The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1911-04-22
From Goldfield to Gotham
How Hayes and Monnette After Struggles and Disappont
ments Finally Met With Success in Their Mohawk
Lease, Amassing Fortune and Adding Fuel to
the Blaze of Unparalleled Speculations in the
Coldfield Mining Securities

/ eQCe.
At the time of the strike on the
Hay es- Monnette lease he had consider
able Mohawk stock which stood him
very little. Much of it he had taken as
an act of kindness to stake some old
timer; more Of it he had bought on the
old theory that anything in Goldfield
was sure to be good. The stock had
never sold higher than 10 cents share;
and before the strike it was going beg
ging at seven cents. Wingfeld saw the
ore in the lease and began quietly to
buy the stock. 1t has been generally
thought that he and Senator Nixon
owned control at the time Of the strike,
but this is not the case.
The big strike in the Hayes. Monnette
lease occurred in April, few days be-
fore the disaster to Sa1 Francisco.
Monnette had left Goldfeld and was
in Omaha when he received wire from
Hayes that they had struck a bonanza.
Even then the Goldfeld and Tonopah
people believed it was a pocket or a
fiuke; and the fire of San Francisco
wiped out all thought of speculation
from their calculations for awhile
The fame of the Mohawk spread while
San Francisco was getting on her feet,
and when the San Francisco stock ex
change reopened in July the stock was
one of the leaders. Then came the
story that George Wingfield had bought
100. 900 shares Of the stock from James
Forman of Tonopah at 81 a share.
The world began to sit up and take
notice. Newspapermen had piled in to
Goldfleld from all over the country in
consequence Of the Manhattan boom
and George Graham Rice was sending
ont the dope" to the Eastern centers.
In August Goldfeld began filing with
people, and the reports of the high
grade Of the Mohawk brought, miners
from every where.
The ore of the lease was going $50 to
$50 to the pound, and a fortune was
being hoisted out of the shaft every
day. And, Hayes and Monnette, long
alive to what they had in their lease,
had put in machinery. and were getting
out all the ore It was possible to raise.
They had but few months more left
on the lease.
ID. A. Mackenzie, a promoter, Sc
cured lease adjoining the Hayes-Mon-
nette. and found the continuation OF
the ore body. Here was another find
which set Goldfield wild with excite
ment. The promoters turned their at
tention to the Mohawk and took any
lease they could get. II they only
could get the name Mohawk in their
promotion fortune was assured them.
for the stock was sold in two or three
days. Samples Of the Hayes Monnette
and Florence Mohawk lease, the latter
being MacKenzie's fotation, were to be
seen every where. Men whose occupa
blossomed out as promoters and did a
land Office business; high graders were
at work and many pound of $50 and
$50 aud $40 pound ore was sold for
cash in Goldheld aud never found its
way to the leaser's shipments. Money
was everywhere; it was becoming a
cheap commodity. and Go.dfleld was no
more q name only; it wasn't what it
spelled.
The gold OF the Mohawk was the
pure quill; q specimen was worth
something, and the fame of the great
gold camp was spreading to the
boundaries of the United States; to
the ends of the earth. About this time
the Cans. Nelson fight was being dis
cussed. and the hackers Of the gladia-
tors were looking for the best offer
A newspaperman went to Rice in a
josh aud suggested that Goldfeld make
bid for the fight. Nothing seemed
more absurd at the time, but in a
week Goldfield had become an active
factor in the campaign. Rice saw
splendid opportunities for advertising
the camp and for advertising his own
promotions. He talked the matter over
with Tex Riokard and Ole Elliott then
running the Northern saloon. the big
gest gambling resort in the camp.
Other promoters were taken into the
conference. and Rice showed them the
opportunity of bringing into Goldheld
the greatest crowd ever seen in min
ing camp; and having the name Gold.
field in the daily papers Of the United
States.
The idea made hit. 1t was decided
to offer purse of $50. 900 for the fight.
the largest purse ever offered for a
prize fight in the world. In an hour
the money had been subscribed, and
that night the offer was wired to the
fighters. The next morning the whole