Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-02-10
James g. Fair, Nevada's Newly-Elect-
ed Senator.

James g. Fair, Nevada's Newly-Elect-
ed Senator.
4~rUKREsFUNDENT 81 the New York
Times, writing from Virginia City, New,
furnishes the annexed sketch:
Col. 4apes, G. Fair was born in the
North hslAnds4n the year 1881, and
dame nth his parents to the United
States IN 1913. His parents settled in
HlinnisE1fu@ 1919, on the breaking out
dflthe California fever, Fair, then lad
Of eighteen, joined the adventurous
throng and wendell his way to the land
Of gold to seek his fortune. And he
found it. Immediately on his arrival in
California he entered upon the pursuit
Of mining, followed it with the varying
success attendant upon gold mining
until 1860. In that year occurred the
great Washoe silver mining excitement,
when large portion of the population
OF California stampeded over the Sierra
Nevada Mountains to the new find. The
Cbmstock lode had been discovered the
previous year, but the excitement
reached its height in 1860. Mining, as
followed in California up to that year,
was but . orudeg process, requiring no
SPECIAL skin or Scientific knowledge.
Npt 30 with Silver mining, however. To
mine properly and successfully fer sill
YER requires the best of engineering
talent. Fair had no education as an
engineer, but natural bent for me-
chanics and engineering, and he at once
saw that Nevada was field for the de-
velopment and exercise. of the talents he
knew he possessed. On@his arrival on
the Comstocka he at first engaged in
prospecting and mining, but it was not
long before he assumed a prominent po
sition as the architect and builder of
quartz-mills and chlorinizing furnaces,
being recognized throughout the then
Territory as first-class mechanical and
mining engineer. In 1864 Col. Fair as
sumedathe ssuperintendency of a mine
on the Co1nstock, and since that time
has superintended nearly every promi-
nent mine on the lode.
In 1867 he became associated in part
nership with James C. Flood and w. S.
O'Brien, of San Francisco, and John
w. Mackey, of Virginia City, and in
that year the firm obtained control of
the Hale 8 K1rcross mine, which was
the beginning}of q career of good for
tune that has placed it's members among
the richest men in the world, A big find
in the Hale s Norcross, attended with
some fortunate and well-planned stock
manipulations, gave the firm capital
which enabled it to purchase other
mines, among which was the ground
now known as the Consolidated Vir-
ginia and California, in which was con-
tanned the 'big bonanza" The history
of this chimney. of gold and silver ore
has alreadyzbee written to death, and
it is only necessary to say here that its
discovery was due more to the
knowledge of Col. Fair than to any 9TH
er cause. Fair is probably to-day the
greatest miner in the world. There is
not detail connected with the great in
dustry of mining with which he is not
perfectly familiar, both in theory and in
practice. Each day finds him in his
miners rig, moving about through the
drifts and levels, twenty FIVE hundred to
three thousand feet under ground, MAX
ing a critical inspection of all the work
ings, noting the progress made since his
last visit, and planning, laying out, and
giving orders for further exploring and
new work. Mining has been the study
of his hfe,l and, when he takes his seat
in the Senate, he may have to go to the
Conklihgs, the Blaines andthe Edmunds
for lessons, in statecraft, but they will
have to wait on him for instruction in
practical, scientific mining.
Col. Fair stands five feet three
in his stockings, and n weighs two
hundred and II twenty seven pounds,
which, taken in Connection with
his financial standing, 8 makes
him in every respect solid man. He
wears long, flowing beard, black as
the ravens wing, except where tinged
with gray, and his head is surmounted
by heavy growth OF black hair, also
streaked with gray. His complexion is
f1orid, which is no doubt caused by his
frequent visits to the heated lower
levels of the mines, where ; the
water, 9would r scald "a man to
death in two inmates, and the air
reaches temperature of 145 degrees
Fahrenheit. His eyes are brown and
sparkling. He was married in Califor-
MIA in 1861, and has family of four
children, two boys and two girls, the
oldest, James, 19years old, having ac-
companied him on his trip around the
world. Mrs. Fair is a kind faced, some
what stout lady, on the shady side of
forty. She is distinguished in this city
for her pleasant manner, affable temper,
and open hearted charities. Shewill do
no discredit to Washington society. In
manner, Col. Fair, is genial and free,
having a smile and pleasant word for
every body, whether a miner in search
of job or a distinguished visitor from
the East or from over the sea. He is
the same to all. @sssfeF ss5 81
A Lady's Account Of an Indian Attack.
ONE warm day in August, upon the