The daily gazette., 1875-09-04
SATa's REaINzscEScEs OF RAI
STON.
tcerrsspordercs cine Pif,ai,ir;a Tn

sea1 behind were two English engil
eeTs, fresh from India and yet tame
/; with its sUrs, who had been brougL
to the coast by Ralstca to lay out
plan to- irrigating the San Joacui
'aliey, We started at once, the horse
on trot and run as they liked, Raj
s,on driving. Half the year he dro7,
tins hftY miles day into San Francis
co and back. 1t was his recreation: h,
was largely interested, and It had rur
=. every competitive style of wagon of
on tho coast oi tne Pacific =
we gaiioped over long oausewav.
took broad dirt road, within sigbi
OF tho bay, passed Mills now house
a1u CT the thirteen mile house a man
came cut 20 sponge the horses. AT
seventeen miles We stopped; Raiston
mixed drinks at the bar, where he NAV
formerly have operated, and the horses
were changed with the tongue. AT
twenty-siS miles We turned from the
high road into the green vallev of Bel.
mont, and stopped at the bankers door
at one hour and thirty minutes, from
ct.1 Francisco twenty SIX miles, partly
! Ger Co6ble stones and causewavs.
belmont was the weakness Of Ralstoo
6 huge Toodeu house with BAYS and
TeTandaEs, With thirty or fortY bed.
chambers and all the lover door q ser.
les OF saloons, with waxed floors and
open sashes. The stables were a mus.
! cum of wagons, new or disabled. n
meadow close by was full of cripnled
horses, sick or sprung from such driv.
as We had seen; tropical and nsti-e
plants surrounded the mansion. Which
looked like sort of faatastic summer
house, Here, it was understood, the
bank allowed Ralston sum Of moner
S25, 900 or $50 900, to entertain no-el.
ties and distinguished visitors A ser.
raOt took each of US and showed US TO
to bedrooms complete in the comforts
of our period water, gas, spring beds.
&c, yet nothing was 'loudf or show
The extent OF the hospitality rather
than its intensity filed the irnag;ua-
tior. Our host disappeared until the
banquet began. The occasion Of this
banquet was the retirement from busi.
ne's, rs the head Of the great Alnaden
mine Ct Samuel Butter. Eaq. Ibis
was the friend Of Daniel Sickle On the
day he shot Philip Barton Keys-l
military looking man Of great pride.
severity and enterprise of character,
de anticipated Ralston's death by dy
ing II ;"o attempts u disSect his liver
aud seek the U-igiu CT has disease there.
ihe stomach Is what alls the success
tQi Californian; he lives too high.
There were sevcnty-siz guests present
ali men, and among them were his
neighbors, Bell, the Barrons. both Mil
ses, Duke Gwin, the brother-in.i.y
Of the Matchioness Of Lorue, Lorne.
Lord Clifford and all that was distin
guished on the coast, Nick Biddle in
Lisgreatest days never had such hosui. |
tality to give, nor gave it with more
quiet bounce. There was blessing ask
ed by bishop, who drank his wine
like man, but no speeches broke the
variety of the service with their dull
monotony. l caught glimpse of Mrs,
kalston al balcony window opening
on the stairway, AT midnight spe-
cial train took the company back TO |
San Francisco, but l remained. and |
the next day Rslston drove me over
the country TO his ueighbors, the Hay.
wards, Barrons, Howards, Bells, Mills.
&c. We were gone all day except al
the dining hour. He was a gentleman
IN his bearing, humorous, enjoying the
eir-the prospect and the vision of the |
future OF California he presented with |
such terse, manly, practical strength.
omit any conclusion TO this part of |
my visit, as l may take It up ut anoth-
er time. Let me speak of the circur,-
stances of his tall The Bank of Ne
vada, which is to rise on the ruins of |
the Bank of California. is TO be the
property of Flood & O'Rr;e2 aad Fair
. Mackey, They are all Irish, aad |
Flood & O'Brien were a few wears
a sort OF Durar and downtown Del
monico to the operators on California
street, keeping the liquor and lunch
place there. They caught the air and 1
secrets OF the patrons OF their house,
and tried mining speculative stocks
little. AS they increased they got an
engineer to look about the Comstock
lode for them and picked up a mine
supposed to be worn out called the
Hale and Norcross, This msne ther
soon developed into new source Of
actual wealth. They paid for it II
cents per share when the whole amount
of shares a1oat was only 5000. As
they brought cut the bullion they
watered the stock, and it went up
hundreds per cent. Then they built
crushing mills and began to feel under
their shafts 10 thelwest mine, There
they discovered real BONANZA, for in
those mining ventures there is q reali-
ty as well romance and while the
of the mine we're asleep,
these Irish miners picEed Up their
stock and began to take $1,000, 900 q |
month Of bulliol out of this new &C.
luisition. The stock Of course, wcs
watcred and went skyward, Only four
men owned all this wealth. Mackey
two fifths of all. Thus
mining bullion at the rate of $50, 600.
300 periannum, genuine mining, the
parvenues became a power beside or
against the Bank OF California. But
Ralston and Sharon owned half the
mills and the railroad at yir.
yinia City. The Flood s O'Brien
crowd began to build other mills pud
10 compete for the greatest mines and
bank monopolies as well. A struggle
ensued over the Yellow Jacket nine,
aud the two rival parties choose q