Lincoln County record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1900-1905, 1905-02-24
HON. j. 8. MCGEE.


b. McGee, who brought the Hill
side mine at Bristol into prominence
during the '70s, Goodwin's Weekly
Of Salt Lake says:
The news has just reached us
Of the death of j. B. McGee on the
last day of last year, at the little
town of Gold Hill, Oregon. A mar
velous man was J B. McGee, and a
marvellous life was his. He we nt to
the Argonauts to California in 1849
But be was thirty years old then,
and had already been great mer-
chant in 81 Lou.s. lie was born in
Missouri; he was disciple of Thos
II. Benton, with him he believed
that the far west had all the ele-
ments of an empire, SO when the
news reached him that new El
Dorodo had been found, he closed
up his eastern affairs and faced the
West. He settled in Plumas county,
and believing that mining was the
leading industry Of the state he en-
gagged in mining. From Plumas he
served term or two in the Califor-
MIA Legislature. He became an ex-
pert in the mining field, but his first
very great success was in reducing
the ores of the great Rich
mond mine in Eureka, New. He
started the small furnace on the
property; then as the mine went into
bonanza and more reduction works
were needed, he insisted that the
small furnaces generally in use were
not economical, that there was a
vast waste in labor and heat and
got permission to erect great fur
mace. Under him the mine paid
81 100000 annually in dividends,
while he remained. From there he
went to Tybo, opened another gr at
smelling property aud made a for
tune. This was mostly lost in a
gold mine in Oregon, because when
the '93 panic came on he had the
works on the eve of starting, but
was denied the funds which had
been promised him to complete the
works. He went to New Mexico
and made a great success of a
smelling mine that all others had
failed to work. He drifted back to
Nevada and thence to Oregon. For
three years past he had been seeking
a patent for furnace for ore reduc-
ton which he was sure would re-
volutionize ore-reduction The pat
ent has been issued since his death.
He was opening another gold mine
in Oregon when seized by his fatal
illness. He besought his physician
to prolong his life but another month
that he might complete some
development work which he had in
hand. But the machinery of his
body which had never rested was
running down, and while calling
over the names of his friends of
the long ago, it suddenly stopped.
His body grew old, but his mind
never His energy and hope in '99
were the same as in 40 The beat
ing of the storms of half a century
upon him left no scar upon the
structure of his resolute soul, nor
obscurred in the least the clear
light of his mind. No misfortune
could daunt him; no disappoint-
ment chill the spring of his tireless
energy; all the distractions which
uprose in his path he held as but in
cidents not worth regretting.
He was as competent man in
his profession as ever belonged to
the west coast; the life he lived was
an inspiration to the young and old
alike, his great ability was never APP
preciated except by the few who
were close to him. He had outlived
all his relatives save his wife who
smoothed his dying couch aud to
whom his last coherent words were
spoken. The history Of his life on
this coast would be as enchanting
as a thrilling novel, and it would
include, almost, the mining history
of the coast for elmost three-score
years. Surely if any man ever
earned an everlasting rest it was lie
/, One of the greatest curiosities in