The Irish standard., 1902-08-02

John w. Mackay, who oled IN Lon-
don on July 20, possessed Of a for
tune ranging somewhere between
eighty and one hundred million dol
lars, was born in Dublin on Nov. %,
1881, and when nine years old came
with his parents to New York. He
obtained public school education,
and was apprenticed to the trade Of
shipbuilding, his employer being w.
H. Webb.
On the discovery of gold in Califor
1lia he went with the thrsng that
permeatad the Pacific coas,, and Gve,l
a miners life for several years with
varying fortunes. acquiring Il perfect
knowledge of technical and practical
mining. Before Ire was thirty years
old he had made and lost Il small for
tune.
In 1850 he left California for Ne
vada. where he made his home fer
several years. In that place his for
tunes slowly and steadily improved,
the rough sports that formed the mill
ing community. He began by con-
structing a tunnel north of the Ophir
mine, where he sunk all his capital,
and had to go to work as timbernEln
in the Mexican mine ut 81 a day.
Then he fell in with his fellow-pros-
pactors, Flood, Fair and O'Brien, and
they together made a good deal of
money out of the Hale and Norcross
mines, investing their income in the
Colnstock lode. where they presently
opened the great and hitherto unri-
vailed 'pocket" in what was called
the Virginia and California mine, con-
solidated, which became known as
the "bonanza." Here the partners
mined for good many years. making
four vast fortunes. "Out of that
hole" Mr.. Mackay is quoted as say
ing, "I took $15O,OOO,OOO." The other
partners in this great luck-it was
sheer luck-have all died; O'Brien
gave himself up to life of gross in
diligence, which lasted ten years;
Fair became United States Senator
from Nevada, and his record was not
savory; Flood was a generous and in
teresting man; but none OF them COM
pared with Mackay for solid and en-
during qualities. He had more than
luck; he had great business ability
and personal power, and had never
ceased active work. He with James
Gordon Bennett laid the Commercial
cable between this country and Great
Britain and France, and brought
down the monopoly Of the cable SER
vice; he alone developed the system of
land service in this country connected
with the Commercial cable. With
Flood and Fair he established the Ne
yada bank in San Francisco, and was
it's president at the time of his death.
He owned a controlling interest in the
Postal Telegraph Company. 1t had
been many years since he had lived
in California, and he was not often of
late seen in New York, where he long
maintained a residence.
Mr. Mackay was described some
years ago by John Russell Young as
"a tall, slender. well-knit, active man;
with a nimble. rapid gait, finely
carved, compact head. lines strong in
the region assigned to energy and per-
ception; hair f1axen; gentle meas
ured voice and prompt, hearty ad-
dress: he would be pointed out in any
assembly as a distinguished man. 1
am afraid" said Mr. Young, "that he
would be found where Montaigne ad-
vises his readers to look in assemblies
for those worth knowing-in the cor
ners Of the room. He is averse to os-
tentation and, although one Of the
best-known men of his time, dislikes
notoriety. His way Of life is simple
to austerity. Wine is to him an aver
sion. I fancy if he went into litera-
ture it would be as an advocate Of
temperance"
Mr.. Young wrote sketch Of Mr.
Mackay. some years ago. for Munsey's