The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-09-08
TOM MURPHY
IS DEAD IN
WYOMING
Pioneer Mining Man of GOldfield
Passes Away While En- Route
Home
WAS PART OWNER OF
FIRST BIG PRODUCER
Deceased Was Leader Among Broad
Gauge Men Who Made Camp
Famous

Thomas ID. Murphy, a man who
more than any other deserves credit
as the father or Goldfield, is dead
in Laramie. Wyo.
Murphy was taken seriously i'll in
Tonopah a short time g and left
there recently for his old home in
Nebraska, accompanied by his wife
n brother, Charles Murphy, an
employee of the Goldfield post office.
Word of his death was contained in
a telegram from his wife, received
Sunday morning by Clyde Johnson,
exalted ruler of the Elks. He died
Sunday morning.
While Harry Stimler and Will
Marsh made the original discovery
in the Goldfield district, had it not
been for the foresight and energy
of Tom Murphy and Al Myers, the
great wealth that Goldfield has given
to the world might never have bee
revealed. Murphy and Myers are
the men who first opened ore on the
Combination mine when they cut an
eight-foot vein averaging $3.50 per
ton "a the surface.
They had great confidence in the
property, but they had associates
who were less confident that the ore
would continue to depth and, going
against their own judgment, in
September, 1908, they and their CO.
owners gave a bond and lease on the
property to l.. L. Patrick that was to
run for n year and that called
for a payment of $4,000. Patrick
interested Chicago and Boston CAPT.
tai with him and it is a matter of
history that the first payment of
$4,000 was all the mine ever cost the
new owners, as succeeding payments
were made from the output of the
mine.
Murphy later became interested in
other mines of the district and re-
NAMED here until a few years ago
Shortly after leaving at that time
he married Mrs. r. l.. Collins, wife
of a former postmaster here.
He was a type of the adventurous
gold-seeker and was n OF a coterie
of such men that made Goldfield
famous throughout the world and at
tracted capital for the development
of it's mines from the prospect stage.
He returned here a short time ago
and during a brief stay renewed ac-
ouaintances with old-time friends
and today there are general express
sions of sorrow for the death OF n
of the men who were so vitality in
terested in the early life of the town.
Murphy was 81 years Of age. He
was born in 1866 in saltwater, MINI.
For many years he was engaged In
cattle raising in Nebraska and Wy
oming. In addition to his share in
the Combination mine, Murphy at
one time had a large interest in the
Mohawk and with his partner, AL My
ers, owned outright the Combination
Fraction. One of the interests he
retained to the last was q large
share in the ownership of the COM
mcnYealth mine.
During the boom period Murphy
could have realized a large fortune
from his holdings here, but such was
his confidence in he future OF Gold
field that he declined to sell and con-
tinued to invest in Goldfield prop
erty and to expend large sums In
development work. He retained his
faith in the district to the day OF
his death and looked forward to ;he
opening of new mines here, and to
the time when he should again make
his home here.