Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-16
4 BONANZA KING.

John W. markay, One Of the WenithIe-
Men In the World. Who Once Worked for
81 Dny.
"Here," said the speaker, as he stood
with friend near windlass by which
ore was hauled ont OF mine on the
Comstock here / used 20 stand and
turn for 50 day. Seth Cook was my
partner, and he was paid 50 a day. Seth
Cook Is now a large owner in the Stand
ard mine and one Of the rich men of
the Pacific coast" The speaker was
John w. Mackay, the bonanza king, one
OF the richest men in the world. He is
slender, tallish, wcll-knit man Of
iorty-seyen, with clean, welI-marked
face, showing decision and frankness.
lis hair and mustachc are brown,
tinged with gray. His eye is keen and
penetrating, his skin is ruddy, whole
some and vascular, tanned with Nevada
sunshine and steamed in the
Iurlsish-bath temperature of the
/ lower level Of the Comgtock
lode. What imprcsses one about the
man Is that there Is nothing wasted in
/ him; he j. all muscle and nerve, and
/ shows temperate and careful habits.
/ When he walks il is with the sure, agile
tread Of the leopard or the lynx-like
one who may spring al any moment.
There is a Joyous element in the man,
4 which would be winning were its owner
. only cab-drivcr instead of the master
Of millions. He speaks with a half
stalnmer, which at first impresscs one as
being the slOwness Of = man who delib-
crates while be speaks. This is the bo-
nauza king as he stands at your side.
looking ont over the brown Nevada hills.
/ The miners come up and speak 20 him
and call him John, and there j, between
them sense Of command, blended with
comradcship, which appears odd to.
metropolitan eyes.
+ Forty-ecyen years ago, or thereaborts,
John ". Mackay WAS born in Dublin.
He came to New York in his youth, and
gamboled around the City Hall park in
its pastoral days, and was not unhappy
when a blase theatcr-gocr gave him
check for the Park thca.er. Among
other sights be used 10 look with won
der upon famous man strding up
Nassau street from the old pos.office
with a bundle Of newspapers under his
arm. This was james Gordon Bennett,
then a curiosity even TO boys, and the
work which be was doing was build
ing up the New York HsraL Cali
fornia came in enticiug golden
splondor ont Of the sluices Of
Swiss Suiter's mill, and Young
Mackav went with all the world t. FL
dorado. About this time there went
two others on the same crrand. One
was an Irishman named O'Bren-
Billy" O'Brien, as all California came
to call him. Billy had a partner-a
strong.headed, resolute New York lad,
who came from the Broderick section
f of New York, and had in him all that
/ immense capacity Of doing and daring
which gave Broderick national fame.
Billy's partner is now known as James
c. Flood, Of the "Flood d O'Brien
firm" whose phenomenal success was TO
make all the world wonder
Mackay went his way. as everybody
did in those feyerish DAYS. He lived in
mining camps, he slept on the ground.
he picked and scratched and washed the
gravel in running streams; he hal his
ups and downs; he had all that was gay.
all that was goldeni in Eldorado life. and
then be came with his pick and his
blanket to the Nevada mountains. In
the meantime Billy O'Brien and his
partner had tired of the sage-brush.
Giving mp mining they went to san
Francisco and into business. The young
Irishman made their acquaintance. He
had found some good prospects and
they had some money. A hari-headed.
smooth. discreet engineer became known
to them. by name Fair. He was a man
TO be considered, and the result was
that four men Mackay, Flood O'Brien
and Fair-made that business compact
known as tho Bonanza firm. which is
now ruling power in our Pacific en-
/ pire. In the firm Mackay owns two
/ fifths and as head Of the Bonanza firm
is known as the Bonanza king Wash
iagtoa Capitol.
Chinese Patients.