Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-02
OLD GOLDEN DAYS OF '49
Millions Made in Night and Promptly
Scattered to the Winds.
SPOILED CHILD OF FORTUNE
The Ups and Downs of Philip Master,
One of the ArgonnutS and an
Associate of NcVHdn's
Mig Four.

There is little suggestion Of romance about
old Philip Master, plodding along the streets
of Philadelphia. his broad shoulders bowed
under the weight of heavy basket, winning
a hard-earned living as a peripatetic cheese
merchant. Yet he has been a spoiled child
of fortune in his time, relates the Phila-
delphia Times ana his life Is a record Of
peril and adventure A California miner in
1858 and in the '7Os partner with Fair
& Mackay in Comstock and Ophir; rich
enough to buy them both; a Colorado sheriff
and terror to the mountain desperadoes. now
broken-down old man, making poor living
by unremittlng labor.
He is Prussian by birth, and came to this
country in 1852 For a time he was a fencing
master in New York. Then he went overland
to California. After terrible suffering he
crossed the mountains and tried river min
ing, but his first good fortune came in
very questionable shape. Mounted on a mule,
he was making his way through Ryans pass,
near what is now Placcrville. A shot was
fired and his mule dropped with a bullet
through his head Philip lay quiet for a
moment, with his navy cooked, and man,
rife in hand, came creeping from behind
rock in front. Although thirty yards away,
Phil fired, the robber dropped the bullet
having gone through his neck cutting the
spine. He was dead when turned over. Phil
found his cache in the rocks and became the
owner Of a quantity of provisions and bag
OF coin and dust worth $2S,000, no doubt the
brigand's plunder. The victor footed his
way across the range, and from that time
had good luck in mining. But he lived like
his associates, drank gambled and made
merry. so the money was soon melted away.
I, NlN,Nlsl ria
and here met James G. Fair. He was big,
boastful Irishman, full OF push and a hard
worker. He called himself a mining
engineer although quite uneducated, but he
knew all about the operative part of mining
and was clever in his way.
COMSTOCK BEGINNINGS.
Master knew two German miners who had
found near the site of Virginia City two
large masses of silver chloride, then new
thing. but well known to trained miners.
These they smete1 with rich results, and
suggested that he should put up the money
for a smelling works. He agreed, but
shortly after both men were Killed by
cave-in. Master coming to the place to in
yestigate. met Comstock the original dis
coyerer, and bought part of his claim
Mackay was working in a shaft close by
for 81 day and Fair was not worth more
than ST. but they were hustlers, and Master
took them in as partners. Success was so
uncertain at first that Fair took job as
of the Ophir mine on the
next claim. a sagacous and skilled Cornish
miner named Pennock was director and
general manager of the Master mine, and he
advised deep shaft work. This was done
and rich diggings found, but no great body
cf ore cropped out, Several other partners
were taken in who advanced money and the
work went on. The ne.ghboring mines
began to yield largely, but all at once grew
lean, or so the superintendent reported,
and their stock commenced to fall. At this
time Flood O'Bren kept drinking and
gambling saloon on Montgomery street In
Frisco. They were but little respected,
and were suspected of robbirg their drunken
customers at cards. Jim Fair was intimate
with these men and communicated the fact
that in one of the crossheads of the Ophir
a magnificent body of ore had been uncov
cred. 1t was to be kept secret until he
could buy all the stock in sight. HIS own
mine, the California, he spoke sightingly
of. Ophir was Sc a share and California
$3.50. The syndicate bought largely of the
former
STRIKING THE BONANZA.
In the meantime Pennock had given Master
warning that from the presence of chrome
in the diggings they would in all proba-
bility come across a pocket either of lead
or silver; If lead, goodbye to hopes Of
affluence. At length Pennock resolved to
blow up mass of rock and earth at the
bottom of the shaft and make the future
working of the mine depend on the result.
All this had been kept from Fair and he
never forgave any of the parties for it. He |
had also kept his secret and ordered a blast |
fred late at night in the Ophir to lay bare |
his new prize. 1t was sent off and disclosed |
a rich vein of galena that was So per cent |
silver.
Next morning when the California men |
went to work they found that the side of the |
in
mock and Mackay examined 1t.
rs 1t rOck?' asked Mackay, as he looked |
at the dull surface exposed
"ROck!" answered the Cornishman; "no |
me boy, that is chloride of silver; that's our
And so it was. Nothing in the world ever
'qualed II. A mass of metal 80 per cent
pure, shaped like pear and worth S22S 0OO-
lOO OF money. There was some inCredulity |
when the news came out but this was dis
7elled in a weeks time. 1t was six months,
lowever, before the full extent of their good
ortune came out Then the camp went
razy. Such boom was never known
)phir went to $i0O per share. California
now became Consolidated Virginia, paid big
dividends in cash and stock and at last
original shares worth $3.50 in 1872 came to
epTesent S2700
Flood and O'Brien became directors, and
n conjunction with Fair began to move to
get out the others PennOck left with mil
ions, which he spent in Chill. Stryker,
lfter wiping up the room with O'Brien at a
BOARD meeting left also. Master went to
Frisco in 1876 with five millions as his
hare, and became a stock spsculator and the
Bonanza Four ruled the Bonanza mines.
Mackay was generally liked, but the Others
,illaged everybody and never did generous
Iction.
LUCK SAVED HIM.
Fair had an entire belief In his good luck,
nd his success justified II. Among his work
men was a MissOurian named Head. One
lay they qulrreled, Head beat his boss. and
o escape the law became a dangerous road
gen. He was always on the lookout for
Nair. One day Fair and his brother took the
tage for Frisco. After a miles drive James
Fair got sick and took a wagon back. An
our later the express messenger was shot
If the top OF the stage and the passengers
made to come out. Fairs brother had no
ooncr touched the ground than he was shot
" the road agent, who was Head. He
hought 1t was Jim. No wonder James paid
he posse that hunted down the murderer
8, 900.
Although partners, the four all enyed and
istrusted one another, and the three united
n hating Mackay. On several occasions they
lgged the stock market for his especial ben
At, but he knew what he was about and
al, ng |