Mohave County miner., 1894-10-20
Senator Jones Of Nerada.

John P. Jones is attracting renewed
attention by recent political utterances.
He has had an interesting and prosper
Gus carer. He went to California from
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1850, worked as q
laborer in the custom house, then with
his brother prospected along The Feather
and Yuba, then turned his attention 10
quartz mining. During the time OF his
placer experiences, Jones was resident
of Marysville and his associates at a
boarding house there were Stephen j.
Field, afterward Associate Justice OF the
Supreme Court, and George &. Gorham.
for long time Secretary Of the United
States Senate. Ia the house next TO
was family named Murphy, one OF
whose members was y rosy checked
girl Old Murphy used to correct this
girl with undue harsbness until the
matter became subjsct OF comment
with the boarders next door, and one day
Gorham demonstrated with the father
and the old man moderated his style a
little. This Murphy girl ai,erward mar
ried William Sharon. one Of the Com
stock owners. and Ter daughter became
Lady Hesketh.
The most fortunate part Of his life be.
gan when he went 10 Nevada to act as
Superintendent Of the Crcwn Point and
Kentuck mines. At that time Mackay
and Fair had oought for small sum
several little mines on The Comstock,
which no one thought OF much value
When they struck their worId-famous
bonanza there he had already a bonaIz,
in the Crown Point and was a very rich
man. The Crown Point was the south.
ern end of The Comstock, but 1t was not
the richest part of that lode. John w.
Macksy took out s45 900 900 from the
Com stock consolidation; James q. Fair 8
profits footed up $35. 900 900, and J c..
Flood and w. G. O,Brien received $780,.
100000 and $l6.0O0.0OO respectively.
for their share. Sharon made $l6,OOO,-
900 in the Comstock, and w. G. Ralston
and d. D. Mills made aoout II, ,O00, 900
each. John p. Jones came in between
thu highest and the lowest Of this group
Of Comstcck millionaires. His Crown
Point profits were about $4,000, 900
The Senator has always been Of specu-
profits in Crown Point and invested
them in other properties The result
was that he lost his first fortune very
quickly. Bnt he had retained his con-
troll of the Crown Point mine, and he
soon took enough out Of that to put him
on his feet again. He had made and
lost two fortunes when he was elected to
the Senate in 1873. and he was then re-
puied TO be worth $5,OOO.OOO Five
years later-in June. lS7S-he Was writ.
usily pauper by speculation. He
owned any quantity OF mining property
in Sierra Nevada, but it was thought to
be exhausted. 10 gold had been found
in these mines below the 1910 foot level
and the general oelief was that none
was to be found. Harry Jones, the
Senator's brother, now dead, had faith
in the lower workings, and he went
down to The 2l0O foot level. His per-
sistance was rewarded by the discovery
Of vein Of gold richer than any the
mine had shown. The find was made
in September, 1873, and the Senator'S
stock, which had been knocking about
New York, a. football for the brokers at
"a share, suddenly Jumped to $220-
an astonishing advance. The new find
made the Senator rich man again.
He then acquired large interest in
some gold mines on D,ngass Islan ;,
Alaska, and when hisN.vad property
gave out again he found another fortune
in the Alaska venture. His income from
the Alaska investments was said at the
time to be $4,000 month.-tM. and s.
Press.
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Mining Operations in Alaska.