Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-13
PACIFIC Cdas.f NAls0Bs.
Who Have Riches, and How They Got
Them

CosTe'rcndence st. Louis G.o,e democrat.
The biggest fortunes On the Pacific coast are
those of the Central Pacific railroad magnates.
and Ex-Governor Stanfprdi is the richest of the
group His wealth is estimated at SIS, 600, COO;
that Is. his yearly income is equal to the interest
on SUCH capital and his property is constantly
increasing in value. He owns more than SIS 600.
600 alone in San Francisco In real estate. to say
nothing of his farms. vineyards. breeding
ranches, etc. The Ex-Governor has but one
child. Leland. jr.. lad of about 15
The richest widow on the Pacific coast, or in
the country for that matter. with the posi-
BILE exception of Mrs. Cornelia Stewart. is
Mrs. Mark Hopkins widow of one Of the Cen
tral Pacific syndicate. Her husbands estate
proved up to 1913 900 900. and the only two men
Iii California who could justify on the widows
bond as executrix were Leland Stamford aud
Charles Croker. two of her husbands business
associates. They were compelled to justify in
twice the amount of the estate. and each swOre
that he was worth $40 coo. 900. Mrs. Hopkins is al
elderly woman. They had no children, but had
adopted son. whom Mrs. Hopkins has just
married to Miss Crittenden, prctege Of hers
providing her with the dot of princess. There
son. Tim" will get tie bulk of it.
The richest young and unmarried woman on
the Pacific coast is Miss Jennie Flood. only
daughter of the bonanza king. When her
fathers income from the big silver bonanza
was at its highest he bought 50 500, 600 OF
United States per cents and gave them to his
daughter outright. having them registered in
her name. He also gave his son 81 .OOO. coo in
the same securities, but the latter does
not promise well, and the bonds have gone
back to the fathers bank vault for safe
Keeping. Miss Jennie is a charming young
woman. rather plain, it is true and away out of
her teens. but she is good. sensible girl wholly
free from display or affectation. She is deeply
pious. and there has been some talk of her
taxing the veil. There was also some talk at
one time OF her marrying Buck Grant Miss
Flood only laughed at the idea, as, indeed. did
young Grant himself. The only one anxious to
bring about that match was Papa Flood, but the
young folk couldn't see it,
The richest prospective heiress in California is
MISS Hattie Croker, the only daughter of
Charles Crocker, another of the railroad syndi-
cate. She, also, is a charming girl and, like
Miss Flood, is rather plain in appearance She
is noted for her charities and domestic virtues
She was sought in marriage by Lord Beaumont.
an English nObleman, but she gave him no en-
couragement, and it Is believed prefers to re-
main single. Mr.. Croker has two other chill
dren. sons. but his immense wealth will give all
princely fortune
The luck1est young man in California in point
OF wealth is Mr.. James V. Coleman, of Menlo
Park. few years ago he was clerk at mine
In Nevada at 500 month. But he didn't ex-
pect to be always. for William T. O'Brien. one
OF the bonanza kings. was his uncle, and Mr.
OBrien was a bachelor. One day Mr.. O'Brlen
got sick and sent for Jimmie" as he was
always called to be with him and care for him.
In the last days Of his illness the nurses said
Uncle Billy" and Jimmie" were closeted
together a great deal. and one evening
Jimmie" came out of Uncle Billy's
room with big tin box which his Uncle Billy
had given him. 1t contained $4,000 in
per cents. A week. later Uncle Billy died.
and by his will all the nephews and neces were
left $500 600 each, including Jimmie, who
got that in addition to the ante mortem Gift of
half million But not content with that, Uncle
Billy made Jimmie" an executor without
bonds. and his fees as such amounted to S4e4 600
The whe+e value of Uncle Billy's estate was a
little over $9.000.0OO. After the leqacies were
paid, the residue was turned over to Mr.
o Brlen's two sisters. Mrs. Coleman ("Jimmie's"
mother) and Mrs. Joseph McDonough. The two
ladies inherited 81, 10000 each. The lucky
young man referred to is about 49, graduate
of Georgetown College, DC. and has just been
elected to the assembly of California Jimmie"
has gone into training for Congress, and will
get there in 1854.
The unluckiest man on the Pacific slope. in
point of wealth, is Senator Jones, of Nevada
There has perhaps never been so vast fortune
so quickly scattered as that of jones' In spite
of popular belief Senator Jones to-day is poor
comparatively speaking. When he was elected
to the Senate in 1878 he was worth at least
$4,000 600. To-day he is not worth $4,000
above his debts, and his congressional salary
is no longer despsed as a source of income. it
would be hard to tell where Jones' fortune has
gone, or, more correctly speaking. hard to
tell where it hasn't gone. No man
ever sunk so much money in chimerical
schemes, invested SO much in bogus friend
sh1ps or became so easy prey to financial sharks
as Jones. He sunk $2,OOO.OOO hard money in
mines in Pauamint, California, which never
yielded dollar. He sunk another million in the
sumner mine, in southern California. He built
railroad in southern California IL miles long.
and it cost enough to have had every tie of ma
hogany and every rail of silver. The Central Pa
clflc afterWard bought it for about 81, 600 mile
He bought every ranch ever offered him-indeed.
he bought one in Nevada which has never been
located to this day. Jones' agents could never
find it. He started an cefactory in New Orleans.
He never saw the factory. and never but once or
twice the man who got him into it, He opened
the ST. James hotel in New York, and of course
1t never paid. The last cruel wipe that Fate had
In store for Jones was the 'Sierra Nevada deal"
as Californians call it, of four years ago. On a
mere prospect the stock was jumped from So
snare to S275. Jones got in at about $500. on
the drop. The stock is selling now for less than
IS share. The Bank of Nevada is believed to
be carrying Jones' stock for him yet. At the
time Senator Jones was talked of 80 strongly
for Secretary Of the Treasury, Californans who
remembered how well Jones had taken care of
his own money could not repress smile that
ne should be thought competent to take care of
the peoples.
But fortunes made in mining are not only
likely to be scattered, if their owner sticks to
the business but they are also usually over
estimated. The fortunes Of the bonanza men
of Nevada. Mackey, Flood and Fair were not
only greatly exaggerated in the first place. but
within five years they have sadly dwindled
Their great source OF wealth was in working the
ores of the Big Bonanza. hauling the bullion
and managing the mines and that has wholly
stopped. Their mining stocks have sunk in
value to almost zero, and it is hard to
tell now wherein their great fortunes
consist. OF course all are rich men.
out nothing like as rich as they were
five years ago. 1t is doubtful if any of them.
with the possible exception of Mackey, who al
ways had twice as much as the others. would
now cut up S5OOO.OOO. Mr.. Flood owns but lit
tie real estate. Mr.. Mackey none at ALL Sena-
tor Fair owns about 90, 100000 worth Their
mining operations have for two years been a
burden. Their bank does not pay. and never
has paid, for 1t never got the confidence of mr.