Wednesday, July 18, 1900.
THE SUMPTER MINER.
1
RAILROAD RUMORS.
Significant, Inspired Theory
From Harney County.
There is no question but what several
railroads are sparring for points in their
efforts to get the advantage of each other
In the division of unoccupied territory to
the south and west of Sumpter. The sit
uation Is an interesting one. The Port
land Board of Trade Is already whereaslng
and resolving relative to capturing the
trade nf this splendid empire which the
railroads will open up and develop, and
the papers there are speculating through
doubtful columns of space as to what
routes the several roads will follow.
On this subject the leading editorial in
the Harney County News of last week is
pregnant with slgnl'icance. It Is so be
cause it i evidently Inspired by Hon. A.
W. Uowati, one of the leading politicians
and most influential citizens of that sec
tion of the statr. His son is one of the
publishers of the News. Mr. Gowan,
senior, has represented his county in the
legislature several sessions, when he
formed intluented alliances, from which he
can secure accurate information on this
important matter. He lias recently re
turned from a conference with the poweis
that be at Porland, and this is what he
has to say on this interesting subject
through his son's paper:
Harney, Lake, Crook and Grant
counties, constituting the great inland
portion of Oregon, occupy a position
unique in the long continued isolation of
their industries from the modern means of
transportation. An area as large In ex
tent as somr of the eastern state, these
four counties comprise the features of
mountain, valley and desert, out of which
a sparer population has wrought a cumu
lative development under conditions that
would stagger the enterprise of a people
long accustomed to better facilities.
This region has, by yielding an, output
of high class products, made rich contribu
tion to the distant railway lines that skirts
its outlying extremities. It has been In the
position to pay tribute to the adjuncts of
full commercial development, but not to
receive its greater benefits. Now it
seems the inevitable time is drawing rear
when this great section will offer its in
ducements to railroad building, and offer
them not in vain. Primary to this condi
tion, the News believes, is the sudden
activity which marks the operations of
the Idaho Midland, a short line between
Butte, Montana, and Boise, Idaho. It is
only reasonable to regard this seemingly
independent line as an intermnuutain link
over which the Burlington expects to
reach the sra.
A junction at Snake river with the Ore
gon Central & hasten), and the comple
tion ot that road would furnish to Inland
Oregon an outlet to the east and west.
Also it would deplete the business of the
Oregon Hallway &. Navigation company
and the Oregon Short Line to the extent
of the trarfic between the summit of the
Cascade mountains and the Boise river,
together with a large portion of Idaho's '
live stock, wool and trult, which now
seeks the east over the Uregon Short
Line and the Union Pacific. The In
fluence of the triple system is easily dis
cernible in th activity which marks the
development of the Columbia Southern,
and indications point to dual lines of that
road, embracing the southern spur of the
Blue mountains, diverging from Shaniko
to carry the traffic of Wheeler, Grant,
Crook, Harney and Malheur counties out
1o the tracks of the main line at Snake
river. It is easy of belief that such a
system Impends, and that contrary to
opinion long entertained, the first rail laid
Jn Harney county may come from the
main line of the O. R. & N. South to
Lakevlew from a point in Harney county
would constitute a paying feeder for such
a system, and is not now regarded as
among the impossibilities.
Should the competition for this virgin
territory be sufficient to induce such rail
road construction as seems plainly indi
cated by the present situation, there is
within the grasp of Burns opportunity to
achieve importance far beyond the meas
ure of the dreams that for years have
pictured the future of the town. The op
portunity lies in the coming chance to
grasp the ripened fruits of railroad con
struction and dedicate them to the good of
a greater Burns. The opportunity must
be met and grasped; it will not lie down
in the hand and ask for the closing of the
fingers.
Rough Rider at Salem.
The Sumpter Hough Riders received
the largest sum of money apportioned to
any militia organization attending the
state encampment at Salem, receiving pay
from July 5 to 14. The amount given
the troop was ft 180. In its encampment
notes, the Oregonian says of the Rough
Riders: "So far as first appearances are
concerned, Troop A is at a disadvantage.
The Sumpter troop is composed almost en
tirely of well-to-do business men of that
enterprising town in Baker county. They
have been careful in selecting their horses,
and have spared no reasonable expense to
I make their appearance all that could be
desired. The horses are nearly all of the
' same color and of about the same sie. A
! different condition prevails in the Lebanon
l troop, for there are scarcely two horses of
' the same color, and In the sizes differ
greatly. The boys are all voung, many
of them farmer boys, and the horses used
are those that could be spared from the
usual work. While there are some first
class horses in the troop, most of them
appear to be tar trom thoroughbreds.
When the horses are lined up for drill and
the colors pretty badly mixed, they pre-
1 sent a spectacle that Is a little amusing,
i but when the boys ride down past the re-
j viewing officer In lines marvelously
straight, the amusement changes to ad-
! miration."
Professor Looking for Fossil.
! Dr. J. C. Merriam, W. J. Sinclair,
Vance Osmount, Herbert Furlong and J.
1 C. Sperry, of Berkeley, California, and
I S. L. Davis and Eugene Davis, of The
Dalles, Oregon, compose an expedition
of fossil hunters that are prospecting the
many lava beds in Grant county in search
of fossils. The gentlemen from Cali
fornia are collecting these specimen for
the University of California, while L. S.
Davis, accompanies them as a guide, and
is making a collection for the University
of Munich, Germany. They spent a few
days on the Middle Pork of the Joyn Day
river, on the property owned by A. D.
Sloan. It was In this locality that years
ago fossil hunters from Princeton college
found the fossilized remains of a five-toed
horse and other animals that were extinct
hundreds of years prior to the epoch of the
mastodon and other animals common to
that age. These gentleman passed
through town Tuesday, en route to the
John Day valley, where they will remain
some time in quest of fossils. Long
Creek Eagle.
Reserved for
LAWTON INVESTMENT
COMPANY.
-k. 1
George W. Weigand...
HIGH GRADE LIQUORS
i, AND CIGARS
t
a Mining Men's ileaJqu.irtrrs Next Door to Wonder Store
KUUKiM:, UKf.dUiN A
. -5
BUTTE HEADQUARTERS
tit 1
C. B. & M. Co.'s Beer
Best in Town
J. B. SCHMIDT
Through the Yellowstone.
The new route via the Oregon Short
Line Railroad and Monida, Mont., enables
you to make a delightful trip through the
Yellowstone National Park, entering via
Monida and coming out via Cinnabar,
making it unnecessary to cover any por
tion of the route twice. For beautiful
descriptive booklet, write or call at Ore
gon Short Line Ticket Office, 142 Third
street, Portland, Oregon.
Handsome lot of Dickens' vest chains
for men at P. C. Brodle's jewelry store,
Opera House block.
I THE GEM SALOON
A. J. STINSON, Prop.
(Successor to Snyde v Stlnson)
Only the Beat Brands of Liquors Served Over the Bar
SUMPTER, - OREGON
1
Raul E. Poindextor,
, MINES
cDrono McNcAi'a Codc.
Sumpter, - - Ore.