Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-06-19

b. J. MITCHELL.
Washington, June 16, 1889.
THE COMSTOCK LODE.
The Famous Fortunes Made and
Lost There.
lSan Francisco Correspondence Chicago Tribune
II 1t is true that the ComstOck has "petered'
at last, what moral its history has been! How
&c has mase and unmade men, what colossal
fortunes have been built in a month, and h7w
soon have they been dtssipated. Senator Sha-
ron. who was sent to Virginia City by Ralst ID
as the agent OF the Bank OF California, got the
nucleus of his fortune in few months, and Is
now among the richest men In the nation, his
wealth being estimated all the way from $40, :
o00, 900 TO $25, 60o, 600. Mackay was carman in
Bullion as foreman, and then in Kentuck One
day as he with number OF others came off
shift, j. NJ. Walker, who was superintendent of
the mine, was talking to knot of men about
investing In certain neighbOring mine, In
perial, think. Mackay overheard the CONVEX
sation. He had always been sober and indus
tTlous man, and he had some money. He took
Walkers advice and invested in the stock, and
eventually made 100000 which he had on de-
posit In the Bank OF California for several
weeks before again entering the field. Time
ran along. Fair and Mackay made two or three
Joint Investments and always made money
Then 1t happened one day they were down In
Flood & O'Brien's "Auct1on Lunch" saloon, on
Washington street. Flood & O'Brien were doing
modest business, but not enough to choke
them with pride. Flood had made few thou
sand dollars in stocks and was eager for points.
1t was nearing the time for the annual election
OF Hale & NorcroSs. Fair said ii they could
get lot of the stocks and proxies for a lot
more they could get the control OF the mine
away from the Bank of California. They resolv-
Cd TO DO II. They put all their money 10 pool,
Flood acting as broker, and bought all the stock
possible. They secured proxies for enough
more to control the election, but would have
been beaten by Ralston In the end If Col. Fair
NJ 0yS6h Int rift tn h
the most gltttering temptation that RalstOn
could offer. Fair had proxies That represented
the balance OF power, and he threw them as he
N t. Of M Ma Food Co
was the beginning Of the reign. Hav.
Ing got control Of Hale NoroFoss they
The stock SHOT up into the thousands and
they became m1lliona1res In a few weeks. But
this merely whstted their appetites. The Cen
south Of the Ophir, had always been considered
wildcats. Mackay and Fair, who resided in viz
g1nia, thought differently. They quietly gath
cree IN al, an me stock at ~ ana started In to
idated Virginia and California. Everybody
knows what these unparalleled mines have
done. Mackay, Fair, Flood and O'Brien formed
copartnershir, Mackay retaining tw0-f1fths
aid the Others each one-flfth interest In the
partnership. Mackay and Fair attended to
matters In Virginia, Flood manipulated the
"
there was one, kept things moving among the
saloons and out at the Clin house. When he
died In 1877 he left S, 100000.
Senator Jones got his start, made and lost his
fortune on the COmst0ck. He was the daddy of
Crown Point, and here he made his bonanza.
Bow the twenties used to fly In those days!
Wine, two bit cigars, anything-everything free.
But no one knows what han Is capable OF under
certain conditions until he Is seen with I'M
limited wealth in flush mining camp. But
Jones VI nt through like man In the deal last
prises, / believe.
Johnny Skae is another who was for a time
one OF fortunes favorites. He was a telegraph
operator when he got hold of the key to some
Sock operators cipher, which he used to
UGH good advantage that he got the nucleus OF
+ rtune He finally got control Of the Vlr-
gi la and Gold Hin Water company, and that,
mace him 81 900 600. To-day he Is $3.50 900 worse
Lucky" Baldwin is another who owes his
but elevated instincts. yet possessed Of ma na.
tive shrewdneSs, he has accumulated large
fortune through fortunate investmentsin Com
stock securities It Is related Of him that he
divorce from one OF his wives ], 200 shares of
Ophir as fee. The stock was worth at the
time $3.50 share. How cheaply wives are got
end!
The moral history of the Comstock for the
pas 20 years, II truthfully written, would CON-
i
heard of any one being morally elevated oy its
Influence, but the lives that have been wrecked
here, their name Is legion. Even to-day the
crack OF suicides pistol or scenes behind the
grated bars In the two lunatic asylums of this
state tell their own tale. Honor. fortune and
life have been sacrificed time and again to the
god mammon. Men OF moderate fortunes en-
Wed Flood & Co.. and played against their game
and drew disaster, ruin, insanity, death, While
the masters of the situation counted their in
creas1Dg gains in the Nevada bank vaults and
tod 1n -l,<,
out propitlatlng her latest votaries.
In the palmy days OF the Comstock, Virginia
City enjoyed flush times. In the city proper
there was population of about 5000 souls,
consisting Of miners, saloon keepers, merchants
teamsters gamblers, and cOurteSanS; Is faro
banks and 200 cOurteSans lent their attractions
to the place In 1876 and remember the lavish
ness with which money was thrown to the dogs.
Every one had money and every one seemed to
be on glorious spree. But the scene changed
In 1877. Darkness and despair camped under
the shadow OF Mount Davidson. and the glory
OF the COmstOck seemed to have departed. But
In 1875 Sierra Nevada gave evidence of bonan-
"a Money was plenty, stocks booming for
lew weeks. and then, the deal being ended, the
town relapsed into state OF semi bankruptcy.
joint effort was made to revive the lode last
fall, and Union and Sierra Nevada were pushed
up the scale. But the experts who saw the
drifts cop9ered the deal, and 1t now looks as II
the dog was finally and irrevocably dead.
The COmstock has had an unprecedented his
tory. In twenty years 1t has given to the
W0Iu tudu luItt mllllOlS or
money and employment TO thousands of work.
ingmen. 1t has developed some of the finest
machinery In the world, and made a quartette
OF millionaires who never hoped for more than
500, 900 between them. Its future for many
years will be that OF most mining camps that
have had their day. There Is some low grade
ore that may be worked by the Sutro tunnel
mills, to be constructed soon, but the day OF
b0nanZaS has passed.
A Raid on the Shad.
Then American patriots maintain that the
shad Is better than all other fish. There can
be no substantial objection made to the flavor
OF the shad, but who can defend its wanton
wealth of bones? There Is an Indian legend