THE SUMPTER MINER.
VOL I.
SUMPTER, OREGON, FEBRUARY 7, 1900.
NO. 22.
FIGHT FOR A
FRANCHISE
TWO PARTIES WANT TO BUILD
ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.
Portland People go on a Still Hunt lor Val
uable Privileges 1 But Arc Not Still
Enough Local Combination Head OH
the Play and Declare They Will Win
Just Who the Outsiders Are Is Not Known
Definitely.
Thursday and Friday of last week it
was known to a few interested parties
that an ordinance would be introduced at
the meeting of the city council Saturday
evening, granting a franchise to construct
and operate electric railway lines through
the streets of Sumpter.
This would materially Interfere with the
plans of General Warren and his asso
ciates, who for months past have been
working on a plan to build a system of
electric roads to the surrounding mining
camps. These gentlemen at once began
to devise ways and means to head oft tills
move by outside parties.
With this end In view, a petition was
presented to the council signed by Charles
S.Warren, W. L. Vinson, T. K. Mulr
and W. C. Calder, asking for a franchise
covering certain portions of Mill, Granite,
Cracker and Austin streets and Bourne
avenue. The petition stated that they al
ready own a right-of-way to Bourne.
An ordinance was introduced granting
an exclusive franchise over all streets in
Sumpter to l.ee McGrew, requiring that
work of construction be commenced by
July 1 of the present year and that the
line on Granite and Mill streets be finished
by January i, 1001. These are the im
portant points of the ordinance; the In
strument is a long one and goes Into min
ute detail.
No one in these parts seem to know
who Lee McGrew is. His attorneys,
Stott & Shelton, say that he is from Port
land, is an experienced electrician and has
been in Sumpter two weeks. They de
cline to say who is back of him in this en
terprise; but declare that the general Im
pression, that Little & Bell are his asso
ciates, is not true, and to a representative
of this paper these gentlemen also denied
the accusation. Mr. McGrew has not
"seen" THE MINER and a reporter failed
to find him and secure even an interview.
The affair has aroused much general in
terest in the community. Mr. McGrew 's
plan of action was evidently to railroad
the ordinance through the council before
any adverse interest should become aware
of his presence here or his designs, which
was a shrewd plan, all right enough, but
It failed. He has a fight on his hands
now and it will be a hot one If prosecuted.
Sam Stott says his client will win out.
On the other hand, the local combination
is confident that the McGrew crowd wont
be in the running; that an ordinance to be
introduced Saturday evening granting the
franchise to residents of Sumpter will
eventually pass. This opinion is based
on promises of a sufficient number of al
dermen. Fraternal Union of America.
A lodge of the Fraternal Union of
America, one of the new and popular
beneficiary orders, has been organized In
Sumpter by district Deputies Jonathan
and John Sturgile, with forty-five mem
bers. The lodge is known as Sumpter
I Lodge No. , F. U. A. Saturday even
j ing In Ellis hall lodge room there will be
1 a semi-public installation of these efficers:
E. C. Steffen, fraternal master; George
Raker, justice; Frank Shaver, secretary;
J. L. Sullivan, treasurer; Mrs. E. A.
Spalding, mercy; Mrs. Barbara Duck
worth, truth; V. R. Mead, protector; Miss
Josephine Stadman, guide; Mrs. V. R.
Mead and T. D. Taylor, stewards; J. O.
Lockhart, guard; VV. A. Green, sentinel;
Dr. C. M. Pearce, physician; Miss Car
rie Spalding, musician.
Free Coinage Wonderfully Rich.
V A CIiIIIIki r,ti.l tAvlfi, frim
, I . ri. o t Itimiiiu )'"j
1 the Free Coinage, which property shows
' up better and richer with every blast. He
brought down with him a bottle of con
centrates, he having taken the rock from
the ledge, crushed and panned it himself,
a quarter of which Is coarse, free gold.
Mr. Schilling declines to make a public
statement regarding what he proposes to
do with all his money when he finally
1 cashes in. He left for Portland on the
1 12:45 P " train yesterday.
COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS.
Franchises Asked for Building and Sewer
1 Permits Granted.
i At the meeting of the city council Sat
urday evening building permits were
granted to J. T. P.irkinsou, W. H. Glea
son and I. Williamson.
A permit was granted Messrs. Looney,
' Robbing and Potter to construct a private
I sewer from their property on and near the
corner of Granite and Center streets.along
Center street to the main sewer in the
alley between Granite and Sumpter. A
number of permits were granted to build
side and cross walks.
1 The committee on tire and water re
ported that the water company makes a
charge of six dollars for tapping the main
and fifteen cents a foot for service pipe to
the curb, allowing a rebate of fifty cents a
mouth on water rates until the bill is paid.
The health officer was Instructed to gel
bids on furnishing medicine for. city pa
tients. The judiciary committee was In
structed to see what can be done towards
Inducing the county to reimburse the town
of Sumpter for taking care of county
I paucius. 1 lie my .muriicy was in
I structed to draft an ordinance requiring all
physicians to report all cases of con
tagious diseases.
At the request of the city attorney the
empoundlng ordinance was laid over for
one week, after passing to its second read
ing. The amendment to the flume ordinance,
making it include the entire town, was
passed.
An ordinance was Introduced granting
to Lee McGrew an exclusive franchise to
construct and operate electric railway lines
through the streets of Sumpter. A peti
tion signed by Charles S. Warren, W. L.
Vinson, T. K. Mulr and W. C. Calder
asked for a similar franchise. Both were
laid over until the next meeting.
Reports of town officials were tiled and
bills amounting to about $700 were al
lowed. Hllg ard-GrantU Road Survey.
President Smith, of the Hilgard, Gran
ite Si Southwestern railway, reports that
Engineer Clark's surveying crew is now
at the mouth of Fly creek, nineteen miles
from Hilgard. The minimum grade is 27
feet to the mile, and the maximum, which
is for a short distance only, is 74 feet.
From present Indications the distance
from Granite to Hilgard will be under fifty
miles, which is somewhat shorter than
first estimated. Blue Mountain Eagle.
WILL MAKE MORE BEER
Columbia Capacity Increased
Another Brewery.
The Columbia Brewing and Malting
company has been incorporated by John
Armbruster, William Stinson and A. W.
Ellis, with a paid up capital stock of 25,
000. The company owns the plant now
in operation on Mill street, known as the
Columbia brewery.
The object of Incorporation was to se
cure mere capital and enlarge the plant.
The whole establishment will nlso be re
modelled. A stone addition will be erected,
to be used as an ice house aud cooling
rooms. The capacity of the brewery will
be Increased to 1000 barrels a month.
This establishment has made money since
the day it turned out Its first keg of beer.
It is nlso repotted that the old Parkin
son blacksmith shop, on Cracker street,
will be enlarged and a brewing plant In
stalled therein. The report seems to be
reliable, but THE MINER has been unable
to find among the wilderness of strangers
now in Sumpter the parties who are pro
moting this enterprise.
Opening of the Golden Eagle.
The Golden Eagle hotel opened its doors
to the public .Monday, aud to a good busi
ness, of course. The furniture aud fix
tures in the house are new from top to
bottom, and everything Is comfortable
and convenient. The dining room Is
large and well lighted, the cuisine is un
surpassed aud the service excellent. (.'In
ner is served at 6 o'clock, which has
proven to be a popular change from local
custom, as there are many people here
who have been accustomed to this meil
schedule and can't become accustomed to
the noon dinner. Messrs. Gellally and
Fowler, the proprietors, are evidently
hotel men of experience and their success
here is assured.
Baker County's Assessed Valuation.
The assessed valuation of Baker county
for the year 1890 was 2,775,70jo. There
are single mines here worth that amount
of money. By far the greatest values
rest in its mines, which will never be as
sessed at their cash value. Many of these
are not patented and are, therefore, not
assessed at all. The products of the
county this year, mines, farms and
ranges, will equal the entire assessed
value of last year. Baker, County's In
debtedness Is only 11126,474 this last
statement being made on the authority of
the Democrat.
Representing Wolff-Zwickcr Iron Works.
Franklin Riffle, manager of the Wolff
61 Rwicker Iron works, of Portland, was
in the city last week looking over the field
here for selling mining machinery. Mr.
Riffle is a civil, sanitary, hydraulic, con
sulting and mining engineer of many
years experience, and under his manage
ment the Wolff Si Zwlcker company Is
manufacturing up-to-date mining machin
ery, jvhlch Is finding a ready market In
the West.
Sam Stott's Running Record.
Sam Stott has the reputation of being
the slowest individual on earth. Yester
day afternoon, however, he was fifteen
minutes late Ip arriving at the depot in
Baker City and found the logger had left.
He didn't feel like walking to Sumpter,
so made a dash and caught the train be
fore it reached the tank. A. W. Ellis is
authority for both of these statements,
and what he says, goes. Speaking of
this, Mr. Ellis said that Sam Stott was
designed by nature for a runner; that he
has a reach surpassing that of any sprinter
who ever went on the track, and that If he
would only work up a sufficient motive
power, would be a world-beater.
E. C Finch Returns to Sumpter.
E. C. Finch, a successful mining man
well known throughout the Northwest,
who was In this district a number of weeks
last summer, arrived In town today from
Portland, where he has been for several
months past. He was one of the pur
chasers last fall of the litternunmtaln, a
developed mine with hundreds of tons of
ore on the dump. A few men have been
at work on the property all winter. Mr.
Pinch is here to stock the mine, work it
with a large force of men ar.d arrange to
treat the ore. He will be here several
weeks.
REAL ESTATE ACTIVE.
Numerous Residence and Several Business
Lots Change Hands.
Little attention Is paid here to deals in
residence lots, scores of such sales being
made every day. The Sumpter Townslte
company continues to make large sales in
their additions. Two blocks in the First
addition were sold yesterday to Roseburg
parties. Activity in the real estate market
increases In intensity dally.
In business property, however, every
trade Is watched with interest by all bro
kers and buyers. The latter continue to
bid against each other whenever n desira
ble lot Is put on the market, and when It
Is known who the lucky one Is who se
cured it, the others kick themselves for
not having offered more. Several im
portant deals have been made during the
past lew days.
Mohr & Mayer sold the J. Duckworth
property on Sumpter street, 50 by 100
feet, to J. L. Abrams and C. E. House, of
Spokane, for f j)oo. One year ago this
same lot changed hands, the price being
275.
Last Saturday Mrs. Laura Lockhart
sold the lot on the comer of Mill and
Auburn streets to Mr. Grifliu,of the hotel
bearing his name, for j)oo, Mcl.eod St
Co. negotiating the transaction. Yester
day the same firm sold the rear end of this
lot, 26 by 4$ feet to Craudall Si Irwin for
i$5o. A two-story frame building will
be erected here at once.
Fritz & Dwyer sold for the Townslte
company to Fred Ritchie the east twenty
eight feet of the lot on Granite street,
where THE MINER office formerly was.
Mr. Ritchie's original Intention was to
erect thereon at once a building, to be oc
cupied by himself as a liquor store, but he
has an opportunity to get quick action for
his money aue may sell.
Will Develop the St. Anthony.
W. C. Koesterand William Klckhaefer,
of Milwaukee, friends of Dr. G. S.
Wheeler, the mining expert, who have
been In this district for some days past,
leave today for home. They will return
later, having while here became Interested
hi the St. Anthony Gold Mining and Mil
ling company, which owns a property in
the vicinity of the Red Boy. This mine
has a 6o-foot ledge which carries values
from four to ten dollars, the ore being
easily and economically mined. The
property will be developed at once.
Fire Meeting and Drill Sunday.
The fire department will be ailed out
on a general alarm Sunday morning next,
for drill and a subsequent meeting.