The Iola register., 1881-02-11

James G.. Fair, Nevada's Newly Elect.
ed Senator.
A CORRESPONDENT of the New York
Times, writing from Virginia City, New,
furnishes the annexed sketch:
Col. James G. Fair was born in the
north of Ireland in the year 1881, and
came with his parents to the United
States in 1S43. His parents settled in
Illinois. In 1849, on the breaking out
of the California fever, Fair, then lad
of eighteen, Joined the adventurous
throng and wended 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 q large portion of the population
of California stampeded over the Sierra
Nevada Mountains to the new find. The
Comstock lode had been discovered the
previous year, but the excitement
rcdCQSU us uclSul III JCOO. AAAuluS,s d.
followed in California up to that year,
was but crude process, requiring no
special skill or scientific knowledge.
Not so 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-
yelopment and exercise of the talents he
knew he possessed. On his arrival on
the Comstock 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
ouartz-mills and chlorinizing furnaces,
being recognized throughout the then
Territory as a first-class mechanical and
mining engineer. In 1864 Col. Fair as
sumed the superintendency of mine
on the Comstock, 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 & NOrcrOss mine, which was
the beginning of q career of good for
tune that has placed its members among
the richest men in the world. A big find
in the Hale & 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 already been written to death, and
it is only necessary to say here that its
discovery was due more to the
untiring energy and engineering
knowledge of Col. Fair than to any 9th
er cause. Fair is probably to-day the
greatest miner in the world. There is
not a 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 life, and, when he takes his seat
in the Senate, he may have to 60 to the
Conklings, the Blaines and the Edmund:
for lessons in statecraft, but they viii
have to wait on him for instruction II
practical, scientific mining.
Col. Fair stands five feet three
in his stockings, and weighs two
hundred and twenty-seven pounds
which, taken in connection witt
his financial standing, make
him in every respect solid man. Ill
wears a long, flowing beard, black a
the ravens wing, except where tinget
with gray, and his head is surmountet
by heavy growth of black hair, als'
streaked with gray. His complexion i
florid, which is no doubt caused by hi
frequent visits to the heated lowe
levels of the mines, where tn
water would scald man t.
death in two minutes, and the al
reaches a temperature of 145 degree
Fahrenheit. His eyes are brown ant
sparkling. He was married in Califor
MIA in 1861, and has family of foa
children, two boys and two girls, tn
Oldest, James, 10 years old, having &C
, companied him on his trip around tn
. world. Mrs. Fair is a kind-faced, some
what stout lady, on the shady side 9
} forty. She is distinguished in this cit
for her pleasant manner, affable temper
> and open-hearted charities. She will d
3 no discredit to Washington society. L
manner, Col. Fair is genial and free
3 having a smile and pleasant word to
5 eyerybody, whether miner in scare
, of a job or distinguished visitor froI
D the East or from over the sea. He
8 the same to all.
A Lady's Account Of an Indian Attach
One warm day in August, upon tn