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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1902)
1 it i VOL. IV. CRACKER CREEK VEIN EARTH'S RICHEST VAULT Another Mine to be Opened up on This Great Gold Producing Ledge Proven by 2000 Feet of Workings. Professor Wuldemur l.iudgren, of the United States Geological Survey, in his rejort on tliu Gold Belt of the lllue Mountains of Oregon, linn given the stamp of otiluial endorsement to the great mother lode of the Cracker .Creek district. In thiH report he aaya: "There v in practically one conthiuoua vein ty -tean, beginn-ng at the Baisley-Elkhorn mine and continuing ncroM to Cracker -creek, and some of the most important milieu in eastern Oregon are comprised in it, the North Pole, K. A K., Columbia, Gnlcondu, Amazon and Bunker Hill mines. In thin distance of live miles the vein continues strong and unbroken The gaugue in tiarts throughout, containing gold and sulphurets. The width in from live to 100 feet. It is easily the moot strongly delinetl ami persistent vein in the Blue mountuiiiH." Many pages of the rcKr are devoted to thin ledge. The subject is treated from a scientific stand Kint by a man of long and wide cxuricnco. From the facts which hu relates, he draws the conclusion that values continue witli depth indefinitely, and that this in one of the great mining districts of the world. Professor l.indgreu madu his geologl eal survey and examinations in the summer of 11HX). I'p to that time the only sensationally rich strike that had ever been made on this vein was in the (iolconda, and that ore shoot had, ap parently, been exhausted; so hu re garded that incident as of no csecinl importance. Subsequent development has, how ever, demonstrated that it was of the utmost importance; for it lias been proven that this dcosit had scarcely been touched, though several hundred thousand dollars worth of gold was ex tracted in a few weeks. Headers of Tiik Minrk will roniemlier that last May this ; marvelously rich ore shoot was picked up on the 1M0 foot level. J.arge iuunti tivs of rock was taken out that assayed over f50,000, and it was then creditubly stated that one ton was sacked that sampled and was sold for about 45,000. This same chimney has been cut 100 feet deeper, ou the .'100-foot level, about 80 feet removed from the perpendicular. Tills unusual angle at which it dips SUMPTER, OREGON, doubtless accounts for why it was lost three years ago. Only yesterday, Man ager Bobbins received a telephone mes sage from the mine stating that the men were doubtless then entering the ame shoot on the 100-foot level, as the point waa in line with the angle of the dip. Assaya had. beeu made. whicl re- tunica v is' J mmvny m me world lias rarely recorded the existence of so large and dee) a chimney carrying such wonderfully high values. Regarding the Golcoudii's nearest neighbor on this ledge, the Coliimltia, no such positive statements as the above can be made; because the management does not care to take the public into its confidence, and General Man. ger lluilliu handles the delicate problem with such courteous diplomacy that no one ever attempts to pry into the jealously guarded secrets of that mine. This much, however, can he considered re liable: About a year ago an eminent mining engineer came here from South Africa to examine the Columbia, for what purpose no one knows. Shortly afterwards It he owner received u Ixiua tide offer off.H,000,u00 for the property, which was turned down without n mo ment's hesitation. Adjoining the Columbia is the K. K., oi which little can he said, except that f 1,000,000 in gold bus been taken from the stopes abovu the '.'70 fool level. The mine was shut down ou account of legal complications, four or live years ago and is now full of water. It is re ported that it will soon bo reoem-d. Then comes the North Pole, found ered by mining men eouiieteut to judge to be the richest mine on earth. He cently the manager acknowledged to a newsuier reporter that the output from the ten-stamp mill some months exceeds $100,000. Alexander Baring, of I.ondon, the owner, stated while here last spring that the ore in sight gave an intrinsic value to the proxrly of be tween six and ten millions. Consider ing that ore bodies can be measured and their values estimated with ap proximately aa much aecirracy as corn in a crib, that was rather an indefinite statement; but it give some idea of the mind staggering wealth that is stored in that now famous mine, un questionably' Nature's richest treasure NOVEMBER 12, 190J. vault yet broken into by man. Within four mouths last spring and summer I (1,500,000 worth of oro was stoKd, one-1 th rd of which is retried to lie sacked and still in the workings. The l.o Itol mine in llritish Columbia was given a world wide fame ou account of the million dollar check winch was drawn in part payment for the properly. It is as u eunut stand to a wholesale grocery compared with either of thciileivu mentioned four mines. Strattou's hide IH'iidence, in the Cripple Creek district, was sold for ten millions and has pro duced its price. That transaction made the district and every one con nected with the sale famous throughout civilization. And yet, right hero at our doors there is a mine that exceeds it in value at the present time and bids fair to discount it two or three times over. About a month ago the ore shoot that carried rock worth 'JOO,000 to the ton was encountered in the lower levels; subsequent to Mr. Barring's statement thai the mine had ore enough in sight to justify a valuation of six or ten mil lions, If appanwUyralUWa reports be true, mai one cnimney la worm mpre than the Independence. And now the roerly adjoining the North Pole is being opened up, and it is just as certain us anything within the range of human knowledge can be that it will prove to be equally us rich. Some weeks since Tiik Minkh gave an account of the financial tlghlhulween Alexander Baring, the great London financier, and a local syndicate, headed by .1. II. Bob bins, president of the First Bank of Suuiitcr, to get iossession of this prop erty, anil how the latter won the battle royal. These iieople, all prominent citizens of eastern Oicgon, successful business and mining men, have, organized a company known as the South Pole Consolidated GnldMiucs company. ItowuH-ilMtl.II'.'fcct of this mother lisle, liesidos several par allel claims, containing ledges of known worth. This is nearly double thuauioiiiit of ground owned ou this vein by either of the other "llig Four" companies, as they are locally designated. Ami, although the mere fact that this company's holdings include such a large section of this wonderful Cracker Creek ledge, gives it an intrinsic value, this fact alone is not relied upon thu skep tical MiHsottriaii can be shown. There is already 'J000 feel of workings on the1 proierty, one-half of which are drifts ou the great vein. This group was located years ago by different individuals and has been thoroughly prosiecled. It was on the Oregon Cliper that the second find of free gold in thedistrict was made. The ore was rich and much of it ex posed. The South Pole company has ouu dis tinct advantage overall of its neighbors; in that it owns the apex of this gold vault mountain, making it possbile to work the mine by the economical tunnel method for many years, just across the divide. The ajsjx is :i200 feet above thu bottom of the Columbia's shaft, and 1000 feet above its owu lowest ground, ou the NO. 10. Itock cieek side, from which point the working tunnel will eventually hoilriveu. The Columbia has found its liest ore on its deepest winkings. The South Pole lias ore ou the topof its inouiiliiiu which assays belter than t(k. It needs, there fore, not to rely ou its excellent neigh borhood for its reputation, though it must be acknowledged that it is u satis factory process to draw comparisons and formulate analogies. Included in its holdings is one-half of the Yankee Jim, oue-iiiarler of the Villard ami one-half of thu Yankee Jack, the North Pole owning the other interests in those claims. Thu end line of the Villard is only '.'(HI feel from the t'JlMI,000Hr ton ore shoot in thu North Pole's. Moruor Less. The principal workings on this prop erty are located ou the Cllpcr, Bock creek side of thu divide. There are two j tunnels, one in IHIO and thu other 700 feet. By driving thu latter lUX) foul farther, it will bo under the apex, giv ing u depth of 550 feet. Both, of these tunnels are on thejedge, ami, said to.be r lydonthe vlBu'alHtkl; ..'Tfor large force of men is not at work- T straightening them out. In the face of the upter one a cross cut was recently run thirty feet, without finding either wall. Consulting Kiigincor W. W. Bobbins took samples across 25 feet of this distance, which assayed ilS. And good values are found everywhere. Msr ou, as stated above, thu main working tunnel will I hi driven Mow these, which will given vertical depth under the itH!X of 1000 feet. ICurly next spring, Morn this work ia started, electric owcr drills will he in stalled to drive this tunnel. Andrew Hansen, who owned two of these claims, installed a 5stauip mill, operated a few months in thu year by snow water power. This will not Imuseil at all; but a modern 50 or 100-stau.p mill will lie erected, when development work reaches a stage justifying such u move. The people who are hack of this gi gantic enterprise don't know how to make a failure of any undertaking, have ample capital and can get all they want. 'I'll u South Pole is, therefore, Justus sum to bo ouu of the world's greatest gold producing mines, as the sun is to con tinue rising and setting. There la no possible escape from this. It is going to aid materially in making this the most proliHc gold producing region on the globe. Alexander Clothing Company. The Alexander Clothing company has oH)iied a clothing store in the Wilson building, corner of Mill and Granite stieets, and put in u full line of clothing and gents' turiiishiug good. 'I his com pany already owns several other stores uud, buying in such large quantities, they ure enabled to sell the latest ami best goods on the market at the lowest prices. Wherever thecompauy hasdono liusiuuss it is known as the one-price clothing store, and this rule will, be . strictly adhered to in Sumpter. F. B. Wallbrunii is the malinger and '.Jack Kisvel, who is well known In Hoin'pter, will be clerk. - n '.77TT5