Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-13

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Ktsh ssssrsses and EAGER sailors New Az
sseeses 81 stsssor ralr's Abnorasi Sc
er,s,enssf.
A San Francisco letter says; The
m,lIiona;res Of this city are queer loi
Of cattle. Not one OF them Inherited
wealth. All have made their money
BY superior business capacity, SUI
ptrior cunning, or by the luck which
Is often more valuable 10 its pos
SCISSOR than brains or business shrewd-
ness. San Francisco is probably a
larger holder Of Government bonds
than any other city in this country,
with the exception OF New York and
Boston; yet these millions OF bonds
are in the hands Of score OF great
mining and railroad kings. In no other
part Of the country, save in the oil re-
eions Of Pennsylvania, have there been
seen anything like the sudden leaps into
vast fortunes which have been witnessed
here during the last twenty years.
First came the railroad boom, which
carried up with il about half dozen
men who had confidence in the project
Of spanning the continent with iron
rails when the faith Of every one else
was weak. Leland Stanford began in
1861 with 10000 Of capital; Hunt
ilgton. Hopkins, and Croker each had
less than this sum. Now Stanford's
wealth is estimated at ESQ, 600, 900 and
that of the others at from S25, 100000
TO s40,0O0.0O0. There is no telling
what Huntington is worth, as he has
Mr.. Gould's faculty Of spreading him
self on, an immense area and Of carry
ing on q score Of great enterprises.
Like Dir. Gould, he is often pinched for
money, but ii will not be bad
thing TO be reckoned as one Of
his heirs when his estate is final
ly divided. The Bonanza millionaires
began lower down than the railway
kings. Flood & 0'Brien kept corner
grocery, which may yet be seen by the
curious. in this city. Fair and Mackay
were both common miners in appear
ancc with, as it proved, uncommon
genius for developing the rich Comstock
lode which fortune threw in their way.
Before the uncoyering OF the Big Be-
nanza, about fifteen years ago, not one
Of these men was worth more
than $4,000. To-day rumor gives
them fortunes Of various sizes, accord
ing TO the warmth Of the imagination of
the calculator but there is no question
that, even with the immense shrinkage
ofvalues in mining stocks, they may
all be safely put down as above the
ego, 200, 900 limit. OF the railroad |
magnates, Hopkins and Cotton are
dead; while Of the Bonanza kings,
0'Brien alone has succumbed to the |
inevitable and given, up his grip on the
millions that were dear to him. The
others are all aliye--yery much alive,
as any reader Of the newspapers knows. /
SCANDALS AND GOSSIP.
These people, in spite Of their re-
firing ways, occupy a good deal of
space in the public eye. They can't
keep out of print even if they try.
Stanford and Fair are United States
senator's, and are bound to be public
property for the newspaper gossips. The
others are engaged in so many schemes
which have deep interest for the man
who has only small capital and can't
indulge in such vast enterprises that
they are continually coming to
the surface. Many fables are related
Of their dOings, but even Munchaussn
would have had hard work to equal the
reality. The fierce light which beats
on the millionaire, as ON the occupant of
throne, lays bare all their intrigues
and all their faults. The scandals of !
the obscure are Of no interest, but
every scrap Of gossip about these men
is eagerly retailed, and Of these scraps
there is an abundance. Stanford
and Flood have probably succeed
ed in keeping more free from
the faint of such scandal than
any Of the others, doubtless be-
cause of a certain GOODNESS Of tempera-
ment. There are many delectable bits
Of gossip about Croker which will not
bear putting in print, but are more
suitable for what our English friends
call the talk Of the smoking-room."
Fair gained unenyiable notoriety by the
divorce suit brought by his wife. With
habitual caution he kept all mention Of
it out Of the newspapers until the whole
matter was settled, but the complaint
was so gross in its details that it Sc
riously hurt his reputation and brought
him the same kind Of questionable re-
pute which his more notorious divorce
case has brought Sharon.
A PRN-PICTURE OF SENATOR STAN
FORD.
Any Of these millionaires except
Huntington and Mackay may be seen
on the streets Of San Francisco the
greater part of the year. There is no.
thing imposing about their appearance.
they are common clay and give no
traces of the getting Of great wealth.
Most Of them ride in the democratic
street-car when returning from bust
ness; they dress in common clothes
and give no indication Of handling for
tunes every day. Senator Stanford, when
he is in town, may be seen every day at
the Central Pacific railroad ofiices-a
huge building in the southern part Of |
the city, near the bay and within sound |
Of arriving and departing trains--all |
day long. His office is plainly fur
nished, and he himself is a man Of very
few words. His face is peculiar, with |
its oyerhaDging brow, deep, sunken
eyes, cast into deeper shadow by thick,
bushy eyebrows large, heavy features
and the mouth Of mastiff in repose.
There is undeniable power in the face,
but there is no lightness, no humor, no |
nobility. You would say when he
raises his still, keen eyes and slowly
answers question "Here is man
who il the incarnation Of will-power.
lie viii never give up his grip on any
pet project. You will find il hard TO
deceive him, because he looks at all
sides Of question carefully, and he is
very slow in making decision. Once
made, however, it is useless to try TO
change it," And this analysis would
not be far from right. The last time |
saw Stanford was Immediately after his
election as United States senator. He