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period, Mr. Flood had troublesome times. disappointments and failures, and plenty of hard work. In 1854 he began to emerge from obscurity as the leading member of the firm of Flood & O'Brien. They made money keeping a liquor saloon in San Francisco, which became a kind of exchange, much to the profit of its proprietors. In 1862 these men made their first investment in the Comstock lode, Nevada, John W. Mackay joined his fortune with theirs the first year, and in 1869 James C. Fair became the fourth partner in the mining property owned by the firm. Whoever suffered by the collapse of the Comstock "boom" ten or eleven years ago, Flood and his associates came out ahead. It was Mr. Flood who projected the Nevada bank. He had for associates, James C. Fair and John W. Mackay. After finishing the immense row of buildings called the "Nevada block," in San Francisco, and just before starting the Nevada bank, Flood made that heavy call on the California bank which led to its suspension and incidentally to the death of William C. Ralston, the popular Californian, whose fall and subsequent suicide was greatly deplored by the public. Mr. Flood's appearance recalled his Irish origin. His figure was imposing. and his features gave him an aspect of power. His house in San Francisco is a costly structure, of plain architecture. The handsomest country house on the Pacific coast is that built and occupied by him in San Mateo, in the Santa Clara valley. Flood was never a well man after the disastrous wheat deal that so nearly wrecked the Nevada bank in 1877, and from which he suffered a loss of $6,000,000. In '88 Mr. Flood went to Europe for his health, but failed to find the relief expected and has been reported on the verge of the grave many times since that time.]