Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-02-19
Alefanoria 6ax&tte
TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 10.
The Bonanza kingS.

| Inc BOnNnZH hlusS.
The four men who compose the Bonanza 6rm
of Flood & O. Brien arc j. G. Flood. William
S. O'Bricn, John Mackey and James &. Fair.
They are all Irshmen, and the man who orIgl'
ually furnished the money was Mackey, who
owns twice as large an interest in its business
as either of the other partners, and who appa
rcntlY is least engaged in the actual transactlo"
of its business. Fair trausacts all the business
at the mines, managing every detail and super
intending the Ophir, Union, Consolidated, Vir:
eiuia Consolidated, California, Mexican and
Best and Bcchcr mines. The market and
banking business at San francisco is in tho
hands Of tho men whose names represent the
firm, and to them all the larger business trans
actions are entrusted. Associated with them
in much of their business is tho San Francisco
Jay Gould, and exAlabama lawyer with
German name, Solomon lIeydenieldt llei
director in most of the great mining companies
with which the firm is identified, aud acts with
| them, although he is not member OF the hrm
Personally, their characteristics arc attrao.
tive. All are of the genial, generous. hail
fellow we'll met sort, apparently feeling the
! burden of their wealth very little, or at least
bearing it very lightly. Flood is tho finest
looking of them all. and friend said yester
day, 'his bonorS set as easily as when lew
years ago he used to retail whiskcy at bit
glass at his Auction Lunch Room" O'Brien
is inclined to be extremely atfable, and MIR.
Mackey is kindly and unpretcntlous His
family is in Europe, and Mrs. Mackey's recep
tions have attracted great deal OF attention.
Fair" said the gentleman before alluded to
'is in fact, the only ono of them who seems to
feel his oats, and his bearing is probably due to
the fact of his long control of large numbers OF
rough men while engaged 10 the immediate
supervision of the mines lilo was born ln
Ireland in 1881, came to America in lS4S, aud
received good business training at Chicago.
In California he is ''49 .cr. and from poverty
has come into neat little income OF $75O,OOo
month net Hc lives 10 not very preteno-
tious, but very white and garing villa, on IS.
street, Virginia City. He has no snobbsh
ideas, however, and, while he keeps barouche
and four for the uso of his wife. pair Of bay
goldiDgs and light buggy answer his own
purposes. lie is not popular, and number
Of times has had his life threatened by men
who believe that they have been wronged by
him n certain stock transactions. Indeed, be
is said to 20 always armed and to have carried
tho traditional knilc 10 his boot leg Tor many
years. A number of peculiar stories are told
of his history In the times when there was less
Of civilization in Nevada than there is at pre-
sent, and he has on one occasion been known
to deal harsilIy with the miners IN his employ
mcnt.
The woath Of these four men, which reaches.
an income representing IN invested fortune Q!
something like $G0J, 90 has all been taken
from the Comstock ledge. which was discovered
in the winter OF 1898. by Swedo, James
Thompson, better known as 'Snowshoe'
Thompson. At that time he was the mail carrier
who went as often as the weather wou permit
on snowshoes over the Pacorvillo mountains.
took to Prof. Stewart at Placervile, number Of
specimens Of black rock which looked like dried
black mud, and which was found to contain Tree
gold and to assay uniformly as high as forty-hVe
to forty-seven per cent. puro gold. 1t was al
profitable and quartz mining was being INTRO
duced, but 80 rich yiold at that time was re-
garded as fabulous and goneraly disbolieved.
Much of tho orc taken from tho veins since that
time has been almost pure gold. and has assay
ed in blocks as high as 90 per cont From the
lode has been taken, it is estimated by the
best authorities, not less than $4OO ,OO0.
In 1876 the amount taken out by these four
men was estimated at 81 500 0OO each, net in al.
dition TO which they realized Sl,OO0.OoO each
from the crushing done for others in their mills
on the same lode. making total income from
this source alone Of 1900. 600, besides that
from all the other numerous sources OF income
which they now possess. They expend 81, ,OO0a
day for blasting power and $1,000 in pure gold
is burned and escapes in a GASEOUS form from
their blasting operations.-N. l. Grnphlc.
SERVANTS AND TRADEsMEN.-An indignant
blacksmith, an humble representative Of the
viruous body Of Newport tradesmeu, came to
a gentleman living there, day or two ago. and
bitterly complained that his horses had been
taken to some other shop to be shod. Ii was
observed to him that the horses as shod by him
were in the habit OF interfering, and it was
pleasanter to drive them when they didn't.-
Gracefully conccdlng or rather waving that
point, he said that the real reason for leaving
him was that ho had not felt ablo to leo the
coachman to more than limited extent-$l3-
and that the new man had outbd him. He re.
ioforced his statement with tho assertion that
when a very rich gentleman, naming him. who
had largo number of horses, had passed the
summer there he had been oubidden in asiml'
lar manner. Tho remark, expressed in sulf
cently plain language to convey the idea to his
RG:ian Intelligence that he had put himself
out Of court as partlccps crimns, did not seem
to convince him that nc was not an innccant
and Injured individual.
1t is possible that it may be fairly inferred
that this system of ''tees' extends through the
whole body of pirates-that ls, tradcsmcn---
and that the butler and coUk may not resist
where the coachman $ virtue fails. .-Nc1 lorE
Herald.
Opening and Closing, OF the Mails.
Tho following will DO tho hours for opening
and closing tho msils until further notice
CLOSING.
Manassas division 4. m.
Alexandria to Round Hill, Va, a. IN.
Alexandria to Gordonsville, Va, 8 q. m.
Washington, ID. g., Baltimore, Md, and
GEORGETOWN, u. g., II m.
Northern and Western mails, via Washing.
ton, D. G., 45 p. m. and 30 p. IN.
Southern mails via Richmond, Va, s 30 pm.
and 80 p. m.
Southwestern mails, via Lynchburg Va,