Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-11-08
THE BIG BONANZA MEN.

THE BIG BONANZA MEN.
ISan francisco letter to the New York sun
Ten years ago, John Blackey was
working as mining laborer in little
exploring shaft in Virginia City. He
swung his pick vigorously, and was
paid 81 day. To-day, he has "a larger
income than any other single individual
in America, and if his wealth continues
to accumulate as it has for the past two
years, his fortune will rival that of the
richest Rothschild Mr.. Mackey is the
head of the great mining firm of Flood
& O'Brien of this city, whose gigantic
operations and grand aggregation of
capital recently swamped the bank of
California. and hurled Sharon, Ralston
and Jones from their financial pedestal.
The members of the firm are John Mack
ey, James Z. Flood, William S. O'Bri-
en-, and Col. James G. Fair. Mr.. Mack
ey is the financial head, Flood and O.
Brien attend to the interests of the firm
in California, and Col Fair is working
superintendent of the mines in Virginia
City. The latter embrace the famous
Consolidated Virginia, the richest mine
ever discovered in Nevada. now turning
out a million and half month; the
California, adjoining it, with even "a
larger body of ore the Hale and Nor
cross, Best and Belcher. Gould and Cur
ry, Sierra Nevada, Mexican, and finally
the famous Savage. which in years gone
by has turned out its millions Be-
sides, they own score of small mines.
any one of which may at any time turn
up bonanza.
Of the entire business and profits of
the firm Mr.. Mackey has three-ifths in
terest. The firm owns &C, 900 shares of
Consolidated Virginia stock. on which
they declare a monthly dividend of SIO
a share. Mackey' share of this Is $780,
600 a month. Of stock in the Califor-
MIA mine they own 10000 shares The
first monthly dividends OF $40 is to be
declared in November, and this will add
Mr.. Mackey's income S36O,OOO a month,
The other mines that the firm control
pay no dividends. but they yield large
revenue to the firm in ways more indi
rect. For instance, the firm own all
, the wood used in their working, both
for fuel and for timbering, and they sell
it to the companies at an immense prof
it. The Savage, Hale and Norcross
and Gould and Curry all crush more OIL
: less ore, and this is done in the firm
mills at a cost of SIS ton The yielC
of silver being scarcely enough to pay
the cost of both mining and brushing
: assessments are levied to make up tn,
2 deficiency. The firms income from this
4 source and from crushing the ore of tn,
: Consolidated Virginia, which is ais,
l done in their own mills, is estimated a
4 $4,000 month, of which put Mr.
Mackey down for $4,000.
0 Add to this the prospective profits o
r the Nevada bank. which has just open
: ed with capital of S5,00O,000 ant
which is the exclusive property of tn
firm. and you may then figure out th
d income of Mr.. Mackey. The bank o
: California paid for years Is per cent o.
e their S5,000,0O0 capital. The profit
+ of the new bank cannot be less. Thi
i amounts to 100000 or $4,000
: month, of which Mr.. Mackey's shar
: will be $4,000. To sum up, then
G Mackey will have for the next year fro1
t his mining and bullion interests alon
: the colossal income of 1881 900 mont
or at the rate of nearly SlO.000.000
n year This does not include the in
i come of his vast wealth in real estate
;, For the past year be has been maxim
It large investments in the very heart G
| the city. Whole blocks of the valuabl
), real estate in San Francisco have bee
: purchased. and the income from thes
if cannot well be estimated, but it must B
G enormous.
it Mr.. Mackey is the most retiring an
e modest of any of California's million
o aires. He lives in Virginia, but hi
a family spend most of their time in til
e city. He dresses plainly, and might
/ supposed to be well-to-do farmer
nothing more. Already the politician
). of Nevada are moving to make him Ser
IF ator Jones' successor in Washington.
r be wants the place, be can undoubtedl
1t buy it for much less money than Jont
d paid. for Nevada politicians are po'
n and hungry, and will sell out cheap.
e. A writer in the Florida Agricatlturi
r says that kerosene will relieve the irr
" tation occasiOned by poison from ivy