The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
LANK JACKSON OF ARIZONA.
A col. SELLERS or THE PACIFIC
VINO mas JUST DIED POOR.
He Made a Fortune In the Early DAYS OF tue
Comstock and Frittered II Away on Large.
visionary Projects for the Development OF
the southwest-A Picturesque Figure Gone

the Southwrst-A Picturesque Figure Gone
Los ANGELES. Cal, May 7-Iank Jackson,
who died in poverty lat week AZ the home OF
afriend AT Noodles. Cal. wa one Of he >trnng"-t
characters tina, ever fitted across the horizon
OF the Southwest. He was Jim Jackson Of
virginia city. New, until 1873. Then he
moved 10 Prescott. Ariz. lie had grown
thinner and much older. So he was thereafter
known a, Lark Jackson Of Arizona and h,
adopted the name and sometimes registered
himself In bold photography at hotels in Chicago.
New York and other cities, where he went
10 promot. Southwestern money making
sche me-, a, Old Lark Jackson Of ARIZONA.
His personal appearance will always stick
In the memory Of every one who ever saw him
during the last twenty years. lie was 9
feet a niche, tall. and he seldom weighed
more ,hnn $50 pounds. lie had particularly
long arms and a long thin neck. His eyes were
deep sci and he had nm arched, thin nose. He
was entirely bald on the top Of his head, and
the white hair from the sides and back hung
down In rings over his ears and about his neck,
He always wore n buckskin waietcoat with
the deer's hair on the inside Huge whit"
bone buttons that a Comanche chief made and
gave him forty years ago. were invariably
" I III Nv ulTN''i' ~ 'T'''''
short, bob-tailrd corduroy coat when he was
IN Arizona. but when he went 10 interview
capitalists he wore a long shiny coat, a cross
between a frock and a cutawav. II was made
for him in Sacramento in 1852 50 he used to
boast, and II had been praised by Gen, Grant and
later by the Marquis of Iorne. II" always wore
a sombreroo of fine white texture witha stamped
leather band about the crown. lie wore old
Su.lg.n.l .l,Ly,r .,orfS Int hp uaG rs Carp-
less about his shirt front a. he was fastidious
about his sombreros and wear. once
when he went TO san Franci,coto see millionaire
Mayor Sutro about a mining Investment. he
wore a red flannel shirt beneath all his fnery
He used TO wear a white shirt sometimes until
its front was sombre with tobacco juice and
dirt. Once he wore an immense diamond
ring. the stone weighing some twelve karats, but
growing poverty took that jewel "A dozen years
AGO. For some years he almost always carried
an unloadcd old-fashioned Colts pistol in n
leather holster at his side. No one ever knew
him to draw the weapon from the holster. IL
Is doubtful If 20 mild-mannered a man ever
thought he had occasion to Use a frearm, He
went 10 see DR.. William Seward webb when
the latter was out here on a special train with
the Vanderbilt party in 1890 regarding capital
for a new plan TO turn the waters of the Colorado
River onto the Colorado desert sands, DR.
Webb showed his dislike to having a strange
armed man come striding into his private car
and Lank jackson always believed that the
useless pistol at his side hoodooed him that
time. So he laid il aside.
He was n remarkably fluent talker. lie
knew by heart whole scenes in S~hakespearean
plays. and he could repeat almost all Of SCOTS
LADY of the Lake" His general knowledge OF
the sciences. arts and business methods of the
world was unusual considering that he had lived
an the border OF civilization from his youth I'LL
middle aga. lie was particularly apt at mechan-
and for thirty years he read and pored over
all sorts OF engineering schemes. New ideas
In civil engineering and especially hydraulics.
him even in his old age and his pow
erty, and he would sit up all night 10 tell how
he could apply new engineering ideas TO the
development Of some latent resource among
thu mountains, on the desert, on the rivers
and among the mineral fields of the Southwest.
- L-ink jackson out .S~ellersed Col. Sellers.
In some ways his cheerful faith. his serene be-
lief tina, h" would sooner or later come too big
reward for all his study and plans, was pathetic,
Only two days before he died he got feebly out
Of bed and. while he must have suffered aclt"ly
from neuralgia pains, he wrote two long letters
to Boston bankers, who some one told HIM might
be int rested IN his latest scheme to arm the
belllgrrcnt Nauni Indians and thus get a foot
hold in their country 50 as to SEIZE the silver
mines there. When the lett rs were finished
j Jackson got back into bed, In an hour he was
and he died while he was babbling os
a copper mining scheme in lavapai county.
He was born IN GAINESVILLE, OHIO, III 1921, and
was q nephew of Tom tOrwin. lie used 10 say
that he inherited his felicity of language from
the same source as Corwln. He was "A prince of
story ~trllers. and he said he had learned the art
from his famous uncle. He reached the Cali
iornia gold fields IN is;[ sn"cula'ed later
Comatock lode, and made some $4,000 or $4,000
IN a year or two That smile of fortune al
tered his whole lie. When Hale and Nor.
cross stock fell oil heavily immediately alter
jackson had sold out, he was looked upon as
possessing great sagacity. lie invested in other
Comstock mining stocAs, and doubled and trr-
bled his little fortune. He was elected Mayor
of Virginia City. and his advice was sought on
all sides by spectators in mining properties,
lie bought pine forests on the Si.rras, near
what Is now lruckee, Cal, and when the timber
ing of the great chambers. slopes and shafts
of the Com~tock demanded Thousands OF feet
of lumber daily he doubled his fortune again.
The system OF watcrwork> by which
water was brought some sixty miles from
the high Si"rras. to Virginia cay, across alk4li
plains and In" WaShoe ALLEY and around the
conduits of steel and az the expense of more
than 8? 0oo,Ooo. was an original idea Of Jackson's
Then his mind was turned, 70 planning big
things in the development of the resources OF
more visionary. He was the original and most
colossal promoter of the Pacific coast,
One OF Jackson's iondest schemes Of the
Natter '8Os and early '70s was the building of
n railroad 10 start at Reno station on the then
newly constructed Central Pacific Railroad,
in Nevada. aud TO run south through Virginia
City, on down through the newly discovered
mining country of southern Nevada. and then
on across IN" deserts TO the Pacific Ocean AZ
San Pedro, near los Angelr>. cal He spent
some $4,000 on his plan for This railroad. and
no one could make him see how impractlcablc
a railroad across sD miles of barren Hlkali sandy
hired u hall in Virginia city, paid for o brass
band and got out large audiences 10 discuss
his railroad plans. but no one with money
ever gave tho project any serious attention.
jackson was angry because his millionaire
friend, James Il. Fair, would not invest in the
new railroad proposition, or at least throw
his influence for the building OF the road, and
Jackson aud Fair we're never friendly again.
Col jackson went Ia New York and spent
weeks vainlv in trying TO interest capital in
the road could be built for $50 OOg0 and that
the ComStock mining kings might influence
Congress to pass u bill guaranteeing bonds
to the amount Of sjo. 40 900 Tor the Constrlic-
ton Of tho Nevadn. california and Pacific
Railroad
The success that Adolf Sutrn had in his tun-
mel into the side Of Mount Davidson To drain
the lower levels Of the rich ComstOck
mines gave Col jackson an idea that The lakes
in the upper valleys Of the Sierras might be
utlli Ied for the benefit Of the human race,
and for the immcu~ profit of all who invested
money in the project, VI an on penSe ol thOll-
sands Of dollars he had gangs Of engineers
for month. AZ q time, surveying. estimating,
and planning how to tap the mountain lakes,
and carry the water down the thirsty. -un-
baked. bleak and bare soil of the NaShoeNa al
lev. lie believed that the rise IN the valve
cf some SDUun acre, of soil. worthless for az
.t,,,lt,R,l ,,Rn.., Np,,,tlI ora a. fna IN EAStATl