The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-05-10
View York and California Mil
liOnaireS.


If over half a century are subdiyided
among their heirs or legatees. The
,ossessor of five or ten millions can
not FIJI the places left vacant by AS
Chr and Stewart. Vanderbilt is now
che sole survivor of the three men
rbose fortunes ranked with the great
sortunes Of the world. All this great
uealth, amassed during the present
6sntury. was the result of hard wo.l,
sasacity and economy, steadfastly
continued during long series of
years. John Jacob Astor, the foun-
der of the family in New York, was
not one of the very rich men of this
city in 1900. He began with the
century and grew with the country
during those years of unparalleled ma
terial prosperity which marked the
wonderful progress Of the United
States in manufactures, commerce,
agriculture and railroads for the first
6fty years of the present century.
We look the world over in vain for
such another example of increased
wealth, population and political pow
er in so short space of time. Nor
can any of the great centres of civil
cation, London, Paris, Berlin or Vi
emma, furnish Us with the names of
three men who have unaided achieved
such enormous fortunes in the short
space of a life. The name of Meyer
Anselm Rothsehild may be quoted
in objection. But he stands alone,
and moreover was hard upon sixty
years old at the beginning of the
present century, and belongs to
generation long since passed away.
During the past fifty years this coun-
try has presented to all corners field
for the accumulation Of wealth such
as has never before been known to
man or offered to endeavor.
We cannot hope again to realize
such exceptional conditions for all
manner of commercial and industrial
enterprises here in the Eastern or
Middle States during the remaining
years Of the century. But over the
mountains, on the shores of the Pa
cifc, those new countries Astounding
in precious metals, where untold
wealth lies dormant in the bowels OF
the earth, only requiring the ingenu-
ity and labor of man to bring it forth,
promise field for the rapid accumu.
lation of wealth which bids fail
to furnish us with California mil
lionnaires, some of whom are already
among the very rich men of the world
Senator William Sharon, of Nevada
and California, a man yet in the
prime of life, is reputed to be wortl
S4O,000,000. His colleague, Mr.
Jones, of Nevada, is estimated a
$30,000,000. Both of these gentle
men are, as is universally known
deeply interested in the Nevada sill
yer mines, and right royalty woult
they manage the financial affairs o
this financially afflicted nation if they
had their way and say. Senate
Sharon, on his arrival at Washington
this winter, was understood to be il
favor of selling 5 per cent. bonds il
Europe and at once redeemin!
$400,000,000 Of greenbacks in silver
This would not have been bad wa,
for him, of getting rid of the surplus
California silver. Among the mos
active and stirring of California
millionaires may be mentioned tn
members of the great San Francisco
house of Flood B O'Brien, known tn
world over as owners of the Big Be
nanza. The firm consists Of fou
partners--Flood, O'Brien, John W
Mackay and James G.. Fair. Th
two latter are practical miners, ant
in point Of fact the, working part
ners and real heads of the house
They direct all t b e work at th
mines. John w. Mackay and Jane
G. Fair have made silver minin
what it is in Nevada. The member
of the firm all came to Californi
without money or friends. til est
mated that each partner Of this fir
is to-day in the enjoyment of an in
come of over 81, 100000 a year. TIL
Big Bonanza alone is computed t
contain a mass of gold and silve
valued at $500, 900, 900, and yields a
present over $2,500,000 a month";
The fabulous sums which are her
regularly extracted from the cart
every four weeks remind one of til
fairy tales of old. The Consolidate
Virginia Mine produces 100000
month uhiln Ii Ia nsti IN q ad hu I'll &c