THE SUMPTER MINER
VOL. n.
SUMPTER, OREGON, FEBRUARY 27, 1901
NO. 25
POPULATION OF
SUMPTER 2,988.
THESE ARE THE CENSUS FIGURES,
SO IT IS SURELY MORE.
Greatest Per Centage Increase of any Town
on Earth Population of the County Two
and a Half Times Greater Than Ten
Years Ago How it Has Happened
That This Town Has Been Overlooked
In Census Bureau Bulletins.
The bulletin Issued by the census bureau
giving the population of Oregon towns of
two thousand or more Inhabitants did not
contain the name of Sumpter, and all In
terested In the subject, believing that the
enumerator had shirked his duty, were
duly Indignant.
Then came the bulletin announcing the
population of towns having less than two
thousand inhabitants, and Sumpter was
also omitted from that list. Then the
residents of this camp began to wonder
whether or not we have any official exis
tence. The La Grande Observer prints the
first explanation of this omission which
Till: MINER has seen. It says: "Cen
sus Bulletin No. 4), which gives "the
population of Oregon by counties and
minor civil divisions," just received by
the Observer, does not give the popula
tion of Sumpter specifically, but it gives
the population mixed with Sumpter pre
cinct. The specific items are:
" 'South Sumpter precinct, including
part of Sumpter town, 1,179.'
" 'Sumpter town, part of, 1,131.'
"By adding these two items it will be
seen that the town of Sumpter and pre
cinct in 1900 had 2,310 people."
The census bureau evidently "balled
up" this matter, owing to the fact that
Sumpter was, until recently, divided into
two precincts, instead of wards, four of
which now constitute the city.
The Baker City Democrat of yesterday
published this bulletin No. 43, so far as it
pertains to Baker county, In full. In the
above item: "Sumpter town, part of,
1,131," the figure 1, indicating thousand,
is omitted, doubtless merely a typographi
cal error. The bulletin contains this ad
Mltlonal Item: "North Sumpter precinct,
includingpartofSumptertown,678." The
population of this camp, or city as It now
is, according to the census taken last June,
was 2,988, just an even dozen shy of 3,000.
There are, perhaps, not more than fifty
people living In both North and South
Sumpter precincts, outside of the city
limits. All these figure, therefore, pertain,
practically, exclusively to Sumpter proper.
Every one knows that at the time
the census was taken, hundreds of
citizens from Sumpter were out in the
hills and were not enumerated. The
weather was then absolutely faultless,
and lured every one, who possibly could
leave their business here out Into the en
ticing verdure clad mountains, There are
more people living here today than there
were then and Sumpter's population is not
one less than 3,soo today.
No information can be obtained at this
writing as to the exact population of these
two precincts when the census was token
in 1890. Colonel J. Nat Hudson, who
started the publication of the Sumpter
News four years ago, is authority for the
statemont that at that time there were not
more than fifty people residing here. Ten
years ago, the number probably didn't
exceed a dozen. TUG MlNliR, therefore,
boldly makes this claim for Sumpter:
That Is has had the greatest per centage
increase in population of any town in
the state, Northwest or United States,
during the past ten years. The same
holds good for the past four years, and Its
most rapid growth has been during the
past eighteen months.
The population of Baker county, ac
cording to the last census returns, was
'5.597. in 1800 it was 6,764. Baker City
has grown from 2,604 in 1890 to 6,663 In
1900.
Evening With Public School Pupils.
The school entertalnmant given last
Thursday evening at the opera house was
the means of bringing out what could be
termed a full house; the proceeds from
which will be devoted to the school li
brary fund, for the purchase of dictionaries,
globes and such other equipment as is
most needed at the present time. To Pro
fessor J. P. Holland in particular, and
his staff of able teachers In general, great
credit Is due. They, assisted by outside
talent, presented a clever entertainment.
The program consisted of vocal and in
strumental musical numbers, recitations,
drills and exercises by school pupils of the
various classes, directed by their teachers.
The Sumpter orchestra, composed of Mrs.
Hllller, Messrs. Reeves, Davis, Greenlee
and Bradley, gave several pleasing selec
tions. Mr. and Mrs. Morrell and Mr. De
Neffe gave three numbers. The Misses
Van Duyn and Jenkins and Messrs. Van
Duyn and Bradley were encored In a man
dolin and guitar quartette, while Mr.
Tom Gray and Mrs. Morrell did a black
face sketch with song and bones. Miss
Carmen Stoddard was applauded deserv
edly for a well delivered hatchet story,
which would please a more critical audi
ence. Professor Holland desires to thank
all who assisted In making their efforts a
success, also the liberal public which pat
ronized the entertainment.
Will Work Gipsy King Extensively.
Eugene Bartholf expects to leave to
morrow for Salt Lake and Denver, to be
absent a couple of weeks looking after
some mining interests he still ret. tins in
these localities. Immediately upon his
return he will largely Increase the work
ing force on the Gipsy King, of which
company he is president and general man
ager. The short tunnel of fifty or sixty
feet to cut the ledge will be driven under
his personal supervision. The plan of
development will then be to drift on the
ledge Into the heart of the mountain. By
so doing a depth of 1000 feet can be at
tained. Money Is now coming in rapidly
from the sale of treasury stock and the
company management is confident that
work will be carried on uninterruptedly
until the mine is developed to the produc
ing stage. An unusually small amount
of money will be required to accomplish
this, owing to the favorable existing con
ditions. The 250,000 shares of treasury
stock will be more than sufficent for this
purpose.
The large and commodious club rooms
of Duuphy & Gertrldge are headquarters
for mining and commercial men.
Prompt attention to orders for cut flow
ers and floral pieces. City Green House
Baker City, Oregon.
The best is always cheapest buy Giant
powder.
Location blanks for sale at this offilce
Always reliable Giant powder.
Never falls -Giant powder.
SOME SUMPTER CASES
Tried and Being Heard in
Circuit Court.
In the Circuit court yesterday at Baker
City the following Sumpter cases were
taken up:
Otto llerlocker vs. Union Smelter Co.,
settled.
Zoeth Houser vs. Union Smelter Co.,
settled.
J. II. Robbing et nl vs. Royal Insurance
company, settled and dismissed.
M. I:. Bennett vs. Union Smelter com
pany, default mid judgment and order of
sale of attached property.
Clark Snyde vs. C. Brechtell, default
of defendant entered.
Eaula C. Poindexter vs. Paul E. Poln-
dexter, default of defendant entered; re
ferred to C. H. Chance to report law and
facts.
J. B. Stoddard v.s. A. Walker et nl.,
sale confirmed.
The case of Berge, formerly foreman of
the American ollice, accused of assault
with a deadly weapon, with Intent to kill,
It Is said, will be called tomorrow. His
attorney, Austin Craig, will make the
effort of his life to clear his client. It is
generally thought here that Berge ought
never to have been sent to jail; that the
whole transaction was a liiscn from be
ginning to end. All sorts of rumors are
current here regarding the case. One is
that an effort has been made to induce
him to plead guilty, with the promise that
he would receive only a nominal sentence.
This is pronounced to he another trick in
the alleged scheme to railroad him to the
pen, to get him nut of the country.
Regarding the California mine case the
Democrat of this morning, says:
This is quite an ImpHtant mining case
being aigued before the cmnt at the
present time, that of P. Basche vs. the
Califoria Consolidated Gold Mining com
pany. I-'. L. Moore, W. I'. Butcher and
C. H. Chance appear for the pi ilntlff and
N. C. Richards and John L. Rand tor the
defendant. It seems that hick In 1896
the Oregon quartz claim, owned by Henry
Cable et nl., located in Cable Cove, was
bonded to W. J. Connors, who agreed as
one of the conditions of the sale or option
to erect a 10 stamp mill on the property
and, In case of forfeiture, the mine should
revert to the original owners, but that the
mill should remain the property of those
who placed it there.
Connors proceeded to assign his Inter
est to a company known as the Gold Star
Gold Mining and Milling company, and
that company proceeded to erect the mill,
but by mistake or otherwise got the mill
outside of the Oregon quartz claim lines,
on government hud. In due course of
time the Oregon quartz claim reverted to
the original owners.
In the meantime Henry Cable located
the Winning Hand mining claim which
took in the ground on which the quart,
mill was located. Mr. Basche had a
mortgage on the mill, which he foreclosed,
but when he went to remove the mill he
was met with the proposition that it was
a fixture and belonged to the Winning
Hand property. While I he motion argued
yesterday was to strike out a portion of
the reply, yet the above are the main
points In the case, and the ultimate result
will be watched with interest by mining
men.
Grand Ball St. Patrick Day.
Sumpter people surely cannot complain
of a lack of entertalnnient,so far as dances,
socials, musicales and the like are con
cerned, there having been from one to
three or more every week during the past
several months, and still they come. The
net public event to which all are invited
and urged to lend their presence, is the
St. Patrick ball, to be given by the Sump
ter Brass band at Ellis opera house, March
16. Liberal subscriptions by a majority
of the Sumpter business people have
helped to secure a good set of instruments
for the band boys, who are making the
best of all their spate time to practice, and
will soon be ready for appearance in pub
lic; when, of course, it will be necessary
to wear a regulation uniform, and to raise
money for this purpose the ball on this
occasion is given. Hie band organiza
tion is a good thing for the city and will
be appreciated when the summer evenings
are here again, as the boys promise a reg
ular weekly open air concert then. It is
safe to predict the largest crowd of the
season when the dance is given, March
16.
A. L. McEwen Home From Mexico.
A. L. McEwen returned to Sumpter yes
terday after an absence of three mouths In
Mexico, unreservedly glad to get back
home. He remained away much longer
thin lie expected to when leaving here,
but made thesileof the mine which he
went to examine, to an English syndicate
tor a half million doll its. The property
Is located at the summit of the Slera
Madr.i range and is an attractive free
milling proposition. Mr. McEwen says
(hat English money is now seeking free
milling gold mines almost exclusively and
that his principals are In the market to
buy any sucholfered that will stand In
vestigation. Sumpter will continue to bo
his headquarters 11 ml he hopes to remain
here all during (lie coming summer.
A. W. Ellis Is an Inventor.
I he Ingenious mind of Alderman A. W.
Ellis has invented an adjustable window
shade carrier device that Is a real practical
wonder, and will doubtless make the
patentee more kinds of money than he has
yet had control of. Application for patent
has been made and accepted by the United
States patent ollice at Washington, and
the new device will be put on the market
as soon as arrangements can be completed
for its manufacture. It is only necessary
to see the new attachment to appreciate
its merit, and those who have thus been
favored all agree- as to itseuthe perfection.
There Is a Hen on Here, Sure.
George W. Williams, of Spokane, one
of the best known stage transportation
men hi the west, recently operating in
Washington and British Columbia, was
in tile camp most of list week, presum
ably on mining- business. Whetever it
was tli.it brought him here, Mr. Williams
claimed to be greatly pleased with the fu
ture of the country and s ild that he would
return at an early day, when some im
portant enterprise would he established
here.
Bald Mountain Mill Ready to Start.
It is learned that the new twenty-stamp
mill uf the Bald Mountain company has
been completed and can be set in opera
tion at any time for continuous work.
Manager McOillum is very busy making
a few dual changes hi the tramway and
at other points 'about the mine, previous
to the Initial mill run. Meantime active
work is going 011 in the mine and the
grade of ore Is growing materially better
all the while.
Found One gold link sleeve button.
Owner can have same by applying at I III!
MINI.K office and paying for this notice.
Mining deeds for sale at this office.