Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1885-07-17
SHUT DOWN q!
THE WOOD RIVER MINING COMPANY
SUSPENDS OPERATIONS.

Wnlcn Only frONieO VtucFS anu Lev
Him Stranded.
Mr.. Nash, Secretary Of the Omaha
Smelling Works, arrived on yester
days train and proceeded to Bullion,
where he ordered the immediate stop
page of all work in the mine and con-
centrating works Of the Wood River
Mining Company. He then gave Or
ders to pay of all claims against the
company, and returned to HALEY.
This morning he went on to ketch.
um, to look into the situation there,
but will return soon to wind up affairs
at Bullion, with the view uf resuming
work on more conservative basis at
an early day.
While in this city Mr.. Nash spoke
freely about the condition OF affairs
and Of the property. The concen-
trating works are frst-c class and nearly
new; the faces of the tunnel workings
look splendidly, and as if paying ore
would be struck at every blow of the
pick or drill. But there are lot of
hangers on about Colonel Wall, who
seem to 'toil not, neither do they
spin'--to much purpose, at any rate;
and as they are old friends, Colonel
Wall cannot shake them off. Mr..
Nash will now proceed to "break the
slate," and put an entirely new force
at work.
This may be one side, but the peo-
pie of Wood River know little
about the other side, and that is
highly creditable to Colonel Wall as
a miner, us a man, and as a manager.
When Colonel Wall took hold at
Bullion he bought group which 1--WE
believe) included the Ophir, May
flower and Bullion claims for $4,000.
He at once set men to work, and with
such success that the $4,000 was re-.
imbursed the first summer. Shortly
thereafter the Mayflower was sold for
$4,000, and IT paid for itself (and
more, too,) in the ensuing Is months.
While this was being done, Colonel
Wallis management enhanced the
value Of the Wood River Company's
stock to that extent that when he
> sought to purchase the controlling i'll.
tcrest he was forced to take 10000 o.
the 100000 shares at - per share
AS he did not have the ready money
he applied to the Omaha Smelling
Works for assistance. and they agreed
to "carry" him until December Is
, 1888. This agreement has since beer
renewed from time to time, unit! i
was generally supposed that Colone
Wall had paid up the whole Of tn
$4,000, with l.. per cent. per mont
. . interest. 1t appears that the con
- - trary was the case; but how much h
- still owes is not publicly known.
Looking back over the years O
- Colonel Wallis management, it seem
>c impossible to detect any grievous O
fatal mistake. He has spent ever
= moment at his mines, scarcely eve
! leaving them even for his meals, an
,, shipped an enormous quantity OF ore
- From the Bullion.Ophir alone he mus
y have shipped over 100000 wortl
7 This in itself proves the sterling il
tegrity and great administrative abb
:. ity of the man. How comes it, there
- fore, that he has not succeeded
: clearing himself OF debt? This is
-, question utterly unanswerable, unles
by referring to his great liberalit
~ He always insisted on paying LIBERAL
unquestioningly, for everything; al
it must be that his downfall! is attri
uted to this. For instance: AT OIL
90 time he employed over $50 men at
Ike or over per day. The margin of pro
rs. was small, lead being very low
nd price, and he was approached wi
o. the view of inducing him to redu
he wages. A reduction of 80 cents p
man would have netted $l25 per da
te- $45,625 per year! This would be
mean profit of itself; but Colonel w,
y" 90 Indignantly refused to cut wages.
Tit probable that, in other matte
As he was as liberal as with wages; a
- if he was his wreck is attributable
~ it.
w W. The disaster which has overtak
* Colonel Wall is one which will re;