The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1878-04-17
n 81 .blf5il ~ z rs
THE SILVER KING.

49, - 'FeL.-- - = setF 4tst VT
There Il q man alivs II this prcsensro.
n,ent Win, II he were 50 mInded, could
give his daughter a marriage PORTION OF
o,s hundred al u ATTY niIiion iolinfs. He
would then have about iifty nlilDIobs lefl
Tor himself. He lives alfwsy up noun.
tain sIdein Nevada, and his daughter
lives With bin, Seven years ago be WAS
d poor man; to-day hs II the silver klng
of An.erics. He. has dug two hl.pdred
million dollars worth of silver ont Of tlis
hill he 10 living 90, and has about two
hundred niitlio,,s more yet tadig. IL he
lives three ysars Longer be will be the
richest man in the world. His name u
James Fair; he 4 the manager, superin.
tendent, chief partner. and principal
shareholder 10 the consolidated Virginia
and Califarnia silver Mines, kpown 20
niei, as the "hig bonanzas,p. He has al
arufy ~ lnen toiling for him day and
night, downi In the very depths Of The
earth, digging, picking, blasting and
crushing . thousand tons Of rock every
tw.nt i -four hours. Ne works rs hard as
any man Of them. The man who, By ais
own unaided exertions, can rise to such
marvellous wealth Ia 80 short time is
wnrlh know lag sonetbiug about. Il is
worll, while Ia liraI, how such y fabulous
f.miunelcmn lie accommodated 3,,et..,...,.I
Seven years ago there were two little
Irislmen Ia the city Q: San Franchises,
keeping driuking-bar ~ very modest
pretsnsions, close TO one Of tie principal
business thorpughfares. Their customers
wereiof oil ksnds-a Aneng ilen was an
unusually large proportion Of stock aud
sI.aie-drsiers. mining. brokers and the
like, who, "a tile intervals Of speculation,
rushed mt OF the neighboring exchange
Ave of six iDiles day for drinks whls-
key being almost the religion ofS.alifopia,
and the two little barkeepers being care
! fnl to sell nothing hut the best article,
their lar ssssn became n place Of popular
resort. And rs NO true Californian cnud
ever Swallow = drink Of whiskey under
any ycircu,nslances without talking about
sllvermines or goId-mines or shares in
mines, Il son fell out that, next 10 the
stock exchange itself. there Was no place
In San Francisco where 81 much mining
talk went, on ss in the saloon Of Me-srs.
F!,,oi 4 o. Brien, which were the names
of the Two little Irishnlen. Keeping their
ears wide open. and sizing The mass Of
| gossip thai ih~y listened TO every day,
il,ess two gentlemen picked up u g,o,i
many crnmls nf u,sful Information, BE-.
slider getting now aud theu direct col,>
lidrntlaI tip; aid they turned some af
them 10 such good accouut by q few quiet
lille speculaiiops. thai thry shortly hads
comlaTlaJle sum Of money lying AT their
bankers. Instead of thfCwing IL away
headIOng ID wild extravagant ventures,
which was The joyous custom Of the aver
aye Californian inshose days, they let Il
lie where II wins. waiting. with eomWen.
daLle prudence. tilItIlsy knew af some.
illing good 10 put Il into, They soon
heard 0f solnsthing good enough. On
fair's advice they hought slisrrsin mine
called The Hale aud Norcross, and we're
speedily taking ovtofit fftren thousand
pounds sterling month 10 dividends.
This mine Was the property ola company,
aud though IL had ii one time paid large
aud continuous dividends, it was now
supposed TO he worked vut aud worthless.
Mn Fair, AowvyrI.. held different
opinion; aud when he came 70 examine u
cafefully. he found Just what he expected
" 6nd--s large deHpsit Of silver-ore.
Thrrrupon he aud Flood and o'Brien p,-
gelher bought up all the shares lhsg could
lay their hands upon, aud obtained COM
pIels rontioI of the mine. It war I'M.
nir,Iiaiciy put under Fairs maaagenriit,
and IL pIospered, aud the three partners
waxed very rich. Il ,stlitTMeas~
Mr. Fair. being 30 experienced and
clever pfuctinal miner. spent niset of bis
time down III the mine, sying out aud
directing the worn fOt hls hrsi. IL was
lnsccssary that he should Ruow sllthsrs
was 10 be known. aud SEQ an there was 70
Ge .rsn, about the properly: and he made
such constant aud tlioFougl, lekplsratioust
or Il. that be very soon got Il by heart. In
q little lime there was i,ot AZ inch with
which be- was NOT thvrvughly acquainted,
not lscs of mineral IN shaft Or tunnel u
Which he was nst Isrsuhally aware. by
and by. being q refiective kind 10 man,
who noti6sdl.ssrythlng aud forgot nvtll-
log, he took ~ thinking over things, ssd
putting odds and ei,dsof observation 10.
gsther, aud compsring notes, and run.
naging inoid outofins-way cofhen II
| tie mine, and making al sorts 81 sxamiua.
tions IN all sorts Of abandoneJ places, aud
generally carrying on 10 aourious way.
until he fnAlly persuaded himself thai
solns where, cIcss BY the Halls and Nor-
cross. there rama gigantic vein of silver
bearing ore, whose value he enuld only
caleuIats 10 figures that srIghtsusi him 70
look At. Week afss week he hunted Coz
fhIs vpin withsut succes., sad under din.
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