White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-16
GEORGE f. GUM, F|NANC|ER AND|
MINING OPERATOR, DIES SUDDENLY
WALK TO OFFICE FOLLOWING SHORT INDIsPOSITION-
PROMINENTLY IDENTIFIED WITH BUSINESS INTER
DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT.

George E. Gum, millionaire min
ing operator, and man widely
known throughout the country for
his business ability and enterprises
and philanthropic tendencies, died
suddenly at his home in Salt Lake
City, at four o'clock, Tuesday after
noon. Mr.. Gums death was a stun
ming shock to his friends, who, al
though knowing that he had been in
serious condition, were confident
that the crisis had passed and that
Mr.. Gum would soon be conva-
descent. He had been indisposed for
several days, at his apartments at the
Hotel Utah, and cared for by train
ed nurse, but within a few minutes
of his death had remarked that he
was feeling much better, and was
preparing to go for a walk to his Of
fee. B. L. Cripps, his private Sec
retary, mad left his chief not over
twenty minutes before the end. His
death was attributed to heart disease,
complicated with other troubles.
Mr.. Gum had returned to Salt
Lake the latter part of February,
after several weeks trip to the
southwest and Honolulu, where he
had extensive mining interests. He
returned in the best of spirits and
seemingly well physically, but on
Friday there was a recurrence of the
troubles, that necessitated him TAX
ing to his bed. Mr.. Gums last visit
to Ely, was on the 11th of last De-
cember, when he came on business
connected with the Gunn-Thompson
and Coppermines interests.
George E. Gum was fifty years old
and native of Mentor, Ohio. When
a young man he became interested in
mining and smelling. his first work
in that line being done in Montana.
twenty years ago. A decade later
the prospects of Ely appealed to him.
and from that time he has been a
factor in the growth and Importance
of the district At Ely Mr. Gum was
the owner of the Cumberland Ely and
lCoppermines. having had his atten-
ltion called TO the copper properties
while employed as field engineer with
the American Smelling and Refining
company. He grasped the signifi-
cance of the copper possibilities fol-
lowing the birth of modern porphyry
copper mining. and was a pioneer in
the search for new copper properties
1t was through the formation in re-
cent years of the Gunn-Thompson
company that Mr.. Gum began widen
ing his scope of operations until he
had representatives in all mining
fields from Alaska to far South Amer
lea. The Gunn-Thompson company
was the original owner and developer
of the Inspiration property of Ari-
zona, which, in 1912, was taken over
by the Amalgamated Copper inter-
ests, the Gunn-Thompson company
retaining large interest in the COM
pany. The same company is the
owner of the Magma Copper property
of Arizona, famed as the richest cop
per mine in the world.
There are at least two Arizona gold
properties that We're recently acquir-
"a hy tba C,,nr 1,b neop oop,Dapv
one being the blackberry. famous in
the early days as a silver producer
and which is now under process of
new development. Among the other
companies owned or controlled by
the Gunn-Thompson interests are the
Barker in Montana, the Coppermines
at Ely and the Gunn-Quealy Coal
company of Wyoming.
Associated with Mr.. Gum in this
company was William b. Thompson
formerly of Montana, but now one of
the most prominent of eastern capt.
talists and senior member of the firm
of Thompson. Towle & Co., of New
| Nork and Boston.
Mr.. Gum assisted in the organiza-
ton of the National Copper bank of
Salt Lake City, having served as a
ldirector and large stoekholder to the
time of his death. 1t was generally
considered certain that he was to
have been elected vice president of
this institution on the fourteenth of
this month, succeeding the late
Windsor V. Rice
Following his Ely operations he
next became interested In the Yering-
ton camp of Nevada taking over the
Mason Valley property, heretofore
owned by Salt Lake capitalists. and