THE SUMPTER MINER
VOL. I.
SUMPTER, OREGON, DECEMBER 6, ,899.
NO. i.
y
i
V
ANOTHER SAW
MILL ARRIVES.
THREE CAR LOADS OF MACHIN
ERY CAME YESTERDAY.
To Be Operated by Puget Sound Lum
bermenSite Not Yet Selected Why
Timber Land Were Not Purchased
Will Ship to Sumpter at Once One Mil
lion Feet of Fir Lumber.
Three car loads of saw mill machinery
arrived In Sumpter yesterday, consigned
to the A. C. Shaw Lumber company, of
Tacoma.
This is the result of a visit to this place
by W. B. Allen, an active member of the
company, about six weeks since. He
looked over the situation here, saw that
vast quantities of lumber would be used
during the coming months, that mills al
ready here.at Baker City and other tribu
tary towns would not be able to supply
the demand, and determined to tnter the
field.
He returned to Sumpter a week or ten
days since, accompanied by Mr. Klumer,
a mill man of long and successful expe
rience, who will have charge of the busi
ness here. They put in several days try
ing to buy a tract of timber land near this
camp, Intending to erect the mill In the
heart of the standing pines. They found
two or three tracts suitable for this pur
pose which could be bought at reasonable
figures, but on further investigation
learned that prospectors were locating
quartz claims on every hand, and decided
not to take chances on a contest.
This condition of affairs led to the con
clusion that it would be best to build the
mill within the corporate limits of Sump
ter, convenient to both transportation fa
cilities and the active, ever increasing
market. A site has not yet been definitely
selected, though one will be in a day or
two. Logs will be bought from owners
of land.
The mill will have a capacity of 30,000
feet a day, and will be in operation before
the New Year arrives.
Mr. Allen left several days since for
the Sound and will ship to Sumpter at
once a million feet of flooring and other
grades of fir lumber.
"The Logger" Now Carries the Malls.
At last a slight improvement has been
made In the mall service to Sumpter. An
order was received yesterday from the
postoffice department that the logger, as
well as the passenger train on the Sump
ter Valley roaJ shall carry the malls. The
order went into effect Immedietely and the
train which arrived here last evening
brought in the mail from the north and
west. This will, in a large measure, re
lieve the postoffice force of the necessity
of doing most of the work between 11
a. m. and 1 o'clock p. m. It will also ob
viate the long delay In opening the de
livery window after the arrival of the
10:30 train.
Good Citizen for Sumpter.
Thomas Gray, who has resided In Ross
land for a half dozen years past, being
there associated with Governor Mackin
tosh for some time past, has come to Sump
ter to remain permanently. Mr. Gray will
represent the corporate holdings of sub
jects of the queen in the Sumpter Town
site syndicate, voting their proxies at meet
ings of directors, and voicing their wishes
In other matters where a legal formula must
be followed. This is made necessary,
national statutes prohibiting aliens from
exercising control of domestic corpora
tions. Mr. Gray is an American citizen
and a good one for any town. He Is a gen
ial, pleasant gentleman, withall, and is
destined to cut much ice in these parts,
both In a business and social way. His
official position is that of auditor of the
syndicate.
Manganese Found Near Sumpter.
J. N. Van Dorn has located .1 20-foot
body of manganese Iron ore within a mile
ot bumpter. I he rock Is greatly decom
posed on the surface, but tests show it
carries a large percentage of Iron. Mr.
Van Dorn has sunk ten feet on the vein
and cross cut to show its extent. Sam
ples have been sent the heaJ offices of the
Union Smelter Manufacturing company,
In St. Louis, which contemplates the erec
tion of a 5o-ton plant In this city, and if it
Is found to be useful as a flux, Mr. Van
Dorn has a bonanza.
WATER MAINS, 4000 FEET.
This Amount Had Been Laid Last Night
and Trenches Extended.
Last night there were 4000 feet of water
main laid and the trendies covered up.
The main comes down Mill street from
the reservoir, and lias reached the railroad
track. A branch runs west on North
street to Cracker, and on Granite the
same distance.
The trench has been excavated east on
Granite to Columbia and the main will
probably be in position by night. It will
be extended lp both directions on Colum
bia. Other territory which will be cov
ered immediately will be the South Sump
ter addition and along Sumpter street.
Chief Engineer Philbrlck says that In
ten days, If material arrives on time, the
system will be completeJ. The hydrants
have not yet reached here, though they
are expecteJ dally. This is causing some
delay in completing that portion of the
work otherwise finished. Cement lining
is now being put in the reservoir.
A small army of men have been en
gaged on the work of excavating and
laying the main and It has been expedited
with gratifying speed, the street along no
single block having been torn up more
than two days. A week ago the ditch
coulu scarcely be seen up the hill on Mill
street, and today the business portion of
Sumpter Is already covered.
Water will In all probability be turned
on by the fifteenth.
Grand Hotel, Granite, Sold.
Grant Thornburg, of Granite, who
for several years past has owned and con
ducted the Grand Hotel at that thriving
camp, sold Monday the entire property
and good will of the place for a considera
tion said to be 18,000, to B. W. Levins,
formerly of Baker City. At 12 o'clock
today he took possession of the hotel In
every department. This house is already
known as a popular and well conducted
one, and its former reputation will cer
tainly not suffer In the hands of its new
proprietor, who is an ' experienced hotel
manager of many years standing. Grant
Thornburg will in future give the major
portion qf nis time to the various mining
and town site affairs in which he Is Inter
ested, and which it Is understood Includes
the Installment of a new waterworks sys
tem for Granite.
Eighteen Thousand Egg Omlettts.
C. J. Johns & Company have just re
reived 3000 dozen eggs, being the largest
shipment of hen fruit ever made to Baker
county.
ELECTION RESULTS.
"INDEPENDENT" CANDIDATES
CHOSEN YESTERDAY.
Tie on Marshal Between Austin and Cana-
van E. L, Manning Recorder Present
Aldermen Reelected Number of Votes
Cast 428, an Unexpectedly Large Increase
Sumpter's Sopulatlon Over 2500.
At the municipal election held In Sump
ter yesterday these candidates were
elected:
Aldermen, A. W. Kills, W. VV. I.ooney
and William Stinson, all present Incum
bents. Recorder, E L. Manning.
Marshal, a tie between John Austin and
P. J. Canavan.
There were 428 votes cast, and as Is
usually the case, many voters neglected to
vote for all the candidates, as Is shown
by the fact that the .highest vote cast for
alderman was 285, for William Stinson.
1 here were only four candidates, three of
whom were to be elected, which, even had
there been a tie, would have entitled each
to 321 votes.
For recorder and marshal there was a
spirited contest; for the former the total
vote being 417, and the latter 416. The
vote In detail Is:
Recorder E. L. Manning 175, W. W.
Felix I47i E. C. Steffen 95.
Marshal John Austin 00, F. J. Cana
van 00, George Baker 07, F. D. Morton
70, A. J. Wenrlch 51.
Alderman William Stinson 28$, A. W.
Ellis 257, W. W. Looney 256, J. F.
Alden 204.
All those candidates who were down on
the official ballot as "Independent," were
elected, save John Austin, who tied P. J.
Cnnnvon, "republican." There were 110
party nominations.
The vote Is a surprising increase over
that of a year ago, when the total was only
136; surprising even to those who were
fully aware of the large increase In popu
lation. Many of the new comers are evi
dently from other sections of the state,
and only required a residence here of
thirty days to entitle them to the elective
franchise. The most conservative est!
mate THE MINER has heard relative to
the proportion of legal-voters to the pres
ent male population Is fifty per cent;
while many claim that it Is not more than
one-third. Taking the former estimate,
there are in Sumpter 856 men; which ac
cording to the lowest ratio on which pop
ulation Is computed, based on the known
number of males over twenty-one years
of age, that of three to one, would give
Sumpter a population of 2568 and the
town comes near pretty having that many
people within Its corporate limits.
The vote was nearly 100 greater than
that polled In Baker City a few weeks
since.
Sold 20 Lots, Will Build 12 Houses.
Yesterday W. H.Mosby sold twenty
lots in the Sumpter Townslte syndicate's
first addition. Twelve of the buyers will
erect as many homes on their property, as
soon as they can secure lumber w'ith
which to build.
Play for Benefit of Hospital.
Sometime between the twentieth and
twenty-fifth of this month the play, A
Noble Outcast, will be presented by local
talent at Ellis opera house, for the benefit
of the hospital. The first rehearsal wfll
be held tills evening. The cast is Jerry
Weston, H. K. Wheeler; Cheeky Grit,
F. J. Snipes; James Blackburn, Mr.
Spencer; Jack Worthlngton, E. E.Brooks;
the officer, Mr. Hurshman; Colonell.ee,
A. P. Coss; Nana l.ee, Miss Emma Starr;
Sadie, Miss Emma Worswlck; Mrs. Lee,
Mrs. Herlocker. Dr. Brooks will drill the.
performers. Both he and Miss Starr took
part In the play when presented In Baker
City some time ago. Mesdames Rich;
ards and Murpheyare managing the enter
prise. Hospital Meeting.
A general meeting Is called at the offices
of the Sumpter Townslte Syndicate for
tomorrow evening, to elect trustees and
appoint officers and physicians staff for
the Protestant hospital, and also to in
spect the plans for building the same.
Every man and woman In or near Sump
ter who is interested In this much needed
enterprise is earnestly asked to be present
and assist in the organization.
HOW THE DIADEM WAS LOST.
Money for Its Purchase was Deposited in
a Portland Bank.
W. C. Dawson, of Portland, reached
Sumpter last evening. He is a partner of
George W. McDowell, who visited
Sumpter a month or six weeks since.
While here he secured an option on the
Diadem and, Mr. Dawson says, the
money to pay for It was placed In a Port
land bank, but owing to some delay, was
not transmitted to Sumpter before the
bond expired, so they lost the opportunity
to secure this valuable property, which
was taken by Montana parties.
Mr. Dawson will go out into the hills
tomorrow to examine another mine, and
if It is as represented, he will buy it.
He says that Portland people are finally
waking up to the fact that the Sumpter
district is a marvel of mineral wealth and
that the way that they are going to fall
over each other In their efforts to get In
on the proposition at no distant day, will
surprise the people of this section as
well as themselves. There are over 300
men, from every section of the country,
wintering in Portland, who will come to
Sumpter in the spring; either to invest In
mines or engage in business. Regarding
this number, he says, it is not a matter ot
guess work, but the result of Investiga
tion by brokers, like himself, who are in
terested In the subject. Thev are not
alive to the importance of reaching here
ahead of the spring rush.
Mr. Dawson will take back with him
some Sumpter district mining stocks and
offer them for sale to the Portland public,
which he thinks is now In the mood to
buy.
Warning to the Public.
During the past week a fakir by the
name of H. Devore, has been around town
soliciting advertising on a bill-of-fare
proposition, claiming that he was repre
senting Till- MINER. Such was not the
case. He ordered the work done at this
office, but never delivered It; collected
from the advertisers and left town. He
worked the firms whose advertisements
he had secured, by offering a proof sheet
as evidence that the bills would be printed.
It Is learned that he Is now operating in
Raker City. Printing offices and mer
chants of that town will do well to give
him a wide berth.
Insurance Men in Sumpter.
Geo. A. Crux. A. C. Thornton and I..
W. Knight, all insurance men from San
Francisco, reached here last evening and
put in this forenoon looking over the field,
with a view of future business. W C.
Calder showed them around and didn't
neglect to let them see some choice prop
erty owned by the syndicate, which, if
they work It right and cunning, they may
be permitted to buy.