The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-23
FIFTY MILLIONS DYING.
From the Buffalo Express.

If one could count dollar every second,
and if one were to work at money-counting ten
hours day without interniission, 1t would take
more than four and a half yearsf sthpy to count
the possessions of James C. Flood.
Mr. Flood is DYING at Heidelberg, Germany, OF
fatty degeneration of the kidneys, the disease
which was discovered mot invented) fifty years ago
by Dr. Richard Bright and still bears his name, and
which has in the last score of years become cpl
denlc among rich champague-drinking Americans.
He may be dead before these lines reach the reader
Not all his millions can buy moments delay. Let
every healthy poor man who reads give thanks that
he enjoys the one thing without which lie has no
pleasure and which money cannot buy.
Mr.. Flood is one of the four original bonanza
kings" Nowadays the name is given TO every
western man who has gathered much money; but
it belongs of right only Flood, Mackey, Fair and
O'Brien, because they discovered and owned the
bonanza" or enormous vein of silver ore in the
Comstock lode at Virginia City, Nevada, from
which more than two hundred million dollars
worth Of fine silver has been tsken-the largest de-
post ever discovered.
The whole four were Irish Americans Flood was
born in New York city in 1926 What he did from
that time till 1349, when he was twenty three years
old Is not known In 40 he went to California, and
returned year later with 5000. Within few
monthshes struck up partnership with ". s. O'Brien
who had come from Ireland child and was then
about Floods age. They went to California, and In
the spring of 1851 opened drinking bar in the city
of San Francisco. OF course they made money;
anybody who had whisky TO sell in San Francisco
in those days could make money. They also made
the acquaintance of Mackey and Fair, who were
practical miners, having one week their pockets
full of gold dust and the next not the price of g
meal A partnership was entered into in 1877, by
which Flood and o Brien, the prosperous saloon
keepers, furnished the money to keep Mackey and
Fair, the adventurous miners, in the field. This
arrangement resulted in the acquisition of the
Comstock lode, which had been discovered in 1889,
and yielded fairly well from the start. 1t was not,
however till 1875 that the bonanza, the richest find
that mortal miners ever made, was struck. From
cans have been numbered among the worlds
greatest capitalists. And it is to be said OF
them and for them that they all had capacity
enough 10 keep their money and handle it well.
| They became great bankers, established the Bank
Of Va ada with S10O0oO00 capital, and wrecked the
| Bank Of California though they aiterward relented
| ana restored it. Fair bought him Navada sena-
| torship. Mackey laid an ocean cable, translate
| his wife from the landladyship of log boarding
| house in mining camp to the leadership OF fash
ion in Paris and married his daughter to the prince
of Colonna, who has of the longest pedgrees in
Europe Flood never got into politics, much into
| the newspapers but he built himself palace On
Mob Hill, San Francisco and another at Menlo park
| fashionable seaside resortl%on the Pacific coast
| and he made his money felt in the minng-stock
| exchange
| OBrien died ten years ago. Fair and Mackey,
| who are several !! ears younger, and who mined
while Flood and Brien sold whisky, still hale
| and hearty.