THE
SUMPTER MINER.
Vol. i.
SUMPTER, OREGON, OCTOBER 18, 1899.
NO. 6.
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BRICK BLOCK
200 FT. FRONT
Townslte Syndicate and D.
Wilson Sign Contracts.
SOUTH MILL STREET.
Modem Hotel 100 by 100, of Three Stor
ks, WO! be Butk.-A BmImm Block
90 by 100, Two Storied-Portion of
Busk Block to be Fukked Tbk
Season. Another Brick Yard. Wkh a
, Capacity of 20JOOO a Day, Called Into
FeTJltCiVfi
VA week ago today the Sumpter Town
site syndicate signed contracts with David
Wilson to build a' brick block with a front-'
age of 203 feet, half of the block to be two
stories and the other half three stories
high.
Mr. Wilson Is an Interesting character,
deriving his Interest principally from the
fact that he Is a phenomenon, so faras en
terprlse and energy and Intelligent effort
In mammoth undertakings ls concerned.
And his specialty seems to be in the build
ing line. He it was who led the people
some years since who believed in a great
future for Tacoma, and then showed his
faith in the town by his works, in erecting
the magnificent building occupied for
years by the postoffice. He is one of the
owners of the Davenport, Washington,
townslte, where he built nearly all of the
brick and stone portion of the town. At
Ontario, Oregon, In which he Is also,
largely Interested, he has recently com
pleted soo feet front of business blocks.
His contract with the Townsite syndi
cate requires that: he erect this season, a
business block 50x90 feet, and should the
weather permit, another, adjoining, of
equal size ; and as soon as the weather
will permit, an up-to-date three story iron,
stone and brkk hotel, 100 feet square,
modelled after the famous Cripple Creek
hostelry.
Mr. Wilson has bought the brick for the
first portion of this block from C. Y. Burr,
and stone for the foundation is already
being hauled to the site. Work will be
gin in a few days and rushed to an early
completion.
For the other portion of the structure he
will make his own brick, and for this pur
pose will soon put In here the most im
proved modern brick making machine,
with a capacity of 20,000 a day. The
syndicate has given him ten acres of land
In Its unplatted holdings, for a brick yard.
The hotel will be located on the north
west corner of Mill and Austin streets,
two blocks south of the depot, and the
other building will be adjoining. Mr.
Wilson owns the entire Mill street front
age of this block, 250 feet, and will doubt
less cover It all within twelve months.
For some time past It has been apparent
that the business section of this town had
to be extended. Property where the stores
are now located has reached too high a fig
ure for any one with moderate capital to
hope to buy and build and go into busi
ness. This fact, In connection with the
other one, that some of the owners of
vacant property within the present busl-'
ness limits will neither build, rent nor
sell, holding on to the lots merely as a
speculatlonr-whkh; of. course, Is their
perfect right has occasioned an embaras
sing condition of affairs here, rendering it
impossible for men who wish to engage
In business in Sumpteoto do so. The
Townslte syndicate, with the assistance
of Mr. Wilson, has solved both perplex
ing problems. In whatever other direc
tion the town may grow, It is now an as
sured fact that the business portion will
extend south on Mill street. The erection
of these splendid brick edifices make that
an assured fact. Comparatively cheap
insurance, reasonable rents, economy in
fuel, are all desirable features that will In
evitably attract desirable tenants.
Even at the present time there Is but
one objection to this locality, the close
proximity of the railroad tracks, and THE
MINER predicts almost authoratively that
this one objection will be removed at no'
distant day. There Is a project on foot to,
have the depot and tracks moved to an
other part of the townslte. Negotiations
are pending with this end in view, which
will, In all probability, be terminated at no
distant day. '
BUILDING NOTES.
Dwel-
Some Buttem Housst and Many
lings Going Up.
Mr. Edwards, of Arlington, this state.
has rented from the Neill Mercantile com
pany the lot adjoining the building on the
corner of Granite and Mill streets, and Is
having erected there a two story building,
20 by 50 feet. He sent a contractor from
Arlington to do the work. He will occupy
the ground floor with a drug store and
rent the second story. Between the two
buildings there is six feet of space, which1
Mr. Neill will enclose and'rent for an of
fice. Mr. and Mrs. Farrell, of Portland, have
rented from Mrs. E. W. Stanley a lot on
North street, between Center and Crocker,
on which they are having built a bowling
alley. A portion of the building will be
two stories, where they will live.
A cheap shooting gallery Is being bul t
on North street.
Both General Warren and W. C.
Calder have selected sightly locations on
north Mill street near the crest of the first
hill, 100 by 100 feet In size, on which they
will build handsome residences. The
General says he Is 'going to build a brick
home for his family to reside in, but he Is
not on to Calder's curves; doesn't know
.What he wants with such an establish
ment.
Mr. and Mrs. N. C. Richards, Mr. and
Mrs. N. T. Collett, also yesterday
selected lots In the same locality, where
they propose building homes.
Today the Basche Hardware company
decided to add another story to the brlcM
which it Is now erecting on Mill street.
Everywhere one turns new buildings
can be seen going up, and yet the demand
for houses Increases more rapidly and be
comes more urgent every day. Already
it Is becoming a serious problem to house
the new comers who are arriving In
Sumpter daily.
Blue Prints of Snydkate's Additions.
Blue prints of the Sumpter townslte
syndicate's additions will probably be fin
ished tomorrow. Some delay has been
occasioned owing to the fact that consider
able time was wasted In an unsucceessful
effort to manufacture here a frame In
which to make the prints, and finally one
was telegraphed for to Spokane. En
gineer Worthlngton, who has done the
surveying and platting for the syndicate,
Is reputed to be one of the best civil en
gineers In the Northwest.
BIG STRIKE IN THE
GOLDEN TREASURE.
LEDGE MATTER 47 FEET, CARRY
ING W TO $12 GOLD.
Encountered in the Tunnel at Fifty Three
Feet. The Keystone-Bell Gold Mining
Company Incorporated. A Comprcteor
for the Bunker Hill.
Toan enquiry from a MINER man regard
ing the rumored big strike In the Golden
Treasure, Eugene Sperry, who is Inter
ested in the property, says that he has
not Inspected the mine himself, but from
Mr. Selsby, who Is at work there and has
done the panning, informs him of these
facts:
A tunnel 150 feet In length Is being
driven. At n distance from its mouth of
fifty-three feet ledge matter was encoun
tered. They are now In too feet, and all
through the last forty-seven feet the rock
carries gold, ranging from eight to twelve
dollars.
E. Sanderson Smith came in from the
mine yesterday and confirms this report.
This is one of the largest bodies of ore
which has yet been discovered In the dis
trict, and its extent has not yet been defi
nitely ascertained.
The mine Is located between the Bon
anza and the Red Boy, near the Sugar
Loaf.
Keystone-Bell Mining Company.
Captain C. H. Thompson and his asso
ciates have incorporated the Keystone
Bell Gold Mining company and elected
these directors : A. Gelser, Clark Tabor,
J. T. Donnelly, Eugene Sperry, C. H.
Thompson, William Smith and Angus D.
McQueen. The directors have elected
the following officers : President, Albert
Gelser 5 vice-president, Clark Tabor;
treasurer, J. T. Donnelly; secretary, Eu
gene Sperry; general manager, C. H.
Thompson. This property Is a direct ex
tension of the famous Bonanza. There
are already several hundred feet of tunnel,
and the property Is a promising one.
Just what work will be done this winter
further than continue to drive the tunnel,
has not yet been decided upon. The
stock Is all taken, though there may be
some on the market at a later day.
the mine. The remainder Is now in
transit and is dally expected to arrive.
The hoist for the Columbia mine, 25,000
pounds, came In today and will be hauled
out In a day or two. The saw mill for the
Thornburg Placer Mining company, which
THE MINER mentioned some weeks
since as having been ordered, Is now in
the railroad yards, waiting tobe unloaded.
This mill will be used to cut lumber for
flumes, houses and other extensive Im
provements whleh the company has de-'
termlned will be made this winter.
Lumber for Water Works Flume.
Engineer Phllbrlck this morning sent In
his order for lumber for the water works
flume to Mr. Vinson, who is In Portland.
The entire order was sent by wire. The
flume from the point of diversion to the
reservoir, n ditch for which has already
been completed, will be 12x12 Inches, and
will have a fall of ten feet In the mile.
This leaves a 200 foot head at the reser
voir. It Is reported that Mr. Vinson will
transport the lumber from Baker City to
Sumpter by wagon.
HEAVY TIMBER FILINGS.
for tk Bunker Hill.
Captain Thompson says that work is
being actively pushed at the Bunker Hill
and will be continued all winter. The
company has already ordered a compressor
which will be shipped In a few days and
installed without delay, when the property
will be explored on a large scale with the
most Improved modern appliances.
Van Duyn Hotel Leased.'
It is reported that the Capital house
management has secured the Van Duyn
hotel building, when C. S. Van Duyn's
lease expires In November. The first
floor will be occupied as a saloon by Ted
rowe & Bellinger, and the second story
will be used as sleeping rooms by the
Capital house. There has been consider
able competition ,to secure thl building,
which is owned by Ai ueiser.
Machinery Rachwd in Om Vatic.
Three Important lots of machinery have
reached Sumpter during the past week.
Two carloads of the Golconda's new
stamp mill arrived several days since and
have already been hauled by wagon to
Many Acre Arc Being Taken Up in the
Vicinity of Sumpter.
The Baker City Democrat of this morn
ing publishes a sensational story of an at
tempt by the Oregon Lumber company to
"scoop" In 16,000 acres of timber lands
near Sumpter, valued at 9250,000. It
states further that mining capitalists In
this vicinity have combined to combat the
move.
It Is known that for some weeks past
many timber filings have been made in
this locality. The land In question has
been surved and open for entry for a dozen
years, nnd the only reason It has not been
taken up before Is that It was not worth the
price charged by Ihe government; that is,
the demand for logs was so slight that the
timber could not be sold for enough to pay
the land office fees. Under the Impetus
given every branch of Industry by the
present boom In this town, these lands
are becoming valuable and, of 'course,
are being sought after.
It Is barely possible that the Oregon
Lumber company Is making some move
to secure a considerable tract of this tim
ber, but it will have to pay for It just
the same figure that Is charged' the indi
vidual; and so far ns THE MINER can
learn, there Is no concerted action by min
ing men or others to contest the effort.
There still remains plenty of claims
open to entry, but if taken by private
parties will have to be sold to this or
some other lumber company in order to
realize a profit. J. R. Smurthwalt, local
agent of the Sumpter Valley Railway
company, took a party of men out today
to file on some of this land.
First Fourteen Lots Sold.
W. H. Mosby sold fourteen lots this
morning in the Townslte syndicate's ad
dition. A number of them were sold to
ladles, but he declines to give their names.
He says all of them were sold to people
who Intend to build homes thereon, sev
eraljhandtome residences being included.
These are all the facts which THE MINER
could Induce him to reveal, he being so
busy and Interested In springing his boom
generalities. He is by all odds the most
enthusiastic barker Sumpter has, and he
never misses an opportunity to make his
speech.
Handsome lithographed stock certlfi
cates, and job printing of every descrip
tlon at THE MINER office.
Fine job printing only at THE MINER
office.
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