The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-24
DEATH OF A Bona MA KING.

DurS, Germany. GlOOu Is Iue SecOilu VI tie
great bonanza kings to pass away. The
first was w. S. OBrien, who died ten years
ago. TIE survivors now are John W.
Mackay and James G.. Fair. These four
men divided from 500, 900 TO 5000, Co.,
600 between them, and ranked among the
earth's greatest millionaires. Each If them
passed his boyhood in q struggle for the
bare necessities Of life, and each lived to
enjoy an income Of over 81 90 900 a year.
When Mr.. Flood first saw the light,
sixty-two years ago il was In the humolest
SUR oundings possible for decent comfort
on Staten Island His youthful days were
spent in New York, and gave him in after
life the right to tell his friends and neigh
bors that he was an old New York boy. It
has always been understood that some of
those days we're spent in the great ship
yards Of William H Webb
IL is known, however, that from the first
Mr.. Floods temperament was of the kind
that brings wealth lie was especially self
contained, and had the wisest Of economi-
cal ideas. The California gold fever crept
into New York early in the fifties, just as
young Flood began TO be intimate with w.
=. O'Brien, whose folks had brought him,
an infant, from Ireland in one OF the
famous Liverpool packets of those days. 1t
will be interesting TO recall here that all
four of the bonanza kings were of Irish
parentage.
Young Flo ID and OBrien, each about 25
yeers oh, aad with several hundred dollars
beside their passage money, sailed in Will
lam Fl. Webb's California packet ship
Elizabeth Ellen, and in the spring Of 1851
opened liquor saloon at Sansome and Sac
ramento streets, San Francisco. Flood and
O'Brien determined on the liquor saloon as
a preliminary step to acquiring greater
supply OF cash to be used in mining venture.
fi1ar 10
time seems have been carefully consid-
cred. His saloon was frequeutef by all
sorts and conditions of men. john W
Mackay and James q. Fair were customers #
the saloon, ana were already experienced
miners. They had been in the gold hills
from the start of the craze. In an informal
but none the less binding way a copartner-
ship was arranged between the four. Flood
and O'Brien were to supply the cash neces-
sary to send out Mackay and Fair on pro-
pecting trips. Success came slowly, and
really only after the California mining ex-
change was opened to close Flood &
O'Brie s saloon Nearly all the members
we're patrons, and many valuable hints
were discussed there in the hearing of the
young hosts.
HOW THE VIRGINIA NINE WAS FOUND.
Half a dozen years dragged along until
they became known as prominently inter
the Comstock lode. Their operations in
Hale 81 Norcross few years after were on
scale so large as to attract general atten-
ton to them as mining spectators. But
the operation which finally made the name
of Mr. Flood known throughout the world
was compressed within the short space of
a few months in the early part of 1875.
The existence of those vast bodies Of ore in
the Consolidated Virginia and California
mi ~
"bonanzas, thus adding permanent word
to the English language, was suspected as
early as February, 1874, and was made GER
tain by the proprietors in December of that
year.
The story of how Consolidated Virginia
was discovered is told as follows: Mackay
and Fair were still up in the Sierras, not
having had the good luck Of their city part.
ners. Soon a young man discovered what
was evidently good lead. Precisely how
good lead" it was Of course nobody ever
knew, and being a dissipated young man,
with no money to work his discovery, he
was very glad to dispose of it to Mackay
ard Fair, who had investigated the claim
and were convinced that big bonanza lay
beneath their feet. The young. miner
agreed to dispose of the claim for a few
hundred dollars, and Mackay and Fair at
once sent word to Flood and O'Brien In San
Francisco to forward the money 1t was
duly forwarded. The young man took the
money and went down to Sacramento.
where he drank himself into a fit of delir-
iun tremens from which he died, Mackay
and Fair took the mine, which subsequently
became famous to the world as the "Con-
s)iidated Virginia" from whose depths
millions in silver ore have been taken.
Flood, OBTieD, Mackay and Fair became
enormously rich, and acquired control OF
large quantities of mining property in what
is known as the famous "Comstock Lode'
Mackav and Fair remained in the hills
looking after the mines, ani Flood assisted
always by the gent Il OBrieu, set about
manipulating stocks in San Fran cisco.
Having control of the principal mines, they
knew just what TO do.
AFoRTUNE OF 20O,O00,000
The partners saw their fortunes growing
with col ssal strides each hour. Compare
lively poor but a few days before, they
awoke to estimate their wealth at nearly
500, 100000. II is said that even Flood
always calm AID imperturbable, was stag
gered, and his partners amazed.
The record of Mr.. Floods business ven
lures in recent years are well known.
Through him, it is SAID, the Nevada Bank
was established in California with an
agency in New York Mr.. Flood had a
fine house on "N b Hill" and another at
Menlo Park, south Of San Francisco. H
leaves wife and son, James l. and dangh-
ter, jennie, WHO several years ago was en-
gagged to marry Ulysses 5. Grant, Jr. Mr..
Flood had practically withdrawn from all
active business. This son represent him
in the Nevada Bank and other enterprises
Mr.. Flood has never been a we'll man
since the disastrous whelt deal that came
near wrecking the Nevada Bank last year.
The losses from that deal were estimated at
S6,000,0O0. He has suffered for several
years from Brights disease, and IN the
spring of 1887 he became dangerously i'll
and was forced to give up active business
lie rallied and his physician urged him to
go TO Europe at once, but no delayed his
trip in order to put his large estate IN order.
1t was not until this spring that he departed
with his wife and daughter for Carlsbad.
Mr. Flood was always a silentI and re-
served man. He never publicly displayed
his wealth except by his gigantic speclla-
tions. He seemed TO care little or nothing
for pleasure of any kind, his whole atten-
ton being apparently taken up by his vast
business interests. IL appearance Flood
was about the medium hight, slightly cor
pulent, aud Of full face, which was very
pale His hair ard whiskers were Of
peculiar copper color. 1t was sometimes
with the yellow gold pieces he loved SO well.
be dressed very plainly; liked his clothes
rather loose and baggy, AID was very much
given TO white wais;coats. One of tho
passions most strongly developed in Flood
was revenge.
FLOOD AND RALsToN.