of theto names was
almost ( .Teat enough to Impress the govern
ment , officiate of any country , but the Chi
nese nuthoiltlcs toi.Hcntcd to the granting
of the franchise only after much persuasion
nnd circumlocution. The story of how the
Iranchlso was obtained Is highly Interest
ing.
AVIi } I IKrir.it I'laii I'lillctl.
Twenty years ago American capitalists
tried to secuie a railroad franrblso In China
nnd for a time the work of projection went
on , as It seemed , successfully , because the
tiuo nature of the project was not
thoroughly brought homo to the government
tind people of China. Hut when the real
meaning of it burst upon thorn the storm of
opposition was so great and violent that the
ncbemo perforce was dropped. This op
position , however , was not occasioned by any
inherent objection to progress on the part
of the Chinese As they looked upon It , It
would violently Interfere with their religious
customs. The worship of ancestors which
prevails in CUlna Includes a very laudable
reverence for the remains of the departed.
To desecrate a grave not only means torment
for the ono who has gone before , but It
li ) Ings condign punishment on the living por-
i > on who commits the depredation or who
permits It to take place. It was thought
that e railroad would destroy several grave
yards , hence the opposition. Therefore the
pchemo was laid by or years.
Some time after this first attempt to ln-
Iroduco a railroad In China there occurred
nn antl-Chlneso riot on our own Pacific
coast. A number of celestials wore killed
nnd others were wounded. A. AV. Dash , a
collector of customs In Seattle , befriended
the families of the dead Chinamen and sug
gested that they BUO the United States gov
ernment , offering to lay the matter be
fore the proper officials In Washington. He
did so and succeeded finally In securing n
general Indemnity of $250,000. Bash made
nothing out of his part in the affair finan
cially , but ho beciuno persona grata In Chl-
iieso circles and was made the recipient of
many marks of consideration. Ho rested
on his laurels a few years. Then the
thought occurred to him : "Why not use
this Influence to eocuro a Chinese railroad
concession ? " Ho went to Now York and
interviewed lending men on the subject ,
Ho met Colonel James McNaught of railroad
fa mo and with his help raised a s > ndlcatc
composed of twenty stockholders each ol
v > hem contributed $1,000 to make a survej
in China. John W. roster was re
tained as legal adviser. Ex-Senatoi
Washburn of Minnesota and Clarence Car ;
nccompftnled the surveying party to China
This surveying party actually covered 1,00
miles of territory. But the scheme nfte
nil was \oted a failure and Senator Wash
burn , accompanied by the others , returne
in disgust , virtually agreeing that th
project was Impracticable. The sc-home wa
dhclved , but it bad ono good result whlc !
boors directly upon the enterprise of todaj
The leader of the surveying party was on
Captain nich , well known In American en
elneerlng circles. The great capabilities o
Captain nich appealed to Sheng , or as he 1
hnown today , Shcng Ta Jon , the Utte
parts of the name meaning "Oreat Man. "
Won I'aor of She UK Ta Jen.
Sheng Is a personage of great power r
rckln. With Ming ho divides the patronag
of the empire , as far as railroads tire concerned
corned The emperor portioned off th
prospective railroad systems of China Int
two great divisions 'tho ' north and th
couth. The northern half ho placed I
chnrgo of .Ming , the southern halt be place
under the direction ot Sheng. Shcng T
Jen comes of good family and has man
followers. Ho Is well educated In th
American sense of the words. Ho is re
nourocful , enterprising and rich. Ho Is
bora diplomat and In high popularity. HI
power and Influence are enormous ; h
Yields the one with a far-reaching touch , th
other with a prophotlo eye. When the em
V ror gave his sanction to the latest Amerl
van railroad scheme It was not done with
out first consulting Sheng Ta Jen. Shcu
in the old days was quick to discover th
talent of Captain Klch. Ho retained th
captalu in his servlco and consulted hli
about all engineering questions which , mlgt
nrlae , Tha Influence of the American ha
bean felt all thcso years , and to It mui
be attributed some ot the success of th
most recent projects.
Ono of the reasons why the Dash expedl
tlon failed \vas because of the rcactlonar
iplrlt of many ot the court officials 1
Pokln. China Is a conquered country. A
htis often been the case , the people of th
north conquered the less calculating an
li3s far-seeing Inhabitants ot the warme
clime , and although that event Is not wlthl
the memory of man , yet tbe purer bloode
Chinamen ot the south look upon the Man
chu d > nasty as usurpers , a condition whlc
is always resented whenever opportunlt
arises. The great Talplng rebellion , whlc
brought LI Hung Chang Into promlnenc
and placed General Gordon on tbo pedests
of fame , was an enlarged evidence of th
existing feeling. As a matter of fact th
followers of the Mancbu clan wcro afral
that were the railroad constructed It woul
provide nn opportunity for hordes of rebel
to fling themselves suddenly upon the 1m
perlal capital and work great havoc , eve
It they did not succeed in ousting the cm
peror. 1'orsonally the emperor has not fel
o. Ho has been consistently for progrcs :
hut the power of the Tsung II Yamen c
council has restricted his radical effort * . S
while- some railroad concessions were road
in the empire , and while England and Hue
sla have contended alternately for privilege
which would favor the one or the othei
there has , until the present year , bee
Krantrd no railroad concession which aspire
to tap the country In n way to bring all c
its wonderful resources within easy reac
of tha civilized world.
HUM Vri'uriit rraiichUn Wnn Warn
Early In the present year ex-Senator Cal
vln S. Drier , who was associated with th
previous rallioad scheme , and Frederick 1
Olcott , president of the Central Trust com
pany , came together with the lu > a of re-
juvenatlng the proposition of a Chinese
railroad franchise. They felt that the old
project had been abandoned prematurely ;
that at least the situation might now be
reviewed and placed before the Chinese
government through the medium of the
Chlncsn minister In Washington , Wu Ting
Fang , a much-traveled , well-educated and
altogether well-intentioned official In conJunction -
Junction with Thurlow Weed Barnes they
began a series of communications with the
Chinese government , which wcro meant to
prepare the way for more extended nego
tiations later on. These first communica
tions were carried on by cabin nnd cost $1.00
a word. Thousands of dollars were spent
In this way before the Imperial edict was
obtained from the throne authorizing tha
Chinese minister , Wu Ting Pang , to act ns
agent and to treat with the American com
pany. Mr names , who engineered most of
these negotiations , tells the following story
of how the great franchise was obtained and
how the emperor of ChJna ratified It by
cable.
Mi : Unrnri Tellit nf 'Si-ic < > < liitloMM.
"I began operations for the new company
last March At first we cabled all our com
munications straight to the Chinese capital ,
but after wo spent thousands ot dollars for
mistakes In transmission wo concluded to
adopt another plan. I succeeded In obtain
ing from the throne nn Imperial edict which
was sanctioned by the Chinese Parliament
and by his excellency Shcng Ta Jen , au
thorizing Minister Wu Tins Tang to act for
his government and vesting In him Imperial
power to clo&e a contract 1 found his ex
cellency , Wu , a most accomplished gentle
man , with wide experience of affairs , and ,
like moat Chinamen , an eitrcmoly good busi
ness man , abundantly able to make a con
servative and tareful contract I visited
him eight or ten times while wo took up the
matter of concessions and discussed informally
mally the lines on which a contract might be
negotiated. The minister received some sug
gestions from his government , but only In a
UOUTE OP NEW CHINESE RAILWAY.
' general way as a sort of framework to go
upon , the wording and minutiae of tht
| business being left to his own discretion
1 and Judgment. During prolonged negotia-
1 tlons wo came nearer and nearer to the
point ot settlement and Incidentally gained
'
a better appreciation of the Oriental char-
I acter and Us peculiar way ot doing things
I liavo spent two winters In the tar cast
and the knowledge there gained stood me
In hand during our conferences.
L "Finally , on April 14 , a contract was signed
by Wu for the Chinese government on the
one hand and by 'tho Chlneso Development
company , ( or those capitalists who atlll had
> faith in the enterprise , on the other. After
, i It was signed a complete copy of It wns
transmitted by wire to Pekln , in order to
I make assurance doubly sure. This formality
L caused a delay ot but a few days , when an
, Imperial decree was issued from the throne
! , ratifying the contract. Then Sheng cabled
bis approval , adding , 'Am glad and grateful
that this great work has been eo well ac
l
complished. '
3
Interrupted by War With Spain.
"Two days after the receipt of this cable
message Havana was blockaded , and the
financial world became very uncertain In Its
attitude toward possible International com
plications. It was Impracticable to proceed
with foreign business in which very largo
sums of money were needed. People wished
. to watt until the war was over. Yet In the
face of this ono ot the first things the com-
I pany was expected t * do was to make a
. i very largo deposit , in cash , Immediately
I upon receipt ot the notice by Wu Ting Fang
1 from tbe Chinese government that the con
tract had been ratified. It was also neces
sary to expend $100,000 In making a pre
liminary survey ot tbo entire projected route
' I at the now road. Even these , however , were
1 j mere bagatelles when compared with the
1 floating of the general securities of the road ,
for our own company had put Itself under
contract to secure a loan for the construc
tion of the entire railway system with Its
attendant docks , warehouses , bridges , sta
tions and other appurtenances , at on esti
mated cost of forty million dollars In Amer
ican gold. The enormous funds necessary
are secured by a special issue of Imperial
. Chlnesa government 5 per cent , fifty-year ,
gold coupon bonds.
Chlnriu Hurprl o I l y Onr War.
"Hut the war seems really to have been
of remarkable advantage to the railroad
scheme in view of tha wonderful awakening
In. the United States concerning our Inter
course with China and In view of the re
markable change of attitude ot tbo people
of the east toward tbe people ot tbe west.
In respect to this latter point Colonel
Denby , recent United States minister to
China , told me of an Interview which ha
had with LI Hung ; Chang , during which the
latter told Mr Denby that tha late war
was a positive shock to th people of China ,
that ho ( LI ) and theChlneso generally had
supposed that the American people were
llko Chinamen ( sic ) , that U , a peace-loving ,
humble-minded sort of people , whoa * only
thought was the furtherance of tbe arts
of peace. 'I am surprised to find , ' said LI ,
'from news that has come from Manila that
you know how to shoot en well _ This has
given us a different opinion of the Ameri
can people. In faot , we are dunifoundcd
and amazed at these very warlike propensi
ties , ' It Is really o. If Ibo Americans
have been delighted with their victory , tha
people of the east have been dumfounded
and there is throughout the whole Orient n .
greatly Increased respect for our armed re-1
sources , which already Is accruing to the
benefit ot trade. |
"Well , the war went on and what at first
seemed llko a genuine discouragement be
gan to take on tbe aspect of a special
providence. The war lasted , as the world
knows , for 113 days When It rnded we
found , not a depleted national pocketbook ,
but a great newly-opened avenue of commerce
mercea highway amply guarded by the
prcatlgo wo had won during the struggle.
Then when the assurance of peace actually
began to be accepted and the people had re
turned to that condition which LI Hung
Chang and others considered our normal
one , the financial world awoke one mornIng -
Ing to the fact that a great scheme ot
American aggrandizement had been grow
ing In the cast and that the policy of
American expansion had perhaps received
another push In the right direction At
any rate , the publication of the franchise
documents In I'ekln convinced financiers
that the movement was genuine. They
simultaneously expressed a willingness tn
take part and then the matter of the forty
millions came easily. It was not long
before wo had all we needed"
fort } Million * Involved.
To draw up , negotiate , sign and execute
a contract Involving 140,000,000 Is nn experl-
enco that falls to the lot ot few men , and
when this contract Involves 100,000,000 per
sons In China and IB sure to go a long
way towards forming the basis of a com
mercial alliance * between England and the
United States , the occasion ot the signing
becomes momentous to say the least. Mr
names was nskcd how he felt while put
ting Into definite language the Informal un
derstandings that had been reached between
him and the Chinese minister
"I was pretty conscious , " ho replied , "of
tbe Importance of the agreement , and th
fact that I had no one to advlso me , al
though I am not myself a lawyer , made 1
all the moro Interesting. His excellency
Wu Ting Fang , did not allow any napplni
cither. He was greatly allvo to tbe slg
nlficanco of the occasion and Is a man abl ;
qualified to represent the moat thickly pop
ulatcd country on earth. Twenty of th
greatest banking houses In the world hav
put up Uie money and undertaken the con
tract without asking for the change of .
single line In the document. I am prou
to have negotiated a document that vvll
BO materially hasten enlightenment , clvllUa
tlon and Anglo-Saxon federation. Th
toms , in the hope that these tribes migh
lie useful to me some day when I commenced
monced my journey overland to civilization
For , of course , all hope of escape by eca hni
now to he abandoned , since my boat wa
destroyed.
Soon after the loss of the bat , by the way
Yamba made me a small bark canoe abou
fifteen feet long , but not more than fourtee
Inches wide , and In this wo undertook varl
oua llttlo excursions together to the varlou
Islands that studded the bay. The construe
tlon of this little canoe was very Interesting
Yamba , first of all , heated the bark , nu
then turned the rough part underneath li
order that the Interior might bo perfect ) ;
smooth. She then sewed up the ends , final !
giving the llttlo craft a coat of resin , ob
talned by making Incisions In tbo gum trees
Ot course I missed my own substantla
boat , and It was some little time before
Krew accustomed to the frail canoe , whlc :
necessitated the greatest possible core 1
| handling , and also on the part ot the pas
tengers generally.
OIT on a Wombat Hunt.
Ono day I decided to go and explore ou
of tbo Islands in search of wombats , ns
wanted some skins to make Into sandals fc
Chinese minister also Is very proud of hi
pzvt lu this immense transaction. He I
likely to receive Important promotion to
his services. Ho may bo recalled to Pekl
at any moment and made viceroy , or a
least a member ot the Tsung II Ynmcrj
But the men who by lending their name
and abilities as financiers Insure tbe sue
coes of the enterprise deserve and wll
receive the proper credit for their liberality
I cannot state their names juat now , "
Mi-n Ilchlnd theScheme. .
Prom another source , however , eomo of th
1 names on the roster of the Chinese rallvva
sjndlcato were learned Probably no othe
I company exists today which includes eo man
I i members of world-wldo financial prcstlgf
The list includes : Ex-Vlco resident Lev
P. Morton , T. Jefferson Coolldgp , ex-mlnlste
| to France ; the Standard Oil company , th
I Vanderbllt family , the Carnegie Steel an
i Iron company , ex-Senator Calvin S Drlc (
. Senator Mark Hanna , Clement A. Orlscor
I of the American line of steamers , Genera
i Samuel Thomas , Hon. Thomas C. Plat ;
Frederick P. Olcott , George J. Olppus , Presl
dent Hageman of the Metropolitan Insumnc
company , Hugh J. Grant , x-mayor of Noi
York , Colonel James ilcNaught , George !
Baker , Henry W Cannon , A , N Drads
i George Coppell , the law firm of Cary t
Whltrldge. the firm of Moora & Schley. C , C
Haven , Frederick Wesson , James P. McUoc
old , Hartley K. Graham , George It fiheldor
William A. Reed , James Jarvle , Julius A
Stursbern of the Sugar trust Willard P
Ward , Maicua Stlne and so on through a
long list of representatives ot banking ami
commercial Interepts throughout the coun
try
The surveying party which will lay out
the route of this great railroad has already
started for China , under the direction ot
William Barclay Parsons , englnccr of the
New York Hapld Transit company. Ills
corps of assistant engineers will number
over 100 men The expedition will Include
exports In observation , Interpreters , photog
raphers , survcjors , mining engineers , agri
cultural experts , and other persona with
kindred business The survej as will bo
seen from this , will bo most comprehensive ,
not only deciding upon a route for a rallrcnd.
but obtaining a. very full and complete
report about the people and condition of
the country , such as has never before boon
obtained The expedition Is under the pro
tection of the emperor of China , who guat-
antc s that "tho party will bo under full
military and civil protection , and will not
be Interfered with by nnj persons or spirits
of earth or air. " When hls party ot engi
neers returns to the United States wo shall
have an account of the Chinese Interior
which will bo highly valuable from the
geographical , sociological and general eco
nomic standpoint
Hniitu of tlif Ilnllvvii } .
The offices of the lallroad company will
bo In Hnn Hok In the province of Hupeh.
The city Is Mtuated In the heart of the
Yangtse Klang vnlley In China , nnd con
sists of three municipalities. Han Kow In
Chlneso means "tho mouth of commerce "
rrom Han Kow the ralhvoy will proceed
southward along the banks of the Yangtse
Klang river Passing on Its way through
the provinces ot Iluimn , Kwaiigsl and
KwanRtung , the railroad will follow the
natural bed of the rl\er as far as possible ,
and when It branches awaj from the ilver
It will not cioes any mountains It will
follow the vnllejs , and will pass through
the foflouiug cities Woochang , Yohchuu ,
Changsha , Hangshan , Hangchan , Yungchau ,
Tau Kwcllln , Plngloh , Wuchau , Shanking ,
Canton At Canton the lalluay will divide
Ono branch will proceed south ward to the
Portuguese po-ssetslons at Macao , the other
main branch going southeastward to Hong
Kong It will como down the bhoro ot the
bay to a point about opposite the Island
upon which Hong Kong Is situated When
trains reach this point they will be loaded
on ferry boats and floated over to the city.
Iti-HOurirL-H of tliu Dlntrli't.
Thus will a direct and rapid means ot
communication be started with the Interior
of China. Ileally very little Is known about
the country through which the rnllroid will
pass. It Is bald and perhaps with some
truth that there are people In the center
of the empire , who do not Know the meaning
of the word civilization as we understand
It. There nro fcald to bo millions of persons
living exactly as thflr ancestors lived be
fore the Christian era. Yet thebe people are
intelligent , industrious , apt. frugal , and have
to blame only their Isolation for their failure
to keep pace with the world at large. Many
of them would rise above race prejudices If
given a chance to develop They live In ono
of the moat fertile districts on the globe , In
2. country which grows tea , ilco and other
crops , producer Jade , petroleum , coal , gold
nnd has many other natural resources It
Is through this wonderful country the rail
road will go As must be expected , short
sldo lines wllf branch out in all dliectlons ,
so as thoroughly to tap the various districts
and connect them with this main artery of
commerce.
A glance at the map ot China will show
that this first Inroad ot American capital
must bo the beginning of the great strategi
cal sjstcm ot communication which will
place every part of the umpire within a
comparatively few hours of the coast , ns far
as time Is concernediri' While thla road will
extend northward frccH Hong Kong to Han.
Kow , In the province ' ( Hupu , It will he a
question of time only whbn the s > step will
bo continued eastward to Hong Kong , In
the province of Chehklang , on the coast.
The latter city lies near the foot of the
Grand canal , which waterway extends In n
northeasterly direction to Tientsin , very
near to Pekln , the canltal of the empire
It becms also to be a question only of time
when other roads must reach out westvvuul
towards Burmah , Thibet and Annm , and so
form a means of direct communication with
India. Such a sjstem would rival In
Importance the great Trans-Siberian i all-
road , which now Is being pushed inpldly
through Russia nnd Siberia. Ono naturally
would not be more Important than the
other. They would compare In prestige ,
comparatively speaking , with our o\vu
Northern and Southern Pacific sjstems
At any rate , the first steps In what
might bo called the reclamation ot China
have been taken. Doubtless this railroad ,
with Its civilizing propensities , will de
stroy many of the traditional habits of life
and character which characterize the people
of the Interior , but In the balance with this
must bo placed the immense gain In com
merce by the world In general. And It
should bo borne In mind that It Is American
capital which has taken the Initial step In
this great development.
THEODORE WATERS.
Dr. Bull's Cough Syrup will not mnkc
now lungs , but It will euro Incipient con
sumption and lung affections. Price , 25C.
O.N THU t'KO.V HAH.
A IT M'lilc Month , liut Only Six reel
UriMi.
The latest advices received from the gov
ernment survey party at the mouth of the
Yukon , says the San Francisco Call , arc tc
the effect that failure has attended the
effort to discover the'entranco for deep BC.I
vessels. It Is now believed that no sucli
entrance exists and "that " before the Yukon
can bo made nnvlcable for ocean craft con
siderable dredging will have to be done on
the bar which cuts Berlnc sea off from
the deep waters of the river.
This news will prove a great disappoint
ment to all persons Interested In the devel
opment of Alaska. For a lone time past
there has been a widespread belief that n
so-called "truo mouth" existed , thiougli
which largo steamships could enter the
Yukon. Once In the stream It would bo an
easy matter for them to ascend nearly SOC
miles , regardless of the fluctuating staget
ot the river , which maintains an average
width of ten miles to the lower ramparts
and a depth varying from forty to 150 feet ,
By using this water highway up to the
Tanana and Nulato supplies could be placed
In tbe heart of Alaska almost as cheaply a
I though shipped to St. Michael. Such fa-
i clllties would mean an enormous develop
ment of mlniue industries , inabinuch a ;
i many claims which are now unprofitable or
account of the high prices charged for sup-
] piles could bo worked to good acount. More
over , plentiful supplies in central Alaskt
would mean an enormous Increase In the
amount ot prospecting done Experience
has shown that river steamboats on the
Yukon are expensive and unreliable.
It was with a thorough understanding ol
these facts that the United States Coasl
and Geodetic survcv office outfitted a part )
lost spring to go to the mouth of the Yukon
and make a careful turvcy nnd ascertain
whether or not the rumored deep sea en
trance was a realltv or a m > th Captain
Pratt had the work In dm me. and since be
ginning nearly the entire area has been
covered , but without result A uniform bat
appears to exist , crossing all ot the varolui
outlets , with about six feet nf water on II
at hlch tide. This bar is of soft muck , and
varies from a quarter to a half mile In
width It Is apparent that the bar originated
through the long-continued deposit of rlvei
sediment. In fact it bos been found thai
the sea Itself has been partly filled up by
thn sediment for some dUtanco out from
the bar The deepest water Is toward the
southern outlets.
You Invite disappointment when you ev
pcrlment DoWltt's Uttle Early Risers ar <
pleasant , easy , thorough little pills Tbe >
cure constipation and sick headache just as
sure a you take th in.
*
THIS SIZE. _ -
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LESLIE PUBLISHING HOUSE , O I4M43 fifth Avenue. New York :
SOLD BY ALL NEWSDEALERS. BUY A COPY.
Glory of the Wonderful Source of Wealth
Has Departed Forever.
MADE MANY FORTUNES WHILE IT LASTED
Moiof a MlHioiirl Mliiiuu : ivH-iUl | ii
( lull llmidoj oil 'riiollNUiidx of "Vlrn
mill CliniiKcil the race of tin-
Ilurdi lor Mlli'H Viiiiiiul.
Iron mining promised at ono time to he
one of the greatest resources of the state ot
Missouri Iron mountain was dlscoveicd
very eaily In the history of the Mississippi
valley by the French explorers , who had n
remarkable faculty for fccentlng out min
erals. The discovery was soon known to the
civilized vorld and Iron mountain took the
unique place In the geographies nnd geolo
gies as a solid mountain of Iron ore and the
largest deposit In the world.
The recent announcement of the Iroiv
Mountain company that all Us lands In
southeast Missouri , comprising over 30,000
acres , together with Its houses , shops and
buildings ot all descriptions , were for sale
for farming and stock raising purposes Is nn
object lesson on the fallibility of human
knowledge , and scientific human knowledge
at that.
The rise and fall of this great Industry
makes an Interesting chapter In the Indus-
tilal history of Missouri. Believing the sci
entific fairy tales about the Inexhaustlblo
mountain of iron , a company was organi/ed
in 1815 to exploit the great lion mountain
deposits. The first act of the company was
the purchase of a largo tract of land
known as the Joseph Pratto grant , with thp
iron mountain In about the geographical
center This was an old Spanish giant of
i about 20,000 arpens , or a trifle over 17,000
acres , made to Joseph Pratto when Spain
owned all of the territory west of the Mis
sissippi river.
The ore , es then exposed , consisted of a
cliff or pinnacle two or three acrea In ewnt ,
rising perpendicularly to a height of sev
enty-five feet near the center of the moun
tain. The balance ot tbe mountain wis
'covered ' to a depth of several feet with a
1 porphjry soil , which was filled with de
tached pieces of iron ore. Thecompany's
first work was In getting out thU loose ore ,
which they did by the pioccss known as
1
hydraulic mining.
A reservoir was built on tl'O top of a
neighboring mountain , a stream In the \.il-
1 ley was dammed , forming a laKe of over 100
acres , both of which are standing Intact to
day , monuments of the faith the. promoter.- !
had in the permanency of their enccrpilue
i The water was pumped to the icoervolr
and thcnco piped to the Iron mountain ,
whcro U was let loose with giant Tone uj on
the friable soil , washing jt away and leav
ing the ore to bo picked up and hauled
i to the smelter , after the manner of mining
l on tbo famous Comstock lode
.Smelter * IJri-i'ti'il.
Two smelters were erected , and muh of
the ore was smelted on the spot Ihlo was
long before the railroad wan built to that
point , and the ore and pig Iron wat trans
ported by means of mule and ox teams to
Stc. Genovlcve , on the Mississippi river , a
distance of forty miles , a plank road bein
constructed for the purpose. 1'rom SIP.
Oenovlcvo the Iron was shipped to St. Loula
and to manufacturing points up thu Ohio
i Ivor.
Some Idea of the magnitude of the com
pany's operations can bo gathered from these
facts. They were on a gigantic scale. The
number of mules and horses necessary to
transport the ore reached Into the
hundreds , and a farm at l.SOd
acres was cleared up and put
under cultivation to provldu them hay , oats
and pasturage During Its palmy days n
small army of men was employed to operate
thu mine and Its collateral enterprises for
j eurs the regular force consisted of 1 JOO
cmploi8 , variously Ultpo cd in mining ,
smelting , transporting and charcoal burnIng -
Ing , fanning , etc. A city soon bpraug up ,
which at ono lime had u population of dose
to 0,000 , and for a long period was the
largest H\rllest-aild most prosperous ou the
Iron Mountain railroad outside of St Louis
Itself. The company built .1 large hotel ,
schools , churches , ledge rooms hallo , stoics ,
foundries , machine nud carpenter shops ,
bains nnd dwelling houses , nnd provltled
everything necessary to a city of thla sbc
In Its prosperous days It would have lieou
called a boom town and was one of tlio
best markets St. Louis rad. Commission
men shipped piovlsions and produce there
in largo quantities and of all descriptions
and received what would now bo considered
e-normous ptices Very llttlo farming was
carried on in the \lclnity in these dnys ,
the nll-ahsoibing question being mining
The nesscmer process of smelting was
unknown in the early period of the Iron
mountain workings Chaicoal was used ex
clusively , for the burning of which largo
quantities of timber wore- required Luck
ily , it was cloeo at hand The whole coun
try was heavily timbered and clnrcoal-m.iK-
Ing was an important branch of the opei-
atlons. All the timber on the original tract
of 17,000 acres was goon consumed and ad
ditional lauds were purchased from time
to time , until the holdings of the company
reached the grand total ot 31,000 acres and
practically all ot the timber on tills Immense -
menso body had been turned Into charcoal
when the Deasemcr came Into general use.
On Its advent smelting nt Iron Mountain
ceased and thenceforward only the ere was
shipped
I'filuil of < ; iiiU.vt Aullv ! (
In 1SC9 the company was reorgnnired ,
with the following prominent cltl/.ena of S'
Louis as the bolo stockholders James Harrison
risen , Charles P. Choutcau , Julia Mnllltt ,
Jules Valle. Henry nelln nnd Tellx Valle
The period of greatest activity In working
the lion Mountain nilno followed this re
organization. The immcnso cliff of ere In
the ccntci of the mountnln was attacked
nnd rapidly disappeared under thp nrmy of
workmen then employed. JCo such mining
had over before been heaid of , where an
enormous body of ere projected nbovo the
surface nnd had to be shunted down to
terra llrma before It could bo loaded nnd
shipped. In addition to the ease with which
II was inined It was among the highest
grade oiea ever discovered , averaging hi
per cent of pure Iron , nnd promised to
rovolntIonl/0 thn Iron Industry of the coun
try , If U had held out , so easily was It ob
tained.
Tor years the great work went on , with
no sign of the coming eclipse Iron Moun
tain was busy , prosperous nnd the envy
ot thn whole state. Millions of tons of ore
were taken out , money accumulated in the
coffers ot the btockholdera and they waxed
ilehTho
The mining had proceeded for perhaps
fifty feet below the level of the mountain
top , when ono fine morning the drill btrucli
porphyry. When the Iron Was found to ex
tend doun On either side of this formation
not much thought was given to It , althougli
It left a hole ot many square yards In extent -
tent In the body of ore. Down further anil
the. are begun to branch off Into hide pockets
lunnlng a short distance into the mountain
.mil then giving out. Moro porphyry reared
Its head tn the ere body , until It WHS ul
cut up l > y thcso Intruders nnd nothing wat
left but pockets hero and there I'lnallj
thc'co petered out , when the mining hat
reached n point. In the mountain about era
a lc\cl with the surrounding valley , am
the days of the great Iron Mountain , thi
Inexhaustible deposit of ore , wcro nunv
bc-red
The KdentlalH nnd theorists then opined
that this wns only a detached body of ere and
advanced the proposition that the moth' ' ]
loclo wns near nt hand Hepeaeed borings t <
enormous depths lu nil the surrounlliiF
country failed to vindicate their theory nui
rot another trace of Iron was found The
experience of the Pilot Knob company neai
by was similar nnd now theories nad to be
mude tx > fit the cabo und account for thrsi
largo pockets of iron ore Th- > last c-x >
plunutlou advanced aud now uiilvcrgally nc-
cepted Is that these- great deposits wer <
aqueous rather than igneous in formation
and consequently no mother lode exists from
which they could have been detached.
< ) nl > n Hole In tin * ( .roiiuil.
Howrvor that may bo , after taking out
3 noo.OOfl tons of as rleh om as was cvor
mined , the grrat Iron Mountain mine Is no
more , its glories nro departed , it's 1,200
workmen have dwindled to twenty-live , who
nrt > now engaged In sci npIiiK up and sorting
the last of the tailings , preparatory to aban
doning the works foievcr.
The oncn busy population Is scattered , not
fifty of it hem nro left The churches , schools
nnd ledge rooms nro deserted. The dwelling
houses are- crumbling on their foundations
Not a store or shop Is open , Undo Sam dom
not even maintain a postofilco aud but ono
train a day each way stops at the dilapidated
railway station. The llttlo graveyard main
tains Its population , hut has not grown very
rapidly of late , except to weeds and bushes
It IH , i picture of ruin and desolation to l > p
seen only lu ancient lands and In the mln-
Inir mums of modern America.
There was a tlmo when the mining mag
nates hi ought their friends hero and enter
tained them in legal style. It lies In the
Ozarks , In the most beautiful part of Mis
eourl The mountains rise to a height ot
300 and 400 feet , surrounding peaceful val
leys of Acadian loveliness , through which
How sparkling spring-fed streams. A few
miles belo\v is the famoue Arcadia valley
the summer homo ot many prominent St
Loulsans. Now the eons , daughters and
heirs of the original stockholders como here
for nn outing to ilde , drive , tramp und hunt
over the vnst tract that their fathers nnd
grandfathers turned to fcuch good account
It is .1 pity that , fondness for ancestral
acres has not como to bo a , trait of the
American character. What .1 hunting pre
serve and summer home this would make ,
j with Its heavy second growth of oak and
hickory of thirty years' standing , nut uch
Is not to bo Its fate. It Is to bo cut up
Into small farms , that grain , block and fruit
raising may take the place of mining end
again bring back prosperity to the now quiet
valley
To Sav < - liut'torn' llllla
"Garland" Stoves nnd Itanges
Mn-1-lir I'roU'i'l" 1IU I'rlftiitici-H.
roitiST. Miss . Oct. 24. The negro rlotcri
from Harpersvlllo were landed In Jail heie
at noon Sheriff Stenhenson nnd his posse
had a light with a mob of whites , who made
a desperate attempt to lynch the negro pris
oners BOOH after the party left Hnipcrsvllle
Tht > sheriff nnd his aides formed u clrclo
about the negroes with drawn revolvers nnd
forced their war through the mob , The
negroes who escaped Into the swamp nro
being hotly pursued by a largo crowd of
white men. and news of another battle Is
momentarily expected The telephone line
to Ilitrricrsvillo has been cut and communl
cation with the scene of hostilities can only
IIP had bv couriers Governor MoLaurln
Kturned to Brandon at noon after maklnir
n speech to tb whites there urglnK them
not to molest the negrocH now In the jail
I btve none 14 days at a time without
movement of thn liuwcli , not bolbR able to
' muvo thom uicoiit bjr ujln licit water Injectlooi.
J Cluonlcronttlimtlon for tevcn year * placed ma In
tut Urrlblo condition , during ( Uat time 1 did OT
ury thing 1 beard of but iicfor found nn j relief ) tncb
wa 1117 ca o until 1 beiinn utlng CAbCAKETB. I
uow Iiavu Irom one to t hreo pabbaget ft do7 , and If I
nna rlcu 1 would give I100.U ) for cacb Diorement , U
Inucb u relief ATLHEU I , HUNT ,
HKi IIU89U11 m Detroit , Mlcb.
I'lomont. falatably 1'otent , Taite flood. Do
Good , MoierSICitn , Weakenor Urlpe , IDc.Mc.tOo
. . . CURE CONSTIPATION. . . .
Ilirllti i : . .d ; ( > ! ; , ( klcfi , Xeilrul , ! Tit * . 99