THE SUMPTER MINER.
vol. I.
SUMPTER, OREGON, FEBRUARY 21, 1900.
NO. 24.
MAIN LEDGE OF
THE DIADEM.
CUT ON THE 80-FOOT LEVEL,
FEET FROM SHAFT.
40
Full Seven Feet in the Face of the Drift.
Ore Averages $300 in Gold. Can Take
Out $50,000 in Thirty Day. Three
Carload Already Sacked. Hoisting
Machinery For Deep Workings Ordered.
Superintendent Charles Bonner, of the
I'iadem, came to town this forenoon to in
form the owners of that property, Gen
eral Warren and Messrs. Pardee, that he
had encountered the main ledge; that It Is
rich and thick.
It was cut on the eighty-foot level, forty J
fret from the shaft; Is full seven feet in
the face of the drift and will average (300
in gold to the ton. This ore carries a
larger per cent of copper than any vet en
countered and possibly less lead. Much
of the rock runs considerably higher In
gold, assaying in places as high as $oo.
Superintendent Bonner says that with
the force of men now working he can
take out 50,000 in thirty days. He now
has sacked on the dump three car loads,
which will be shipped as soon as the
roads to the mine are in condition to haul
to advantage and transportation can be
provided for.
General Warren Is, of course, con
siderably elated over this good news, be
cause success has been so soon attained.
He says: "At an early day we will be
taking out thirty tons a day, that will be
worth not a white chip less than $0000.
At present we bre hoisting with the primi
tive crank, but have ordered from Frazer
& Chalmers hoisting machinery that will
reach down 800 feet. We'll show 'em
how to play ball and now is the time to
give the exhibition."
Smart Talk for Newspaper Patronage. (
J. Nat Hudson left last Saturday with
his printing outfit for Granite. He made
a smart talk for business here which will
probably also have its effect at Granite.
It runs about like this: "My friend, Mr.
Sluitt, claims to have a sort of an ex
clusive franchise to run a paper at Gran
ite, based on the allegation that all of the
business men there have signed an agree
ment to give him their undivided support.
I am going to publish a paper in that
camp and, of course, must have business
from somewhere. I can get considerable
from Sumpter and Baker City. What
will people on the outside think, if they
see a Granite paper with no patronage
from its home town, and filled with Sump
"'
ter advertisements? And people on the
outside are going to see my paper. tooffor
It will go everywhere possibly
rum ta
hell, but its circulation on earth w ill be
unlimited." Mr. Hudson says he will
publish the first issue Friday. Mr. Shuit's
outfit is also on the ground, and there Is a
race to see which publication's birth will
first eventuate.
Ex-Governor Black Locate in Sumpter.
Ex-Governor Black, of Utah, for some
time past a resident of Spokane, has come
to Sumpter to remain permanently. He
was here several months since and de
cided that the future of this camp looks
sufficiently bright to attract him hither.
Governor Black expects to take charge
of W. L. Vinson's extensive real estate
Interests here and give an object lesson in
booming up a proposition, In which he
has had long and successful experience.
He is enthusiastic over the mines of this
district and declares that their ever increas-
lug output will support a city here ten
times the present size of Sumpter, and
I that the town can not grow too fast to
keep up with mining development, the lat
ter Imlng had about twenty years the
'start, with a recent great Impetus. That
the great mining center of the Blue moun
tains will continue to be at Sumpter, ns at
present, he hasn't the slightest doubt, and
gives convincing reasons for this belief.
JOB LOT OF PIPE DREAMS.
Unknown Railroads. Unborn Towns and
Airy Smelters Frighten Baker.
While the citizens and public bodies of
Baker City are asleep others are at work.
A well authenticated report comes to the
Republican that a new mining country In
the John Day, in Grant county, will be
opened before another twelve months
rolls by, with a new town that will not
only surpass In imparlance Uranlte and
Sumpter, but will be a hot rival of Baker
City as a supply center and mining camp.
1 he same authority says that within nine
miles of Baker City will soon be built a
large smelter and a new town on the line
of rail transportation, and that from this
town a system of railroads will be built
to the various mining camps east and
west from which the ore will be drawn for
treatment. It is surmised from this that
Baker City In the near future will be more
or less a side track.
The new townslte In the John Day will
be located on the mam line of a new trans
continental railroad to be built Into Port
land south of the mountain ranges on a
down Krade along the Columbia. It w
cross the Short Line In Idaho near Poca
tello. It Is the great Burlington road
that Is seeking an entrance into Portland.
Assurance Is given that the new smelter
town is a go. The question now before
Baker is, will she meet the new competi
tion, or sit down in the same old ruts and
trust to providence to shave the lamb as
I lightly as possible?
Sleighing Party to the Ibex.
A sleighing party from Sumpter was en
tertained by Manager A. L. McEwcn at
the Ibex mine Sunday, among w horn were:
Mr. and Mrs. Thornton, Mr. and Mrs.
Sweetapple, Miss Kalherine Myers,
Messrs. Penhale, Hoseason, J. Frank
Shelton and McArdle. An enjoyable
lunch was serveJ at the mine by Manager
McEwen.
Mlncr-IoumaUft Operating Here.
D. R. Young, publisher of the Kootenai
Mining Standard, at Rossland, British
Columbia, has been here for a week, com
piling information of the resources of the
district mid city for a leading article in his
Journal. Mr. Young has also secured
I . .. .. I I .-! . c
severaicno.ee miner .1 muni. iiu or
, t" which will be heard from at a later
. UalC, .'IS WOrK UIJOII W1CII1 will UCBH us
soon as the snow Is gone.
G. . Jett Taking the School Census.
G. W. Jett, acting as deputy for School 1
Clerk Foreman, is now taking the school
census of this district. It must be com
pleted and the returns in by the first Mon
day In March, that ihe state and county
school fund can be apportioned.
The hardships of the day are more eas
llv overcome after -a hearty breakfast."
Ralston's Health Foods are the most
nutritious. Hobson Mercantile company.
Sumpter souvenir spoons. F. C. Bro
die, watchmaker and jeweler, Opera
house block.
PROGRESS ON SMELTER
Will Probably Be in Operation
in Six Weeks.
All the machinery for the smelter is now
on the ground. It had to be hauled from
the depot In wagons, the Sumpter Valley
Ralroad company having refused to ex
tend a spur less than a hundred yards to
the site.
A force of men and teams is grading for
the foundation, on the edge of a deep ra
vine, where the slag will bt dumped. On
the opposite side of the ravine sampling
works w ill be constructed later.
Charles l.aughlin, the constructing en
r for tile company, Is In charge of the I
, assisted by Charles Tledermann. I
glneer
work
They think the plant will be ready for
operation in six weeks. Its minimum ca
pacity will be twenty-two and a half tons
a dav, which can be Increased to forty.
I he power, crusher and condensed air ca
pacity are all far In excess of the other
parts of the plant, so that the plant can
be Increased without Impairing the useful
ness or stopping the operation of the origi
nal outfit.
Mr. Laughlin says that he is gratified
to find a sufficient variety of ores tribu
tary to Sumpter, to Insure the success of
the smelter. Iron and sllllca are here In
abundance. The company will burn its
own lime and the rock, it Is claimed, Is
conveniently situated and the supply un
limited. Wood for charcoal has been
bought and an expert will soon arrive to
take charge of the kilns.
H. Melnhelm, the gentleman who rep
resented the manufacturers here last fall
and promoted the enterprise, . ill arrive
next week.
Many Prospective Mine Buyers Here.
E. J. Dwyer, than whom there is not a
more far see ine or shrewder operator In
this or any other camp, and one who
knows what Is going on around him,
wltlmll, says there are more people In
Sumpter at the present lime w ho are look
ing for investments In mining property,
than at anytime since his arrival here last
fall. These people come from all sections
of the country and have money with
which to buy. The great difficulty en
countered at this time in negotiating a sale
is that few properties on the market have
sufficient development work done to even
show the existence of a ledge, and owing
to the snow, the surface indications can't
be examined. All these (lew comers re
port that they are merely the advance
guard from their respective sections and
that in the early spring many more min
ing men will arrive.
Townslte and Mining Company. .
T. R. Needham. who recently came
here from Juneau, Alaska, and E. M.
Ward, a former resident of Portland, who
had a successful season in Dawson, have
secured the former quarters of the First
Bank of Sumpter, where they wil, en
gage in the real estate and mining broker
age business, under the name of the Law
ton and Sumpter Real Estate and Mining
company. u
Equipment For Sumpter Rough Riders.
First Sargeant M. E. Thornton received
a letter from Captain T. King Mulr, dated
February 15, stating that he had passed
his examination and his commission w'ould
be issued as captain of the Sumpter cav
alry troop in a few days. As soon as he(
turns over the property of the Portland
infantry company, of which he has been
captain, he will return to Sumpter. Cap
tain Mulr states further that the equip
ment for the Sumpter Rough Riders, so
far as government property Is concerned,
has already virtually been Issued and will
be shipped shortly. In accordance with
Ills Instructions, Sargeant Thornton has
had the measure of all the members of the
troop tiken and made requisition for sixty-
live uniforms and all accessories.
W. L. Vinson Taken Suddenly Sick.
W. L. Vinson returned to Sumpter Sun
day afternoon. Monday he was taken
suddenly ill, and for a while It was feared
that It would prove serious, possibly fatal.
He began to improve yesterday, however,
and his early recovery Is now confidently
predicted, much to the relief and gratifica
tion of his many friends. Mr. Vinson, it
Is hoped, will soon be well enough to de
vote his splendid talents and exhaustless
Ky to hk business affairs here. Ihe
town and d str ct need such men. Me
has already done much for both and will
do still more in the next few months, and
for himself.
Raffling School Piano.
Marshal Austin is selling chances on
the piano owned by the public schools,
which will be raffled on the evening ot
February He will sell as many as
possible at one dollar each. The school
needs the money. President Robblns of
the First Bank of Sumpter did the hand
some thing by taking ten chances mid
writing on the border of the paper an
agreement to return the Instrument to the
school, In case either number should win.
General Warren's attention was called to
this and he gave his approval by doing
likewise. ,
Stranger Looking For a Real Estate Man.
He was a stranger Jn town and was
looking for a real estate agent. How he
was overlooked by the latter will never be
satisfactorily explajped. He .stopped a
gentleman on the street and enquired
j w,cre one of this, numerous tribe could
be found, apparently not, having thought
to cast his eye around for a sign. He
seemed to be amused at the reply received:
"I'll bet ten to one you can't thrown rock
In any direction from where you stand
without hilling one." Whether or not he
made a purchase and thus laid the foun
dation for a fortune Is not recorded.
Nothing Done About Electric Franchises.
The McGrew electric franchise ordi
nance was not taken from the table at the
council meeting Saturday evening, and
nothing was done in the matter at nil.
The judiciary committee was Instructed to
procure a potter's field. A special meet
ing of the council was held Monday after
noon for Ihe purpose of granting Fred
Ritchie a variety theatre license.
Will Push Development Work.
Messrs. Hennesey and Martin, of Spo
kane, nrrlved In town today. I hey own
several promising properties near the Bo
nanza, on which development work has
been in progress for some time past.
Their Intention is to Increase life working
force and open up the mines as rapidly as
possible.
Special Agent Interior Department Here.
C. E. Loomis, special .agent United
States Laud office, is in the district 011
official business. It is reported that Mr.
Loomis will have considerable business to
transact for the government in this vicin
ity during the nexty few months, and will
spend more or less of his time here hi the
future.
Every piece of type in THE MINEK
plant Is new and strictly up to dale. A
back number job can 't be done in this office.