The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-08-19
ABOUT BOOMS.
One That Started with a Half Finished
Mill and Ended with a Finished Wreck.

One Tina. Started with a Half Finished
Mill and Ended with Finished Wreck.
Some one had asked the ex boomer from
Oregon to describe the theory and practice
of his late profession. Every boom" he
said, "has it's pretext, which may range
from projected railroad to salubrious
climate, and its promoter, whose real OH.
ject may be almost anything imaginable
but is generally desire to buy or sell
some particular piece of property, and
booms are as various in inception and de
velopment as their pretexts and promoters.
"The most successful and farrcaching
boom is disturbance far beyond my pow.
ers Of description Capital and specula
ton are however, tho only vitality nCces
sary clements for the creation of small
sized boom, and it is possible that one eX-
perienced man may represent both of them
and be wholly and directly responsible for
a boom of considerable magnitude.
81 may cite as an example of such u
boom my own experience with n sawmil
which had started to build for a neigh
Dor of mine, u man of large experience in
the lumber business, who died suddenly,
leaving Inc in possession of half finished
plant, Of whose operation l knew absolute
ly nothing. On trying to sell l discovered
that none of the other mills in the vicinity
had been making money for some time,
and that it would be impossible to find u
purchaser for my property as it stood.
"Well, had capital involved and pro-
ceeded to speculate with every cent i pos
sesscd. l finished the mill, adding plan
ers, lath, shingle and boxlnaking machin-
cry and an electric light plant to the orig
inal plans, and began running day and
night. With the first lumber sawed l con
structed a spur to the mill from the rail
road near by, built "a large general mer
chandise store, black smith shop and 2
! hotel, all of which l operated myself, and
| about 30 cottages which l. rented to my
employees. l also secured the establish,
ment of railroad telegraph and express
station and postotlice, and soon had Il
bustling little town started managed to
find some employment for every man,
woman and child that wanted it, and had
more money in circulation in the county
than the oldest inhahitant had ever befor,
known Of To keep the mill going after
the legitimate local demand for lumber
was satisfied, | began to stock new yards
in the two nearest county seats, put up q
fence all around my ranch, and built new
barns, corrals and sheds all over the place
"At the end of three months after thu
mill had started running ! had about ex
hausted my capital, but had gained repu
tation that nearly sent me to the STATE
legislature that year, and, more to my
purpose, had received several offers to in
corporate or sell my business. The hes
of the offers finally accepted, and trans
ferred the whole layout to "a number o
moneyed men from the state capital for I
price that gave me net profit of $40, 600
1.-THE following summer l spent abroad
On my return six months later the prop
erty was in the hands of Il receiver and
was sold ut auction in the following yea
for sc, 900. New York Sun.