Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-11-15
GREAT BONANZA FIRM OF CALIFORNIA.

The aggregate wealth of Messrs Flood
O'Brien, Mackay Il Fair is over $50, 600, 900.
from which they derive monthly income of
1,75O,0OO in gold coin, or $21 100000 a
year. 1t is the richest mining firm in the
world. They own 5,OOO,000in in the Califor.
mia and Consolidated Virginia mines, and
S5,OOO,0 900 in other mines in Nevada, and in
mills and real estate there. Up to the pres.
ent time the Consolidated Virginia has paid
$50, 900, ,000in dividends. The product of no
other mine in the world is equal to it. They
own real estate in this city, and other proper
ty in neighboring counties to the value of not
less than $2,5O0,0OO. They own the Bank Of
Nevada of this city excepting 5000 shares, }
which has paid up cash capital Of $40, ,OOO,-
900 and a reserve fund of $2,500,000, making
it the richest bank in the United States. If
report is to be credited, they own at the pres
ent time $50.O00,O00 in government bonds,
which they have recently purchased. What
will be the ultimate wealth Of this firm it ia
impossible to guess. If they 60 on adding to
their colossal fortune they may be able to pur-
chase the national debt at no distant day.
Their power for evil or good is immense. At
any moment they could bankrupt the money
market of this city and bring universal ruin.
Flood and O'Brien of the firm attend to
the business in this city, while Mackay and
Fair attend to the mining property in Neva-
da. They are all men of ordinary intelli.
gence, Flood being the brains of the concern.
O'Brien aud Flood have been yoked up to-
gether for nearly quarter of a century. For
many years they run a gin mill in San Fran.
cisco, out of which they made fortune. In
'59 or go, when the Comstock lode was dis
covered, Mackay and Fair became connected
with them, and then the quartette got control
of the bonanza.
Both Flood and O'Brien are quiet, unas-
suming men, and make no show of their great
wealth. The Nevada block building in which
they do their business, is 8 magnificent iron
and stone edi6ce at the corner Of Pine and
Montgomery streets. The corner stone was
laid three years ago, and it is FIVE stories in
height. The interior finish is Of cedar and
black walnut with plate glass in every win
dow. Beside spacious staircase, a hydraulic
elevator is provided. Telegraph wires and
speaking tubes run from the main vestibule
to all the Offices in the building. The base
ment and principal story is devoted to bank
ing offices and the business of the Nevada
Bank. The building from the basement to
the upper story is thronged daily with an ar
my of people having business in it. Hundreds
seek an interview with the two bonanza kings
for various purposes, but it is next to impossi.
BILE to get one. During business hours no
man can get an interview with Flood except
through his private secretary. The nature of
ones business must frst be communicated to
the secretary, and then if he thinks it of sufi-
cient consideration for Flood, he sends in
your card and an appointment is made. Hun
dreds are disappointed by failing to get an
interview, especially those who are after char
ity, or who want to call the attention of the
firm to some scheme in which aid is wanted.
Flood is a man of but few words, and des'
patches his business quickly. He is rarely
on the street. He has goodsized head, full
face, is inclined to corpulency and weighs, l
should Judge, 1870 pounds in his stockings.
O'Brien is taller, of larger frame and heavier,
weighing, should think, 225 pounds. His
face is cleanly shaven. He is more talkative
than Flood and of a jolly turn. He can be
daily seen near the entrance of the Nevada
Bank, where he stands sometimes an hour or
two at time chatting with his friends, whom
he never fails to recognize. He seems to know
everybody and everybody certainly knows
him by sight, and neither he nor Flood can
go along the street without being pointed out
among the surgng crowd.-San francisco
Correspondence