The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-04-03
now ENGLISH MADE HIS MONEY.
Loaded with Texas Bonds Whom the State
Entered tho Union.

Loaded with Texas Bonds When the State
Entered tho Union.
In Indiana Mr.. English. was thought a
rich man. He left an estate worth 49,
100000, half Of which goes to his son.
1t is Of fifty years growth and began
with the annexation of Texas. Mr..
EnSlis was then % years old and clerk
ms III a department ut Washington. He
was richer in character than in purse.
and had his reputation at his home not
been of the very best, that fioodtide in
affairs that Shakespeare sings Of would
PROBABLY have dashed past him and been
lost forever, He had some money at
Lexington. his native town, and had
years-for Mr.. English was born
saver, though not then dominated by his
genius for acquisition. The bonds of
the Texan republic We're at very low
Rrice-not above or 5 cents. Jesse u.
Bright. who anticipated Texas becoming
state, was friend to young English
ana told him that he might lay the basis
of fortune, if he had ambition that
way; by buying Texas bonds. but
ton, this is only my opinion. You must
not hold me entirely responsible # an
nexation fails" Young English asked
that the situation be more fully ex-
planned. which was done. He was then
prepared for the consequences Of his
own acts. Here was clearly his oppor-
tunity. He got leave of ahsen"e as
quickly as possible and went. back home.
There he drew on the town for Ill the
money he could borrow. But the town
was poor. One Of the richest men in it
was merchant who had made a snug
sum by swapping prints for produce.
and who liked Bill English. He was
asked for Il liberal loan. He wanted time
to consider. But time was money then
or nothing. No golden dream had ever
suggested to him 4 speculation in bonds,
out thousand or so. He knew that,
make or break, it would be returned to
him. That WAS in 1915. English went
back to Washington and put every dollar
he had in Texas bonds. The Lone Star
Joined the constellation. the bonds went
to par. and Mr.. English made his pile:
Like the peach. it grew, and it grew, and
1t grew. But some of it returned :" The
old merchant ut Lexington. Enterprise
other loans thar were lost. and the bank
thar held his money collapsed in panic.
lie lived four years. surviving his wife
six months, without shelter or 4 table
of his own, and during all this time Mr..
English cheerfully supplied him with
both. -Philadelphia Times.
Gold Mining i'll Victoria.
Forty years ago Victoria was the fore
most gold-producer in the world, throw
ing even California into the shade. Al
though. however. its output has Shrunk
from over 3.uOO.O0O ounces in 1886 to
$4,000 ounces last year. has now again
become Il progressive quantity. and the
product in 1895 was greater than that in
H.
due to exceptional causes. the granting
to the unemployed Of free passes by rail
way from Melbourne to the various gold
fields having added $1,000 laborers to the
number of prospectors and "fossickers.'
Quartz mining was less actively pursued
in 1894 than in 1888, and the whole gain
came from aluvial deposits. OF these,
as usual. the most important were the
deep leads of grav.ls contained in the
beds of Pllucrre streams how buried be
heath lava flows. In Victoria these
gravelS are almost exclusively reached
b. shafts. the deepest of which. ut Ben
ttlgO. is now down 3122 feet. Tho gov
geologiSt reports that some pX-
tensive systems Of deep leads have been
discovered and traced out by horingS. one
system in particular. on the northern side
of the Great Dividing range and to the
westward of the meridian of Milbourne,
having an aggregate length of forty
miles of leads. To work this an enor-
nous capital would be required. and it is
proposed to make it a national undertake.
ing. subsidized by the government.