fOL IV.
All kinds of rumors
STANDARD GAUGE RAILROAD
1 FROM SUMPTER TO BAKER
CITY PROJECTED.
Man Who Built Ibc Line From Grand
' Forks to Republic Promoting the En-
terprlse Looks Like a North and
South Line May be Closely Connected
With the Plan to Erect a Mammoth
' Saw Mill Here Company Agrees to
Build Seventy-Five Dwellings This
Year.
Tlio linker City Herald of Mondny
published n special from Spokane
stating that Wiley C. Morris had re
turned from the inonoy centers of tho
oast, whoro ho succeeded in raising
8000,000 for tho purposo of build
ing a ittandard gaugo railroad form
Baker City to Sumpter. Tho road In
to bo called, ho tho dispatch Htntod,
tho Washington and Oregon Railway,
ho tho natural Inference 1h that thiH
1h merely one nectiou of tho proponed
lino.
Mr. MorriH la tho gontlemiin who
built tho nil 1 road from Grand Forks,
British Columbia, to Republic, Wash
iugtou. TIiIh suggests unothor sur
miso; namoly, that this In another
section of tho samo road, which 1h
to run north and houUi through tho
two HtatcH from which it t nit en its
uamo, connecting tho Cauadiau Pa
citlc with tho O.K. & N., of thollarri
man Hystem; and crossing two other
transcontinental routes, tho Northern
Paciflo and tho Groat Northern. This
looks like too big a schonio for an in
dividual to tackle; ho it is natural
to Hiipposo that ono of tho above men
tioned through Hues is back of the
enterprise. The Canadian Pacific, has
announced that it will build into
American territory, both on the
Sound and furthoreast, outorlng Spo
kane. Ah Is well known, Senator
Turner, of that city, is the Americau
representative of the Canadian road,
ho far as these lines are concerned.
It, therefore, seems probable that the
road from Grand Forks to Republic
will bo extended further south, first
to Spokauo and afterwards connected
with tho Sumpter-Baker City line.
Such a road would surely coutrol a
largo portion of tho trade of tho In
land Empire It would connect the
mining districs of Hrittlsh Columbia
and eastern Oregon with tho great
wheat Holds of Washington and Ore
gon, aud also the latter with tho ox
haustless timber lands to tho west
and south of Sumpter. The purpose,
of course, in building tho road from
Sumpter to Baker City is to secure tho
immense traffic already established be
tween the O. R. & N. and the Sumpter
SUMPTER, OREGON, FEBRUARY 25, 1905.
mining district.
W. M. Morris, referred to above,
was lu Sumpter about two mouths
alnco. Those who met .him here
stato that he was endeavoring assidu
ously to secure reliable tonnage sta
tistics. '
The idea is llrmly tlxed in tho local
public mind that the building of thin
road is in Home way connected with
tho much talked of saw mill which
tho St. Paul & Tacotua Lutnlmr com
pany is expected to build hero. Ah
was mentioned in THE MINER of
last week, a representative of this com
pany had spent a couple of weeks in
aud around Sumpter Investigating the
feasibility of the proposition, and
expressed himself as highly pleased.
This is the great lumlior concern
of Puget Sound, of which Henry
Hewitt is at tho head, for whom Sey
mour II. Bell has quietly during the
past two years bought 111,000 acres of
timber laud.
In speaking of this projected rail
road, Mr. Hell stated that ho had no
personal kuowledgo of the enterprise;
but ho did know that within a few
days, perhaps a weok, Mr. Howitt
aud his associates wjll submit to the
citizens of Sumpter a proposition for
tho erection hero of a saw mill with a
daily capacity of 100,000 feet. In
tho event that this oiler is accepted,
tho mill will guarauteo to supply
such a railroad with twonty-llvo car
loads of freight daily.
It is also reliably reported that one
of the clauses in the proposition to
bo submitted is that tho Liimlwr com
pany will bind itself to erect during
the present year from fifty to seventy
flvo dwellings, equipped with all mod
ern improvements. Many of those
will bo needed for its own employes.
This company has adopted he policy
to give tho proforoco to married men
aud If it stars in business hero will
add many families to Sumpter's pop
ulation. Pacific Coast Miner's Oregon Number.
B. J. t Watson, representing the
Pacific Coast Miner, of San Francis
co, who has Ikoii lu this district for
several weeks past, has lioon called
in to the ofllco by wire, leaving hero
Monday. Mr. Watson is well aud
favorably known throughout tho gold
llelds of eastern Oregon, as this min
eral region is well aud favorably
known to him, aud ho will doubtless
do the subject full justice when de
scribing it in the paper ho represents.
Tho Oregon State numlier of that
publication reached here today. It
is full of good "stuff" about the
mines of this stato, principally those
of southern Oregon. Tho leading
editorial paragraph is as follews:
Tho -present issue of tho Pacific Coast
Minor Is the Oregou Stato uumbcr.
It contains much interesting infor
mation concerning mining operations
in that promising and progressive
state. Sumpter, Oregon's greatest
miuiug camp, is reserved for special
treatment lu a succeeding issue."
RED, BOY WILL SINK
ANOTHER 500 FEET.
Mill Willi Not Shut Down
While This Work is in
Progress.
Tho Granite Gem of last week
announced that the Bed Hoy com
pany had decided to sink Its working
shaft another 500 feet, stating also
that the mill would be shut down
while this work Is in progress.
Secretary J. A. Howard, of tho lied
Boy company, when quest ioiiod yester
day regarding the report, said: "It
has Ix'en decided to sink the 500 feet,
but It will not Im) necessary to carry
out the Gem's program in other mat
ters. Mr. Godfrey will I mi hero to
morrow and will doubtless give you
full details."
Mr. Godfrey did not arrive today,
so details cannot hero lie given.
Secretary Howard's remark clearly
implied that the company has no in
tention of stop milling ore while sin
king tho shaft. It will not 1m nec
essary to do so, as all who are famil
iar with tho property know. The
sinking plant Is one of the lcst and
most powerful iti tho west. Its only
equal in this state is the one at (ho
Bonanza. Each cost upwards of
iro,ooo.
Ah was stated in these columns some
weekH since, at tho time tho six per
cent dividend was declared, $75,000
was placed in tho reserve fund. This
was doubtless done for tho purpose
of paying for this aud other work in
contemplation.
TALK OF THE TOWN.
A. II. Sprague, of tho Alpine, is
in town today.
W. S. Eberman left for St. Paul
last Thursday on a short business
trip.
Mrs. Brock left yesterday for her
old homo at liellnvue, Idaho, where
her mother is now dangerously ill.
The Uniform Bank KuightH of
Pythias will give another of their
popular dances in the opera house
Friday evening, February 27.
C. S. Miller, ono of tho pioneer
miners of the Granite district, the
original owner of the Monumental
mine, at present superintendent of
the Old Arastra, is a guest of Hotel
Sumpter.
0
Peter McGoory, an old time miner,
who bus extensive mining Interests
uear the Hod Boy, was attending to
business in the city, which is the
center of this gold milling country,
last week.
Charles II. Breck, one of Baker
City's hustling young business men,
NO. 25
came up from the county seat last
Friday so as to have a view of Lhn life
aud bustle always going ou Ju a live
mining community. i
Dr. U. M. 1. Keuuear, of La
Crosse, Wisconsin, arrived in Sump
ter today. He is a friend of Dr.
Mueller, general manager of tho smel
ter, and is hero to transact important
business with that gentleman.
P. A. McPhee, mayor, hotel man,
etc., of Alamo, was in Sumpter a day
or two last week. Ho reports tho
Alamo mine as drifting on tho llnest
ore yet encountered, and about tho
same can lie said of the Strasburg.
IjOU Walker returned yesterday
from Salem, where he had been for
several days i-cokiugtho ofllco of min
ing inspector, created by the Bobbins
bill. He says ho secured assurances
of support from certain quarters and
that there Is a chance that he will
land the prize.
T. S. Kennedy, superintendent of
the Gold Coin mines in tho Green
horns, was transacting business lu
Sumpter last week. He reports that
everyone Is so busy in thai section they
have no time to tell (heir neighbors
the news, although (hero would I hi
plenty of a favorable nature were it
known.
Cards were received hero today
announcing the marriage of Robert
Roscoe Myers and Miss Emma R.
Starr, of Baker City, Febiuary 17, at
Portland. They will be at homo af
ter March I, at tho Geiser Grand.
Mrs. Myers Is well known in Sump
ter, having ficquontly visited her
sisters here, Mrs. Hurl aud Mrs.
Grillln. She Is universally admired
by a wide circle of Humpter friends.
Whitney Lumber Company.
Messrs. Rogers, Roe and Ryan con
stitute the strong combination that
has bought tho Law ton saw mill and
will begin lu a few days to operate it,
under tho corporate name of the
Whitney I. umber company. Mr.Kog
ers will have charge of the timber
lauds, Mr. Kyau of the mill and Mr.
Itoe of the firm's business. There Is
a good nun kot lu tho vicinity of tho
mill, for the entile possible output
of the mill. Alamo, Giauite aud tho
sin rounding mines mo huge consum
ers of 'timber, much of which has
heretofore been hauled fiom Sump
ter. Judge Evans Has Not Resigned.
Last week it was announced that
.Justice of tho Peace Eviiiih had or
would lesign that position. City
Recorder Start and ex- Justice Felix
at once i-eciircd numerously signed
petitions requesting the county com
missioners to appoint them to tho
vacancy. And there are also said to
Imi other candidates. Anil now comes
Judge Evans himself and today In
forms THE. MINER that ho has not
resigned and now doesn't expect to.
It is a fact, however, that he had
contemplated taking such a step.
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