The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-07-25
THE LATE JOHN v. AACkAY
A Difficult Matter to Estimate How
Large an Estate the Amer
lean Croesus Left.
he HAD NUMEROUS IRONS IN THE FIRE.
Mr.. Maekay Was Very Charitable In
an transformations Way, and Was
the Mainstay of the Catholic Or
phan Asylum at Virginia, New
Many VIII Miss Him.

San Francisco, July 22.-Richard
Dey, a close personal friend and for
mer confidential secretary of the late
John W. Mackay, says in an inter
view:
Il don't suppose Mr.. Mackay him.
self knew within $2O,OO0,000 of what
he was worth. But his business was
in such order and his arrangements
were so carefully made that every
thing will go on just as though he
were still alive.
Some of His Interests.
He was president of the Mackay-
Bennett Cable Co.; president of the
Postal Telegraph Co.; and president
of the Prospective Pacific CONNER
cial Cable Co.; vice-president of the
new $7,000,O00 sugar refinery at Yon-
kers, n. Y, of which Gus Spreckles is
president; director of the Canadian
Pacific railway; director of the South
ern Pacific, and director of the new
proposed railroad from Havana to
Santiago, in Cuba. He was one of the
largest owners of the White Mob Cop
per Co., of Mackay, Idaho, to which
the Union Pacific built a 90-mile
branch. He was interested with
Charles d. Lane in the Wild Goose
Mining Co., at Nome. He was heavi-
iy interested in the Sprague elevator
and electrical works of New York.
His San Francisco Holdings.
ON San Francisco Mr.. Mackay
owned half the Nevada block, the
Grand opera house and the big lot at
the southeast corner of Fourth and
Market streets. He owned, together
with Flood, the Burr Burr ranch of
about 1000 acres, in San Mateo coun-
ty, the Coleman tract of about $500
acres in and adjacent to the city OF
San Rafael, and 5000 acres of timber
land in Mendocino county. He owned
several thousand acres of woodland
in Nevada between Reno and True
kee. In New York city he owned the
Postal Telegraph building, a 16--story
structure, and he was the largest
owner of the Commercial Cable Co.'s
building, 21-story structure, and the
property adjacent to it. He owned
the Territorial Enterprise, a news
paper of Virginia, New. Mr.. Mackay
owned the palatial house in which he
died in London.
Mr. Mackay Personally.
"Mr Maclay was member or the
Pacific Union club, of San Francisco
and of the Merchants exchange. He
was a stanch republican, but before
the civil war he was a democrat.
Time and again he refused to be SEN
ator from Nevada and eschewed Of
flee. In religion he was Catholic,
and two of his warmest friends were
the late Bishop Montague, who had
jurisdiction over northern Callfor-
MAS mining regions and large part
of Nevada. and Archbishop Riordan.
Many VIII Miss Him.
Mr.. Mackay for long while virtu-
ally supported the Catholic orphan
ASYLUM and its 100 children at Nir-
pinia. New. In New York he main
tanned five or six free beds in hospl-
tails in memory of his son, Willie, who
died half dozen years ago, at the
age of 26. Mr.. Mackay was always
doing good quietly and giving money.
A large number of regular pensioners
will miss him.
A Native of Ireland.
"Mr. Mackay came to America from
Ireland, as an infant, with his faith
er. who was afterward naturalized.
But along in 1867 James q. FAIR VINO
was Mr.. Mackay's partner, and also
born in Ireland, couldn't remember
whether or not the elder Fair was
naturalized, so to make sure Fair and
Mackay were naturalized together in
Virginia, New, by their friend, Sandy
w. Baldwin, who was United States
district Judge. l think Mr.. Mackay
was originally a carpenter, for when
he came on the Comstock he was con-
sidered an authority on mine timber
ing"