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THE SUMPTER MINER
VOL. I.
SUMPTER, OREGON, OCTOBER 29, 1899.
NO. 7,
$
M
MINES NEAR SUMPTER
QUARTZ LOCATIONS WITHIN A
HALF MILE OF TOWN.
'Three Cent" Hill all Staked Out In the
Put Few Days Large Body of Ore
Discovered About Two MUct From
Town Not Improbable That Bonanzas
May be Uncovered.
It is not claimed that any great bonanza
has been discovered, but during recent
weeks a number of promising mining lo
cations have been made within three
quarters of to three miles of Sumpter.
Out on the Granite road about two
miles from town, what appears to be a
large body of ore has been discovered and
tiled on. The ledge can be traced several
hundred feet on the surface. Several
shafts have been sunk, from five to fifteen
feet, and all encounter mineralized rock,
carrying from four to twenty-eight dollars
in gold. It is mostly free milling, but
some refractory ore has been found
"frozen" to the wall rock. The ledge is
from twenty to thirty feet In width. This
find looks good. The property will prob
ably be explored this winter.
On the peak just west of town, the
base of which is distant only about half
a mite, known locally as Three Cent, and
sometimes Gimlet hill, three prospectors
have been at work some days past and
have located quartz claims all over the
western slope. Good surface Indications
have been exposed. Discovery shafts
have been sunk on the Little Ruby and
Morning Glory. No assays from these
properties have been made public.
It is a mining truism, full of signifi
cance, that "gold Is where you find It,"
meaning, of course, that no known fixed
law governs Its location; that it is often
found in the most surprising localities. It
is also true that prospectors, the world
over, display the two sheep characteristics
of following a leader and flocking to
gether. For these two causes the hills
.around Sumpter have been neglected by
men looking for quartz claims. Now,
however, that their attention has been at
tracted this way, soon no square foot of
all the adjacent ground will remain un
prospected. Nor will it be surprising If some rich
ledges shall be discovered In this Immedi
ate vicinity. Three Cent hill took its
name from placer grounds almost at its
summit, which yielded an average of
that much dust to the pan. And the
coarsest gold ever washed out In this dis
trict came from the diggings on Gimlet
creek, just beyond this mountain. The
natural conclusion Is that the source of
supply for this coarser dust is different
trom that which furnished Powder river
placers with their rich horde of gold.
That It comes from as yet undiscovered
ledges in this hill Is just as sensible and
accurate a guess as the wisest expert can
make, at this stage of the game.
Twenty Thousand Pamphlet.
General Charles S. Warren Is contem
plating the Issuance and distribution of
20,000 pamphlets, descriptive of Sumpter
camp, setting forth its inducements to
mining investors, prospectors and labor
ers. Acting on the suggestion of Attorney
Richards, made in THE MINER last week,
they will be circulated extensively on
Puget Sound, among returning Klondlk
ers, disgusted Atlinltes and unsuccessful
Cape Nomers. The descriptive matter
will be prepared from actual facts, which
need no coloring to make more strange
and interesting that the fiction the Alaska
transportation companies have so long
been writing to attract travel. The men
who come south from the Alaska conntry
and land In Seattle, and the men who
foregather there from the ends of the
earth headed toward the golden north, are
kept painfully Ignorant by Puget Sound
papers or even the existence of such a
camp as Sumpter. In the geography of
Puget Sound dailies there Is no such
names as Sumpter or eastern Oregon.
General Warren's plan is to show that
there is such a place, and to prove by con
densed history of this camp that it stands
high among the rich gold producing dis
tricts of the world.
W. L. Vlnsnn Hat a "Hen On."
W. L. Vinson returned home Saturday
from somewhere; Portland probably,
Helena may be, or most anywhere else
possibly. He transacted business that
would require some people a month to
get through with, paid out a few thou
sand or so wages and left again Monday for
some unknown destination. The air Is
full of rumors about one or two, or pos
sibly more, big deals that Mr. Vinson has
under way, which will give this section of
Oregon a lively jolt when he does decide
to launch any one or all of them. The
nature of these propositions are rather
vague as yet. He controls water power
sufficient to turn nil the electric dynamos
in the state. This opens up a boundless
field of speculation and surmise as to
what he is going to do with it. Then,
too, he has been coquetting with the O.
R. & N. road for n month past has actu
ally been caught in the act. That he Is
not engaged In any kindergarten enter
prise Is a dead sure thing, for he Is not
built that way. It Is very likely that he
will be back Saturday evening to preside
at the meeting of the Sumpter club.
Crossed Five States In a Wagon.
Stewart Wilcox, alumnus of Michigan
University, class of '89, law, who during
the years since his college course, has pol
ished the rough edges of a legal educa
cation with newspaper work in the mid
dle West, drifted Into town yesterday
from the Black Hills. Away over there
he heard of Sumpter camp, and heard also
the wonder tales, yet true, of the rich gold
districts back of it. Mr. Wilcox will
probably locate in Sumpter. He is one of
a party of six who came by wagon across
five states to try their luck in the new
camp.
Change in Capital Saloon.
J. D. Bellinger has sold all his Interest
in the Capital saloon to F. W. Gertridge,
of Salmon City, Idaho. Mr. Gertridge Is
an old and experienced saloon man, and
comes with the highest recommendation
from prominent men of that section. The
firm name still remains Frank Rogers &
Co. J. D. Bellinger having rented the
Van Duyn hotel, will take charge Decem
ber 1 and open up a place that will please
his many friends. Both enterprising
firms will surely meet with success.
W. W. Looncy Buys in With Caie it Co.
W. W. Looney has bought an Interest
in Case & Co.'s furniture business. The
name of the new firm has not yet been
decided upon. They will remain in their
present crowded quarters until a more
commodions building can be secured,
which growing business demands. Mr.
Foreman remains with the new firm. Mr.
Looney will not give his personal attention
to the business.
SUMPTER REALTY.
Temperature and Prices Both
Rising Rapidly.
The Sumpter real estate market Is get
ting a trifle torrid. The value of property
is climbing up with head-reeling rapidity.
This Is not confined to Inside business
lots, but applies with equal force to resi
dence lots and acreage.
When Seymour H. Bell, of T.icoma,
was here about the middle of August, he
secured forty acres of land from the
Sumpter Townslte syndicate, which he
and his business associates intended to
plat and put on the market at an early
date, thinking, perhaps, that they would
begin to realize on this good thing about
next spring.
Mr. Bell returned to Sumpter this fore
noon. W. C. Calder, secretary and
treasurer of the syndicate, threw n good
lunch Into his appreciative corporeal sys
tem, and began, In his diplomatic way, to
discuss real estste In general; and about
the time the first cigars were burned out,
threw out a feeler to see If Mr. Bell was
at all Inclined to part with his holdings.
That gentleman is n young veteran In the
business, so he recognized at once that
this was a bait thrown to him by n skilled
angler. He nibbled.
The game dragged along for half nu
hour, both enjoying the sport and giving
the other the laugh, on the quiet. Finally
the business In hand was tackeled In earn
est and as THE MINER goes to press Bell Is
hesitating whether or not he will accept n
hona fide offer of four times what he paid
for this forty acres a few days less than
five weeks since but it Is no sure thing
that he Is lost. The higher the offer
climbs, the more suspicious he becomes
that Calder Is not acting frankly about
the matter, as a friend of long years
standing should net; that he Is holding
back something perhaps n card concealed
up his sleeve.
The fact of the business Is, Bell recog
nizes that he Is playing on the outside of
the game, while Calder is on the Inside,
and the plunger from Puget Sound Is do
ing n whole lot of speedy thinking thou
sands are involved.
- "
Two Important Real Estate Deals.
Two Important real estate sales have
been made this week by the firm of Brock
& Herlocker. One consists of five acres
of the Sumpter Townslte syndicate's land,
toanO. R.N. official, foriooo. This trans
action was consummated by correspond
ence. The other is one of the most
sightly residence sites in town, fronting
on Mill street, about 500 feet this side of
the reservoir. It was sold to T. C. Cul
bertson, one of the best known mining
men In this section. He will erect thereon
n handsome residence at an early day.
Maps of Syndicate's First Plat.
Blue prints of the Townslte syndicate's
first plat have finally been Issued. It Is a
handsome piece of work. The property
platted lies to the east and southeast of
the present built up portion of the town.
It Is seven blocks north and south and
eight east and west. The north line rests
on North street and extends south to
Beech; Granite, Auburn, Clifford, Austin
and Ash1, all running through the
addition. The western line is on Ibex
street; Climax comet next, then the
streets are numbered from west to east
numerically, extending to Sixth. The
topography of the ground was taken
Into consideration In laying off the lots,
and they nre not of uniform sle, some be
ing thirty and others forty feet front, gen
erally corners being the wider. Now, If
some one will make an accurate, revised
plat of the entire town, something like a
clear, accurate Idea of the town could be
secured by those whose business In life Is
not to know all about such things.
Machinery For the Bunker Hill.
One carload of machinery for the Bun
ker Hill, consigned to Captain C. H.
Thompson, ariived In Sumpter today.
It Is part of the compressor, drill, etc.,
which THE MINER stated last week had
been ordered, and which will be Installed
to develop that property. Captain
Thompson and Angus McQueen nre out
In the hills this week on a general tour of
Inspection. They are expected home to
morrow. RICH MINE ADJOINING GOLCONDA .
Portland Man the Latest to "Make a Kil
ling" Near Sumpter.
A second Monte Cristo I Richer than
Aladdin's cave I Retter than the grent
Golcotida, which it adjoins I
These were some of the exclamations
made on the street last evening when
Victor A. Schilling, the city passenger
agent of the O. R & N.nt Portland,
showed to a group of admiring friends
some of the rock he had just brought
down from his mine In the Cracker creek
district. The ore Is very handsome, and
Is exactly similar to that from the Gol
couda, the celebrated English property.
Mr. Schilling acquired Ills mine but a
short time ago. It consists of two claims,
called the Free Coinage, which are an ex
tension of the Golcouda. The mine Is
yet but a prospect, but Is being developed
ns rapidly as men and money can do the
work. A tunnel Is already well under
way, and the samples of ore brought down
last night go $$0 to the ton.
Mr. Schilling says that he will have 300
tons on the dump before Christmas, and
confidently expects to tap the same fabu
lously rich vein only recently opened In
the Gnlconda, and which has made the
Englishes renowned over the whole min
ing world. Baker City Republican.
Long Poles For Electric Wires.
A large number of long, straight poles
are being accumulated near the Electric
company's power house, to be used In
stringing wires when the new machinery
of increased capacity is installed, a de
tailed description of which THE MINER
published some weeks since. Mr. Vinson Is
having these poles gotten out himself,
every one being carefully selected. Super
intendent Thornton Is in bed today, hav
ing worked nil last night on the water
supply for the feed pipe. If any China
men placer miners, who give him all of
his trouble of this kind were killed
during the busy night, their bodies were
properly and promptly disposed of.
Shipping Ore Uncovered in the Badger.
Word reached Sumpter yesterday that a
body of shipping ore, four feet thick, had
been encountered In the Badger mine,
located near Susanvllle, Grant county.
The report Is very meagre as to details, no
Information further than the rock Is very
rich and that the pay streak Is of the
above mentioned thickness, was received.
The strike is an Important one, for It
means that another shipping proposition
has been added to the list of paying mines
In the Sumpter district.
Handsome lithographed stock certlfi.
cates, and job printing of every descrlp
tlon at THE MINER office.
4.