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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1900)
Wednesday, November 14, 1900 THE SUMPTER MINER. SUMPTER DISTRICT. Mining Engineer Gives Con cise Facts to Enquirers. W. H. W. Hamilton receives dally en quiries from parties at a distance about the mines of this district. He has pre pared the following concise statement in answer to these questiens: The now world famous Sumpter mlniuj; district is situated in the northeast corner of the state of Oregon, and comprises the entire northwest portion of Baker and the northeast portion of Grant counties, cov ering an urea of about twenty-six miles square. Access to the district Is by the Oregon Hallway and Navigation company's line to Baker City, thence by the Sumpter Valley railway, thirty-two miles in length, to Sumpter. Tin town of Sumpter lias an altitude of 4430 feet, and Is so situated that it Is the distributing point not only for this vast area, but for the Prairie City district also, every pound of machinery and provisions must pass throiiph Suuipter's principal streets to get to the mines. The principal mines of the dlstilct are between 4700 and 8000 feet above sea level, situated on mountains of moderate steepness, covered with timber of good tiuality and'conVeiflentsize for all mining purposes. The main rock masses of the district are argillite (called slate by miners), gran ite and various greenstones. In general the district shows very little intrusion of dyke rocks, although in a few instances I have come across dykes of telsite. This is probably the reason that there has been so little faulting of ore bodies in tills dis trict. 1 he widest vtjlns appear to be in the argillite, (Bmianza mine for example), and ate tilled witii a brecca of slate and silica, varying in width from a few feet to a hundred, the ore being from 30 to 75 per tent tree milling, the balance of values usually being in an auriferous pyrite, al though in a lew parts of the district I have lound a telluiided ore carrying very high gold values. Among the principal mines of this for mation are the Bald Mountain, Mammoth, iJolconda, Columbia, North Pole, Moun tain Belle, Bunker Hill, Ibex, Cougar, Magnolia, Red Boy and Bonanza, not to mention scores ot others that are devel oped far enough to justity the erection of mills and that will be among the dividend payers in the very near future, Until quite mently, tor some reason or other, the people' 'of this vicinity have been under the illusion that if a vein was not in a slate tor run t ion, that it would never make a mine, the reason no doubt beini.' that the above list ot dividend pay ing mines are all In the so called slate. Hut this Illusion is now last being dis pelled, as evinced by tlie great activity and splendid showing now teing made in granite and gneiss In the Cable Cove distikt. 'I his distikt begins about nine miles in a northeasterly direction troiu Sumpter, being connected with good wagon roads. Among the best known mines of this district are the California, Baby McKre, La Bellevue, Last Chance, Imperial, Crown Point, Golden Kule, Lucky Boy, Morning Star, livening Star, Lucky KIJ, Gipsy King and Gipsy Queen. All of these properties are being systematically developed, and it is my opinion that more paying mines will be found closer to gether in the Cable Cove district than any of the other districts tributary to Sumpter, consequently this district alone should double the population of Sumpter and sustain it within the next three years. From a careful consideration of the data I have obtained In my travels over the dis trict the last twelve months, I am con vinced rhat within two years that there will be more paying mines in this granitic formation than in any formation In the district. Most of the properties in the Sumpter mining district are owned by men of very little mining experience, and it is only re cently that they are beginning to see the necessity for having a thorough mining man as manager. In a word, if you own a tarm, don't hire a miner to A'ork It, hire a farmer; If you own a mine, get an up-to-date mining man to take charge of it, not .1 farmer, or some one else simply because he is a nice old man, or owns a little stock in the property or has some other pull, and it will be lar cheaper for you in the end. Water is abundant for domestic pur poses and in a gieat many cases the mines have enough for power. Taking into consideration the natural advantages of the district, such as plenty of water, line timber, the fact that snow slides are unheard of here, the accessibility of the mines and the soft nature of the ore, I see no reason why the ores of this district should not be mined and milled at a cost not to exceed four dollars per ton. There is every Indication of permanency to the veins here; the larger veins being strong and persistent and otten traceable for thousands of feet, being (as before stated) wider and of lower grade in the argillite than in the granitic rocks. The district north of Sumpter needs bet ter transportation facilities, such an an electric road to Cable Cove, but I think it only the matter of a short time when some enterprising individual or company will see the need of it, and I confidently expect to see an electric road, at least as far as the California mint, in the very near future. I believe that the Sumptrr mining dis trict offers a better opportunity to the min ing investor than any other district in the west. Of course there me wild cats title, as in every other mining district, but one can almost hear them howl before he reaches them, so to anyone selecting a property in this or any oilier district, I wculd emphasize lire necessity of a caie- ful examination and report by a competent mining engineer on the property. While it is true that considerable pros peeling has been done hi the district, still it has in n great many cases been run over more than prospected. I know of no more inviting field than the Sumpter dis trlct tor the practical, close prospector, especially the Colorado prospector. By taking the average of several him dred samples which I have a record of, taken from the leading mines in all parts of the district, I find that the ore as it goes to the mill, month in and month out, will average from $o to fi$ in the aruil lite, and in the granitic formations from f 15 to 25. What better would be asked ot any district? Scenic Line of the World. For .111 enjoyable trip east, take the Denver & Klo Grande railroad, Scenic Line of the world. Three daily trains be tween Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and all eastern points, and all points on the Pacific coast. Most magnificent seen cry on this continent. The leading fea ture in connection with the trip is that the through trains pass through the scenic attractions of the Rocky mountains in Colorado by daylight, thus affording pas sengers a cool, pleasant and enjoyable riJe, free from dust and the annoyances experienced via other lines. Superb din ing car service on all through trains. Service a la carte, pay for what you order. Through standard and tourist sleepers. Stopovers allowed on all classes of tickets anywhere between Ogden and Denver. Call on your nearest ticket agent for tickets, rates and all information, or ad dress, C .B .NICHOL, General Agent, Portland, Ore. Never fails Giant powder. F I R E &P I R E FIRE! TJR Saw Mill and Dry Kiln were totally destroyed by fire, but we still have a large stock of Lumber and General Merchandise so we can fill all orders promptly, j Sumpter Lumber Company v J. B. STODDARD, Mgr. $S$$$S$$$$$S$: Delmonico Hotel M. St'ANCI I'M. IWiU'ior A First-Class New House, Well Fumi-hed and Superior 'Inhlr Service. Trnnscient Kates KcaMinahlt. Spnhl Kales to Local Pit runs by the Week. Located One Block hast ot Depot, Comer Co lumbia and Auburn Streets. SUMPTER. OREGON Avenarius Carbolineum 1 KKilSTI KID) BEWARE OF IMITATIONS The world famed Wood Preserver for mining lim bers, fence posts, house props, shingle roofs. A radical remedy against Chicken Lice and all insects that prey upon timber. hhKKUBKON Paint (aiitirust). A permanent contingH for ipon roofs. Fire prool forstacUs. Send lor ciiculars. 1 Basche Hardware Company Agents 8UMPTCH d OAKCR CITV. ORCOON GRAlNSTROM'S AND OYSTliK HOUSli Baker City, Ore. NO'IIIING IN I: AS II UN OREGON '10 SURPASS IT ... ALL KINDS Sill II. :ISII A SPECIAL! Y Nlll I.IOMII I M)ll ANIIINS HOI 1 1 h--.- " George W. Weigand... HIGH GRADE LIQUORS AND CIGARS t T hi.. i. U...I.. U....I. ......,.. a mining men a cuutjuaiici.s T DAiliiMi: rMic"".f"w IJWUmil., MU JV-M! t Next Door to Wondei Store ' " '' "