The Portland daily press., 1888-01-21
IN RUSSIAN MINES.
Young Samuel RaIston's Attempt to
AstonIsh the World.
A MilIIonaire's Sons Adventurous
Career In Pursuit of Wealth,
Ended, After Deception and Disap-
poIntment, In a Suicides Grave.

FALL RIVER, Jan. 20.-Young Samuel
Ralston. who ended his life by suicide at
Georgetown, Cal. a few days ago, was pretty
well known in this part Of New England.
especially in Providence, Boston, Taunton,
and New Bedford, and during his residence
in the East he made several visits to this
city. He came East soon after the suicide Of
his father William G. Ralston, the Million
aire banker and mine owner, for the special
purpose of studying mechanical engineering,
and took up his residence at Providence,
r.. l., where he went into the great Corliss
works as student and workman. With him
came Mrs. Ralston and her two beautiful
daughters, and the family occupied several
large suites, including more than dozen
rooms, in the Hotel Dorrance. The family
lived in luxury and made quite an impress
sion on Providence society, which will not
soon be forgotten.
Young Ralston was in many respects re-
markable man and exhibited strangely con-
Trajectory elements of character. By day he
was hard working mechanic. with grimy
hands and oily blouse and overalls, t0iling
as diligently and as earnestly as the hum
blest workman in the great machine shops
By night he was the handsome, elegantly
attired, polished gentleman, the lion at the
balls and in the parlors of the rich and
fashionable.
To one of his intimates one night young
RalSt0n told his reason. Some years before
his death the elder Ralston had said that 1t
was the one regret Of his life that he had
not mastered mechanical engineering. Ii he
had, he said, he would go to Siberia. and
open up mines which would astonish the
civilized world. This made deep impress
sion on young Ralston's mind, and after his
fathers death he decided to master mechani-
cal engineering and then devote his talents
and his fortune to the development of the
buried treasures of Siberia. With this end
in view he came East and entered the great
C0rliss works. He devoted time and money
to the prosecution of his studies, and ex--
pended quite fortune in the development OF
tools and machinery especially adapted 9
mining
He left the Corliss works with thorough
and practical knowledge of mechanical en-
gineering. prepared to enter upon mining
enterprises on a scale never before attempt
ed, and then he went back to California to
put his new machinery and methods to a
practical test in the mines of the Paclhc
slope before going to that Siberian enterprise
which had been his dream for years. lie
was successful; but just then his fortune
sdccumbed to the heavy drain upon it by his
costly experiments and his expensive life In
the East, and he ran short of funds. Then
he went into the street to build up new
fortune by speculation. He succeeded, and
in three years time had, by lucky specula-
tion in stocks, again accumulated fortune.
Then he went to Siberia. But here the
good fortune which thus far had followed
him departed, and he fell victim to his own
good-fellowship. Instead of going to work
himself to gain the patronage Of the Rus
sian government, he fell victim to Russian
adventurer of noble blood who joined him
in his enterprise under the promise that he
would obtain for him government patronage.
Ralston did obtain a special permit from the
government to inspect the mines, but he
placed such implicit confidence in the prom
ises of the adventurer that he lost his for
tune before accomplishing any result, and,
after spending Is months in Siberia, he
found himself almost penniless and unable
to carry out his long-cherished schemes. He
returned to this country dsheartened and
respondent, and there is no doubt that his
suicide was caused by broken heart, due to
the failure of his life's ambition.
The story of his life is a romance and a
tragedy, and the story of the fate of the
young men who were his boon companions
during his stay in Providence is singularly
tragic one. All were young, all were rich,
and nearly all were connected with leading
families of the city. All but two are dead.
One was murdered in Arizona and another
in Mexico; another fell in a duel in France,
and another died in Paris hospital. Still
another, who, through Ralston's influence,
secured position in the Alaska seal fisher
les, was lost at sea. Now Ralston has died
by his own hand, and this leaves but two of
the party alive. One of these has suffered
the loss of his reason. and is now hopelessly
insane in the Butler Asylum at Providence.
The other was released from the same asy-
lum only few months ago, and has just
fallen heir to big fortune.