THE SUMPTER MINER.
VOL I.
SUMPTER, OREGON, OCTOBER n, 1899.
NO. 5.
AT THE SPOKANE FAIR
EASTERN OREGON'S MINERAL EX
HIBIT IS THE BEST.
Captain Thompson Says it Is Attracting
Universal Favorable Attention. Thk
Advertising Will Remit in Much Good.
Captain C. H.a Thompson and Angus
McQueen returned yesterday from Spo
kane and have established themselves In
the building which the former recently
purchased on the corner of Center and
North streets. There will be the office of
the Bunker Hill Mining company, In
charge of Eugene Sperry, the company's
book keeper, who came down from Spo
kane with them.
John J. Penhale, a capitalist from Sher
brooke, Province of Quebec, Canada,
who Is largely interested In the Bunker
Hili, accompanied them to Sumpter, for
the purpose of Inspecting this mining dis
trict and especially the properties In
which he has holdings. He will remain
here for some days.
Captain Thompson Is enthusiastic over
our mineral exhibit at the Spokane fair;
says that the eastern Oregon display is
by all odds the best In the department,
and that the Sumpter samples, occupying
the center of the stage, as It were, are all
right and attract universal favorable at
tention. It Is the general Impression that
the eastern Oregon exhibit will be
awarded the premium.
. There are many mining men from all
over the West and some from the East
In attendance at the fair and, of course,
the department of mines and minerals
commands their especial attention. This
section of country having such a splendid
collection of ores there, Is therefore re
sulting in the very best kind of advertis
ing, the beneficial results from which will
soon be made apparent.
Ruahing Work on the Rcaervoir.
Work on the reservoir is progressing
right along. There are many workmen
engaged in excavating. James Cornfield
is In charge of a squad of twenty men
running the viaduct. The first grade has
reached near the reservoir, and the men
are now making the second run, blasting
rock and otherwise opening the course.
There will be one place across a gulch
that will be piped; the rest of the way
will be an open ditch. Mr. Cornfield Is
rushing the work and says he will have
his part of it finished within a few weeks,
probably before the reservoir is ready
for it.
Sumptsr Water Company.
W. L. Vinson returned home Thursday,
after spending a week in Portland. He
left again Saturday for a hurried business
trip to Portland and other coast cities.
While on the former trip he bought sixty
tons of mains for the Sumpter water
works, which will begin arriving this
week. Two carloads will probably reach
here today. Articles of Incorporation
were filed in the county clerk's office Fri
day for the Sumpter Water company.
The Incorporators are W. L. Vinson, A.
P. Goss and C. J. Johns. The capital
stock is 950,000.
Sumpter Telephone Systswii
Activity in the telephone business Is
noted by the many new wires strung along
the streets the past week. Two lines out
side have been run In addition to those
already in use; one to Bunker Hill and an
other to the Ibex mine. There are about
thirty instruments now In use In town and
a dozen more soon to be placed. Four
phones are on the Canyon line, two on the
Granite and six at Canyon. The service
has so far increased as to necessitate an
additional operator. Miss Alpha Jenkins
Is manager and is assisted by her sister.
As soon as the new central office is com
pleted, a directory will be published.
PORTLAND IS INTERESTED.
Beginning to Realise That Opportunities
Arc Here For Investment.
W. C. Calder reached home Sunday
from Portland, where he has been for a
week or ten days past. He reports that
the business men of that town are begin
ning to realize the fact that there are
splendid opportunities for the profitable in
vestment of capital in eastern Oregon, es
pecially In the Sumpter district, and he re
ceived numerous enquiries regarding the
town and country. A number of men ex
pressed n desire to invest money here,
some small amounts and others large
sums.
Mr. Calder had an Interesting, if not
pleasant, experience while In the web-foot
metropolis. He was asked by the busi
ness manager of the Telegram to call on
the editor and grant him an interview rel
ative to this section of the state. He had
scarcely been Introduced when the enter
prising editor attempted to hold him up
for what he thought was the size of his
vest pocket roll, by remarking :
" When I was booming a town up on
Puget Sound, I was always glad to pay
seventy-five or a hundred to get a column
or so In one of the city papers."
Mr. Calder was not playing his money
in on that game, so the Interview termi
nated abruptly. An effort was made to
square the coarse attempt at a graft, but
without success.
While in Portland Mr. Calder perfected
the Incorporation of the Inter-Mountain
Mining company.
Electric Power for the Mines.
C. H. Leadbetter, of Portland, one of
the owners of Columbia River Paper
mill, has been In Sumpter for some days
past. Mr. Leadbetter Is spending $50,-
000 developing a splendid water right on
the North Fork of John Day river, for
the generation of electric power, which he
will sell to the various mines In this dis
trict. To the farthest mine which has
thus far signified an Intention to use the
power, it will have to be transmitted only
twenty miles. The mains are now being
laid and the wheels will begin to turn by
the first of next June.
Stamps Dropping on the Gokt Eagle.
On the twenty-second; at 10:30 a. m.,
stamps began thumping rock at the Gold
Eagle mine, Greenhorn district, owned
by twenty-one residents of The Dalles,
who have put up about $1,800 each the
past two years. Its assessment days are
now practically ended and we predict that
this mine will soon become as famous as
its near neighbors, the Bonanza and the
Red Boy. T. A. Hudson, one of the
owners, just from there, reports a veri
table boom on in that region. Sherman
County Observer.
Hurt-Starr Nuptials.
J. G. Hurt, book keeper for the Mc
Ewen & Sloan Stage and Transfer com
pany, married Miss Pearl Starr, of Baker
City, last evening. The popular groom
and his bride will come at once to Sump
ter to live and will receive the congratula
tions of many friends.
BROKERS, LOOK OUT!
Lady Enters the Prolific Field
of Financiering;.
Real estate and mining operators here
and hereabouts had better be looking to
their laurels and commissions. There Is
another Richmond in the field, a firm with
a lady at Its head, that is destined to cut
much Ice in this prolific branch of finan
ciering. Brock & Herlocker is the firm
name.
Otto Herlocker, the mere man in the
business, can be easily and briefly dis
posed of. Until recently he has been
bookkeeper for the great Golconda mine,
and, of course, resigned that position
when offered so advantageous a business
alliance. Prior to that, he filled a similar
place with the world-famed Le Rol, In
British Columbia, and has been engaged
In various mining enterprises for the past
ten years. His training and experience
thoroughly equip him for this line of ef
fort. He has been so fortunate as to se
cure a residence here, and has already
brought his family to Sumpter to reside.
Not so with the senior partner, however.
She demands a more extended notice.
Even here In the unconventional West, it
must be confessed that It Is not an every
day occurrence for a lady to branch out In
business for herself on this broad
basis ; that it is an interesting novelty,
at least. With a view to ascertaining the
whys and wherefores of this move, for
public consumption and edification, a
MINER man dared to Interview the lady
on the subject. The emotions engendered
by the matter of fact query, "What's
your Idea In going Into business for your
self?" would have caused the average
man to reply :. " That's none of your
business." But Mrs. Ada A. Brock Is a
woman of tact, and the Idea flashed
through herquick brain,"Thls Is one of my
first annoyances In this new sphere which
I am am entering, and I had better make
the best of It." All this was clearly
written on her expressive face, which she
has not yet schooled to conceal her
thoughts of a non-social nature. Hav
ing reached this wise decision, she talked
graciously to the newspaper man, and
this Is the Import of what she said :
" I want to make some money for and
by my own self. I see an opportunity
here in Sumpter for realizing this very pro
nounced wish of mine, and as there is
nothing so very shocking about the mat
ter, I am going to make the effort and
succeed, too, you see If I don't. A woman
has just as much right to sell town lots
and mines as she has to sell millinery or
run a boarding house. The Idea was first
suggested to me by an offer received from
some friends In the East to have me Invest
some capital for them In the mines. I
came out here from our home In Portland
to visit my brother last June. I saw the
opportunity and am just now grasping It.
I have thought of It all the while, however,
and have done some talking about It, too.
Since it became known that I contemplated
taking such a step, I have had seven of
fers from people to go Into partnership
with me, but have finally selected Mr.Her
locker for the victim. Our families are
old friends. Now, that's all there Is about
it, and don't you go make any sensation
of It, either."
The reader will make a great mistake if
he pictures Mrs. Brock of the manlsh.new
woman type, for she Is the reverse 1 In ap
pearance and manner Intensely femi
nine, possessed of womanly graces. She
dresses with exquisite taste and evidently
loves a pretty gown and "fetching" hat.
The firm has fitted up handsome offices
In the Healy block, where there are evi
dences of woman's presence ; but It Is not
manifested by tidies and yellow-bordered
towels tied to the backs of chairs. Stock
ing and handling mining properties will
be given especial attention ; though all
branches of the brokerage business will
be transacted.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.
Prisoner hi the City Jail Tries to Hang
Himself.
Sunday, while a porter In one of the
dance halls was carrying a meal to one of
the Inmates, he stumbled on Granite
street near Cracker and spilled the con
tents of the tray on the sidewalk. The
city marshal happened along about that
time and remonstrated with him. The
man was probably drunk at the time and
gave the officer some " back talk." This
jaw-bone contest continued for some time,
and the marshal finally attempted to ar
rest him, and was resisted. He drew hi
club and gave the man several blows on
the head, cutting It open to the bone, but,
It is thought, not fracturing It. The of
fender was finally lauded In the lock-up.
Returning there an hour later, the mar
shal found the prisoner exhausted from
strangulation, he having tied his handker
chief around his neck, his suspenders to
the handkerchief and the Iron bars across
the window, and lay down to die. He
was cut down and soon regained con
sciousness. Judge Stott says that no charge was
preferred against the prisoner, and that he
has been released without a hearing.
Capitalist Here Looking for Investments.
George M. McDowell, of Portland, has
been In and about Sumpter for several
days past. He came here with letters of
Introduction from men of prominence In
Portland and evidently means business.
He has over5o,ooo, principally Colorado
money, to Invest In Sumpter real estate
and some mining enterprise. Mr. Mc
Dowell Is the gentleman who built the
large sampling works at Nelson, British
Columbia, and would like to put In a
plant here, but does not care to Interfere
with any local enterprise. It Is hoped,
however, that some amicable agreement
will be reached, which will Induce him to
engage In this business here. The erec
tion by him of a large business block is
also probable. In speaking of Sumpter,
the gentleman said: "Everything looks
favorable here for a large, prosperous and
permanent camp, and In General Warren
the town has the very best man who
could be found to promote Its Interests.
He Is big In his Ideas, comprehensive In
conception, liberal In his methods and a
napoleonlc In execution. I have learned
this In my business dealings with him."
Bank of Sumpter.
A. P. Goss returned several days since
from Portland, where he went on busi
ness connected with his "Bank of Sump
ter." While there he purchased bank
fixtures. The brick building Is being
rushed to an early completion. This will
be a private bank, "run like a butcher
shop," says Mr. Goss, the president.
A. J. Goss, father of A. P., will be the
cashier. He will arrive In Sumpter from
St. Paul by the time the building is fin
ished. While the capital stock Is not
made public, the Institution will have
ample means at its command. The date
for commencing business cannot now be
fixed.
.