The Russellville Democrat., 1880-04-22
THE BONANZA KINGS.

Italy, paid his first visit to tic ..iissaa .as capital
 THE BONANZA KINGS.
 Sketches of Mackay. Flood and O'Brien---
 Wealth of the Consolidated Mines.
 Correspondence Chicago Tribune.
 Undoubtedly John w. Mackay is the wealthiest gentleman upon the Pacific slope. His wealth is variously estimated at from s15,000000 to $25 5,000,0 900. He came to San Francisco. and for several years remained comparatively poor. He is now the largest owner in the Nevada Bank and in the Consolidated Virginia mines He spends most of his time in Virginia City, Nev. His office is in the branch of the Nevada Bank established in that city, although he spends much of his time about the mines, concerning which he knows every detail A thou sand men in Virginia City wear better clothes, and put on more airs than Mir. Mackay does. Everybody speaks to him and he speaks to everybody think he could be elected Senator from Nevada by merely announcing his desire for an election. He keeps an open house, and goes around with an open heart His recent individual contribution of $10,000, and the contribution of $25 ,000 from the bank in which he is chief owner, for the relief of the poor in Ireland, are only trlfe compared with his donations for charitable purposes during the past few years. Thereis an orphan establishment Tn Virginia City, caring for and educat- ing the orphans of that section of Ne vada, to which he has for years been a constant contributor. On his return to Nevada, some weeks ago, one of the Sis ters in charge came to him and told him of their necessities, and the poverty to which they were reduced. He was Tn hurry, but, without ceasing his work, directed his manager to immediately send the institution ton of flour and ten tons of coal, saying the moment he got a little leisure he would go down and see what else they needed.
 Col. Fair, like Mackay, lives mainly in Nevada near the mines, giving his per sonai attention to their development. He is quiet, transformations man who says but little, but does a great deal of thinking. He is an Orangeman, with no love. for the Irish The outside world has never heard as much of Col. Fair as of the other Bonanza kings, but his ability is appreciated by the people of the Pacific slope, and his judgment and executive ability are recognized by the other members of the firm.
 0'Brien is dead. He was the Mark Tapley of the Big Bonanza, and no man ever found him out of patience. I never heard his name spoken except with evi- dent affection. He left over $10,000,000 at his death.
 The remaining member of the firm, Flood, has generally lived ill San Fran cisco. with headquarters at thes Nevada Bank, and it is to his genius that much of the success of the capitalists of the bank is due. He is really the financial man of the consolidation, and with pow CTS that would have placed him in the front rank as financier had he lived in New York instead of San Francisco. He has much of that reserve of manner which thoughtful men usually possess. He is calculated to be much more popu- lar in San Francisco than in Virginia City, where the branch bank is located. His ways are just suited to read and match the shrewd men of the great city, but not to meet the rough, bustling, and hail fellow crowd he would meet at the Nevada mines.
 From the men whose money is behind the Nevada Bank, in San Francisco and its branches elsewhere, and whose hearts have never been hardened by success, comes ,000, in addition to the SIC, ,000 which Mackay had already sent for the relief of the. Irish poor.
 The Nevada Bank is one of the great institutions of the world. Inconsequence of excessive taxation on bank capital un. rk,.l. ~ln r. .4 reduced its capital on January l to S3,000,000, which leaves on it's hands a surplus reserve of $3,500,000 invested in government bonds. In addition, there stands on the books of the treasury de- partment at Washington, in United States stocks, property of shareholders, and registered in three names of the bank, S20 0,500,000, the aggregated of the 1 United States securities held by the Nevada Bank and it's shareholders.
 And now the question arises in the minds of your readers, from whence has all this wealth come? This same bonanza firm has for years owned con- trolling influence in the Consolidated | Virginia mine and several others on the four years over $1lS,000,000 in gold and l dated Virginia mine, and SS0, ,000 of it | paid out in dividends to stockholders. It paid the expenses of working after the expenditure of the first S700,000
 went down this mine, through the kindness of Mir. Mackay, some three weeks ago, to the depth of /, ,450 feet, and followed along it's different drifts, and saw the hundreds of workmen employed within it, and l feel confident it will be as successfully worked and as remunera- tive in the future as in the past. The worst obstacles have been already over come, and the whole machinery is in full operation, and with the most re- munerative results. Its managers have had all the experience any men have ever had, and during all these years have maintained a character for integrity that l never heard questioned on the Pacific slope.
 "Them ere MaIlards.r