The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-12-24
COLONEL THOS. CRUISE
PASSED AWAY SUNDAY
END OF EVENTFuL CAREER OF
MoNTANAS MOST NOTED
CITIZEN.

A most striking and interesting
character in the mining and other
fields of industry ended lis career last
Sunday in Helena, when Colonel Thos
Cruise breathed his last. Few men in
Montana have had so much written
about them rs Colonel Cruise, and yet
none was more averGe to talking about
himself or his enterprises A p1cti-
cal miner and a pioneer in that bust
hess in the state, he was deer end
not talker. Though his interests fol
the past quarter of century have
been many and varied, they have al
been confined to Montana. He could
never be interested In any enterprise
outside of the state, and ne always de-
sired to be in touch with whatever
business he engaged in.
Sold Mine for Million,
Cattle raising, horse breeding, sheer
and wool production, ranching on o
big scale, all appealed to him to 3
greater or less degree, but it was tt
mining that he devoted most of his
attention. When he sold out his mine
at Marysvllle, the Drum Lummon, tc
an English company for cash con
sideration of million dollars and a
stock interest, which later It is said
melted twice the cash paid, he did not
retire from mining, Instead he pu'
his money into the development OF
other properties In the Marysvile dis
trict, and developed a big paying pro-
Iperty though just how big he always
refused to give any hint
Directed Operations
Up to a short time ago he made reg
ular trips each week to his mine anf
directed its operation. He was also
opening a property on Scratch Gravel
near Helena, his hope being that Il
would be the biggest gold mine in this
section of the state. He was also in
terested in the development of OF
lands in eastern Montana.
b Until within a few years Colone
Cruise had large interests in sheep
horses cattle and lands in differen
parts of the state, but he had beer
disposng of these, so that 1t is prob
able that his investments in thos
lines which a few years ago were es
timated at a million dollars, We're a
the time of his death comparativel,
small.
Ever Public Spirited
There have been few public enter
prises in Helena to which Colont
Cruise was not a contributor He wa
careful to investigate whenever an ap
peal was made to him, but If he be
lieved the movement, whatever it Wa'
was a good thing for the city, he wa
a liberal contributor Though he prob
ably attended half a dozen base ba
games in his life, when Helena had
club and it got in the hole, he wa
counted upon always for a big contr'
button to help it out, and he neVt
failed. Former employees at his mine
who become incapacitated were recir
tents of his help, and so were man
others, but he was as secretive abo'
his charities as he was about his bus
mess and only his closest friends an
advisers knew of his many kind
. deeds.
~ Monuren to His Generosity
So long as the new st. Helena catht
dral stands it will be at least in pa
"a monument to the generosity of Co
: onel Cruise. He gave many thousanC
of dollars toward it's construction, ar
due to his generosity work on It SIN
it was started was many times ~
, tinued simply because he providei q
, means when they could not be had ar
! where else,
: 70 Years Old.
Colonel Crr-o was horn IN coun
Cavan Trs'av7 m 7roreh 1925
sterling Irish stock. possessed of tn
alert and vigorous mentality so cha
acteristic of that race. His education
,ql privileges were limited in scope D.
! ng such as were afforded by priva
e ,ehools in his native land. He ear
began to depend upon himself ana
1855. at the age Of 20, he emigrat
tn nI n