The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-08
ABONANZAKING HERE
John w. Mackay Predicts
Great Things for Seattle.
PACIFIC CABLE SURE TO COME
Last of the Big Four Tells What the
Future Has I'm store A Typical
Coast Pioneer.

ssYou have a grand future before you
here and many circumstances are now
combining 10 give the Sound country ana
the whole Pacific coast q wonderful i'm
uetus In a commercial way" These were
the words OF Bonanza" John W.
Mackay as he stood on his private car
yesterday morning and looked Out over
the city. His words gained added inter
est from the fact that he has lived 10
realize, in the possession OF fortune IS
fimated at sT5.e19.O,o TO $685. 90. the
grand future which he foresaw for Cali
fornia when he was yet young man.
A Man in Robust Health.
Though he rouRhed IL In the toughest
OF pioneer mining days in California and
Nevada, and three years ago received
serious wound from crank, whom he
afterwards established in business. Mr..
Mackay's 81 years sit lightly on his
brow. His hair and closely cropped
nusfache-he wears no whiskers or
beard-are white. he stands and sits erect,
walks with a springy step and Is gener-
ally a well preserved man. He Is good
falker, very approachable and fully justi-
fees by his conversation Roscoe conk-
1ng's remark that he was one OF the few
very rich men whom It would have been
worth while to know II they were poor.
Tour From New York to Alaska.
Mr.. Mackay arrived In the city yester-
day morning. having just returned from
a trip 10 Alaska on the Queen. ia COM
pany with c. r. s. Hosnler, general man
ager OF the Pacific Coast Tcle-
graph Company. and h. ]. Mathews. a
capitalist Of Philadelphia, and one of his
early friends and associates In mining
deals In Nevada. The party went south
at 1870 D. m. On the Central Pacific di-
Tectors' car, together with II. V. Dey. a
director or tho Pacific Postal Telegraph
Company. and associate OF Mr.. Mackay
I'm other enterprise. ana John Rogen-
thai. a San Francisco coal dealer. who
came here on the car on Saturday. Dir.
Mackay and Air. Mathews left New York
On July IL and went direct to Montreal
where they were Joined by Hr. Hosmer.
They came over the Canadian Pacific TO
Vancouver. where they took the steamer
for Alaska.
A Pacific Cable is Certain.
Mr.. Mackay. who yesterday saw Seat
tie for the first time. expressed surprise
at the life and development OF the place
and said:
Seattle will be very large city in a
few years. and It's growth from this time
on IL sure to be rapid. The building of
the Nicaragua canal will be one Of the
greatest advantages possible to conceive
for the Pacific coast.
Another great enterprise which Is sure
10 soon be carried out, will be the lay
Ing of cable across the Pacific ocean
from some point on the Pacific coast 10
Australia and Japan. Independent cables
may be laid TO each country. The open
ing up of commercial relations with
great country like Japan with 45.e00 coo
people. who are making rapid strides in
arts. science and commerce, and need
ing. as they do so many OF our products
I'm exchange for what they can give us.
means more than one can conceive TO a
great country like ours. Telegraphic
communication direct to Australia will
have n wonderfully stimulating effect on
the lumber trade OF your country for
while one ship laden with lumber goes
now. ten viii then piow the waves. and
you can easily Judge what effect that
VIII have Oh the country. AS II is now
telegraphc communication with Austria
liza IL very expensive. as a message has
10 so about 22.0oo miles. almost girdling
the earth. IL will only cost about &c.
100000 10 build a cable 10 Australia, and
: would be good paying Investment
Speaking OF the Alaskan and Siberian
telegraph line. which was started years
ago and abandoned. Mr.. Mackay said that
II was Wild. visionary scheme and could
never have becd successfully operated as
the cost Of maintenance would have been
double what the income could possibly
have been.
stH osu ot Mark Twain.
While talking in the car Mr.. Mackay
caught sight of a picture OF Mark Twain
on billboard. and inquired IL Twain had
been In town. When told he was COM
Ing in a few days. he said:
You see Twain and tell him that an
OLD fellow. who looked like Texas cow
boy, named NaeSay. was here few DAYS
before he came and said he knew him
back In 1879 In Nevada. ] knew Samuel
Clemens well in the old DAYS aud I am
sorry TO hear that he lost his money in
that publishing house. / saw him two
years ago and we had a long talk oyer
the old mining days when we were both
young
His Romantic Career.
aohn William Mackay was born IN Duh
I'm. ireland. on November p. 1881. He
came from a hardy line OF scotchmen
who had settled In the northern part ~
ireland. the kind OF men who defended
Londonderry in it's famous siege ne
Immediate parents were poor. bur they
saved enough money 10 come 10 New,
-hofk when the boy was years old. ana
established themselves In that city. Two
years later Mr.. MackAy died and The .,,,,
port OF the children fen upon the ,v,so,,.
81 mother. She was a brave wor,a,
however, and WAS able 10 keen xorn,
Mackay az his books until he secured =
good common school education As :
hoN ms playground was along Park Row
.ha on the site or the present postofice
bu.lashg' which was then a park.
Young Mackay was anprenticea -
saiphailder after he loft the srhooi -
IN the yard where he worked many shins
were built 20 90 round the Horn - Gu
lorna. The returning sailors often tall,-
ed OF the gi0ries OF the ..s,oiaen s.asa,,
ana the fortunes to he made on the u,
enc coast. Young Maciyay listened To Tho
- ~
came one OF the "Fortv-ninerS "a ara
not succeed at first. His struggles w.
severe and trying. lie welded the ntr,,-
axe ana shovel for years. sometimes "a n
day lahorer on his own aero,tn. s.,,,,
times for Others ~ times he was i,,,,k,
~ tunes be was unfortunate: bur n, nc,-
ef ieSt MS courage. and his indonita hle
W. carried hisn over every dirlcultv
When 81 years old he had made ara H.,
fortune. hut ne had a'so acouirea =
know ledge Of every detail of ,b, r,,f,t,,.-
business, which was 20 make hin, o. -
the rich men OF his time. The ro,,,,h
workers with whom DC was forced often
u associate soon ACKNOWLEDGE hi-, sc
a les der. ana although they called hi,,
"Paritau' at tiH1cs hecause OF his tnr,-
pcrate habits. they recognized his siper-
iority "tN'
NJ Mackay loft California for Nevas,
81 iNea II was one OF the t4lrf,io- r,t,,..
IN hls career. While strolline slorr 49,
streets cf Virginia city q few wears nc,
NTH John Russell Young MI Narkav
cnufc 20 "a smoking cavity in the r-r,,,,,-,
az the mouth % which a wtndlaSs "
slowly grinding
Ont % that hole" said ,ha rve,,
y---
i Every Time