12'
THE aiORXIXG- OREGONIAN, MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1905.
PHASES OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN THE STATE OF OREGON
WXM IS
IE OF SOIL
Great Projects Under Way or
Contemplated East of
Cascades.
MALHEUR AND KLAMATH
Owyhee River Plans Seem Feasible.
Joint Wells for Irrigating to
Bo Sunk by the Farm
ers of Crook.
The Klamath project 1b taking on defin
ite form, -which Indicates the close of the
long period of -waiting. The United States
Government. It Is learned, has formally
notified the Klamath Falls Irrigating
Company, the Little Klamath Water
Ditch Company, the Klamath Canal
Company and air. Alklns, of the Clear
Lake reservoir site, of the acceptance
of the terms of price, aggregating J4S7.000.
The Klamath Bulletin announces the ar
rangements made In the following state
ment: "Alex Martin Jr., as secretary of both
the Klamath Falls Irrigating Company
and the Little Klamath Water Ditch
Company, -was notified that as soon as
the abstracts of title -were approved, the
Government would be ready to pay the
agreed price and take over the t-wo sys
tems. The Klamath Canal Company and
Mr. Aitkins of the Clear Lake reservoir
site -were also notified to the same effect.
"Complete data of the Government sur
vey is being prepared and on August 5 a
Board of Consulting Engineers -will meet
in Klamath Falls to go over this re
port. If the project Is approved by this
board, they will then advertise for bids
ior the work."
The board is now on its way to tho
scene of action.
The Malheur Project.
John T. Whistler and E. A. Chandler
met with Attorney J. W. McCulloch In
Vale Wednosday and It was agreed that
the Malhour Water Users Association re
organize and proceed to make new con
tracts with tho landowners under the
proposed Government reclamation pro
ject. Tuesday, the board met and It was de
cided to postpone reorganization until the
request made to the Secretary of the In
terior for a graduated system of pay
ments bo hoard from.
The foregoing items from the Malheur
Gazette are the outward and visible signs
of the negotiations in active progress.
It is understood that C. E. S. Wood Is
on his way to Washington, to communi
cate directly with tho heads of the Recla
mation Service and with the Secretary of
the Interior In person that the relations
cf tho owners of the land grant to the
Irrigation project may tie defined and set
tled. It is hardly understood in Oregon gen
erally that tho plans of the Government
entail the creation of a huge reservoir,
between the lakes and the canyon of
the Malheur River, where the dam is
proposed to be constructed, which will
most seriously hamper. If not render Im
practicable, the using of the railroad
route long ago surveyed down the canyon
of tho Malheur. To lncroase the difficulty
of the situation from a railroad stand
point, two irrigation canals are proposed,
one on each side of the river, along the
canyon. Tho maps show a continual in
terference with the railroad surveys. If
railroads are tho public highways, of
which so much is heard nowadays. It
seems, in the Interest of the public that
tho conflict between railroad and Irriga
tion is a very sorlous question, where
there are so perilously few ways of ac
cess from the Snake RIvor Valley Into
Central Oregon. The Malheur canyon Is
one, and is believed to be the better, of
two.
The Owyhee Project.
The Owyhee project is also showing
signs of life. The Owyhee River is the
alternative railroad route to the Malheur
into Central Oregon from the East.
"The field-engineer of the Reclamation
Service, with about eight assistants, ar
rived here Monday, after finishing tho
preliminary surveys on tho Owyhee proj
ect. A force was sent to Westfall, Tues
day morning to take up the work in the
interior. Considerable surveying will be
'done in and around Vale, which will be
their headquarters during the rest of the
Summer," says the Vale Gazette.
In Klamath Counts.
On this page Is shown an Illustration of
tutting and making wild hay on one of
the fertile lake beds In the Klamath
country. Hundreds of tons are annually
anode from the wild grasses of Nature's
providing. In Winter the waters of the
Jake spread over the margins of level
-land, gradually receding as the season
advances.. In olden days, when Fort Mal
iheur was inhabited by United States sol
diers to hold unruly Indians In check, as
much as 800 tons was no unusual quan-v
lity to be put up for the use of tho cav
tolry at -the fort.
Wood River is a stream running north
wards from the north end of Klamath
Lake, in the direct line of Crater Lake.
No one ever heard of it as navigable, but
a story from the Klamath Republican
adds another to the Increasing list of
Oregon developments. The Improvement
2ias not yet found its way Into the river
and harbor bill. But the best kind of
Improvement, after all. is that taken in
hand and carried through by the good
sense and strong arms of people directly
interested.
W. S. Warden, secretary of the Klamath
Chamber of Commerce, speaks:
"The boys are all in line and ready to
assist us. They are ready to put up
money, or will turn out and work to help
cut out the channel. I was all over the
valley, and everyone Is busy and prosper
ous. The whole valley looks green, and
It Is the prettiest country In the world,
as everyone knows. All of the ranchers
are busy cutting hay at present, and It
will not be possible to start the work
until the haying Is finished.
"Frank Butler, secretary of the Fort
Klamath Chamber of Commerce, and J.
W. McCoy, the president, stated that
there was absolutely no doubt but that
everyone In the valley would give their
support to this "work.
"The boys are acquainted with the river
above the bridge, and know practically
what It will take to put It in shape. 1
wanted to satisfy myself about the river
below the bridge, and Gus Melhase and
myself came down in a skiff.
"I found that there is plenty of water
all the way. The steamer has been up as
far as the mouth of Crooked Creek. From
there up we counted about 12 points that
would have to be cut off to straighten the
river so that boats could go up. Above
Crooked Creek for a mile or a mile and
a half the river narows down to about
SO feet, but the banks are not' solid, and
consist of a sort of sod and grass which
projects out over the water for several
feet and floats on top. I believe that men
could go along with hav knives and cut
this off. and these chunks would settle to
the bottom and would not need to be
taken out.
"It, however, would be an easy job for
a dredger to cut off the projecting banks
and throw the earth tip along the shore.
After looking the river over carefully, we
concluded that $500 expended will put the
river In shape so that a boat can run up
as far as the Melhase bridge."
Report on Cascade Locks.
Major Langfltt's report on tho Cascade
Locks is Interesting reading. The sum
mary of the year's traffic Is an indica
tion of still greater things to como when
the Celllo Canal Is opened. Tho follow
ing are the official figures:
During the year 101S boats passed the
locks, carrying 25,165 tons of freight and
64.-J03 passengora. The tonnage of these
craft amounted to 379.073. Bound down.
25.593.D00 pounds of wheat passed through
the locks, and the flour shipments
amounted to 3.795.500 pounds, while mis
cellaneous grain shipments amounted to
6,297.000. The fruit shipments amount to
1.672,000 pounds.
Joint AVclls in Crook County.
The Madras Pioneer tells of a meeting
last week of farmers In the district known
as Agency Plains. In the northwestern
part of Crook County, the results of
which will be watched" with much inter
est. Premising that this semi-arid dls-
trit Vino nnn- nvnr- fVl Anttlo-- V... n.V.n.
about all the Government land has been
taken up. their effort to overcome their J
chief difficulty, the want of water, de-
serves every encouragement. '
The land Is level, and every farm could J
be reached were wells sunk to a suf- !
ficient depth and of sufficient capacity.
At present the water is handled In tanks i
and barrels from Madras to each farm. '
The farmers have arranged to combine j
to have sunk community wells, to a depth
of not less than 400 feet, whence an j
abundant supply Is believed to be ob- '
tainable. The cost being divided will I
be brought within the reach of every
farmer interested. The surplus of wheat
raised last year by these people reached
10,000 bushels. The distance to railroad
is too great to make it pay to haul. The
lack of water for their stock forbids
their keeping enough stock to consume
their products of grain. Therefore the
fertility of their soil In a barron gift.
Success in the well sinking will remedy
all.
MUNICIPAL ENTERPRISE.
Operations of Water Plants for Cit
ies and Their Cost.
The Hood River Glacier prints the
"A resident of Goldendale furnished
the following Interesting figures con
cerning the operations of municipal
ownership In connection with tho ope
ration of the water plant at that place
"The city was bonded in 1S90 for
$10,000 to install a system of water
works, and since that time Improve
ments have been added to the amount
of $12,003, making a total amount of
522.600 invested. Up to about two years
ago the water was furnished by Hess
& Cooper for 51200 por year, but at that
time the citj' bought the pipe line at a
cost of $d000, and now the city owns
all its water system.
"The revenue recelvod by the city
from the water is J64 per year and
the cost of maintalng the same Is about
$600, leaving a net Income of about
J480O, or in other words the system is
paying rUiQUt 22 per cent Interest on the
capita Invosted."
The Sherman County Observer fol
lows suit with this:
"The Dalles has a bonded indebtedness
of J72.00J for its city water plant. The
bonds come due in about seven years.
Of this amount, ?52.0tt is for tho first,
Is-juc. Sufficient funds are now on hand
to meot the payment when due. Inter
est on this fund offsets the interest
paid to the bondholders. A sinking fund
Is also rapidly accumulating for the
later issue of $26,000, made a few years
ago for an extension of the system.
When the bonds are due. payment will
be made In full. The revonue from the
water plant is 51700 a month In the
Summer, and about $1600 a month in
the Winter, Two men are omployed to
look after tne system at a. salary per
month of JC6 each. This together with
expense for repairs loavos the city over
$1200 a month to place In the sinking
fund. In a few years The Dalles will
have a handsome Income for all city
expenses paid directly by the municipal
water plant. No light plant to pull Its
profits off."
Municipal ownership of waterworks
has the longest history of any form of
public ownership, and as to It there is
less question than about any other form
of municipal enterprise. But even here
it Is very possible to buy gold too dear.
Thore Is a great temptation In small
communities to borrow more money
than reasonable rates for water con
sumed can pay. Such discounting of
future growth is what the Insurance
people call "doubly hazardous."
BIG PROFIT IN ANGORAS
FIVE POUNDS TO FLEECE AND
FIFTY CENTS TO POUND.
What a Farmer Has Accomplished
in Sale of Mohair and In
crease of Flock.
It Is always pleasant to find actual
statements of fact more than confirming
advice given. A return of five pounds to
to fleece and a price of 50 cents a pound
betoken the excellence of the stock of
goats, and their adaptation to their sur
roundings. The Milton Eagle says:
"J. H. Smith, who owns 330 acres near
Freese. Idaho, has fully demonstrated the
fact that Angora goat raising is not only
a source of revenue, but affords a most
valuable means of cleaning land. One
year ago last Spring he brought from
Kallspel to his fine range 195 head of
Angoras, paying $6 for the ewes and $10
for the bucks. It does' not require much
attention to care for the flock, as they
thrive well upon young trees and noxious
weeds, thus aldlpg materially In cleaning
the land. "During lost Winter I fed
to my 196 goats not to exceed 12-tons of
hay, and yet they were in the best of
condition," said Mr. Smith. This Spring
his flock had increased to 330, nearly 303
per cent. The clip, which has just been
taken off, weighed 590 pounds, five pounds
to the fleece. Mr. Smith is now delivering
this on board the cars at Palouse. Wash.,
for Minneapolis, at 50 cents per pound.
On the figures given the flock cost
51200. The next year's return from the
mohair is 5490. The increase Is 164,
which at 52.50 for this year's kids rep
resents 5410 more. The stoss profit on
the transaction is therefore 5900. from
which tho cost of 12 tons of hay, wages
for snearlng. and the cost of taking
the mohair to market aire the deduc
tions. So the goats show n 66 2-3 per
cent profit. Irrespective of the value of
the clearing they did.
For those who are nervous and run
down Hood's SarsaparlUa la the Ideal
building-up medicine.
wlvw. -str-. :. 'ys&j&smzm. 'sat -a.
21
SITUATION AS TO HOPS
WRITER GIVES ARGUMENTS IX
FAVOR OF COMBINATION.
Study of Conditions Should Enable
the Grower to Judge of
. Advisability.
A latter from a well-known hopgrowcr
is printed as giving a full statement of
arguments - of growers for entering the
proposed combination. , His suggestion
that the Oregon inn article was inspired
may pass without comment. Readers will
accept the suggested "disinterestedness"
as in exact truth, the moving cause of the
article. It may be added that the letter
was hold over last week to obtain a
fuller view of the situation from many
points. The letter follows:
Eupenr. .July 24. T the Kditor.In
your ircni of the 2U ImH. tlwrc appeared as
article under the caption of "Hop Reports
Conflicting." The article appears to hfcve
been Written either by tHf In Ignorance of
real conditions or by e who had an object
to accompli. I respect the tatter, as the
artleie was so more aor leas than a cuoalBgtr
devlred argument against the proposed com
bination wf hopgrowers la Oregon. To lend
it additional fore. It alto had the outward
appearance of dMntereotedneas. Tho?c who
read between the line, however, cannot fall
to e the wolf beneath the pbeep's Ala. If
the article in quertlon was not written by a
nopbuyer It was evidently Inspired by oae.
To whosi rhall the borrowers of Oregon
look for advice In carrying- on their htudnetk.t.
to the general pubtte, to the hopbttyer or to
those engaged In the business? The general
public has Its own affairs to look after, and
therefore proffers us little advice Occasion
ally an officious Individual will toll us what
we - ought to do. GeoeraMy he has little
knowledge of what he talk about and there
fore we pay no attention to Mm. Hopdealecs
often offer us advice, rone of which la for our
Interest and much of which Is for theirs. In
the prevent contingency the general public
ha no concern, but the hopdealers and grow
ers are vitally affected. The dealers. o far
aa I know, are to a raw against the pro
posed combination of bop grower?, but they
are very quiet and unobtrusive In their op
position. Their i!ent Influence Is brought
to tear on us through various channel!, sack
a the article above referred to.
If their opposition was too pen It would
cause suspicion, therefore they work covertly.
Now. why are the dealer against the prop
osition of our forming a general combination
with one eelllng comaritteet ilanifetly not
because they put our welfare above their
own. Personally, the dealers are our friends.
Ve regard them as a necessity and do not
contemplate putting them out of burtse!.
Neither do we contemplate combining for taa
purpose of Inflating values, for we know we
caanot do It to any perceptible extent. We
lply wat to combine for the purpoce of
putting the bop Industry on a totid buineso
hauls and eliminate nanyr its unsatisfactory
features.
A eooa as the hops are in the bale every
grower In the state is bevet with a small
army of sample pullers. I have known of as
high as 40 camples having been pulled out
of one small lot. The miapiea are then sent
to the principals at Salem and Portland, and
when a rale Is made the man who pulled the
sample on which the sale was made rets
about CO cents ixr bale coraralwion. We re
alize that we cannot fell without giving sam
ples, but hopgrowors regard the army of
sample-pullers as a pest that can be easily
dlivened with.
After the samples are In. offers are made.
The dealer claims he handles the hops for
1 cent commission. That, with the U-eont com
mission to the mmpte-pulter, means about
KK.000 in commissions for handling the Ore
gon crop. The dealers have to live decently
and no one begrudgeif them evea that com
mlselor. for getting our hops lato the hands
of the larger dealers, who la turn take off
their commUsion. But we do not know at
all times that the dealers make us the brt
offers they can. It Is not at all uncommon
for them to ralrc their bids a cent or more a
pound In a few mlnutcrs. That means that
their commission Is not always confined to
a cent a pound, but la many cases Is double
that sum. Even that we can stand when hops
are & good price, but when they are only
worth 5 to 7 centa per pound, as In the re
cent past, and as they will douhtlem be
again, from $2.50 to f5 a bate la Quite an ob
ject to the grower.
But these are minor nils and ean be en
dured. The worst evil la the business, and
the evil we chiefly eek to correct. Is short
tilling. Iealers make sales for a sedes of
years In advance to brewers at Mated prices,
and then go Into each year's market and en
deavor to make good. If the crops are short
and prices ought to rule high, be hammers
the market all he can to make his loss as
mall as possible. If crops are good he takes
advantage of the fact and hammer prices
down" as low as potable In order to make hU
;alns larger. So with the system of short
selling we find most of the dealers always
hammering the srower.
How long Is Abe grower going to submit to
this Incessant hammering? Just so long as
he Insists on str.adlng alone. That Is where
the dealer -wants to keep us. and where he
expects to keep us, because we are farmers and
don't know how to help ourselves. Perhaps
he is right. So long as wekdo not act In uni
son, so long will they continue to have us
at their mercy. When It, comes time to sell
one will sell from necessity, another through
fear of the market going lower, another be
eaure some short reller advised him confi
dentially to cut loose as quick as possible.
etc.. etc The result Is that they can always
HOW TUB. MAItSH HAY IS CARED ITOIt-
buy some hops at any price the choo to
par. Then why should tho dealer be with
us?
This is an age of unions. A union can
correct abuses that tlte Individual Is power
Ws to prevent. Then why should hopgrow
ers hesitate to make the attempt to correct
the abuses that cxlfX In their business? If
evry bopgrower In Oregon should put his
hops In oae corporation as propod by Mr.
Kreb and should take ' his pro rata share
of proceeds of rales he would fare the same
t as his fellow-grower neither better nor worse.
He would get rid of the annoyance of the
hop-sampler. He would not ruh bis hops
on the market and thus help In lowering
(prices. Neither would he, by holding too
! long, lose the benefit of fair offers. He would
not help cut hta neighbor's throat nor would
! he be afraid of his neighbor helping to cut M.
j The proposition seerav to mo to be fair and
j iamnabie. The selling committee of the
I corporation could go Into the markets of the
, world or sell to local buyers, as they saw
(St. Buyers would .buy from the corporation
' as readily as from Individuate, and there
would be no ruch haggita; over price as
there is under present conditions. The saving
In samplors commissions alone, about ?4ft,(XJ
or $50,000. ought to par all exor t of sell.
j lag the crop. Further. If Oregon succeed
!la perfecting the propoted plan. It is almost
certain California and Washington will follow
self. Stjs are now being taken In California
to that end.
I de not expect that all the growers, of
j either state will go Into this comhtRatton. for
two reasons. Fisst, the influence of theoe
whose Interests are antagonltfje wilt deter
cohte; scsod. there will be tos who will
desire to the plan perfected,' but who. for
their own rlflrh ends, will stay out In the
hope of reaping a benefit from cood'.tkm
created by their more unsei&ih neighbors.
It hopgrowers will lay aside the.- own e!Ash
ends and work for the common xood they can
accomplish all they derire. and at all tline
realize ueh prices as conditions warrant.
We do not dream of fixing the srice of
! h4 for the world, but we do hooe to be
able to put It beyond the power of some deal
ers to sen our hops at stated prices years be
fore they are raked. HOPGUOWER.
Analysis of the widespread reports now
at hand confirm the previously expressed
opinion of a crop somewhat short In
quantity and very various in quality. That
means that the conditions are such as
would render a combined effort to secure
uniform prices and satisfactory handling
by one general agency controlling sales of
the whole, or a very large proportion of
tho Oregon crop, exceptionally difficult.
"With some of the annoyances detailed by
"Hopgrower." in the way of the Invasion
of an army of sample pullers an outsider
J can sympathise. This abuse could prob-
ably be remedied by the growers organ
j llng to that end. Ways and means
I adopted to that purrwe have been dis
covered In other and older localities.
; But how growers, by combining, could
top selling ahead, or short selling (In
; othr words, speculating on the quantity
I and quality of a .coming crop), it Is dlffl
; cult to imagine. The opening for such
i practices 1 inherent in th nature of the
' plant, probably more subject to vlclssl-
tudes man any other in such general de
mand. Growing Intelligence on the part
of the hopratsers tending to secure better
quality In the Droduct. and cleaner mar
keting. Is the universal remedy for much
of the trouble. More careful stud? of
the reports which now come In from
every locality where hops are grown,
woukl enable the grower to form more
intelligent opinions of the market value of
his crop. True It Is that in union there
is strength. But no medicine Is of uni
versal application by sensible people.
DRY IAXD SUITED TO WHEAT
Bnkcr County Claims Its Equality
With Umatilla.
The growth of wheat on the dry up
lands of Eastern Oregon Is shown in the
following Item from the Baker County
Herald:
"Baker County can raise Just as good
wheat on the dry lands as Umatilla
County. This has been satisfactorily
j demonstrated this season. Last Fall J.
li. Llckllder, who has a ranch two miles
south of town, sowed two acres of Winter
wheat as an experiment. Onto one acre
t oi mis wneat ne turnea nis siock tnis
spring and after pasturing them for a
long time, he is now cutting it for seed.
From the other acre he has cut ten tons
of wheat hay. The grain grew rank on
the hay acre, but the heads are filled out
nicely and would average not less than
30 bushels to the acre. The stalk grew to
a height of Ave feet six Inches. Mr.
Llckllder will grow more wheat next year
and harvest It. He brought in a sheaf
last night to O. C. Johnson for the Baker
County exhibit at the Fair."
The Arlington Record -notes that Judge
Mariner, of Blalock, has successfully in
troduced a new Spring wheat called The
Early Wilbur. His field of several acres
has Just been threshed, and has yielded
30 bushels to the acre. Sowed the last of
March It has matured In less than four
months on a very light rainfall.
Ten carloads of hogs from Nebraska
passed through Pendleton last night en
route to the Union Meat Company at
Portland, to be slaughtered there and
sent back in bacon and lard to Pendleton
and other Interior towns in Oregon.
Shipping hogs 1500 miles from Nebraska
to Oregon Is the height of folly for Ore
gon. Corn will grow in Oregon almost as
well as In portions of the corn belt and
hogs are found here In the highest state
of perfection, free from the diseases that
infect them in the East, and Oregon Is
losing one of herbest opportunities In
passing up this profitable Industry.
No comment is needed on the foregoing
J from the Pendleton East Oregon! an.
it'-"'
PEACHES FAVORITE CROP OX
THE IRRIGATED IiAXDS.
Reports From Umatilla County and
From Grant's Pass Are
Highly Optimistic.
In all the Irrigated lands of Eastern
Oregon great attention Is being paid to
the orchard., and almost uniform suc
cess Is reported. Peaches are a favorite
crop. From the Freewatcr Times, of
I'matllia Count v. the following Is taken:
! "Desolt th fact thnt the noach cron
In this vicinity will be very light, there
are some orchards thnt will yield greater
crops than ever before.
"A conservative estimate shows that
there will be shipped from this point
about W3 or 5000 boxes, as against about
20.0"0 last year.
A sample lot of peaches were
brought Into this office Monday that are
a cure for sore eyes. There Is a five-inch
twig upon which are clustered nine
.peaches so-dosc!y Imbedded thnt they
look like one huge poach. Another peach
that was in the lot measured 9V4 inches
In circumference, and there are some
large onc yet on the trees.
"Marlon Graham Is the owner of the
trees that bear this luclous fruit. The
peaches are known as the Triumph."
This almost parallels the example from
a Grant's Pass orchard, where the writer
counted 47 peaches, well developed, on
a two-year-old tree. The fruit grew on
untrlmmcd slender branches nearly six
feet long, and not three-quarters of an
Inch thick at Junction with the stem.
Needless to add thnt the owner had fur
nished supports, over which the branches
were trained.
An Invaluable aid to the prune-dryer on
a large scale Is the dipper and spreader.
The following note frjom the Polk County
Observer draws attention to the saving In
time gained by this apparatus, which, as
well as more even quality, results from
Its use.
"R. L. Chapman Is making extensive
improvements and repairs on his big
prune-dryer north of town, and will soon
have one of the most completely equipped
evaporating plants In the valley. Tho
work Is nearlng completion, and the
dryer will be ready to handle the pres
ent year's output of Mr. Chapman's 40
acre orchard.
"The principal addition to the plant Is
a dipping and spreading machine of the
latest pattern. This machine dips the
prunes In aIye bath, rinses them In run-
I nlng water, and spreads them on the
trays. It will dip and spread SCO bushels
of prunes a day. and Is a valuable labor
saving device. The machine -will mate
rially Increase the capacity of the dryer,
as prunes dipped In lye will dry In about
six hours less time than those not sim
ilarly treated."
G
OCHRE QUARTZ FOUND IX JACK
SOX COUNTY.
Mcdford Mail Tells of Discovery Re
cently Made Verifying an
Old Prospector's Tale.
Progress Is reported In mining from
every district. A romance of mining ap
pears In an extract from the Medford
Mall. The site of "the And Is In Jackson
county, and so Is brought to a dramatic
conclusion a tale which has been circu
lating for a good many years in those
mountains. The Mall says:
"E. C. Faucett was In Medford Tues
day, having come In to have a piece of
ore assayed, which he had taken from
a ledge six miles west .of Sterling Moun
tain. The ore showed values of J26 to
the ton of gold, and the ledge from which
It comes Is 12 feet In width and has been
traced by Mr. Faucett for several miles
on both pides of the mountains. The ore
is ochre quartz In a gneiss formation and
Is the only ledge ever found of this kind
of ore In the Siskiyou range. And thereby
hangs a tale. Forty or more years ago a
German prospector came through from
the other side of the mountain and ex
hibited a piece of ochre quartz float
which he said he had found somewhere
near Sterling Mountain, describing the
place as well as he could. The man to
whom he showed the ore paid little atten
tion to It, as In those days the bars along
the Applcgate afforded rich diggings. Fi
nally, after the original finder had been
gone several yeara he concluded to have
the specimen left with him assayed. The
result showed $55 In gold to the ton. Then
commenced the hunt for the ledge from
which the peculiar-looking piece of ore
had come. Nothing like It had ever been
seen In that range before and It would
seem easy to find It; but the searchers
returned empty-handed. For over 30 years
prospectors have hunted for that mysteri
ous ledge of ochre quartz without success.
The finder himself has put In several
seasons looking for It. At last the ledge
was found, as many other valuable mines
have been found by accident. Last
Spring, while on a prospecting trip. Fau
cett'g horees escaped from him. and while
following their trail he noticed a peculiar-looking
piece of rock and naturally
picked It up. It was the ochre quartz!"
There may, then, yet be hope that the
Blue Bucket of early Oregon his'tory will
reward Its seekers.
The Sumpter district Is full of life. The
famous Red Boy mine has sold Its water
rights, ditches and flumes to a new com
pany, which is to complete the Ollne Lake
undertaking. The dam 1b to be finished,
pipe line built, and electric machinery ln
otalled to furnish 1500 horse power. The
Red Boy takes 600 horse power and the
balance will be for sale to neighboring
mines.
In connection with this district note
may be taken of the extension of the
Sumpter Valley Railroad toward Prairie
and Canyon City. It is stated that a
large force of men are at work, with a
view of reaching Prairie City this coming
Fall.
TWO PRODUCTS IX WHICH THE
STATE IS RICH.
Oregon Is Jnst Awakening to the
Value of These Elements in
State's Development.
Until recent years platinum was mined
only In the Ural Mountains of Rus
sia. It has. however, been found In
various parts of the United States,
though 110 ounces were all that was
reported .last. year. Its existence in
Oregon has been known for several
years.. The Ashland Record reports
over 1.1 ounces as having been cleaned
up at the Deep Placer mines of Waldo,
jn Josephine County. The black sands
of the ocean beach are also a source
of supply In very small quantities, but
from one of the beach mines. It was
reported last week as doing well In
gold and taking out several ounces of
platinum.
Professor David T. Day. of the
United States Geological Survey, in
charge of the experimental plant at
the Lewis and Clark Fair, reports hav
ing identified, not only platinum, but
rarer metals, as found by him In the
samples of black sand sent him. In
asmuch as tests are taade free of
charge, with transportation paid, and
full returns made on sands sent to the
Exposition, so valuable an opportunity
should not be let pass. The opportun
ity Is now offered to have verified, at
cost of the United States Government.!
the many stories current of valualile'
discoveries all over Oregon.
Lime Is one of the products of Oreson
almost neglected up to this date. The
quantities imported have been and are
very large. It Is interesting to note
thnt from Huntington, in the extreme
east of the state, and Grant's Pass, In
the extreme south, news comes of the
opening and enlargement of Industries
which Vlll remove-thl3 reproach. The
Democrat, of Baker City, has the fol
lowing Item:
"At Lime, five miles westof Hunting
ton, and on the O. R. &. N., Is the scene
of operations of the Oregon Lime &
Plaster Company, of which Charles E.
Lndd, the Portland banker. Is presi
dent and treasurer, and Charles F.
Beebe. secretary and manager.
"About 40 men are employed, and the
mine and plant Is operating night and
day."
From Grant's Pass comes the follow
ing news to The Oregonian:
"Grant's Pass. Or., Aug. 6. Captain
Verdln. manager of the Grant's Pass
Marble & Lime Company,' has lately be
gun work with a crew in the construc
tion of an extensive lime-burning plant
at the big marble mines on Cheney
Creek, recently' purchased by the com
pany. The marble deposits owned by
this company on Cheney Creek are the
largest on the Pacific Coast, there be
ing over SO acres of blue, black and
gray marble exposed, the rock being
not only adapted for building purposes,
but burns into a fine quality of lime.
Over 500 acres are owned by the com
pany, there being an abundance of tim
ber and water.
"The manufacture of lime will be the
main business of the company, and an
additional kiln will be built, giving a
capacity of 300 barrels for each burn
Ink of three days. The marble Is
blasted from the cliffs and rolled down
a chute Into the mouth of the kilns.
Pine wood is used In burning, and the
lime produced Is a milk white, abso
lutely free of foreign substances. There
Is a down-hill haul of 12 miles from
the quarries to Grant's Pass, but the
company has In view the building of
an aerial tramway from the kilns to
Applegate River, thus shortening- the
wagon haul by four or five miles.
"The people backing the enterprise
have under way the consummation of
plans that will make the Grant's Pass
marble and lime quarries the largest
enterprise of its kind on the Coast.
With an entire mountain of marble to
work upon., and much of It exposed In
huge cliffs from 30 to 100 feet high,
there remains but the placing of equip
ment to remove the stone and lime In
any quantity desired. An attempt will
be made, at least,, to supply Southern
Oregon and Northern California with
lime, the present demand for which Is
1000 barrels each month."
For much of the lime used in Oregon
the state has hitherto depended on
Puget Sound, as well as on imports
from California. Henceforth she can
produce her own.
WOOL INDUSTRY OF STATE
NORTH BEND MILLS MAY
SOLD TO EASTERNERS.
BE
Work at Scouring Mills of Pendleton
and Shearing or Sheep by
Machinery in Lake.
The announcement that at last the rail
road building Is to reach Coos Bay at'an
early date will confirm many In their
proposals to Join In existing, or to start
new Industries there. The North Bend
Woolen Mills have had a checkered exis
tence, but It Is hoped that a new chapter
Is about to be opened. , Started at Ban
don the mill was moved to North Bend.
The arrival now expected of the Intending
purchasers from the East will give the
signal for trial runs. If these prove suc
cessful a fresh start under experienced
men Is to follow. August 10 is the day
named. After the removal from Bandon
of the mill In question, another mill was
erected and set tor work there. The In
dustry Is, In Oregon, capable of Indefinite
extension.
Reference was made last week to the
scouring mills at Pendleton. This week
the East Oregonian summarizes the re
sults of the season's work as follows:
"During the past season 2.300,000 pounds
of wool have been sorted and placed in
the tubs for cleaning, and of this amount
600,000 pounds of the finest kind of fleece
wool has resulted. It will be seen that
there Is a loss of about T5 per cent from
sand, tar, grease and other foreign ma
terials In the wool as It comes from the
sheep's back.
"According to the figures of the man
agement of the scouring mills, wool ap
proximating J3SO.00O has been handled by
the scouring mill during the past year,
to say nothing of the value of the grease
wool that has been graded and sent to
The Dalles and to Boston for scouring.
It has been figured out that the handling
of this wool in this section of the state
has resulted In leaving about S375.0CO la
circulation among all concerned. The
weekly pay-roll at the local scouring mill
has been 5G0O per week, and this con
tinued during the season.
In Lake County the- first season's op
eration of sheep-shearing by machinery
has been accomplished. It is a surprise
to hear that machine shearing is even a
trifle more expensive than hand work.
The machines were exhibited lost year
at the International 9tock Show at Chi
cago. The ease and rapidity of the op
eration Indicated lesj. not greater, cost
than by the old-fashioned way. Pos
sibly the owners of the Lake County plant
can afford to reduce their prices by next
year.
The shearing plant closed down last
Thursday after about a six week's run.
The first season was a successful one and
the fact that hand shearing is doomed
has been clearly demonstrated. Ma
chine shearing Is a trifle more expensive
per head than hand shearing, but tho
amount of wool la greater and the time
of shearing much less. In all about 53.
000 sheep were sheared at the plant this
year. The machinery did not arrive until
late In the season, and the plant had a
short run. Next year, no doubt, most of
the Lake County sheep will be sheared,
at the plant.
The Heppner Gazette deals as follows
with this season's conditions between the
sheep men and the miners in the south
ern Summer ranges of the Blue Moun
tains: Sheepmen and the Miners.
"Quite a number of sheepmen have
driven their flocks into the Sumpter dis
trict this season, and all state that
grass conditions were never better than
at present. A more- peaceful understand
ing seems to exist between miners and
stockmen, as less threats are heard against
the latter than In former seasons. Thid
Is accounted for from the fact that the
ranges are In better condition, and that
there is plenty of feed to go around with
out sheepmen encroaching on the domain
of the miners."
MORE RHL1TS ASSURED
IjIXE
TO COOS BAY WIIiL BE
BIG FACTOR.
North Bank of Columbia Will Soon
See Steel Railways Stretch
ing Great Distance.
At last railroad building In and for
Oregon Is seeing light and progress. Nno
too soon. The California & Northeastern
Railroad filed Its articles of incorporation
In San Francisco on July 5. with a cap
ital of $5,400,000. A. H. Naftzger Is tho
president- One terminus is at Weed Sta
tion, on the main line of the Southern
Pacific Railroad, the other at Klamath
Falls, a distance of about ICO miles. In
this enterprise the Weed Lumber Rail
road Is merged by purchase. Extension
from the present end of the Weed road
to Gruss Valley Is In active progress, and
the completion to Klamath Falls Is fore
told by President Naftzger before the and
of 1S06.
Meanwhile what is known as the Mc
Cloud road Is being pushed toward Klam
ath Lake. It is stated that 260 men are
working on It. The road has reached 21
miles from McCIoud. and It Is hoped to
cross the mountains before Winter stops
building, leaving then about 22 miles to
Laird's Gap, on Lower Klamath Lake.
Obviously Snn Francisco will tie tho
whole Lake County and Klamath County
district tightly to itself before any Ore
gon road can be thfcrc to challange for
the traffic. The hopes of Portland must
center in the extension southward of one
or other of the roads nov; heading from
the Columbia, or else In a southward
running spur or feeder from ?he long-expected
road to cross Eastern Oregon from
west to east, or southeast.
The next few months will tell the tale,
and decide whether San Francisco or
Portland Is to be the trade centet oi
supply for the southern one-third of Ore
gon. A big stake hangs on the result, aj
every thinking Oregonian knows.
One measure of Importance is the con
struction of a link two miles In length,
from Henderson to Springfield, both In
Lane County. This, with the bridging of
the Willamette at Springfield, will con
nect the main line with the Woodburn
Sprlngflcld branch. Thus the traftlc can
be better distributed, and congestion on.
the main line avoided.
Another small project Is the St. Joo
cut-off, where grading is well under way.
Of course, the Important news of the
week has been that of the construction
of the long-talked-of line from Drain, on
the Southern Pacific Railroad main lino
to Coos Bay. So the Southern Pacific
Railroad will be In contact with tho ocean
at an Oregon point, and the coast country
connected by rail with the Interior. Ic
ha3 been known for many months that
other plans were on foot for affording to
Coos Bay railroad facilities. But thse
depended on arrangements In the New
York market for money. In default of a
bargain with either the coast railroad
coming north from Eureka, or with tha
Gould line from Salt Lake, seeking an
ocean outlet from Oregon.
Sanguine residents of Coos Bay seem
to be counting on two lines, now that
there Is good hope of one. Possibly tha
coast line project will take form before
long, as the route Is believed to be prac
ticable and not very expensive, and would
be ruled by far easier grades than those
used In crossing the Slsklyous.
A few days ago the Walla Walla States
man reported that the right-of-way agent
of the Columbia River Railway & Nav
igation Company had closed contracts
with about 20 of the farmers on the north
bank of the Columbia. The statement was
then made that this company had now a
clear opening from Castle Rock Into East
ern Washington, and. with few excep
tions, now being dealt with, to Van
couver, In Clark County.
Work is reported to be active on tha
Portland-Nehalem-Tlllamook Railway, as
far as clearing the first ten miles of tho
right of way from Hlllsboro towards
Banks Is concerned, and grading was ar
ranged to begin three or four days ago.
Development Notes.
Space Is wanting to do more than note
the statement, made a day or two back,
that It will need 250 average-sized grain
carrying ships to move the 1C05-6 crop of
the Pacific Northwest, unless unforeseen
changes In European markets divert or
retain on the Coast any large proportion
of the crop.
The announcement was made last week
that the Independent telephone system,
built by the residents of the Waldo Hills
had brought over 50 more families into
hearing of Salem, and thereby Into close
touch with the world outside. Other lines
radiating from Salem are also In con
struction. So that before long it will bo
Voluntary, not compulsory. Isolation If
the Marlon and Polk County farms are
not connected.wlth their neighbors and
with the Capital City. An example hero
for other neighborhoods to follow.