| Show SOME OFTIIE OLD CMISTOCK IILLIONAIRES When and How They Got Their Mon nyThe Bonanza Firm 864000000 Mnckay Fair Sharon Ralston Mills Sutro Jones Hayward Hobart Ho-bart Johnny Sktxc Lucky Baldwin Jim Keene Sandy Bowers and Others CORRESPONDENCE TRIBUNE Carson City Nev Sept 11 1902 The latest disturbance In the estates or assets of the chief Comstock bonanza bo-nanza millionaires evolved by the tragic death of Charles Lu Fair being in course of amicable settlement brings to mind the small grand army of those who accumulated their millions In the flush days of the old Comstock mining and highrolling speculations Many of the most enterprising men In the country coun-try Invested their time labor and money In the development of the Justly famous lode staying with It from start tofinish or from the old surface crop pings down to the 3300foot level the lowest vertical mining depth attained on the American continent Into conspicuous prominence comes the noted bonanza firm Mackay Fair Flood OBrien realising their Immense fortunes principally from the sensationally rich bonanza developed and mostly contioiled by them In the Consolidated Virginia and California mines on the northern section of lie great lode The firm dissolved many years ago when the big bonanza weakened and they divided 561000000 In dividends among themselves exclusive of the millions which went to the many outsiders out-siders who were interested with them They are all now dead Mackay being the > last John W Mackay owned twofiftho in the partnership and the others one fifth each therefore the dividends took that shape and his actual Comstock realization aa nearly ns he or any body else could estimate may be placed at 13000000 James G Fair took away 535000000 as his share of Comstock mining min-ing and profits and J C Flood realized real-ized about 30000000 W S OBrien the fourth member of the firm died In San Francisco before the full realization of his great bonanza affluence was upon him Ills fortune was then figured at 16000000 AND THEJRE WERE OTHERS William Sharon realized about 17 000000 from his Comstock operations and speculations The Yellow Jacket and Belcher mines in Gold Hill were his favorites and under his control together with W C Ralston they ran the California bank and built the Virginia Vir-ginia Truokce railroad besides being be-ing engaged In real estate and other enterprises Sharon served one six year term ns United States Senator from Nevada and died In the Palace hotel San Frannclsco then the largest house in the world built by l Ralston and himself at a cost of 53000000 W C Ralston who died In San Francisco Fran-cisco August 27 1S75 was one of the leading spirits and potent influences in the early development of the Corn stock and he wielded both moneyed power and Influence very effectively In conjunction with Sharon and D O Mills ills direct returns from actual Comslocfc Investments may not have amounted to more than 8000000 or 10000000 but ho was deeply engaged In Important I outside private and public pub-lic enterprises more or less connected therewith One of the most enterprising enterpris-ing and valuable men for the Pacific coast San Francisco or the Comstock lode died when William C Ralston closed his eyes for the last time on en r tIm D O Mills figured among the early developers of the Comslock nnd got nway with 55000000 or 10000000 same ns Ralston perhaps more But his real estate operations In San Francisco and New York In both of which places he Is at home have added immensely to his fortune and he Is still owner and controller of the Virginia and Truckec railroad Mills has always been a careful care-ful operator and a coldblooded square business man Tils estate may bo placed at over 100000000 Adolph Sutro retired from the Corn stock with about 0000000 It was not altogether obtained from mining or speeulnllon In the old lode Itself but from his famous tunnel four miles in length run to Ian the Comstock 1700 feet below the surface He quietly peddled ped-dled out his entire stock Interest in the tunnel at good prices so that when he left he did not own a single share In it He Invested and profited largely In San Francisco real estate and enterprises enter-prises leaving a large and valuable ostate for his heirs lo quarrel over John PvJones In bonanza days was placed at HOOOOjOOO ahead on his Crown Point mine bonanza in Gold Hill and other good speculations but he lost nearly all in the Sierra Nevada mine financial disaster which stranded so many He subsequently recuperated In sundry fortunate mining and milling speculations making also more money out of hit Crown Point mine and a large Interest of the Douglas Island mine Alaska His fortune Including Ills great real cairite and residence property prop-erty at Santa Monica Cal may still be reckoned al 5000000 more or less Alvlnza Ilaywood was Interested I with Jones In I he Crown Point bonanza bo-nanza mid elsewhere on the Comstock realizing 10000000 or more He wan also heavy winner from his gold mine in Amador county Cal and may be figured at lfi000000 yet LESSER LuMINARIES W S riobnrt realized very heavily from an exceedingly lucrative ore contract con-tract or lease on lie middle ledge of theChollar cropplngs and a twenty stamp mill which he erected and solely owned > In SixMile canyon for the spe cltil purpose of working that ore aforesaid afore-said He cleaned up about SOOO000 which his heirs In California are now enjoying Johnny Skne was a noted and lively Comstock mining and stock speculator In the early days At the time of his famou rough deal In the Sierra Nevada Ne-vada mine he owned the control of it and also of the Virginia and Gold Hill Water company and was rated at over 510000000 but sudden reverses In the situation soon floored him financially and lie retired to die amid rural obscurity ob-scurity In California on a few splinters splin-ters from the wreck of his fortune Thomas H Williams and his law partner David Blxler were ongagcd In mining operations and speculations at both ends of the great lode Williams realized about 6000000 He died In Oakland Cal several years ago Plxler cleaned up about 5OCOOOO and retired to spend the evening of his life serenely and comfortably In San Francisco Fran-cisco find elsewhere George Hearst nf San Francisco was nlio one of the early tomslock devt 1 oiwfi and speculators realizing 5SMO Ono therefrom Tte Mibsquenlly added much to his wealth from prominent mines In Dakota Utah and Montana and died woilh 20000000 E J Baldwin wan not one of the earliest Comstock miners but he most certainly well earned his nickname of Lucky Baldwin He brought a troupe of native acrobats and Jugglers from Japan showed to Immense houses on the Comstock for a week or two then to principal cities In California realizing realiz-ing a big pile of money Then he sent his troupe back home and visited San Francisco stock board entertainments Ht selected Savage mining slock as his objective point realizing heavily on the very first turn Ht tried other stocks with Invariable success bin luck following fol-lowing him to the acqulstlon of about 56000000 He built time Baldwin hotel and has speculated In San Francisco and all over the country ever since with bad luck at times but Is generally considered to be still pretty well fixed and Lucky Baldwin yet He has operated latterly up In Alaska Nome and Seattle always on the square In everything and will probably die lucky In the possession of moro money than DO Mills or any oC the rest of the Comstock millionaires James R Keenc took his f 000 000 which he made In Comstock mines and slocks lo New York afler the big bonanza bo-nanza excitement died out There the stock sharps scooped him In for half his fortune before he found out what they were at and checkmated them Robert F Moore of San Francisco always a consistent able and persistent persist-ent promoter of the southend workings notably the Yellow Jacket and other Gold Hill mines cleaned up about 5 000000 to 7000000 Alphom Bull the San Francisco banker realized 2000000 to 3000000 from Comstock speculations Edmund Patton a prominent old resident res-ident of Gold HU was much benefited llnanclaljy by the frown Point bonanza bo-nanza boom and died a millionaireS millionaire-S P Dewey Thomas Sunderland and Joe Woodworth of San Franclso each captured a million from Comstock mining min-ing and stock Investments All three are dead J O Earl Andy McCreary and AHead E A-Head of San Francisco each captured a million from the name source and nil three wore very active at last accounts ac-counts Joe Clark who had charge of Hearsts fine horses and dabbled In Comstock on the side for every cent he could get hold of made himself a millionaire million-aire thdreby and departed for New York there to lay off in the lap of luxury lux-ury for evermonh SANDY BOWERS And last though by no means the least lot us mention Samuel S Bowers Bow-ers one of the finest locators on the Gold Hill cropplngs of the Comslock He had twenty feet of wonderfully rich ground from which he derived over a million dollars In a very much shorter time than he took to spend It He bought the Choicest ranch In Wnshoe valley twenty miles from the Comstock Com-stock and on It built a fine tvostory mansion of fine hewn granite sumptuously sumptu-ously furnished throughout costing half a million even tIme doorknobs throughout lie house being of solid Comstoek sliver bullion Sandy took his old Scotch wife on a trip lo Europe where he hrmght stacks of finen oil paintings and piles of choice stationery about which he knew nothing noth-ing but the cost and he didnt care anything any-thing for that that he wanted was ornaments for his home But Sandys mine gave out quite unexpectedly and he was financially embarrassed when ho died Sandys old widow destitute deaf and decrepit still lives among friends in San Francisco picking up a little pin money occaslonaly posing as a fortuneteller Washoe Seeress Sandy himself lies burled in a little fenced corral beneath the lofty pines on the steep base of the Sierra Nevada Ne-vada a hundred yards above his lost home and the Bowers mansion stands aa a monument to the char aclerlclically reckless expertdllures of a Comstock millionaire ALF DOTEN I |
