Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-03-10
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Marcus DAILY Getting Ready for
an Active Racing Campaign.

First Mig Strike-lIis Great Possess
HiOns.
NEW YORK, March o. Especial. -
All the indications are that Marcus DAILY,
millionaire many times over and expert
enccd racing man, purposes to conduct
vigorous campaign on the eastern tracks
this year. His string of 2S horses, which
arrived at Shccpshead Bay only the other
day is the largest and strongest that has
so far come on from the west.
Like his friend J. b. lIaggin DAILY be-
gan to climb the ladder of success in Cali
fornia, and their progress after the first
round has been parallel in many respects,
but the two men are much unlike after
all. No one has ever been able to get Hag-
gin to say much about his beginnings, butt
DAILY is always ready to tell his story, un-
less overwhelmed with the cares of the
moment, and here is the yarn:
when Marcus Daily Dug Taters."
DAILY was born in Ireland, but came
to the United States when only IA boy, and
being adventurous proceeded To work his
way to San Francisco, in the land of gold,
as fast ms ever he could. He hadn't cent
concern was to find some way of earning
living That was by no means an easy
thing to do, and for days he roamCd the
streets of the town i'm u fruitlcss search
sleeping at night wherever he could stow
himself away and picking up enough 10
eat as best he could. Finally he ran ucr
IA rancher To whom he poured ont his soul
in plea for employment. The ranchcr
listened and then asked what he could do.
"Doy" said the boy. why, anything,
mister You just try met
"Dig tatcrs;'
The response was encouraging, and as
the ranchcr had potatoes to dig he told the
boy to climb up on to the wagon and 90
| out with him to his ranch. When he tells
the story now, DAILY grimaces at the
| thought Of how that "tatcr digging
| made his back ache, but he was then a
| model of willingness and hustle, and the
ranchcr thought he had found prize. lie
! didn't understand DAILY. though That
individual was perfectly willing to dig po-
tatocs or anything else long enough to get
sufficient money To take him out to the
| mines, but il was part Of his plan TO dig
! yellow gold. 80 as soon as he had saved
few dollars he babe the ranchcr farewell
and took to the mountains There he
passed through all sorts of adventures, the
recital of which in his vigorous homcly
phrase is exceedingly amusing and in
structivc In time he became AN expert
miner. though without personally making
any phenomenal strikes. However, he got
acquainted with Mackay, Flood and
O Bricn and when they developed the
Comstock mine they put DAILY in rs fore
| man.
Days First big strike.
He made his first big strike in Butte,
| Mon, where the Anaconda mine l. located.
That was some time late in the seventies.
The Alice mine had been opened, and the
Walker brothers, famous mine owners, en-
gagged him a. an expert TO examine it. He
did the work in characteristic style.
When lac first appeared at Butte, he
wore the clothing Of II working miner and
said he wanted employment. Furcsccing
Il good boardcr, one Of the Butte hotel
keepers got him job in one Of the mines.
DAILY took it, but soon threw it up ON the
plea that the mine was too damp for a
man with weak lungs like his To work in.
Then the hotel man got him another job,
which he also soon abandoned, saying the
mine was so badly timbcred it was in dan
ger of caving The hotel man then found
third job, at the same time telling DAILY
he was altogether too blamed particular
and that If he didn't like that job he Il
have to shift for himself. Fortunately for
Days plans this third job was in the
Alice, and he remained there several
weeks, working every day, till his back
achcd as much as it did when he was dig
ging potatoes for the rancher.
While he worked with the pick he was
inspecting the property far more efficiently
than he could had he visited it for that
purpose. Days memory is that he forgot
to draw his pay as a miner when he went
away but that didn't matter Not long
afterward he returned to Butte City and
took charge of the mine rs superintendent
having in the meantime reported favor
ably thereon TO the Walkers, who there
upon bought it outright.
Days Possessions.
Though he has spent good deal of hi
time in this town every year of late, Mar
Gus DAILY has been Montana fixture evel
since he took charge of the Alice. Hi
duties as superintendent were eXacting
but still he found time to look about will
view To the purchase of mining property
on his own hook, and when the grca
Anaconda copper mine was so divided tina
Hearst and Haggin each got "a quarter
DAILY got IA quarter also. Most men, ever
among mining magnates, have forgotten
it, but the Anaconda was started rs a sill
yer mine and for time yielded fair re
turns of the white metal The discover!
of copper was altogether an accident an'
would never have occurred had not tn
yield of silver been so light comparativcl.
as to induce DAILY to go deeper than wa
at first intended.
My impression is that for time Dial.
was the sole owner of the Anaconda prop
erty; that he bought it for $50, 600, AM
that he was obliged to give up threc-quar
tiers of the ownership because he hadn
the money needed for proper development
Its value is now almost beyond cOmputa
ton, and the increasing demand for COP
per- due to the marvellous development q
electricity, has enhanced its value b.
many millions within the past few years
All told, Days Montana mining prop
erty is held to be worth something lik
$40, 600, 900. How much other propcrt
he owns is, of course, something that II
one but he understands, and it is nor
than doubtful whether he could himsel
make strictly accurate estimate of hi
wealth offhand. His horse farm, iron
which the string of 2S recently arrived a
Sheepshead Bay, is 1000 acres in extent
and he aims to keep at least 10000
worth of horses there constantly. He run
his farm and his stables on a strictly busi
ness basis, and he has said that they rarcl
or never prove improbable. The highes
return ever yielded by the farm and tn
IN.1