The morning call., 1894-12-30
BY AN INTIMATE FRIEND.
A. E. Davis Tells Some Interesting
Facts About the Deceased.

ats ADOut Lie DCCSdScus
A. E. Davis, tall. portly, hale and hearty,
for years has been one of the most familiar
figures on Pine and Montgomery streets.
he was an intimate friend of James G.
FalT, with whom he was closely related in
business matters at various periods since
1864 1t is probable that Mr.. Davis knows
more about the dead Senator's personality
than any other man In San Francisco. Mr..
Davis was an active medium in the build
ing Of the narrow-gauge railway between
this city and San Jose and Santa Cruz
which was once owned entirely by Mr..
Fair. Of this enterprise and Senator
Fairs connection with it Mr.. Davis, In an
Interview yesterday, said:
81 did the first building of that road, and
j. G. Flood furnished the money. l don't
know whether or not any of Fairs money
went into the original enterprise. If IL
did, it came TO me through the hands of
Flood. borrowed S5.O00,OO0 from Flood
at different times and in different WAYS in
order to carry out the purposes in view.
1t was gigantic scheme of land specuia-
ton. A company was organized with the
control OF a vast tract of land extending
from Dumbarton Point 10 what is now the
town of Newark. A railroad three miles
In length was constructed from Dunn
barton TO the present site of Newark.
Beyond that the work of extension was
carried on with a view to ultimately
reaching San Jose. Fair was interested
in lands lying along the line of the pro-
posed route and also adjacent to the
tract directly 10 be benefited by
the road from Dumbarton to the town
of Newark. He also held stock in the
land company, believe, but how much l
cannot say. Along in 1876 we held an auc-
ton sale of land in order to raise money
t, pay for building the railroad. Well, the
sale WAS fat failure. the whole scheme
collapsed and the road was subsequently
abandoned. Our idea had been to run
ferry-boats to Dumbarton Point, from
which we proposed to convey passengers
over our road and branches, just as the
Southern Pacific is now doing.
AFTER this scheme had proved failure
we organized the Bay and Coast Railroad
Company, to build and equip a railway
from Newark TO Alameda Point, because
we had found that 1t would be next to inn
possible 10 operate an adequate ferry sys-
tenn to Dunn barton Point But even then
we could not compete with the Southern
Pacific Company.
Mr.. Fairs first active participation in
the narrow-gauge railway project was
after the death of Floods partner.
O'Brien. Immediately after O'Brien died
Fair took an interest with Flood and the
work went on in a spasmodic sort of way.
Money was sunk, never to be recovered.
but Fair was too shrewd and entirely too
cautious to go deep into losing PROPOSE
ton. In the course of succeeding years
the Bay and Coast Railway system en-
braced several branches and many miles
of operative road. w hen the new CORPORA
tion had been in existence nine years lis
railway holdings embraced the Santa Cruz
and FELTON, branch, the Boulder Creek
branch and the Almaden road. Again a
new corporation sprung up out of the ex-
listing one called The San Francisco and
Colorado-river Corporation. whose pur-
pose was 10 build railroad from the bay
of San Francisco TO Salt Lake City. But
it did not go.
I'm 1884," Mr.. Davis continued, Fair
went out of the Nevada Bank. It was
then that he first became sole owner and
possessor of the narrOw-gauge railway
system have described. Flood sold out
million dollars. Fair was too shrewd to
attempt to operate a railroad on his own
hook In any sort Of competition with
company Of men whose sole business was
railr0ading. He therefore leased all the
properties embraced within the holdings
OF the former corporations-the PRINCIPAL
of which was Flood-to the Southern Pa
ciic Company under the name of the
South Pacific Railroad. But Fair con-
tinued TO make additions TO the system
from time to time in a very cautious
manner. Finally the whole system, with
all its appurtenances, was sold by Fair to
the Southern Pacific Company of Ken
lucky for $4,000, 900. The sale-whicb, by
the way. was negotiated by me-was for
100000 in cash and $5.500,00O in bonds
guaranteed by the Southern Pacific Com
paDy. Fair made clear million oct Of it,"
In replysto questions as to his business
connection with Mr.. Fair at the time of
bis death and what be knew of the pres
ent financial operations of deceased Mr..
Davis said:
1.-THE interests In partnership between
Mr.. Fair and me at the time of his death
were very small. We jointly owned the
Pioneer and Linn mine in Placer County,
that is all. AS to his present financial
operations / can say very little. He was
man who Kept his own counsel in all
things. He never sought anybody's adj
vice on any proposition, unless he knew
for certainty that the person he applied
IN knaw m0ra ahout IL than no did hin,