Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-26

a. which be bought a.
Mr. King. when asked how the present
boom compared with the excitement Of the
Comstook days. said
The OLD Exciting Days.
The San Francisco Stock board never
amounted 20 much. that is. the opera
/ ton In Constock shares never assumed
/ great magnitude until the Crown Point
\ and Belcher deals first began. In 1862 20
/ 1875. The excitement was tremendous. Peo-
pie went mad Stocks went up, Up, up
until they reached S20o0 a share. II was
at this time that William Sharon. repre-
senting the Bank Of California. with VIII
/ liam c. Ralston and = o. Mills as part
ners. began to lay the foundation Of their
] immense fortunes. They organized firm
/ called the Union Mil and Mining company.
and u wasn't long before they owned the
great bulk Of mills that crushed the ore
that came from these mines gradually
/ gaining control Of the mines themselves.
Sharon. who was the great speculative
/ financial genius Of this partnership. and
/ his friends. controlled Belcher while Al
! vinza Hayward and his set gained pos
/ session Of Crown Point. The entire cap
! italzation Of these stocks was originally
I only $1,000
Then came the firm OF Flood s. O'Brien.
James c. Flood. William OBrien. John
Mackay and James Fair were the partners,
] and their first fortune was made in Hale
and NorCross. Then they were so for
| tunate TO get hold Of what is now
called Consolidated Virginia. the grandest
then. and now. Of all the mines OF the
! Comstock These two mines and a mine
divided out Of It, named California, reached
$500 a share. You think these days are
| exciting on the buard?' asked Mr.. King
why, you can get your feet on the floor
at the present time. and there's room to
jump up and down II you feel inclined,
I and you generally do, on the floor OF the
| exchange" he smiled. But in those days
why. l remember that in going TO the
board one day and receiving an order
to buy 5000 shares Of California stock the
entrance to the old board room and the
room itself was SO crowded that in the
time II took me TO get from the entrance
on the street TO the board room proper
the stock rose from s47 10 SIS. The board
room then was two or three times as
crowded as the board room Of today. and
the number Of brokers was so great that
in executing orders it has been known for
a stock to sell 500 higher on one end
Of the exchange than at the other.
Volume Of Business.
AT present the crowds attending board
and giving orders in changes Of prices
are not so great as they were thirty years
ago. but the volume Of shares today traded
in and the long continued sessions Of from
three to three and half hours long are
very promising and with an increasing
number Of stocks coming upon the board
: every day it Is easy 10 see that the ex-
citement and business may fully equal
anything that has been done in the past
When / lived in Virginia City. in 1854
it was considered suicidal for any Of vi
/ to seek outside mines In the state Of Ne
vada because Of the deserts, the want Of
water for drinking purposes. and many
other things Today however, IL would
seem that the entire portion of southern
Nevada, with its sagebrush and its deserts
is rich in mineral lodes. end with the new
districts continually presented to our stock
board Il looks as though there were nc
end TO future discoveries. The principal
mines in Goldheld, Tonopah, Bulifrog and
Manhattan. improving as they do IN min
ing ct lower levels, makes one wonder Il
there can be a limit TO these develop
ments
''The largest number Of stocks on the lis
in the great Comstocx deals thirty year.
I ago was % quay inert are fflt anu %
these 400 are in southern Nevada. outside
Of the C0instock lode. The humber is in
creasing every day. Two hours was al
the tire given then 20 the sessions Of
the board: that is all the time that wa
supposed TO be given, but I remember how
on many occasions, we transacted business
until gasIight OF all the eighty member
of the board at that time. there are bu
two remaining who were members befor
me The others are either dead or to-
old 10 attend 10 business. OF all th'
original forty members Of the first sal
Francisco Stock board. John Perry. jr
is the last survivor. He is 50 years old.
Fortunes Made over Night.
"A picturesque character in those earl,
days was a man by the name OF Sand'
Bowers A poor miner, who couldn't writ
his name, he happened TO buy few fee
in Gold Hill that developed into enor
nous mine. out Of which he took a for
tune He built a worth S25000o nea
z washoe Lake. in washoe county, Nevada
and fitted it up like q palace. / remen
Der going there one day and his showing
me the house and .ts furnishings HI
{ took me through room after room GU
feet sinking deep in the heavy carpets, and
his miners rough boots left traces Of mu,
duG llII H every HAfb IL NsiS AN WIN
originated the saying, Money 10 throw a
. the birds And poor Sandy threw it unit
= II was all gone. dying poor as he'd beet
before ne bought Gold Hin, and his widow
was left TO exc out a living in San Fran
cisco by telling fortunes
But the miners and spectators Of 10
, day are on the road 20 making fabulou
fortunes. Most Of the millionaires of Gold
field are under 80 years Of age. One D
the partners in the great Mohawk min
. went TO GoIdheld as a cowboy. Pnwnin
his watch for SIPS, he put his fortune I
the test with the result that today, a
4 the age OF 2s. ne is worth sl5,0O0,OO0 It
: known that the locRtors Of the great Miz
: pah ledge in Tonopah had only $50 anon
. them and this wasn't all in money. ethel
: One Of them Wis the happy owner OF
!, sack Of beans. They are ali wealthy me
today. There are many similar stories I
: these of poor men who have lately mad
= fortunes out Of the mines Of souther
= Nevada"
:. And these instances may be said 10 b
: only the beginning repetition Of the oil
, Comstock glories. New strikes are re
, ported all the time, and a stream Of me
;. INN edistely head for them although N