The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1908-06-06
MAcKAY. THE TYPICAL NEVADA MINER


~ yEDNEsDAY, the 10th day Of June, has been proclaimed a state holiday
M by Governor Dickerson, tn occasion being the unwilling If a statue
w of John ". Mackay, perhaps Nevadas foremost miner. -.
The incident of unveIing a statue that has been given to the
state. is lot in itself a mattsr of such Importance a % b ssn, ,a.a , : ps0e "a
this particular statue that makes the governors action 10 only warranted 0u'
The statue + be unveiled or next Wednesday at the State School o Mines
is rot a statue to John w. Mackay alone, but . the hardy m intrepid miners
of Nevada. II is the embodiment-he rs0nincae as /" ~e'-o a. "A
soms tim 60 clarence ". Mackay, son of the ate John W. Mackay,m made
rich and famous "on the comstock" gave to the state of Nevada a large sum
Tor hi erection If a building for the State School of Mines The legislature II
or I'M in honor of the Nevada miner, mining being the chief industry of
the state. It wa finally decided . select the figure m hneaments o. SOM n
man who stood as a worthy representative u se SeVa0a m"e'' anu p"'''A'
the type in the image If this individual
for Mackay was a miner AM the highest type # his class Mackay vas chosen
or the subject and a Nevadaborn boy, now worldfamous In his IT. was CHOSEN
to executet h statue, and on wednesday nxt it will be unveiled with appropriate
ceremonies.
strued by ome as the result of the generous benefact0ns o. his son. But this is
not so. John W. Mackay is entitled in his " right to suh distinction Al
who made millions mt of III comstockt through stock manipulation n sharp
practices. Mackay was not a stock jobber He ws he rai miner OF the group
detected the evidences of ore knew nov to follow it, and how to mine it, and
him when tn crash came in oomstock stocks Mackay said. 1T is 10 affair of
mine. I an nOt specializing in stocks My business is mining Legitimate min
ing I see that my men do their work properly in the mines and that IL goes
on as it should at the mills. I make my money here ut # the ors''.
At eighteen, Mackay a Dublin born youth, was a shp-bunder's CLERK in New
York. He took the California gold fever and left o. h 'digsinss'. H saved
a little money and. lost it, saved a little more and moved to Virginia City. Here
work y the Mexican mine as timbeman, at 81 per day. That job finished, he
swung the shovel and pick for the same wages Here he became acquainted with
former two, with Mackay. became the three most famous SINNERS Of h district
and it is no exaggeration to add. the three leading silver miners of America
Mackay, wen as a young man, deserved large success as far as constant labor and
study and steady habits may be sad to deserve it, He way strongly fmpued with
the marrow but powerful ambition to become wealthy. He saved all he could from
his earnings for the sole purpose II becoming a mine wnsr He vas a very hard
student If mines and of everything connected with mines.
Old Constock miners still speak with admiration Of the fine nosef for ore
that Mackay displayed. His watchfumes energy and snictness If discipline
were never surpassed in the mines of the period. He knew every inch If the
miles Of underground workings as well as Thu rooms of his house.
When working fr days pay Of the comstock' Mmkay got more than the
81 wages. He was gradually acquiring a knowledge Of the great silver lode and
preparing h way for the big work If his life.
Out of his savings as a day laborer he son began to acquire fleet" oil the
famous lode individuals, instead of owning claims or stocks in those days.
owned feet along the Lode ant each FOOT represented so many sharesin a
company. Mackay made a small stake ut of thu Kentuck mine n Gold Hill
This enabled him 10 operate still more largely, and a few years later he felt
safe from The condition of his purse N his knowledge of thu Comstock, to enter
undertook, by contract, in 1863, to develop the Hale and Norcros mine, which
had previously paid large dividends Heavy assessments were them in order and
dumd M@srs Flood and o'Brien, successful operators in San Francisco. to aid
in securing coutrolw when shortly after another bonanza waso pened md dividends
resumed. This laid the foundation or the great fortune aferward acquired.
With the profits of successful mining the firm of John W. Mackay, James c. Fair,
! M walker. James g Flood. and william 8. o,Brien extended their possessions
Norcross and along that property they sent al exploring drift. MI. Walker be-
came discourage. sold his interest to Nj. Mackay. giving The latter tvosfh in
terests in the firm.
The result of the drift vas he discovery of the bonanza ore in the Con-
soidated virginia and california mines which paid between the wears 1874 and
1879, $780, 100000 in dividends to its stockholders 1t vas upon Mr.. Mackay's
Judgment that the territory afhrward known as the California and Consolidated
virginia vas purchased; that in addition to thu one paid for the ground $500.
900 vas spent in tunnehng n prosecuting, before sight of the ore body was
obtained.
II may be asked, why Mr.. Mackay believed in an ore body; why dd h in
duce others to invest also? Mackay had studied the Comstock lode in its en-
tirety. He had compared its formation with the great lodes of Mexico, which
had been deposited in similar openings etxeen The same knd of walls He mad
calculated the average value OF thu foot in depth ant length, and the chances
Of a ore body at . certain depth OF course there might have been nothing
to believe there wa somethng there's an he u up his " money in great sums
mfaterinsly to back his Judgment And he found the ore he largest and rich
After Maeiay achieved his great wealth, he was stn studying formation and
s candle Lea :, 1a, went !. D ,sa.Is, around ! 1000 ss,l rss under as Z, ground oa.. . Observing wa st. the alp Of
in searching ut the secrets o the min as when he was ansiously looking for the
wealth was acquired, he va as plain and approximate as when he vas swinging a
PICK All Il In all ; shs1sl is 81 . ed ss@s II ! Nevada s%1s mining an n hi history sss' who 9 might so properly
monument unmsa is IS Il life fs' sss, re ssnsan t he eff ss nu as leaning maa with with ne ha ani. 8 a :
5 gSs s. as p%. T i D ssy. q sa Ss shs sa asana d n sp@.s sa'i sns as %sse as s y: with i1.s sas
figure and handsome features. the statue is said % be particularly striking and