Show SAN 0 the fiffe of a noted californian k LEADER I 1 0 rino onto the wealthiest man in the state new lork 21 abune samuel brannan was a born speculator who made a acely fortune in ten years lost it in an other decade and now in his old go is sanguine of link a second fortune from a buge land grant in sonora brannan came fro in maine and in ohio learne d the printers trade when he was 19 he bought up his time and plunged into real estate speculation coming out with no more cash than lie went in but learning valuable lessons in business bu exper bence i then he strolled about the c auntry a journeyman printer ia this way he came in contact aith the MOr MODS and being struck wit h their creed johnd them ani for three years in new york city pub their organ the new york 31 it was in 1846 that he conceived the plan of forming a marmon colony in california I 1 aen mexican territory he secured the approval of brigham chart the ship brooklin Broo kliu fitted her up for passengers stocked her with food and all kanuer of agricultural implements and tools not forgetting 1 ass I 1 r per secured 36 pas egors subtly Alor mons and their set sail for the new ern land it was five months before the party reached the sand vich island where they ande a b cef stay then they were trans berred to san francisco some stayed in the city but the majority went into the country settling at a place called mormon island oh the sacramento biyer brannan showed great administrative ability in his management party got his colonist swell settled be was ina tensely disgusted to learn that brigham young had not to move the headquarters of the lat berday saints to the pacific coast B r annan made a trip to salt lake city to see young and being unable to I 1 shake his decision be returned to san francisco with his mormon en thusia sm greata cooled in the following year 14 wound up the concerns of the mormon enterprise and began business on his own account ile two pour mills in san francisco established the star the first ne p shed on the coast started a co antry store at sutter s fort on the sacra i depto river and speculated in town lots the of gold proved the first step to brannan s great fortune of marchalls marshalls Mar discovery in the mill race on farm be at once bought large quantities of goods in san francisco and shipped them to iii i store near the fort when the gold rush came a few months afterward be did an business hi amounting to Ibo a month on which the profit was fully three quarters the city of sacramento after wara the capital of the State grew around brannan etore lie made up thousands thou sandi by selling oil town lots but be soon found sacramento too cramped for his speculative ability ile carried on mining at mordou island went into tap china trade in san francisco and bought beadi ly of real estate in the young aad growing city he improved every thing that he purchased built fine business gs blocks opened up streets and took a interest in the municipal government ile was president of the first vigil ance committee and one of the vice presidents of the great vigilance committee of 1857 As early as 1857 he was recognized as the rich eat min in california and he mccu pied this position as late as 1864 his energy appeared ine now he was developing the re a burces of sugar and fra it plants bious in the sandwich islands and dow opening new mines in nevada nd Utah emery one with a scheme for developing the country went to brannan for aid in those years just as they went ten years later to ralston for fifteen years brannan was the leading citizen of san francisco he was a man of immense force character grid great originality and independence in ev ery publio en terp riso he was foremost and his liberality kent pace with his fortune in an y hour he u the caliston Cali stog a estate in t upper napa valley and started to make it a great pu alic resort he built a costly railroad to the place and spent hundreds of thousands to beautify fv naturally a sterile and mountainous spot he lost not less aban five millions this venture then after an other his mining se beines failed like most of the argonauts abo lived at high pressure pres gure and made fortunes in a month be drank great deal and when his began to dec linebe was seldom I 1 I 1 after fter midday thus the man who was noted an organizer and whose shrewdness was proof against all tricks fell an easy victim to saiad lers he had is cices also and the costliest cost liest was hi passion for actresses He lavished a fortune on bontez when she was the rage in san francisco ilia charities kept pace with his extras ag auces and it was soon sen that branan prestige and wealth were on the wane I 1 it took years to scatter than to gather his fro crial fortune almost before the was aware of it brannan had dropped out of prominence the new generation that had come in from the aaa elbowed bim aside although in b is wreck he was greatly superior to them in ability by enterprise son lost hie grip entirely and he I 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 1 would have been left stranded with out money or friends had it not bee n for on a of his acts of en terpsi bearo before which now bore fruit in his dark days ile had always been in favor of t be mexican and when maximillian tried to cap ture the throda and a large number of americans amaded by duke gwin were scheming to aid the foreign usurper brannon gave money and equipped a regiment of troops to aid the republican cause republics are proverbially ingrate un grate ful but is somewhat of an exception she voted brannan a large rum of mcney over sad a grant of and in sonora ile obtained in 1880 and went to guaymas to push his scheme for an american colony on his laud the old speculative instinct seemed for the time to get the better of his dissolute habits and he en actively into the scheme of colonization but when he came to survey his lands be found that the greater part of the grant was ranged over by the yaqui indians Iod ians and lie has been patient ay waiting for a set clement of the troubles with this tribe a fierce and as d a apachi A few weeks ago be returned to this city on a brief trip but as was said before his unnoticed and he re beant attention from the meg who ought to hold him iii regard I 1 can remember how proudly bran dan used to walk the streets of san francisco about 1859 every one was eager than to offer him defer ence for be represented millions lie was handsome them with strong features a broad forehead and a brilliant eye he dressed very richly and paid unusual attention to hir appearance now h ais oad gray broken in able only to get about with the aid of a cane the old keenness of eye alone shows that the spirit has survived the decay of the body and in fact brannan is as sanguine and as ful of as a man in his r rne considering the success of t ph e ensenada En senada colony on santos bay in lower california there is no good reason why bran nan if he lives tea years longer should not make his sonora grant worth a ta illion if he should round out his life with a second fortune his career would be as remarkable as that of harry meigs who fled from san francisco to escape his creditors and who closed his life as one of the richest of peruvian railroad builders |