The daily mountaineer. (Dalles, Or.) 1861-1866, 1866-02-11
A LETTER FROM A. B,NABOUT MEN
~ ~ q AND THINGS.

some notes about, men and things of consid
erable interest to the public in this qunr!er
The author of it is understood to be the for
mrr editor of the Statesman, A-h-l BIB.
We have only room to extract few biograph.
ical notices, which are written d-la-modc dt
Dsadg. The Grst of our. western celebrities
who falls under observation is Geo. F. Thomas
of Walla ,Walla, who is "noiccd" " thus: p.
% Geo. r. Thomas is of Irish extraction, If not
D. birth. Lie may not know whether the Ia,
ter ornoti certaialy he doesn't care. For.
merly he was sknight of the whip in Georgia
Dfiitiag to California, with the early aivrn-
tufers TO that country, after the disco\ cry OF
gold, lie became n large stockholder in the
'C"ihornia stage company, and was for some
years its vice president. In that capacity he
established the line from Sacramento to Port.
land in Oregon, resditg in the latter State
the while. Upon the discovery of gold il
Idaho in lSG2 he sold his interest and re
signed Ills position in the company, and re-
moved to Walla Wal'a, from whence he ran
stages, as the constantly shifting travel de-
iAanded. Afterwards, Col. RuckIe joining
him, they extended their line TO Boise City,
constructing, ut heavy outlay, the Blue
Mountain road. He is Il sensible, whole.
souled, hospitable Irish gentleman" fond OF
quiet glass, a good story or like, and said
10 be the best judge OF the horse on the Pa
ciiic const. ......-. ...... .........t
Col. j. S. Ruckc is next on the List. His
arqnaintances hereabouts will perceive that
Mr.. B--h has happily sirnck upon the leading
trait in the Colonel's character:
Col. j. S. Ruckle came early from New
York to California, and thence to o egon
without means, hut with great re,ources in
business ability and energy Alone, unaided
lie constructed rhe first railroad in the terri
Tory, and built the Mountain Buck which wa:
among the first steamers 10 navigate The
Columbia. Afterwards, he merged railroad
and steamboat in the Oregon Steam Navga-
ton Company, corporate body with two
millions capital stock, and owning all the
steamers and controlling all the business OF
She Columbia river. lie became promi.
.>nent NJ mber of the company, for sometime
its superintendent aad lastly its president
heis intelligent and cordial, loves u bottle
of good. wine.i th.a E'e ~
- Henry Grcathoase comes in for q para
graph: Z. - - ..-.. .as-, .. 80. - q
Idaho CityiS some So m les south of Boise
Ci.y, andyou are taken there in the stages
OF Henry Greathouse, a brother of Ridgley
Greathouse swho was convicted at San Fran
cisco OF attempting to fit ont pirate yes ell
discharged nnderl,he amnesty proclamation
OF Mr. Lincoln, afterwards re arrested takct
to New ork and confined in Fort LAFAYETTE
rom which he made his escape and fled tt
Europe, where he now is. His brother
Henry, is understood to possess southern
fFmpathies, but never talks of public affairs
lic is II quiet, hard-working man, dives
coach himself, when necessary, and has ac
cumul"tets good deal Of money @s'+
Mr.. BIB visited the Rucklc mill, o.
Powder River, where he met Capt, L. Coffin
ofwhom and the mine he iys:
IN this valley, yet in 0 cgon, we stoppe
day to visit the Rock GLOW gold mine
owned by Col. Ruckle. It is seven mile
from the sage road, n quartz mine, excln
sively gold bearing, and of " very high grad
OF hncne's. The product coins over $40 pc
ounce. IL is apparently very rich mine
and, so far MS indications point, of probabl
pernanency. 1t is prot y well opened, an
Is being successfully worked under the super
lntsndence OF Capt. Laban Coffin, an oil
massachusetts skipper, from Nantucket,
osiieNc atahy rate, nom some bleak countr
down that way. BY study and experience,
he seems to have made Of himself thoroue
practical miner
younggcutfema from the land of stead
habits, living ina state of sin at Boise Cit
calls out the following:
The son of n New England deacon. m
graduate of New England orthodox Sn
nn Ib. >rhn. uo knaN,inn. , eS, Ia 4 I.
saloon, ard living will, II commercial Mis-
with whom, owing to the scarcity of clerg
men or other persons qualified to perform ii
hprNicns hn Ind nnrnr ~, a .,in W. O..,