The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-01-28
The Great bonanza.

| y
seems to have been one of the freaks OF
the Bonanza to make the poor rich and to
surprise the helpless with unlooked-for as
slstance, and the ''lame ducks on account
OF 1t IN the San Francisco Stock Exchange
are confined to wealthy and habtual spec
ulatOrs. The Great Bonanza is contain
ed within three mineS-the "Consolida-
ted Virginia" the "Californian and the
"Ophir" its worth is estimated by
the noted mining expert, Mr.. Philip Deid-
esheimer, at 5 800, 600, 900 The remark
able rise in the stocks of these mines Is
owing to actual developments. The yield
of the Consolidated Virginia is now 400
tons per diem; the California is yielding
nearly the same amount, and the Ophlr
has daily yield of two hundred and fifty
tons. The ore is principally from the levels
ranging between the numbers 300 and
l,3oO 1eet, and It's average assay is $500 to
the ton. 1t is estimated by those best
qualified to Judge that there is in the Cali
fornia aud Consolidated Virginia mines
| 81, 800 600, 900 worth of ore. The vast
in the perpetual hills, containing
all this silver, is about one thousand feet
long, six hundred feet high and from four
| hundred to five hundred feet wide, and for
that matter :. may be much more widely
| developed A few weeks ago the shares
| III these mines were quoted at from $50 to
500 each About the time these figures
prevailed Mr. Deidcshemer returned to
San Francisco from an inspection of these
mines, and under his advice many poor
| persons who had worked for him invested
IN the stock, and so did many of his per-
! sonal and intimate friends A porter in
the Occidental hotel, for instance, bought
sixty shares in the Consolidated Virginia,
tor which he only paid so. The San
Francisco Post, OF the llth instant, saws
! that on the 10th Consolidated Virginia
! closed strong at 800 per share, and Cali
tornia was firm at 1925. That same day
under tremendous pressure from the bear
| influence, Ophir, opening at S2S5 Went
down to 500. but this decline is regarded
| as only temporary To-day Mr. Deides-
heimer regards Consolidated Virginia and
| California stock as worth IS, 900 per share
TO illustrate the value of these two mines
| estimated at 81 800, 900, 600, place it be
| side the volume of the total national debt,
which, according to the last statement,
was 81, 143, sos, ,3O2 ,02, and we see that the
wealth of two of the gold hills OF Nevada
are almost equal to the emergency Of pay
| ing 1t off; but when to the resources Of
| the Consolidated Virginia and California
mines the mighty resources of the Ophir,
the Belcher the Julia. the Andes, the
Crown Point, the Ovcrman, the Mexican,
| the Silver Hill, the Caledonia and the Say
age are added and all within the same
State, something of the Cyclopean power
CT the United States to bear its burden is
| readily comprehended.
But some may say that the discovery of
such vast quantities of silver will depre-
| ciate its value. If in certain periods OF
history the value of silver was deprecated,
as for instance when the Romans had ex-
tended their conqueSts into Spain, Thrace
and the Asiatic provinces and when Cor
tes added to the silver volume the mines
of Potosia, in Peru, even then the reduc-
ton was only temporary. These, however,
are the times of the nineteenth century,
with all its great thought, and all the
splendor of its invention; the davs OF
steamships and railroads; of canals and
the universal anthem of the telegraph all
of which aid in spreading and equalizing
the value Of gold and silver throughout
the world But. aside from its use as coin,
art and civilization have created a tre-
mendous demand for silver. 1t enters into
the composition OF thousands of useful
articles, and will enter into thousands
more at the same price, il it becomts
more plentiful. That silver can never he
superseded in its use as coin is an idea
that will not bear reflection
Ihe solid fame of the "Great Bonanza
is rapidly spreading Eastern capital is
flowing like water into the San Francisco
market for investment in the silver mines
of Nevada One million pounds sterling
OF German capital reached san Francisco
n "a AZ lay hn Il
though some, on account of their pur-
chases, will sing Gio1q0 IN EtceiSls, and
others dc prO}uhdiS, the tremendous trans
actions will still go on.
The two mines whose granite walls pro-
tect the Great Bonanza are principally
owned by tour men, Messrs Flood. o.
Bren. Mackey and Fair. OF MIR Flood
the following pen portrait by reporter of
the San Francisco Chronicle of the Eth
| instant will be interesting;
''Nlr. Flood is an average millionaire in
appearance and manner, though eNcep-
tional in the number OF his millions His
| private office is small, plain and unpre-
teutous His carpet is little better than
drugget. The only ornament is A steel
| engraving OF Shakespeare and his cotcm-
| poraries, above the nlantel Nothing could
| be quicter than his manner or more un-
assuming than his ordinary costume He
will do for a study to those small-salarled
! individuals who eXpend all their income
and Il little more In diamonds, and then
display the bright stones gautliv all over
their persons. Mr. Flood wore an ordinary
diagonal sI!it, not new, but neat. His
shirt front was ornaneutei with pearl
buttons and his wristbands were fastened
with sleeye-buttons olbone orivury carved
and mounted with silver His gold vest
chain WAS of the smallest pattern and his
Spcctaclcs were common pebbles. steel
trimmed. As Tor his general appearance.
aside from his attire and ornaments, he
might be described as Il portly gentleman
Dt dignihed carriage, pleasant-Voced, with
round tnll regular features, and if not
handsome, certainly very good booking.
The chance isltor mi ght suspect Mr., Flood
of being a Well-to-do mere iant or u couu-
try gentleman of many acres, hut would
scarcely think him to have any where from
SD 200, ,0O0 to 80 ,O0O. 600 tn ,Syc and aG
amount IN posse beyond the Imagination
OF the most enthusiastic dreamer"
These gentlemen, we learn from other
sources, specially the Alta California of
the 9th inst, have been and are hard work
erS, and that more unoStcutatiuuS quiet
and genial men are not found on the Pa
ciiic coast. 1t is also stated that they are
vastly liberal now to all those who have
been steady and consistent friends of theirs
in days agone, and while they were only
dreaming of, not realizing, the existence
and possession of unlimited wealth In
fact, when 1t is remembered that the total
product of the silver miues in Potosi. in
Peru, from the date OF their discovery in
1904 up to the present time, is only about
, ST, 800 900 900, or less than the estimated
value of the Bonanza, the mind is assisted
, III forming an estimate Of the possible
wealth of the four gentlemen named.
In this connection one can hardly help
revertng to the ancient history of the
metal We find in the Bible that it form
ed part OF the vast riches of Abraham
hot Ea,.I L. Cd i L IL