14
1 .rujj. 'aiukjSimu OliGONIASr, JftOlffPAY, .JANUABY 1, 1900.
who made a large -stake In the Klondike
district, became interested in the mines
several months ago,- and. after personal
Inspection- bonded the seven claims of
the Albany Mining & Milling Company,
until October. 1900. He has IS months in
which to develop the claims before final
ly purchasing them. During the time In
tervening between two trips to Dawson.
Sir. Belcher has personally superintended
the work of developing his properties. He
has had 10 or 12 men pushing the work,
principally on the Bonanza. They have
made excellent progress and have got out
ore of an encouraging character. Mr.
Beloher has shown confidence in his prop
erties by spending several thousand dol
lars in their development He being an
experienced miner and an energetic y oung
man, -considerable progress has been made
tinder his direction. A tunnel- was run
110 feet on the Bonanza claim striking
the main ledge. The Bonanza now has
GOO feet of tunnels. Before Mr. Belcher
toDk hold of these claims the Albany Min
ing & Milling Company spent nearly $50.
000 upon the property. It stopped for want
of funds, 'ts confidence in the richness
of the mines never having wavered.
The Canal Pork Company, of Portland
has a group of claims that have been
well prospected Last ear considerable
tunneling was done, but not enough to
show definite results, though presenting
eome good prospects.
The Portland Gulch Company has some
promising claims. Last jear it made over
E0 feet of tunnels. The company will con
tinue the work until there is something
to show for Its investment.
R. J. Monroe was active on his prop
erty last year. He ran over 100 feet of
tunnels, and got out some oro that assays
well. lie undoubtedly has some paving
lodes.
Besides these, others have worked their
claims more than is required. Those com
petont to judge pronounce the development
work of the year of a very satisfactory
character, and sufficient to Increase the
confidence In the mines and speak for.tho
permanency of the camp.
Machinery in the District.
The machinery of the mines consists
of two mills. A 10-stamp mill was pur
chased by the Albany Mining &. Milling
Co., In 1S90. It has a capacity of about
25 tons in 24 hours, and has run as high
as SO tons. It is located on Bonanza
claim, to which the operations of the
company and those of Mr. Belcher have
been confined. It was not used last year,
but Is In condition for work. The Lawler
Company, three or four years ago, pur
chased a 20-stamp mill which has a ca
pacity of 40 or 60 tons a day, and placed
it near the Red Bull and White Bull
claims, convenient for use by both mines.
It was run for over a vear In a satisfac
tory manner, and is in good condition for
operation. Last jear the mill, on account
of work being confined to development
of the claims, was not operated. The
present outlook is that it will be re
Quired in the operation of the Lawler'
mines during 1900.
The mines have not attracted the at
tention from capitalists to which their
merit entitles them. T. J. Belcher Is the
principal new investor. He has shown his
confidence in the claims he has under
bond by pushing their development, and is
Bald to possess the capital to continue
the work unul there Is something sub
stantial to show for the money expended.
Last year J. F. Medina, of London, who
made a fortune in South Africa, and who
has backed the Lawler Company from the
start, paid a personal visit to the mines.
He expressed himself as being well satis
fied with the prospects. He will continue
to back his judgment with funds for the
working of the properties in which he Is
interested.
The output of the mines In 1S99 was
nominal, the work being entirely of a de
velopment character. The prospects are
that there will be a different report to
make for 1900. FRED P. NUTTING.
Albany, Or.
COOS "AXD CUItttY.
Gold From the Sixes and Other Dis
tricts and the Benches $100,000.
The Sixes river mining belt is situated
along the line between Coos and Curry
counties, the line being designated by a
range of mountains which divides the wa
ters of the Coqullle and Sixes rivers. The
principal mines in that Etcilon, which are
now attracting considerable attention, are
located at the source of the South Sixes,
and at the head of branches of the Co
qullle river. Good prospects have been
discovered during the past 12 months at
both places. Fair prospects have heen
found in various branches or tliese streams
lor a distance of 15 miles mong this belt,
which runs parallel with the ocean back
from the beach about 20 miles. This belt
la reached by wagon road from Myrtle
Point, which is in the Coqullle valley,
Coos county, and that town is connected
with Coos bay by a 30-ralle railroad. There
is a good trail also from Port Orford, Cur
ry county, to the mines, and a wagon road
reaches a part of the 35 miles, the dis
tance to the mining camps. The country
is rough and hilly, but good highways hav e
been made around the mountains.
During the past 18 months three broth
ers, who say thej are distant relatives of
ex-President Harrison, have found Eeveral
very promising prospects In placer propo
sitions on top of one of the loftiest hills
of that section. They secured large divi
dends after conveying the porphyry dyke
containing the precious metals, a distance
of a thousand feet to a spring. An old
fashioned rocker was here utilized to sep
arate and amalgamate the fine particles of
gold. The Harrison brothers say that they
have obtained as high jo 550 from a sack
of the porphyry dragged down to the
spring, and they also assert that they
have secured as much as $16 to the pan.
They have taken out enough to pay ex
penses, and have devoted the most of their
time to prospecting for quartz. In this1
work they have been Joined by the Guerln
brothers, two bright, energetic young
men from Eckley, a poptoffice d half dozen
miles from the mines. These young men
run a fine stock farm, and follow placer
mining In winter. They bring beautiful
nuggets to Myrtle Point to exchange for
merchandise.
The Harrisons believe that they have
some very rich quartz propositions on the
South Sixes. Their locations are all. In
Curry county, but Just across the line,
only two miles, In Coos county. Is the cel
ebrated Salmon Mountain mine. It was
purchased two years ago by a practical
miner from Lower California, named Was
son. Ho Is quite old, and is hardly able to
carry out the plans he had formed. He
is certain that( large returns can be had
for a reasonable amount of labor. He has
found, however, that It requires more cap
ital than he has to brng water, so that
his rich pay dirt could be sluiced. This
mine has produced at least $75,000 during
tho past 12 years. Dev elOpmeni work has
been done on a very promising quartz
proposition. While the mine has yield
ed so handsomely, the former owner ex
pended at least $40,000 In improvements.
There Is no question as to tho richness of
this mine, but It requires capital to ex
tract the wealth, which is everywhere in
sight.
Three miles from this location, at the'
Dlvllbllss claim, a quartz mill was erect
ed, at a cost, it is said, of $15,000. It has
five stamps, and Is run by water-power.
This is the work of enterprising citizens
of Marshfield, who had experted the Dlv
llbllss mine and had faith in Its gold
bearing quartz. The mill had not been
run a month when a. dispute arose be
tween the Dlvllbllss brothers and the mill
proprietors, and litigation followed. The
mill has been idle for five or six years,
and now no one can tell who owns It
Fine Particles of Gold.
Half a mile above this mill the Myrtle
Point Mining & Development Company
has several claims that prospect well.
The company has been developing very en
ergetically without machinery for five or
Blx years. It is a milling proposition, yet
considerable free gold has been taken out
of dockets and by washing through sluices.
The whole surface is permeated with fine
articles at gold around the quartz cr-
plngs. The company has a tunnel
feet long, and several short tunnels.
Below this location, wnich is t on a trib
utary of the Coqullle river, called Johnson
creek, a great amount of placer mining
nas- been none in the 4a years since me
first dIs.coyery of coarsogold was made
In that region. Pioneers estimate that sev
eral hundred thousand dollars have been
taken out in nuggets that weighed from 50
cents to $5. For 12 miles along this creek
men delve among the boulders for the pre
cious metal every season, some with suc
cess, while others meet with, disappoint
ment Sixes river has more placer mines than
the Coqullle. Rusty creek, which Is just be
low the Harrisons' Mountain Daisy,. has
yielded at least $200,000, and It seems to
be pretty well worked out for two or
three miles. The' miners have turned
their attention to finding the leads that
produced the nuggets already taken out
It Is believed that the Harrisons, Guerins
and several others have found the quartz
lodes that have sent out the large amount
of wealth. It Is 'predicted that the south
branch of Sixes river. In Curry county,
and the Johnson creek region Just over the,
divide In Coos county. will de
velop into a very rich mining
country. There are, I believe, fully
200 men employed directly and Indirectly
in mining operations in this mineral belt
There are many other finds being opened
that cannot be mentioned In the space1 al
lotted for this article, and scores of men
believe they are developing very promis
ing mining propositions. Prospectors have
been certain that there are rich and ex
tensive ledges hidden in the mountains,"
but recent finds of porphyry dyke on the
summits of the loftiest hills have changed
these theories to some extent T It is be
lieved by some that, while there is a
large amount of sulphurets In every open
ing that has been made, and that while
the ground underneath the leaves and
shrubbery that coyer this timbered region
Is permeated wlfh fine particles of free
gold, the whole country presents a milling
proposition. It Is known that a smelter
or some machinery of the kind could find
many localities where water Is abundant
and timber plentiful. Ores of all grades
could be found In abundance to keep large
machinery In operation for years to come.
Assays made have shown from $3 to $180
to the ton. Experiments made atthe Sal
mon Mountain mine with an arastra gave
satisfactory results. This and the quartz
mill already mentioned comprise ail tne
machinery In this promising locality.
Output of 1899.
At least 400 ounces of gold dust from
this mining belt was sold at Myrtle Point
during the past year. As much moro was
shipped to San .Francisco, and considerable
put away. I think that at least 530.OQ0 was
taken In 1899 from the mines herein de
scribed. It should be remembered lhat
beach mining is carried on all along tho
coast from six miles north of the Coqullle
river bar to the California line. Besides
there are many mining districts inland on
almost every stream, the products from
which would no doubt swell the total out
put to $100,000 annually.
ORVDL DODGE.
Myrtle Point, Or.
MINES OF JACKSON.
Quarts Development, Just Besrun,
Promise Itlcli Results.
The Jackson county gold placer and
quartz areas lie principally In the cen
tral and western belts of the county, ex
tending nearly continuously from the
northern boundary to the California line.
The northern slope of the Siskiyou moun
tain range feeds a "series of creeks whlcht
threading deep canyons, meander to the
north and west, generally, to the foot of
the range: thence, coursing fertile valleys
of limited extent, unite within a few
miles to form the Applegate and Bear
creeks, the principal tributaries of Rogue
river.
It Is on the Applegate water system that
the placer diggings have been longest and
most continuously worked. On Sterling
creek, a tributary of Little Applegate, Is
the mine of Ankeny & Cook, known as
the Sterling mine, with Its miles of flumes
and ditches. It probably has not an equal
as a placer mine In the state. On the
Upper Big Applegate there are placer
operations of considerable magnitude. Like
all gold fields opened In the Pacific West
In the 50s. It was the placer diggings that
absorbed the goldseeker, and it was years
afterward when the prospector turned his
attention to the rocks in search of the
precious metals. Hence, although a great
mining camp was on Jackson creek, where
Jacksonville now stands, In the early '50s,
and vast sums of money were cleaned up
there, it Is within a comparatively recent
period that systematic and Judicious ex
ploration of quartz veins was begun. Early
efforts were directed largely to limited
development of so-called pocket ledges,
which often proved very remunerative, but
only within the past few years have there
been In the field the necessary capital and
professional skill to explore a ledge and
develop a great property that could bo
called a mine. It Is notable that buch
properties are not In the near vicinity of
old placers of consequence, and discov
eries In quartz have changed the supposed
boundaries of the gold belt, so that the
principal mines, which are about Ash
land, are actually outside the limits exten
sively advertised as comprising the gold
deposits of the county. Wnile the principal
quartz mines are near Ashland, there are
others which are being operated with profit
at other points In the qounty. Properties
undergoing development and on which it
Is planned to erect mills are more numer
ous than ever before. The Gold Standard,
near Jacksonville, the mine of Hoffman,
near Thompson creek. Big Applegate, and
several properties In the Gold Hill district
are of this class.
Investments made In mining properties
in this county by mining men from out
side of Oregon, last year aggregated $150,-000.-
They were not less than this sum,
and may bo considerably more. The homo
capital, Inclusive of Portland, put Into
mining enterprises, here, especially in
ditches and placer works, comprises a
large sum, but there Is not sufficient data
at hand to make a fair statement of the
amount The Applegate Hydraulic Mining
Company, successors to the Grand Apple
gate Company, made an Investment last
5 ear In ditches, placer ground, etc., of over
$20,000. This company i has a water right
of 15.000 Inches, and a water supply which
In the dry season will Insure enough to
operate two six-Inch giants. The Swayne
mine, on the Applegate, Is a placer prop
erty Into which $10,000 has been put in
purchasing new machinery, extending
ditches, eta
On properties previously opened much
exploratory work was done during the
year, and In some cases with some val
uable results. In the Forest creek and
Galls creek districts there has been tinua
ual Interest In quartz, and some very
promising properties have been opened.
The Gold Standard, of Kubll Brothers, has
caused excitement in that locality by the
exceptionally rich ore taKen from it.
Much; work has been done by the miners
In the Gold Hill section. Probably the
best known of the properties there Is the
Braden mine. It is In the hands of a new;
company, and much work Is being done
on It Dr. Ray and a company are ex
ploiting the old Gold Hill property, where
In early davs $300,000 was taken out In a
short time. There have been opened near
Woodville a few ledges with encouraging
results, and in the Blackwell' diggings,,
near Tolor valuable discoveries have been
ma.de.
The total value of tho gold output of
Jackson county for 1S99 cannot be approx
imated with the degree of accuracy desir
able, but from the statements made by
banks purchasing gold, ttnd estimates of
persons having knowledge of shipments to
the smelters and the United States mint,
$250,000 may be named as the total output
Some of tho largest quartz -properties
have had but little ore milled, work being
mostly confined to development and prep
arations for operations on a larger scale
than heretofore. The Ashland mine is .not
milling, but a large force of men Is at
wprk upon It The company now operat
ing this mine is known as the Montreal
&. Oregon Gold Mines, Ltd., and has
headquarters In Montreal. They pur
chased this property a few mohths ago,
after having It carefully inspected and re- i
i ported upon, and paid for It, together with
some adjacent claims, $1,200,000 in cash.
A thorough renovation of the old work
ings has been undertaken, so as to permit
deep working on the veln. There is a
trifle over a mile of tunneling, tdrlfts,
shafts and stoplng in. the mine, but nearly
all above the 400-foot level, and ,whlle It
Is the deepest mine In Southern Oregon, the
depth attained) is comparatively, ismall.
Very rich ores (have ,been extracted from,
this mine, and It has yielded mur-h, money,
probably $150,000 or $175,000. A notable and
encouraging feature In Its history Is the
substantial improvement of 'the ores with
depth. In the last SO feet sunk In the 400
foot shaft on the vein,, ore' is being mined
which separates -easily, and on the whole
mlll3 more easily and more closely to" assay
values than most of the ores from nearer
tho surface. They run $35 to $40 to tho
ton, with concentrates worth about 4100.
The company's mill is located In Ashland.'
but a new and improved milling plant Is
to be erected up at the mine, located 2&
miles west of the city.
The Shorty-Hope mine In. tho same
one of the streets of tho city. They have
uncovered a true gold vein. The quartz
prospects liberally with mortar and pan,
but as the gold Is either "flaky" or some
what fine, the tendency of the pan pros
pects Is to exaggerate the value of the
ledge. However, the assay values of the'
ledge range from about $5 to $1G. The ledge
has been traced for a considerable dis
tance across the city, and Is apparently
a contact fissure, well defined and of fair
size.
The mining Industry Is one of the fixed
resources of Jackson county. The placers
have stood thetest of nearly half a cen-
tury and. have yielded vast wealth,'
amounting tq tens of millions of dollars.
The quartz development of the county has
only begun, and offers a big" and promis
ing field for investment to capital.
F. D. WAGNER,
Ashland, Or.
DOUGIjAS county.
PItfeer and Q,unrta Gold, Copper,
. Quicksilver and 'Nickel.
Beginning in the northeastern part of
Douglas county, the first mining district
Is 'the Bohemia quartz district It com-
Is now being demonstrated in the south
ern portion cf the. county, as well as In
Bohemia district, that the country Is rich
In quartz, both gold and copper, and It
is predicted that some wonderful devel
opments will be made in 1S00 and that the
results will justify the prediction. Placer
mining Is also taking new life and the
area of ground found to contain gold In
paying quantities Is materially enlarging.
In fact the futurp promises much for
Douglas county in establishing it as a
district rch In minerals.
Steady Development Last Year.
The development work of 1899 was
much greater than that of any former
year, 'but estimates for this' particular
work are not easy to make for the reason
that work has been carried on In so many
different places and in such a, way that
no publicity has been given, as to the
nature of the work or the amount of It.
Those Interested In the mines have prose
cuted their work In much the same man
ner that the farmer does his with a view
to improving the property and to add fa
cilities for the taking out and saving of
values and not to publish continually what
had been, or was being done, nor what
the prospects were. These operators have
PORTLAND'S CHANC
RECENT INVESTMENT OF CAPITAL IN THE EASTERN OREGON" GOLD BELT
e99eeee
e
o
e
9
joo
The Sumpter gold fields, generally speaking, might be said to be 30 miles wide and 100 miles long. The
country rock is slate, with an occasional dike of porphyry. The ore is generally free-milling, although the
development bf claims the last summer opened up a number of ore bodies which were found to be Partly
base. Cyanide plants are beinff installed on these claims, andm number of new quartz mills will begin to
drop stamps during January and.February. . . . .
The mining district is new in' the' sense of the appliance kt modern machinery in extracting values, ax
present, however, modern Equipments are being generally applied. There is no deep mining here as yet, tne
greatest depth having been reached at the North Pole mine, in the Bourne district, where the lowest level is
1000 feet below the apex of the mountain, or.outcrop of the "surface ledge. The Columbia is down only a ew.
hundred feet; the Golconda not yet 400; and the lem level at the Red Boy is only about 500 feet below the
apex of the mountain. British -capital is getting hold of some of the big producing mines and most prom
ising ledges, and the prospects are that deep .mining proper-will be inaugurated in 1900.
During the past two years large 'outside capital has become Interested in the Sumpter gold fields. Com
plete data on this line is not obtainable. ' ,
The Bonanza mine, formerly owned by the Geisers, has been purchased by Messrs. Hayes, Beatty ana
' Gilbert, the former residing -In Philadelphia and the 'two last-named in Warren, Pa. The price paid is said
to have been $750,000. These gentlemen are -large.- owners of Standard Oil stock, and have since incorpo
rated the Bonanza for $2,500,000 and sold every share of stock In Pennsylvania.
The Columbia mine, located seven miles from Sumpter, has passed into the hands of Mr. Backus, a prom
inent lumber merchant of .Minneapolis. The price of the Columbia proper is said to have been $85,000 and
the adjoining claim, known as the Appomattox, has since been purchased for a sum .said to Je near $45,000,
The present owners haVe been solicited to sell the property, and asked Jif they would accept $1,500,000 for It.
They are at present operating it. , " " " . - '
W L Vinson and his partner,. Captain Thomaa Muir, of Portland, have bought, the Little .Giant claim,
about 'eighfmiles south of the Red Boy. It is said that $35,000 was the price.paid. Messrs. Vinson and Muir
have also opened the Magnolia, olalmtlnear Granite, and a 10-stamp mill ""will begin dropping- stamps on-the ,
claim about January 1, 1900. It is understood that British capital Is interested both of , these claims.
J H. Larkin and associates have "secured the Cougar property., seven. miles from Granite.vahd nave put
In a "new 200-ton cyanide plant, which is just beginning the treatment of ore by the cyanide Process. The
Cougar is a valuable property, and, while not on the market, the prjee wpuld run 'away up, if the owners
could be induced to. sell. l , , ,
The Golconda mine, located about seven xmiles northeast of Sumpter, has been purchased by J. G. and J.
T. English, of Illinois, Alter spending about $140,000 in machinery Intended to .treat .the ores by what is
known as the bromine-chloride process, the owners abandoned the Idea as impracticable, and substituted for
the' ponderous machinery a small Bryan mill; which is doing W work. The Golconda has lately .made
some of the richest strikes known in'this'sectlon, and' it is said that the ore ran as high asJ50,000 ,to the ton
in two instances. Toung English took a carload of thtf oreito the smelter at San Francisco which is said
to have averaged $20,000 to the ton. Several attempts have been made by British and American capital to
purchase the Golconda mine during the past six months, but so far they have been unsuccessful. It is said,
that the owners hold the property at a valuation of about $600,000.
Arthur Hill a wealthy lumber merchant of Saginaw, Mich., bought the Ibex mine about one year ago
for $65,000. S Chapman his local manager, has sufficiently developed the property as to Induce an offer from
responsible parties of $300,000 for the mine, but so far the deal has not been closed. The Ibex Is striking
some very rich ore. The property is only six miles from Sumpter. to !'
Thompson & McQueen have opened the Bunker Hill group, near the Columbia and Golconda mines, and
are doing development "work. With them are associated Son. M. H. Cochrane and John J. Plymale, of Can
ada, They expect to put In a stamp1 mill in the spring.
A company composed of Albert Gelser, Clark Taber, Colonel Thompson and 8ther leading mining men has
secured the Keystone Belle -claims, near the Bonanza. John M. Burke, together with Mr Minis and other
Tennessee capitalists, have purchased the Banzette mine, near the Red Boy. and other claims located else
where in the Sumpter district. ,
Nebraska capitalists under the name of the May Queen Mining & Milling Company, have purchased toe
'May Queen group of 'five daims.adjoming the Red Boy on the north. They are putting in a 10-stamp mill.
wWch wS Sesin operations not later than January lo, 1900. Among the owners of this group of mines are
. -j, T7i :. -MVK -r,A narwrra PinrrAtt of Granite.
A J Trimble and S. Chapman, the former from Colorado and the latter from Michigan, have purchased a
.number,' of -promising claims, among them being 'the Anna Lulu, near the Ibex, and the .Concord group, four 0
miles (south of the Red Boy. . 2
The Free Coinage claim has come Into the possession of a number of Portland railroad men, among
whom are Messrs. HuVlburt, Schilling and Campbell, of the O. R. & N. Co., together with Whitney L. Boise
and C L Cannon, all of Portland. This claim is in the -Bourne district, and it is said that the owners will
spend $50,000 developing the property and in erecting a quartz mill, In the Immediate future.
J H Robbins president of the First Bank of Sumpter, in connection with his two brothers, has pur
chased the Concord group of claims, adjoining the Red Boy on the west. They have a force of men now do-
ing development work. . .. ..
A. W. Ellis and Dr. G. W. Tape have come into possession of the Sampson claim, in the Bourne dis
trict ,and are developing this property with the view of erecting a stamp mill. .
Edward and Ralph .Bluett have bought the controlling interest in the Van Anda group of five claims, lo
cated three miles south of the Red Boy, and are doing extensive development work, preparatory to erecting a
10-stamp mill, which, it is said, has been ordered. ,.,., v "
The Wall Street and Whitehead claims, located near the Red Boy, were sold to Haryey Robbins, who
afterward bonded them to an English .syndicate represented by Colonel Sedgwick, of Spokane. The price was
fixed at $100,000. Development work is being done on. these claims this winter.
The White Elephant group, near the Bonanza, has been sold to Colonel Ray, of Port Arthur. Canada.
The colonel is a banker in his home town, and the White Elephant group is among the most promising in
the Sumpter district . . ,.,.,. , i
Grant Thornburg, O. O. Benson and Nell Nevins, ot Granite, have located the Alberta group of claims,
adjoining the town of Granite, and are doing extensive development work. Spokane capital Is attempting
to buy this property, and the price is now $35,000. '
The placer mines throughout .the Sumpter gold fields are being worked iri a desultory way. and it is esti
mated that the last season's clean-up in this district will amount to something over $100,000.
W L Vinson, A. W. Ellis and others are arranging to dredge the placer grounds in the vicinity of
Sumpter next summer, with a mammoth dredge, which they are having built In Portland.
J. K. Pardee, a well-known mining man of Montana, has bought the Diadem mine, in the Sumpter dis
trict and fs having extensive development work done this winter.
Colonel E S Topping, of Trail, B. C, has bought the Snow Bird claims, about six miles from Sumpter,
been incorporated, with Charlened by the Portland railroad mem The Sumpter & Snow Bird Company has
adjoining the Free Coinage, ows S. Warren. E. S. Topping and Mike SheaE
Su.iflpt.cr, kjv
Fine Field for Local Capital in
" the Gold Counties.
MINES ARE RICH BEYOND DOUBT
Smelter Should Be Bnilt nt the
Metropolis to Handle Ores
Railroad Extension.
e00060800000000000-0000- 0o
mountain ridge as tho Ashland and near
by, has about 1000 feet of tunneling- andr
drifts. It 'is a fissure vein, and is sup
posed to belong to the same vein system
as the Ashland. Some very rich ore has
been taken from It Work has been tem
porarily suspended, preparatory to theln
.faiiattnn nf holstinsr and numplng plants
tnd reorganization of the company. The
principal owners are the Sanfords, of New
York.
The Free Coinage, or Barron mine, sit
uated In the Sampson creek district, SS
miles southeast of Ashland, Is rated as
one of the big properties. On this prop
erty, In which Byron N. White, Spokane
mining man, has recently become Interest
ed with G. W. Barron development work
has been continued steadily. The lower
tunnel has been driven 320 feet and taps
the ledge at a considerable depth and -In
good ore. The' crosscut shows the ledge
about 10 feet wide. On 'this a 'drift has
been run 140 feet norlh and 130 feet south.
An upraise Is being made from this level
to the SO-foot level, wh'ch will require till
February to complete. While the ores of
this mine are very valuable1, and some
godd free-milling fare was obtained In the I
surface and upper workings, the new tun-
nel exposed ores that are complex, al- i
though carrying free gold, so that a smelt- I
er Is required "forx their reduction. Tho j
extensive development undertaken to es
tablish th permanency of the mine Is
therefore important, previous to the erec
tion of the largo and costly reduction
works required. The mine possesses great
mlneraloglcal interest, and the prediction
has been made b'y some experts that it
will. prove itself like some of the greatest
properties In Cflpple Creek, t!olo., the slm- .
IlaTltles of formation and-general Tesem
blance to thbse mines being very strlk-u
ring. , - i . !
A ledge of prospective value .has rpgnt- J
ly been opened in South Ashland, located
on the property of the Carter Land Com-i j
been done by two miners at two points on J
prises all of the Bohemia mines south
of the dividing ridge between Lane and
Douglas counties, and the Steamboat
placer and quartz district. West of Oak
land Is the Oakland district, comprising
principally the cinnabar prospects, to
gether with gold and copper. In the mid
dle county the districts are the Myrtle
creek, Dodson's Butte gold quartz and
placer and copper and Olalla district,
principally placer. In the southern part
are the Coffee creek, Canyonville, Cow
creek and Glendale districts, containing
gold, Jboth quartz and placer, and the Rid
dle district in which the principal nickel
mines are located. The Riddle district has
placer and quartz gold and copper.
- These districts are not set apart nor di
vided into special mining districts, but are
thug conveniently designated in order that
any 'one may, from the map, locate the
different ones. The principal mining In
,each of these districts, except Bohemia
and Dodson's Butte, which are quartz,
Is placer. The principal Work is done in
the fal'. winter and spring months, for
the reason' that the water supply avalP
able t3 Jaken from the smaller streams
which do not furnish a sufficient quantity
to carry on the work during the dry sea
son There .are in each of, these dis
tricts large streams which would, if prop
erly utilized, supply plenty of water for
all kinds of mining during the entire
year. From Roseburg, in the center of
the county southward, the principal min
ing Industry has been placer, and not
, until the past year have th6 quartz In
terests received very great attention. At
.thlsatlroe, however, quite an Interest' is
manifested in that, direction. The greater
portion of thesouthern part .of the coun
ty is, v;ery rich in mineral, but not until
recently have the deposits of quarts re
ceived any' merited attention, or rather
proved that there was merit in them. It
confidence in the value of their property.
They keep their secrets and the country,
generally, knows but little of what Is go
ing on In the mining districts. The Bo
hemia district has reached the highest
stage of advancement, but more or less
I development work has been done In all
the districts.
It Is being demonstrated that the min
eral richness of the county will Insure
large returns for money expended In
opening up and making extended develop
ments. So far, the outlay of capital for
thorough and systematic prospecting has
brought .good returns. Placer mines have
been worked in the county since the early
"50. Quartz mnlng has heretofore re
ceived some attention, but, as a rule, the
work has been prosecuted by men of small
means and has, In nearly every case, re
sulted in abandonment of claims. The'
more thorough knowledge now possessed
In that lme has demonstrated the theory
of the prospector and brought about a
confidence that Is Interesting capital. The
fact that continuous placer mining has,
for nearly 50 years, been one of the
sources of Industry and -wealth of the
county should satisfy the most skeptical
that, with proper machinery, such as Is
now used, brought into play, there need
be no doubt that the returns will be suf
ficient to warrant the investment.
In the county, aside from the stamp
mills and machinery of Bohemia district,
there are several mills, and about 120"
giants at work. Conservative estimates
of the output of gold for 1899 places it
at from $110,000 to 512000.
The quicksilver and nickel mines are
not being worked at present, but It will
probably not be lOng until these Interests
wllltbe in active operation.' Capital In
vested in these last-named lines would add
materially both- to the Industry and
wealth, of the countyv and profit ,to the
investors, as it Is known that the bodies
rof rich ore of. each are In large quan
tities. 8.
Roseburg-, Or.
The article and the cut shows what
nature has done for Oregon. The ac
companying Illustration will In a way
show what It ha3 done for Portland a3
the great metropolis of this magnificent
commonwealth. For the sake of the il
lustration, slight descrepancies have been
made in the geographical location of
towns and rivers. This arrangement
does not detract from the correctness of
the theory.
Every artery in a person's hand" is there
for one purpose, and only one. That pur
pose Is to gather up the blood from
every extremity of the hand, and return
It to the heart Portland should be to the
state of Oregon what the heart Is to the
individual the center around which life
revblves. If the -arteries ceaso to bring
the blood back to the heart, the result 13
inevitable death. This is as surely true
of Portland, though not to the same ex
tent Break- the natural connection be
tween Portland and the state at large and
there would be no cause for her exist
ence. Tap the arteries and the veins half
way, and turn back the vital tide, and
Portland loses half her Inheritance and
half her glory.
Mining men all through thla section say
Portland Is asleep. Is this true? Are the
business men of Portland getting hold of
property in Eastern Oregon? if not, why
not? Is it because you are afraid to In
vest? ' Do you think the values are not
here? Then send' out ydur experts to In
vestigate. Do you think capitalists from
all parts of the United States and Brit
ish Columbia would have invested no less
than 55.000,000 In property upon the mere
supposition of its worth?
Proof of Good 'Faith, on Port ol In
, vestora.
Attention 1b called to the fact that no
better proof can be asked than the actual
investment of one's own money in an enterprise,-
that he beHeves it a good one.
It Is also safe to assume that men who
have made hundreds of thousands of dol-lars-in
-a, business that can be experted
will not venture the loss of what they
have made without first taking all rea
sonable precautions' against such loss.
As evidence that can scarcely be doubted
I offer a few of the actual transactions In
mines.-showlng.the genuineness of values
In this, country In thl3llst 13 Included
such property as has actually sold for
the sum mentioned or Is held by persons
who have located It, or bought lfc at a low
er price," and refuse to Bell at the price
here given:
Red Boy a fJ.SpO
E. & E.. 1.000,000
North Pole , SSffl
Golconda 500.000
Bonanza 'SX'SOQ
Ibex 300,000
Diadem .O00
Total $4,590,000
This by no mean3 Includes all pur
chases or refusals, nor does it Include
a million or more that ha3 been taken
out ot mines In the districts. There have
been many sales for ?5000 and 510.000, which
are not here given.
It will not do for Portland to think
that because nature has showered her
riches In unstinted measure upon the
state, that no effort Is necessary to gather
It Into the lap of that city. The man from
another state or nation will In all proba
bility not move to Portland to live when
he has forced the mountains of Oregon to
give up their glittering treasure. He will
not bring it to you and make you a
Christmas gift of even half of it If you
want gold, come after it Ask the own
ers of tho Bed Boy if it Is here. The
time is not far past) when they were poor
men. By dint of toll and perseverance,
little b'y little they dug tho gold out As
they were able they put In machinery
sold no stock; asked nobody for help.
Today they have the most complete plant
in the West From the mountain to the
bank, 100 per cent of what the ore con
tains, is the way they spell success. They
have refused $1,000,000 for the property.
One hundred thousand dollars net cash
to each owner Is said to bo tho present
result. Gentlemen, this Is no fairy story,
nor is this the only property.
By locating and purchasing property
In the mines. Portland will not only share
with the rest of the world In the rich
harvest of gold from the ore, but there
will be established between her people and
tho miners a feeling of kinship which will
readjust the trade relations now so sadly
strained. Generations will be born, grow
old and pas3 away before the mlll3 will
cease to separate the gold from the rock
In Eastern Oregon. No one more than
the native and adopted sons of Portland
Is entitled to the benefits.
Gold Fields Tiot Surpassed.
Oregon's gold fields are not surpassed
In the world. This Is true both as to slzo
and richness. There are a few things
worthy of the careful consideration df
every Individual, In any way Interested
In mining. Dr. Wheeler, of Baker City,
says he has made 1000 assays In the Cable
Cove district and that the average of all
these assays Is $14 per ton.
Here are two fact3 that should be
weighed side by side: First, In the min
eral belt of Eastern Oregon there are no
less than 1000 quartz locations, on which
sufficient development work has been done
to show good values; second. In no case
where a gold-bearing ledge has been un
covered and properly developed has there
been a failure, so far as reported.
In Rye valley and Mormon basin, near
Humboldt, where prospecting has been
done for 26 yeara and holes sunk a few
feet and abandoned, recent developments
have shown great mineral wealth. The
known mineral belt ha3 been enlarged
from time to time, till It now extends a
dlstanceof 200 miles north and south along
Snake river and 200 miles west from that
river, narrowing to a width of GO miles
on the Prlneville meridian. It will be a
salient point in making an estimate of the
enormous wealth of this country to note
the value and extent of one below the
water line. So far, estimates have been
based almost entirely upon ore above the
base line of the mountain ranges. So ap
parent has become this error and so great
the values below this line, that experts are
beginning to doubt the Correctness of the
tneory that ore necessarily becomes base
below the water line. Whichever way
this may In future be decided, the fact re
mains that no one has yet-gone far enough
down to find bottom, and the old miner
contends that It goes to the hot belt It
may be pertinent to remark that nothing
short of "hot" will halt the operations.
Transportation From Snmpter.
For the benefit of persons having in
mind a trip to the mines in Sumnter dls
trlot I give below a list of towns and
some of the producing mines reached from
Sumpter by stage dally:
Miles-.! Miles.
Canyon City 65jColumb!a mine T
jonn uay tuixsorin .foie mm.. .3ft
Prairie City 52North Polo mine... 8
Bourne 7Couger mine IS
Granite ., 14 Ibex mine .7
Red Boy mine lSiRIchmond Co 20
Bonanza mine ISiMay Queen mlne.,18
Don Juan mine.... 18 Austin (about) 30
Golconda mine..... 83usanvillo ...00
Clifford -13
The xoads to all these polnt3 are ex
ceptionally good for a new and mountain
ous country. A mid-summer trip up these
canyons and over the mountains is one
that a visitor will never forget
The To-ivn of Sumpter.
Wherever gold Is known and people run
to seek It, Sumpter has been heard of.
It Is known as the mining camp that has
grown to be a town, and is growing to b
a city. From 300 to 2000 In one year Is
the record. Sumpter stand3 In the east
ern gateway to the mountains, where lie
the Tlchest mines In Oregon, and defies
the world to pass Into the treasure vaults
of the west half of Baker county and
Grant county without getting a taste of
Sumpter life. Men who have been through
all the mining camps of the West say
none of them has equaled Sumpter In the
number of substantial, well - equipped
buildings for the accommodation of the
public While the rush has been great,
the people have been provided with all
the necessities at moderate cost The only
scarcity has been in. the line of rooms.
irrrA knnwl hnlnv "Vlllni1nnt 1!VftrV kind
of mercantile establishment is represented
with complete, well-assorted stocks.
C. S. Warren predicts that Sumpter,
Granite and Bourne wflT be connected by
electric cars bef,ore 1900 closes, and what
the general predicts, he tries to bring to
pass. The accomplishment of this project
would be a world-beater, but would be In
keeping with other things done away up
here In the mountains.
Smelter.
In discussing this question every one has
his own opinion, or is Indifferent, and bat
very few agree. Those Interested agree
on different lines. Each locality clalm'ng
a district of Its own wants a smelter for
Its own use, or Is more selfish,, and wants
everybody to bring ore to it, Sumpter
wants one of Its own. and Granite will
likely organize a chamner of commerce
and demand the same. Baker City, C
course, thinks everybody ought to get o-;
of her way on that proposition, and Porr
land thinks she ought to have one. So H
goes.
There la no better natural location In
the world for the right kind of smelter
thanPortland. Why? Because within a few
miles of town she has an abundance of
Iron for fluxing. Lime also Is available at
low prices. She has water-grade trans
portation from the Coeur d'Alenes for
lead ores. The Coeur d'Alenes and
mines around Lewiston would pay tribute
to her rather than cross the mountains.
Southern Oregon is also full of dry ores.
Bohemia district, Molalla. Blue river,
Skamania, Cornucopia, Malheur and Burnt
river districts all have smelting ores. Tho
entire Eastern Oregon mineral belt, second
to none In the world as to size and rich
ness; also Wood river. In Idaho, with lead;
Mineral City with copper and silver, Seven
Devils with copper and gold, couid and
should all be made tributary to Portland.
Ship3 from Alaska should bring back ores
and concentrates. All this, with the devel
opments in Eastern Oregon In the next
five years, should make the shipments ot
ore3 amount to more than all other prod
ucts combined at the present time. A
good, long look ahead will see another
century mark before the ore3 will be ex
hausted. The benefit of the right kind of
smelter, with the spirit of genius to start
It, will mean more to Portland and the
state than it has entered the mind of any
one to conceive.
Transportation.
Granting that It has been proved that
Eastern Oregon Li rich In mineral re
sources to an extent heretofore undreamed
of. that capital is interested to the extent
of millions of dollars In- Its early develop
ment. It remains to bo seen what provis
ion la to bo- made for handling not only
the Immense freights following the open
ing up of the mines and the building ot
towns, but also the traveling public, who
will wish to see for themselves what oth
ers talk about so much. At present th's
great territory of nearly 30,000 square mllea
has only 103 miles of railroad, covering
only that portion easiest of access, leaving
tho heavy machinery and all classes of
freights and passengers to be transported
by slow and laborious processes over th
greater part of the country. The cost o!
transportation alone, from the nearest
railroad stations, attended with so much
risk and labor, la an item that only th
wealthy can look at with complacency.
The necessity for rail connection with
the outside world Is undebatable. The fea.
slblllty of It from tho standpoint ot profit
to the railway company Is not very doubt
ful. What the existing companies think
about it Is not made public, but tho peoplo
are guesslcg. Various rumors are afloat
Here are some of them, with suggestions
thrown In gratis: The Northern Paciflo
is said to have made a reconnoissance from
Pendleton to Granite. They would rea-h
that country through the Hunt system.
They could go up OUva creek through gocd
pine lands, crossing the divide to Prairie
City or Canyon City.
The Southern Pacific contemplates build
ing into the Klamath lake country, along
the baso of the Cascades, to the Deschutea
river. Thla would take them through
what Is- said to be tho finest body of su
gar pine In the world. This alone as a
simple, single-handed deal would ope,a up
business enough to pay for the enterprise,
to say nothing of minerals and the conse
quent travel. From the Deschutes river
to Prlneville they would have tributary
to the line largo pine forests. From Prlne
ville they could run by Canyon City into
the heart of the mineral belt It they
chose to divert at John Day they could go
north through the heart of the mineral
belt, and make Pendleton, in the wheat
The Columbia Southern might extend
from Moro by Antelope up the John Day
to North Fork, whence it could follow
both forks, where a road la In demand.
Before helping a smelter proposition Iho
peoplo of Oregon should be sure It will
have the favor ot a road.
It Is gratifying to note that since Mr.
Mohler has been president of the O R.
& N the mines of Eastern Oregon hava
received more attention than for yeara.
It would seem to a disinterested person
that the O. R. & N. Is the road most in
terested In holding this territory, and the
one most likely to hold within the state
the most of the product of the mines. As
I said before, we are all guessing. I see
one person has guessed that the Sumpter
Valley people are likely to extend to
Bourne or over to Granite. I have pretty
good authority for the statement that
they are not thinking Of such a thing.
Their specialty Is timber and they will
build Into the forests, but not likely into
tho mines. But that a road will be built
for tho accommodation of mineral Ore
gon is certain. If mining- interests aru
forced to do it
Baker City.
The county seat of Baker county la situ
ated on the Oregon Railroad & Naviga
tion Company's main line, in the Powder
river valley. The location Is an excep
tionally good one. In the very midst of
rich pasture lands, she la also surrounded
on all sides by rich minerals which are
primarily in her district. As new towns
spring up, each demanding a district It
Its own name, the mountain ranges wl l
become the natural dividing lines. Baker
Is ready to be sponsor for all of theTi,
and wishes them all well. This city Is en
Joying a strong, steady pull ot prosperity.
Every line of business Is doing well ard
the population Is increasing. The popu
lation at the present time Is more than
7000, and will reach the 10,000-mark In
1300.
In that part of Baker district extending
In a northwesterly direction from th
city, following the summit of the moun
tain range, are some very rich proer-
rtles, including the Robbins. Baisley ard
Denny groups, Gopher, Badger, Tom
Payne, Toung American, the Nelson. Car
penter. Never Sweat and many others that
will come to the front In another year. A '
few miles eajt Is the Virtue district. In
which Is a large number of vauab.e
claims, locations having been made a.l
over township 9, and extending over the
spur- of mountains Into township 10, near
Pleasant Valley. About 15 miles south of
this district Is a rich placer and quarts
country, which is just coming to the front
W. S, Newbury, of Portland, has many
good things- to say about Mormon bflln,