The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-16
RICH MEN OF CALIFORNIA.
Graphic Pen Pictures Of Some Eccentric
San Francisco MilliOnaires.
Rich Heiresses and Eager Suitors-AnecdOtes
Of Fairs Extraordinary SecretiveneSs-
How Bonanza Kings Wear Out.

San Francisco Letter in ST. Louis Globe Democrat
The millionaires of this city are a queer lot of
cattle. Not one of them inherited wealth. All
have made their money by superior business
capacity, superior cunning, or by the luck which
is often more valuable to its possessor than
brains or business shrewdness. San Francisco
is probably 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 a score OF
great mining and railroad kings. In no other
part of the country, save in the oil regions 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 it 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 $50 900 of capital; Huntington Hop
kins and Croker each had less than this sum.
Now Stanfords wealth is estimated at $50. Co.,,
900, and that of the others at from 25 0O0 900 to
SAC, 900. There is no telling what Huntington
is worth, as he has Mr.. Gould's faculty of
spreading himself on an immense area,
and of carrying on a score of
great enterprises. Like Mr.. Gould, he is often
pinched for money, but it will not be bad thing
to be reckoned as one of his heirs when his
estate is finally divided. The Bonanza million
aires began lower down than the railway kings.
Flood e O'Brien kept corner GROCERY, which
may yet be seen by the curious. in this city.
Fair and Mackay were both common miners in
appearance with, as it proved, uncommon genius
fnr 6nxrn oh fAnIy lo6n hIat
fortune threw in their way Before the uncover
lug of the Big Bonanza, about fifteen years ago,
not one of these men was worth more than
50 O0O To-day runor gives them fortunes OF
various sizes, according to the warmth of the
calculator; but there is no question that even
with the immense shrinkage of values in mining
stocks. they may all be safely put down as above
the 500 000 900 limit. OF the railroad magnates,
Hopkins and Cotton Dead while of the
Bonanza kings, O'Brien alone has succumbed to
the inevitable and given up his grip on the
millions that were dear to him. The others are
all alive-very much alive, as any reader of the
newspapers knows.
These people, in spite of their retiring ways
occupy 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 senators,
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
continually coming to the surface. Many fables
are related of their doings, but even a Nun
chausen 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
succeeded in keeping more free from the faint
of such scandal than any OF the others, doubt
less because of certain GOODNESS Of tempera
ment There are many delectable bits of gossip
about Croker which will not bear putting in
print, but more suitable for what our
English friends call the talk of the smoking
room" Fair gained unenviabe notoriety by the
divorce suit brought by his wife. With habitual
caution he kept all mention of it out of the news.
papers until the whole matter settled, but
the complaint was so gross in its details that it
seriously hurt his reputation, and brought him
the same kind of questionable repute which his
more notorious divorce case has brought Sharon.
Any of these milliOnaires, except Huntington
and Mackay. may be seen the streets of San
Francisco the greater part of the year. There
is nothing 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
business; they dress in common clothes, and
give no indication of handling fortunes every
day. Senator Stanford, when he is in town,
may be seen every day at the Central Pacific
part of the city. near the bay, and within sound
of the arriving and departing tralns-all day
long. His Office is plainly furnished. and he
himself is man of very few words His face
is peculiar with its overhanging brow, deep,
sunken eyes, cast into deeper shadow by thick,
pushy eyebrows; large heavy features, and the
mouth of a mastlff in repoSe. There is unde-
niable power in the face. but there is no light
ness, no humor. no mobility You would say
when he raises his STILL keen eyes and slowly
answers a question: Here is a man who is the
incarnation of will-power. He will never give
up his grip on any pet project. You will find
it hard to deceive him. because he looks at all
sides of question carefully, and he is very slow
in making a 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 was
signing checks, ana his hand moved as slowly as
his brain works 1t was evident chat his only
sons death had taken all the light out of his
life, and that he was more hopelessly solitary
than ever. He was then full of his project for
founding q great industrial university at his
estate of Pao Alto. in the heart of the rich
Santa Clara Valley. He talked simply and we'll
of what he hoped to do for the young people of
California if his life were spared, and he showed
that he had made careful study of the best
schools in the East in order to tit himself for
managing this educational enterprise. It IS to
be a memorial of his dead son, for whose loss
Doth poi|hIN A0A uoo W oO eouitoitcU. OCdnI ora
had about everything which ought to make a
man happy, until the recent loss of his only son
and his own health. but in past years he never
gave one the impression that he was ENJOYING
his wealth. The chief trouble was that he
scarcely knew what to do with his money. His
tastes, like those of Vanderbilt, were formed
before fortune smiled on him. When millions
flowed in he scarcely changed his mode of life,
to erect palace on Mob Hill, and this, no
doubt, was built largely to crafty his wife In
this huge house, which with its furnishings,
cost more than million dollars, he lives few
weeks each year For ten months out of twelve
the curtains are drawn. the gates padlocked. and
it looks what is-a house deserted In this YER
liable palace of art are many costly treasures in
frescoes and wood carving and the collection of
paintings is the most valuable on this coast but
they are invisible to the public and lost to all
good uses
Charles Croker lives two blocks further I'D on
Mob Hill from the Stanford residence His