The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-03-27
BONANZA KINGS.
THE RISE OF FOUR MODERN
MONTE CRISTOS.
From Humble Surroundings They
Achieved Fame and Fortune
The Great Comstock Lode
and the Big Bonanza.


In Heidelberg, Germany, reduces to
pair the four bonanza kings OF the
Pacific Slope. These are ex-Cnited
States Senator James G. Fair and John
W. Mackay.
The career of this quartet of favoritcs
of Fortune, the sorry old jade who gives
most men more kicks than she does
smiles-is the most remarkable record OF
rise from poverty to afiuence in this
country of quickly acquired fortunes.
These four quick -witted Irishmcn went
to California with thousands of other
men who, when they started in the race
for riches had every advantage of them,
but their competitors never overlook
them after they were once started.
To the people of San Francisco
where the four men were best Known
Mr.. Flood was the embodiment of every
thing omn;potent in financial specula-
ton. 1t has been said that he was born
In Ireland. This is rot true. He was
himself authority for the statement that
he was born in New York, October %,
1925, and that he received common
school educatin in the metropolis. In
1S40 he went to California, did some
placer mining on the .Yuba River, but
inet with indifferent success. In 1901
he had accumulated about $1,000, and re-
turned to New York. He found that
his modest purse did not constitute a
fortune, and he returned to the West.
In San Francisco he, with William 5.
o'Brien-afterward his bonanza partner
--engaged in the saloon business. Their
saloon was dubbed the 'Auction Lunch
Barr At that time the business of San
Francisco was transacted within the area
of half dozen squares. The ships were
discharged, the political speeches were
made, the merchandise of the town sold,
the games of chance run, the theatres,
the dance halls, the duels and the hang
ings by the Vigilance Committee-ail
were carried to happy consummaton
within the six bustling blocks of wooden
shanties-
Thither on occasions came John w.
Mackay, bright, alert miner from the
Comstock, and James G. Fair, another
fine but entirely different type Of the
Sturdy Nevada gold.seeker. O'Brien
was intimate with Fair; Fair had the
con6den. of Mackay, and in course of
time q social friendship and financial
combination were formed which after
ward made the four men interested the
most notable possessors of suddenly
acquired wealth in the West.
Flood was the fnancier of the CO..
partnership then as later on. OBrien
was the good. natured, easy-going, never
speak-ill Irishman, who had more good
nature than ability, and who served to
cement the friendship of the remarkable
quartet. Fair was the shrewd, cautious,
supicious adventurer who never lost
more than five cents of any dollar that
got into his vigorous grasp. Ma:kay
was the same John w. as now. only on a
less princely scale. He aspired ut that
early date only to control the great Com.
stock lode on which the ill-fated Ralston,
Alvinger, Hayward and other magnates
held imperiors sway.
Flood, the balance wheel and super
conservative fnancier of the copartner-
ship, was satisfied with the pros
pect of controlling one mine for a
Starter, and so eventually the quartet
got the stock of the Little Kentuck
where they wanted it, and "The Auc-
ton Lunch Bar" was able to loom up
in new coat of paint, fresh dress of
>cut.g glass and other evidences of pros
perity.
Jim Fair put his profits away in the
Hibernia Savings Bank, Flood bought a
modest two.story and basement wooden
house uptown for the wife and daughter
Jennie. O'Brien laid in stock of ele-
giant clothes and brought over three rela-
tives from Ireland, and MacEay went
back to the Comstock and fastened his
eve on the Hale " Norcross mine.
Jim Fair was fguratively watching
the dump Of the Hale n Norlross with a
microscope, and every ton of ore passed
under his critical eye. Mackay was
flying between Virginia City and San
Francisco, giving points to Flood how
to corner the stock and as to who held
it. Finally the able quartet got the game
in proper shape and, to the astonish-
ment of Ralston and other magnates,
walked in at the annual election and
boldly took possession of the board of
directors with full majority of the
stock. The sequel TO this proceeding
was a cleverly executed deal in Hale Il
Norcross, which made the four partners
millionaires, attracted the respectful
attention of mining operators to the new
copartnership, and completely pros
trated all the gin-sellers within four
blocks of the Auction Lunch Bar.
It was not until the discovery Of the
stBig Bonanza" however, that the
bonanza kin"s attained the great
netoriety which afterward distinguished
them. 1t is not generally known exactly
what part each of the partners had in
the development of the Donanzas. 1t is
generally believed in the West that to
Fairs sagacity and wonderful knowledge
of quartz mining were due the first in.
terest taken by the bonanza firm in the
Consolidated California g. Virginia
mines.
Finally, when every ything was in readi-
ness for deal, in February, 1888, the
Big Bonan was uncovered to the as
tonished world.
The body of ore revealed seemed to
surpas in extent the widest dreams of
modern gold seekers, and the people of
California, as we'll as some of the East
ern cities became bereft of their pru.
dence.
The bonanza-which is the miners
idiom for a chimney or chute in which
the sulphurets have gathered and settled
was cut at a point 1lGi feet below the
surface, and pierced again as the shaft
went down to the l200-foot level. This
was great thing in its way, even for
the rich Comstock Lode, but 1t was only
beginning. Another 100 feet showed