Background
Popper was born in 1857 to a Jewish family in Bucharest, son of professor Neftali Popper, a prosperous antiques merchant, and his wife Peppi.
(Excerpt from Exploration of Tierra Del Fuego: A Lecture D...)
Excerpt from Exploration of Tierra Del Fuego: A Lecture Delivered at the Argentine Geographical Institute on the 5th of March, 1887 At 9 p.m., Mr Popper, who was introduced to the audience by Mr Luis A. Huergo, C.E., President of the Institute, commenced his lecture. In learned and eloquent language, he outlined the principal features of that distant land, and gave a brief resume of the journey on which he had started on the 7th of the previous September, accompanied by Mr Julius Carlsson (mining engineer), some techinal assistants, and other men - in all, 18 persons. Mr Popper, at the close of his lecture, declared that a prosperous economic future awaits those regions, for in them the settler can combine the pursuits of gold-mining and sheep-raising. The lecturer was loudly applauded, and many of those present complimented him on his perilous and brilliant expedition. In the following pages is given the lecture, with a map of Tierra del Fuego. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1330592077/?tag=2022091-20
1887
("A column of blue smoke revealed to us the presence of ma...)
"A column of blue smoke revealed to us the presence of man, and at the same time explained the origin of the name Tierra del Fuego" (Land of Fire)" - Julius Popper, C.E. Julius Popper was a renowned explorer of the late 19th century. He was also a power-junkie that would stop at nothing (and for no one) in order to find gold. This is Popper's account of an 1886 expedition into wilderness of Tierro del Fuego.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005U82T7O/?tag=2022091-20
(Excerpt from Exploration of Tierra Del Fuego: A Lecture D...)
Excerpt from Exploration of Tierra Del Fuego: A Lecture Delivered at the Argentine Geographical Institute on the 5th of March, 1887 Mr Popper, at the close of his lecture, declared that a prosperous economic future awaits those regions, for in them the settler can combine the pursuits of gold-mining and sheep raising. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1330592077/?tag=2022091-20
Popper was born in 1857 to a Jewish family in Bucharest, son of professor Neftali Popper, a prosperous antiques merchant, and his wife Peppi.
He studied in Paris and completed gaining credentials as an engineer.
An expedition to Tierra del Fuego the previous year had brought back reports of gold seams embedded in alluvial formations on the beaches. Tierra del Fuego (“Land of Fire”) is an archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America, separated irom the mainland by the Straits ot Magellan. Although discovered by Magellan in 1520, the land was left to its Indian inhabitants until the 19th century, when it was charted by the British and then, from the 1880s, settled by Europeans and Latin Americans’ attracted by its shcepfarming potential and the prospect of gold.
Popper made his first expedition to Tierra del Fuego early in 1886 as the representative of a major mining company. He obtained government approval to lead the explorations in the northern part of the area, taking with him a group of men armed on
the instructions of the Interior and War ministries. He was the first explorer to lead a party from Bahia Porvenir on the west ot the island through the snow and brush to the Atlantic coast. His reward was the discovery of gold at Bahia San Sebastian. On his return to Buenos Aires six months later, he was the talk of the town — not a little thanks to the publicity he gave to his own adventures.
By July 1887 he established the Gold Washers Company of the South and founded a well-organized mining establishment in San Sebastian Bay. It produced between half a pound to eleven pounds of gold daily. The greater his success the greater the threat front poachers, and he had to hire twelve armed men to protect his camp from both the local Indians and from jealous white settlers. He continued to expand his interests in the region, building several washeries, to which he gave Romanian names.
Popper's problems with the poachers continued and in 1888 he had to use force to drive a group of Chilean poachers off his land. Their retaliation by destroying his washery led to the Battle of Beta Creek, as a result ol which Popper became the virtual sovereign of the northern half of the island and was known as “the dictator of Tierra del Fuego.” He now issued his own gold coinage and five-dollar pieces. One side showed the inscription “Tierra del Fuego - Popper 1899" and the other “El Paramo” (the name of his camp) with a background of crossed shovel and pick. He also printed ten-cent postage stamps for mail to the mainland. In the middle of the stamp was a large “P” surrounded by the rays of the sun. In case the significance of the P was not apparent, the cancellation mark carried the inscription “Colonia Popper.” Today these are collector’s items.
However, all did not remain peaceful and his plants did not yield enough profit. He had to close the company at the end of 1889. His brother Max took over the running of the El Paramo camp and Julius Popper returned to Buenos Aires, where he established himself as an intellectual and literary figure. He was dogged by a series of law'suits brought by creditors and was strongly criticized for his high-handed business practices. Various ambitious projects that he devised did not get off the ground. When he died the coroner’s verdict was heart failure, but, according to rumor, he had been killed by one of his enemies from the south.
(Excerpt from Exploration of Tierra Del Fuego: A Lecture D...)
("A column of blue smoke revealed to us the presence of ma...)
(Excerpt from Exploration of Tierra Del Fuego: A Lecture D...)
1887(Buy Julius Popper?: Read Digital Music Reviews - Amazon.com)
Quotations: The London Jewish Chronicle wrote “Foul play has been hinted at; if true, it was a fitting end to an unscrupulous adventurer.”