Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-01
CALlsogSIa xAB08s.

CAllsogsIa xABsgs.
Perhaps the Pacific coast nabob most
talked sbeus and written about during
| his six years term In The UnIed SSstes
| Senate vas William Shsron. When.
| twenty years ago, be went from Oaio ID
/ California, be had neither money. bu-i-
ness training, nor IndaeBcs- In less
than decade thereafter he had an In
come of half q million dollars q month.
and when elscted to the senate IN 1874
from Nevada, after IN expsnditurs Of
| fully ESQ, 00 In the canvas, he vas re-
| putsd 70 b worth 100000. He and
kaiotsp were partners In vast mining
end real estate infsresfs, and when the
latter vas found 70 Be defaniter 70 tie
srtent Of nsarly $4,000 900 there vas bot
ooe thing for Sharon 70 do 70 save hiU-
self make good the deficit and take all
OF Kaiston's schemes upon bis ovn
shouldefs II v6s . mighty task, and II
took two or three years TO bring order
out Of the chaos. But IL vas done. The
Bank Of California has full y rehabiiI-
tated, and II Shafon's original fortune
10 not wholly intact, II Is bat little i'm
paired. He Is probably worth today
from %, m,0O 70 te.0o.0 bat large
portion Of this 10 represented BY the
Palace Hotel, which does not yield one
pr csnt. year on the original Invest.
msnt. Mr.. Sharon Is also tie chief
owner Of the Spring Valley water works,
Q local monopoly which supplies the
city With water, and he aad D. y. Mills
own the Virginia & Truckee and the
~ = C<.fn~u L. ~oslpnaAa in NauaAa
The former il the road which connects
Virginia City with the Central Pacific.
and in bonanza times it used TO pay
twenty-five Der cent. on capital three
times watsfed. Bat those days have
gone by.
Another very rich man ID General
Thomas H. Williams. Williams is the
son of the Hon. Sherrod Williams,
former Kentucky Congressman. aud ID
lawyer, and brilliant one but since
he " cleaned up" 100000 in the big
bonanza he has sabandoued practice.
The foundation of kis fortune was laid
in q singular way. Some five years be-
fore the discovery Of the big bonanza
he was the attorney for man in Law
sait in Virginia City. The General los.
his suit and the man didn't want 20 pay
his fee. Williams sued and finally it was
compromised by the man giving him lUO
fest Of mining ground, called the Cen
trail No. 2" claim ON the COmstock. The
General took II rather than carry the
thing further, but he considered it of
little or any value. He tried to give
half of IL away once IL the donee would
guarantee to do the assessment work.
but the person to whom he offered il
declined. When the Consolidated Vir-
ginia Company was organized, Central
No. z" adjoined their ground on the
north. When the California Company
was formed, IL took in Central No. g"
and Williams was given SO0O shares of
stock for his claim. When the great
BONANZA was found il was discovered
that the very heart Of 1.-THE bulge, 80
70 speak-Was located in that loo feet
Of ground. The great rise in the stock
and the enormous dividends it yielded
gave General Williams his present for
tune.
d. q. Mills began his career in Cali
fornia - the keeper Of kind Of thread
and needle store in Sacramento, bat he
soon bloomed out ~ q money lender and
gold dust dealer. He made money fsst
and finally started bank, and by
the most cautious business methods
added TO his store. Then he met the
dashinQ Ralston, and with him and
others started the Bank Of California.
Ralston carried things. with a very
high hand. He made money by the
million for himself and his chief asso-
cistes, Mills and Sharon, but he couldn't
keep his own share. The Belcher-
Grown Point bonanza was nearly all
the property of these three men,
with senator Jones added. Mills
knew but little of the inner work
ings Of the bank which controlled these
mines and their operations. He trusted
kalston and sharon for that. Mr.. Mills
did rouse himself once, when somebody
old him that Ralst0n owed the bank
nearly 5000, 000-had scooped all its
surplus and half it's capital. The sleek
old gentleman turned white for mo-
mont, but he Was equal fer the occasion.
He closed the door, called the directors,
demanded Of Ralston statement, and
that not coming az promptly az he
thought the occasion required, he de-
manded further kalston's resignation.
IL was given ON the spot, and the dis
gfaced nabob went out Of the door and
threw himself into the bay. Mr.. Mills
has fortune Of perhaps $l5,0O,OO.
Jim" keene accumulated the mil
lions with which he went to New York
and startled Wall street BY cool adront-
cry, brazen courage and an energy aud
dash that we're marvellous. He got thsm
By A up and up, stand-up, single hand
cd fight with james y. Flood and his
BONANZA associates. When Keene went
to San Francisco he was bright fellow.
and u didn't take him long to select his
way Of making q living. He had been
teaching school and editing q weekly
Newspaper at Shasta, California, and
the life didn't suit him. He often says
himself that he WA the poorest editor
that ever grabbed shears. So greatly
did the petty annoyances of An editorial
room impress themselves upon his mem
ory, that years after, In the wild olamor
Of the stock board, when fortunes we're
being made and lost In a minute, Kesne
has said frequently that above all that
din he could yet hear his old foreman's
howl for copy" He began his Fan
Francisco career a. a curbstone broker,
and used 10 execute orders on the street
for bigger brokers In the board. His
advance was rapid. and his luck was
prodigious. He soon had q member
ship, and In the great excitement Of
most dazzling operator in the market.
He was generally bear. and a. such
became thorn In the side Of Ralston
and other heavy bulls. When Flood
came upon the scene be was the frat TO
throw . rcd nag In the face VI that fau-
70 aud draw his lance. Flood hated
keene With an Aws-inspiring hatred.
The latter began bearing the BONANZA
stOcks at almost their highest figure,
and he never stopped until be left the
street with o&,0O,0Oo in gold, fully
three fourshs Of which came from the
golfers Of his mortal enemies.
James H. HAgRin 10 California mil.
lionaire who furnishes N example OF
what can b done in mining without the
aid Of excitement and "deals," and
stock boards and SPECULATION. He mines
Tor what u In the ground solely, and has
been the most fortunate man In that
respect the Pacific Coast has ever pro-
ducsd. When Mr.. HaeRin hears Of q
'prospscts he ssnds trusty agent TO
look a Il. lfapprovsd, he buys Il; AID
The most marvellous thing Of all II hs %
rarely makes q mistake that IL 10 excsp-
tioual. Il vas he that DEVELOPED the
Black Hills mines, which yielded mil.
Il lima md nsA- ~