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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1900)
THE SUMPTER MINER. Wednesday, March 28, 1900 14 FIELD FOR DREDGING. This Modern Method Will Be Adopted Here. "Gold dredging Is an Industry that is bound to assume great proportions in the Northwest within n very short time." 'I lie speaker was I:. H. Cooper, the consulting and prospecting engneer of the I'omeroy Gold Dredge company, now operating on Burnt river. Mr. Cooper is a guest at the Mlneowners' club. 'I here is a great future In this state for gold dredging, Mr. Cooper says. Where only a short time ago there were two dredges along the entire coast, there are now thirty. Twenty-Jive of these are operating in Idaho, Montana, California, Oregon and five In Colorado. Australia has 200 dredges hi operation. 'I lie public generally has a very Indefi nite Idea about (lie manner in which gold dredges are operated. In the first place, it costs a fortune to build one. 'twenty seven carlo. ids of material were needed for one of the dredges built by the I'ome roy company along Hurut river. It cost 70,ooo. As may be Imagined, the dredges have to make considerable money to pay on the investment. However, J. II. Nil lug's two dredges hi Montana took out t )oo,ooo during two summers' work at a nominal expense, which gives an Idea ot their value when operated under fair con ditions. Owing to the demand for dredges, Wolff Ht Zwicker, Mr. Cooper says, Is figuring on putting an addition to their plant for the purpose of building them. These dredges are not built upon specu lation. Before building one, the company has ligured to a fraction how much it will be able to earn. For Instance, the com pany's prospector Is sent to examine the river were it Is desired to operate. Shafts are sunk to bedrock at various distances and should color be found the yardage Is bloiked out. It is then known just how much dirt will have to be handled and , how m in. h per foot that dirt will pay. Mr. Cooper lias prosprcted 20 miles of river channels In eastern Oregon and every one of them will pay to be worked. 'I he dirt pro-.pei.ted, Mr. Cooper says, will average 12 to 30 cents a cubit yard, while ' the cost of dredging will be Irom 3 to 8, vents a yard. t After a certain channel or lagoon is prospered and the amount of pay dirt ' computed, the material for the dredger is shipped In. '1 h: dredger must be built according to the character of the soil to be worked. A diedger that would success, hilly operate in one place would be a total lailure In another district, Mr. Cooper says the little dredger "Golden Giant," belonging to the Ham mond company, ol I'oitland, is operating successfully along the Snake liver. That there Is an excellent Held for the building of gold dredgers In Portland is shown in the following clipping Irom a California paper by Mr. Coeper: "Last week two of the big gold dredges 011 the Feather river, a little below Oro ille, resumed operations with electric power, altera shut-down of about a mouth to change machinery and also because of lack of fuel. Power Is supplied by the Yuba Power company from the Yuba river, at a distance of twenty-sK miles. One or two more will soon use electric power, as will two new Postlethwalte or Hisdon dredges to be launched this month. " I lie two new dredges are very large, having a capacity of handling 4000 ci'blc yards of gravel per 24 hours. T he largest yet Installed in this state have a limit of 2500 yards. The new ones are of the con tinuous bucket type, 3oSo feet in size, and designed to reach thirty feet below water and to stack tailings thirty-live feet high. There will then be In the Feather river, near Oroville, five dredges of the Postlethwalte type, two of the scoop type and a continuous bucket dredge of eastern design. "The Feather presents exceptional op portunities for successful dredging enter prises In the neighborhood of Oroville, and they will multiply In the future. Thousands of acres of that river bottom will average 15 cents per cubic yard from grass to bedrock, and the bedrock is with in reach and soft enough to be practically dug up by the scoops. The Yuba has not 1 proved as good a dredging field as was an I ticipated, partly on account of the deep J deposits of comparatively barren detritus I and partly because the stream shifts its . bed so frequently. 1 "The dredging people are generally 'close mouthed about their affairs, and J therefore no reliable statement can be given . of the gold produced by dredging. R. H. Postlethwalte, who is In an exceptionable ' position for judging, estimates the total j production for 181; at between f 150,000 ana j 100,000. some 01 we present urea gers have worked but a few months. New dredgers now building and the con tinuous operation of all should greatly en large the output during 1000. The one operating at Mississippi bar, ISO feet above the American, has been making money for eight months, and one at Low den's ranch, up on the Trinity, has been running succcsfully for eighteen months. "On the Feather, dredges have han dled gravel during the year at an average total cost of less that 5 cents per cubic yard. 1 here are several new dredging enterprises hi process of negotiation and a number of dredges will undoubtedly be built during the year. When there are considered the successes now established, the hundreds of square miles of aurifer ous ground that can be worked in no other way and the Increasing interest In this safe held, it can be conlidently pre dicted that gold dredging in California will soon yield upward of i, 000,000 an nually and add more to the gold product than hydraulic mining does now." Port laud Telegram. Capture of Wlllhm Wallace. Sheriff Livingston, of Grant county, passed through Sumpter Wednesday on Ills way to Baker City, where he went to take charge of and return to captivity William Wallace, accused of horse steal ing, and w ho broke jail at the latter named county seat last summer. Wallace was captured at Welser, Idaho, a few days since, through means of Intercepted letters written him by friends. On arrival here, homeward bound, the sheriff's respousi- j bilily was added to by the two men, . Turner and Keeton, who did the shooting ( at Granite 'I hursday, making it necessary ' that they should be taken to Canyon City. The Sumpter Chronicle. I he Sumpter Chronicle made its ap pearance last I hursday, Chronicle Pub lishing company, M. C. Athey editor and manager. It is republican In politics, and has much to say of "republican prosper ity." Typographically it is as neat look ing sheet as one would wish to see. If there Is room for another paper in Sump ter, the Chronicle will till the vacancy, and creditably. Wanted, Employment. An experienced engineer and machinist, familiar with stamp mills and nil other class of machinery, desires employment Good refreuces given If desired. Ad dress II. W. care of Miner office, Sump ter, Oregon. Standard or fancy table wines, cham pagnes and after dinner liquors at the Mint saloon, corner Center and Sumpter streets. The Mint saloon, corner Center nad Sumpter streets, serves the best brands on y of w ines, liquors and cigars. ajmmmmmtwnwmmmttmttmmui - O. C. McLeod R. C. Pentland 1 0. C. McLeod & Co. B Real Estate and Mines... I ra Our real estate business is transacted r on a strict commission basis and we seek the best bargains in the market -- for our customers. g5 ALL MINING PROPERTIES handled z by us are subject to EXPERT EXAM- 3 Z I NATION. We have propositions of unusual merit to offer. g For information as to the city or district, call g- on or write 2 O. C. McLEOD & CO., 3 : Sunpter, Oregon 2 tfiuMuumuuMiuuuuuuuttirc Capital Hotel THOS. KILPATRICK Proprietor Centrally Located. Electric Lights. Newly Refurnished. Free 'Bus and Rag gage Service. Headquarters for Commercial and Mining Men. Passengers Waybilled To all Points on Stages. SUMPTER, OREGON. Bpusum & Spalding CRYSTAL ICE Company Free delivery of Pure Ice. Leave orders at office of Columbia Brewing and Malting Co., next door to MINER office.