Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-12
MUSHROOM WEALTH.
"sANDY~ BOWERS, OF NEVADA, AND
HOW HE USED HIS THOUSANDS. !


An Illiterate Miner Who Was Suddenly
Made Enormously Wealthy by Finding
That His Claim Was Included In the
Great Comstock Lode.
The sudden and great accumulation of
wealth during the first fifteen years after
the practical inauguration of the silver
mining in Nevada has no parallel in the
history of modern times. The fortunes
made during the flush period in Califor-
mia were, to use mild term, unimpor-
tant as compared with those acquired in
Nevada in day or night, simply by the
fortunate stroke of pick.
1t was not business capacity nor
shrewdness in any form that brought
riches to the fortunate ones during that
epoch of Nevada's greatest prosperity.
1t was sheer luck, as in the greatest
number of instances those most ignorant
of all the business principles were more
lavishly favored by fortune than their
intellectual superiors.
The case of Lemuel L. Bowers, popu-
larly known as "Sandy" Bowers, a
superlatively illiterate but very gener-
ous man, is fair substantiation of the
above.
In 1850 he was earning a precarious
livelihood by placer mining in Gold can
yon (now Gold HilD, and in the latter
part of that year, when the discovery of
silver in the Comstock was announced,
he found that ten feet of his claim cov-
cred portion of the lode; and the for
mer, after being Systematically pros
pected, gave promise of great value.
The ten feet adjoining his belonged to a
widow-Mrs. Cowan-his social and in
tellectual equal. Sandy and the widow
had known each other long time, and
now, as a new and prosperous era
seemed to dawn for them, they conclud.
ed to pool their prospective wealth by
getting married. The mining ground
owned by this couple is what is known
as Crown Point Ravine, Upper Gold
Hill, and was called the Bowers mine.
A WEALTHY COUPLE.
About the middle of 1860, while Sandy
YVES taking out $4,000 per day, he was
offered $500 900 for his claim and refused
TO sell.
Neither he nor his wife had ever be-
fore been accustomed to any of the
greater luxuries which are at the COM
mand of boundless wealth, and having
a penchant for display of semicivilized
grandeur, the reader can form an idea
of the regal doings of the Bowers house
hold. They were in imitation of the
"Rasher" family, only that the Bowerses
added little more tinsel and red fire.
They believed themselves in possess
sion of Aladdin's wonderful lamp, and
regulated their expenses accordingly.
Their hospitality knew no bounds and
they entertained every one-but in such
style as to cause considerable merriment
for those who made their society debut
before arriving on the Comstock.
The Bowerses were then the wealth.
lest couple in Virginia City, and while
rendering themselves the
subject of much ridicule when not
present, their ready cash commanded
for them much obsequiousness at other
times. In 1862 Sandy conceived the
idea of erecting a granite palace on a
little ranch belonging to his wife in
Washoe valley. This so called ranch
was then bowling wilderness. Mark
Twain once spoke of this, and, to con-
vey an idea of its perfect isolation, OBJ
served that the first architect sent to the
ranch to select the most eligible site for
the structure was killed by the savage
Indians aboundi1g in that locality.
Specifications and plans were soon drawn
on the most extravagant scale, but in
full keeping with Sandy's crude concep-
ton of doing the ''grand thing"
The Bowers mine continued to yield
an enormous revenue, large percent
age of which was devoted to the COM
pletion of the palace in the wilderness.
THE MANSION.
Bowers mansion, as the structure
was named, was indeed a beautiful
place, and would even at this age of a
magnificent style of architecture have
been an ornament to Mob Hill. No ex-
pense was spared in its thorough equip
ment. Hot and cold water was con-
Quoted into the mansion from the hills
in the rear of the grounds, which by
that time had been cultivated in the
most modern style of the landscape gar
dener's art.
To convey an idea to the reader of the
extravaganza INDUCED in the construc-
tion and fitting up of that establish
ment it is only necessary to say that
every doorknob and stair rod was made
of solid bullion, and all else about the
premises was in strict conformity with
that degree of lavishness.
The whole affair did not cost less than
$3.50, 900.
The matter of economy never entered
their minds. In 1866 the revenue from
the mine began diminishing from month
to month, and in 1866 ceased altogether.
The property soon became worthless,
and the few dollars saved from the
wreck soon followed the rest.
In 1867 Sandy Bowers died, having
nothing to leave to his widow but the
granite palace and what it contained
1t can be easily imagined that Mrs.
Bowers, after the extravagant career
she had indulged in for six years, found
it more than disagreeable to be unable
to crafty every whim, as in the past,
but to meet the expense of her menage
she was compelled to gradually dispose
of the library, pictures, work of art
costly articles Of virtu and silverware