Show THE SIG BIG BONANZA MINE A smoking hole la in the ground out ol of which took I 1 was strolling with mackay some years ago in virginia city when we ire looked down a smoking cavity in the ground that was soon lost in the dark aiss and at the mouth of which a windlass was slowly grindings grinding out of t that hat ho hole le he said 1 I took in bullion this was one of the famous bonanza mines whose hi history storT ill III men know the big bonanza as it was wag called and as mackay mackay described it to me ht at the time was a kidney or a pocket of erode crude ore ora about as high as the steeple of trinity and in area as large as the city hall park of new york this ore shoveled out and reduced gave the stupendous yield to which mr Mackay referred and was the foundation of the bonanza fortunes associated with him were three othe gentlemen whose names were to win i a worldwide mill n ng fame james G fair afterward benl cor from nevada whoso choso skill shill as a minin mining expert had attracted the attention of mackay william obrien and james C flood obrien and flood had corns come to california aa friends in th the a argonaut days and had bad like other men taken their humble parts in the creation of the pacific states in those times men who were to be major generals in the army drove drays for a ii living ag others who were to become luminous in statesmanship and jurisprudence joyfully mended their own trousers and washed their own linen they were partners a term that bret harte has pathetically explained in one of his exquisite stories partners that is to say friends with a friendship such as we who live outside of the atmosphere of adventure which in folded the argonaut days cannot understand der durb stand tand and which would be but vaguely explained if we compared it to tile the love of man and woman billy was my partner once as mr flood a said to me one day in menlo while we were lo irking king at the portrait of obrien iea billy was my partner once he is my partner now will be 16 my partner forever a speech ech which made a deep impression coming as it did from the lips of one of the most resolute self restrained and undemonstrative of men flood was the financial representative and the ally of the two young miners who were at work on the bonanza obrien the partner in the firm because flood could have no interest he did not share obrien yB rieTi passed away in bonanza times time flood not many months since in iii Geh germany many he was a brave independent reserved conscientious man especially ally charming and true in the higher relations of life no better citizen no truer friend in all that goes toward the true development of manhood the best man I 1 have bave ever known as mackay said to me when the hour of irrevocable silence had fallen 1 I know only one faaiu man in the world that can break me and that is mackay this flood said to me and I 1 note atas it as showing the strong links which in those days bound the bonanza firm and gave it a strength etrene th and a confidence which were the basis of its power john russell young in Mun magazine |