The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-11
A BONANZA KINGS PALACE.
Tho Gorgeous California Establishment Of
Jim the Barkeeper.
ICtncInnati COMMERCIAL

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20.-James q. Flood,
one OF tho mm6us Bonanza quartet, and said
to be the proapective fatber-in-law OF the son
Of the man who lonReth with q great longing
after u third term. has nearly completed his
p~alatfal summe residences at Menlo Park,
which Is situated In the valley stretching
along by the bay, between San Francisco and
San Lose.
five fe Vt front. This Flood has covered land
enough to give thousands of US our -four feet
and q garden patch besides.
lie used to keep q little grocery down near
the city front, he and Billy OBrien, tho Boz
nauHb jewel, which was taken to its final set
ting more than II year ago. The little shop
was n favorite place with miners, and as the
chain lightning he furnished slipped down
their throats their tongues were loosened, and
carefully guarded secrets Crept out from their
hiding places, and seeing their opportunity,
slipped off the miners tongues, taking refuge
In the generous ears which the Isle % Erin
had Furnished to Jim Flood, for he was only
jim, the barkeeper, then. And so he gathered
the valuable bits OF Information which they
dropped, along with the other bits which
rapidly filled his till.
By and by Jimmy Flood and Bully o Brlen
Caught the fever and manifested more In
terest In the mines OF Nevada than they did In
the little grog-shop In town. Andthey bought
odd claims from men who had become dis
couraged and lost their grip, adding to them
other claims owned by men who were glad to
SHlIu I'd Some ObubE uuHTbeE. Inc pbbplt
talked and said they were d choice pair OF
fools; that the savings OF the little bar-room
would vanish long before they could strike
ore; that the claims would not pan out we'll;
and SO on to the end OF the chapter. But
these two ITishmen blasted and ShOyeled until
one day the world knew that, in spite Of the
croakeTs, they had struck II rich and were the
owners OF a large slice of what the world
knows as the famou COmstoek Lode" The
stock OF their mines went up like a shooting
EtuT phnnpinO from a fpU GntIard tn near
hundreds In two or three days. Californians
were nearly driven crazy over the sudden
stroke OF fortune, and gambling In the shares
or these mines made fortunes for a few, and
made beggars and suicides OF many.
At some point Of their adventure James
Fair and John w. Mackey were added to the
! firm, which waxed rich with marvellous
raptdity.
dinna know, nor do / think they can just tell
themselves. Probably q good many when
Ehere are marriage settlements to make, but
Abnly a few when the tax-gatherer passes by.
They own a bank with a paid-up capital OF
between ten and twelve millions; they own a
controlling interest IN several mines; they
own individually large sums In government
securities Floods interest from four per
cents amounting to $3.50, 900 per annum); they
own In Nevada w~aterworks, mills, timber
lands-everything under heaven they can
make a monopoly and make money out OF.
They are building a narrow-gauge railroad
down the coast, and a good one, too; they are
erecting palatial residences In and out OF
town. The fact Is, they own-well a good
deal; among other things, the reputation OF
making beggars OF more men, and
children, through bulling and bearing the
stock market, through carefully managed
misrepresentation and distortion of facts,
than all other causes III California.
During the excitement over the Sierra Ne
vada mining stock, which In a few days rose
from 81 to nearly $500 q share, and then
dropped to $50. beggaring many who had
staked their all and were carrying on a mar
gin, perhaps, James Flood looked back to
! the rolIicking bar-room days and thought