The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-18
The Insanity of Sutro.

Adolph Sutro has been a fighter all his
life. Now, at the age of sixty-eight, the
man whose whole career has been one
long struggle against overwhelming odds,
the protector of the famous Sutro Tunnel,
the bitter enemy of the Southern PACING
Railroad company, the hnancler VINO mas
accumulated millions of dollars by sheer
force of indomitable Widths man who
has made history now wanders through
his beautiful grounds overlooking the
blue Pacific mumbling unintelligioly 10
himself. His mind is completely gone he
is constantly accompanied by an attend
ant. Doubtless many Will call IL retrlou-
ton. There are those who still grow pale
when the name of Adolph Sutro is men
toned Shattered fortunes are not easily
forgotten.
The career of this man, who is now ike
little child. has been picturesque Less
than four years ago he was elected mayor
of San Francisco, and his mind was set
on many improvements to the city which
he loves so well. Always a public splr-
tied citizen, he had mapped out line
of work, and for the first time in his lie
he experienced the bitterness OF defeat
Practical politics and practical politicians
proved a thorn in his flesh.
At first his sensations were those OF
astonishment. He had considered himself
| infallible. When the full force OF the
blow struck him il struck him hard he
had promised so much; he had accom-
! plished so little. He forgot his magnll-
| cent private gifts 10 the city he cnis
realized that his brief official life had been
| failure. Then he had stroke of apo
| plexy, followed two or three months later
/ by another. Now he doesn't recognize his
| do q
His daughter has been appointed guardian
of his person and estate.
| A wear ago Adolph Sutro was man 10
command attention if only by reason OF
his striking personality. Character was
written in every line of his face. He look
| ed like a Bedouin of the desert, with ms
! sUarthv complexion, his keen. piercing
eyes and his snowy hair and beard 1t
only needed the folds of gay burnoose
and the white turban swathed about MS
forehead to complete the picture. indeed
there was something of the Arab IN MS
nature when it came to fighting. lie was
| relentless. aggressive, even brilliant. he
would have made famous sheik had ne
not been so busy amassing millions OF
| American dollars.
His father was a manufacturer of cloth
at Aix-la-Chapelle, Prussia, and was
man of means. Business reverses were
followed by the death of the elder Sutro
He left a widow and eleven children
Adolph was a lad of twenty when the fam
iIy came to America, locating in Balti-
more. Some of them still live there.
brother, Theodore Sutro, resides IN Ne"
York.
The California gold excitement of 1874
got into the veins of young Adolph Su'
tro, and he went TO the Pacific coast by
way of Panama. He landed in San Fran
cisco on November q, 1850 He preferred
business to the uncertainty of pick anc
shovel and thus early demonstrated his
sound Judgment. He was not overburden
ed with money, and embarked in SINAI
vav Then it was that the ComstocF
lode in Nevada was discovered. He Wis
tied the scene. His mechanical aptl
tude. reinforced by scientific studies, en-
abled him to foresee the possibilities o.
the great mining developments. The mrs
suggestion of the tunnel then crossed hi:
mind.
The time was not ripe. however, to put
the project into execution. A more feast
BILE scheme presentd itslf TO Mr.. Sutro
H saw that money was to be made by I'M
proving the amalgamation process uset
for reducing silver ore. He closed up MS
business in San Francisco at once. Elk
periments were made, improvements were
accomplished and then small mill wa!
erected at Dayton, New. The enterprise
proved a mining and financial success
It was while thus engaged that Mr.. Su
tro's mind reverted to the tunnel which
was to make him famous in Europe anC
America.
It is as the protector of this vast en-
cheering feat that the name of Adolpi
Sutro is best known to the world at large
There was a struggle against great odd
extending over a period of fourteen years
But at length the tunnel was pronounced
a financial success-that is, so far a!
AdoIph Sutro was concerned.