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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1903)
Wednesday, September 9, 190$ THE SUMPTER MINER TWAIN AS A MINER. Interesting Letter He Wrote to' The Callfornians. The Kansas City Star has dug up an interesting letter written by Mark Twain th lrty-four years ago on the oooaslon of the meeting of the Cali fornia Pioneers' Association at Del monico's shortly after the completion of tne Union Pacific. Mr. Clemens at one time worked on the Virlula City Enterprise, John Mackay's paper. Ue also took a turn at min ing and the letter read at the ban quet deals with his mining experi ence. Here it is: Elmlra. N. Y., Oct. 11, 1860 To the California pioneers. Uentlemeu: Circumstances rendered it out of my power to tako ndvautago of the luvl tation exteuded to mo through Mr. ainiontou, ana bo prcsout at your dinner in New York. I regret this very much, for there nro sovernl among you whom I would havo a right to join hands with on tho scoro of old friendship, uud I supposo I would havo n sublime general right to shake hands with the rest of you ou tho scoro of kinship in California ups and downs in tho search of for tune. If I wore to toll some of my exper iences you would recognize California blood iu me, I fancy. The old, old story would souud familiar, no doubt. I hare tho usual stock of remlnlsceucos. For Instance. 1 went to Esmeralda early. I purcbused largely in tho Wide West tho Wluuomucca and other Hue claims, uud was very wealthy. I fared sumptuously ou bread whou Hour was 6200 a barrel, and had beans ' every day when none but bloated aristocrats could alford such graudour. Out I finished by feeding butteries to u quartz mill at 815 a week, aud wishing I was a buttory mysolf aud bad somobodv to feed me. My claims iu Esinoroldu aro thoru yet. I suppose I could bo portmuded to sell. I went to tho Humboldt district when it was now. I lieciimo largely Interested In tho Alba Nnova aud otbor claims with gorgeous names, aud was rich again iu pros pect. 1 owned a vast mining prop erty there. I would not have sold out for less than 8100,000 at that time, but I will now. Finally walked home some 200 miles part erty and throw in tho improvements. Perhaps you remember the celebrated North Ophlr? I bought that mine. It was very rich In pure silver. You could take it out iu lumps as big as a filbert. But when it was discov ered that these lumps were melted half dollars, and hardly melted at ' that, a painful case of "saltln " I was apparent, and the undersigned adjourned to the poor house again. I paid assessments on Hale A Nor oross till they sold me out and I had to take in washing for a living and tho next month that infamous stock went up to 87,000 a foot. I own millions and millions of feet of afflu ent silver loads in Nevada in fact I own tho entire undercrust of that country, and if congress would move that state off my property so that I could get at It, I would bo wealthy yet. Uut no, there she squats and here am I. Failing health persuades me to sell. If you know of any ono desiring a permanent investment I can furnish him ono that will havo tho viituo of being eternal. I havo been through tho California mill, with all its "dips, spurs aud augles, variations aud sinuosities." I have worked there at all tho differ ent trades and professions kuowu to tho catalogue. I havo beou every thing from a uewspupor editor down to a cowcatcher ou a locomotive, aud I am encouraged to boilovo that hud there been more occupations to ex periment on I might have in ado a dazzling success at last and found out what mysterious design providence bad in view in creating mo. But you porceivo that, although I am not a pioneer, I havo had a suffi ciently variegated time of it to en ablo mo to talk pioneer liko a native, aud I foel like a Forty-niner. Thoro fore, I cordially welcome you to your old remembered homes and your loug descried firesides, uud closo this screed with tho sincere hopo that your visit hero will boa happy ono, and uulmbittcred by tho sorrowfu surprise that absonco and lupso of years aro wont to prepare for wander ers; surprises which would como in tho form of old friends missed from thoir places; silence whore familiar voices should bo; tho young grown old; change uud decay everywhere; homo a doluslou and disappointment; strangers at tho hearthstone; sorrow whore gladness was; tears for laugh ter; tho melancholy pomp of death whoro tho grace of llfo has been I With all good wishes for the He turned Prodigal, aud legiets that I i ciiuuni iuriiiKU ui a hiiiiiii piece m .. tho fatted calf, (rare and no gravy) ly for exorclso aud partly because stago fares wero expensive. Next I entered upon an tililuont career in Vliglnia City, aud by a ju dicious Investment of labor and the capital of friends became tho owner of about all tho worthless wildcat mines thoro wero In that part of tho country Assessments did tho busluess for mo thoro. Thoro wero 117 ussess meuts to ouo dividend, uud tho pro portion of iucomo to outlay was a little against me. My flnuuciul ther mometer wont down to !I2 degrees Fahroubeit, uud the subscriber was frozen out. I took up extensions on tho mainland extensions that reach ed to British America iu ouo direc tion aud tho Isthmus of Piiuuma in tho othor yi)d I verily believe I would havo been u rich man if I ever found thoso luferual extensions. But 1 didn't. I ruu tunnels till I tapped tho Arctic ocean, uud I sunk shafts till I broke through the roof of per dition, but thoso extensions turned up missing every time. I uiii willing to sell all that prop- I am yours cordially, MAKK TWAIN. BIG SHOOT AT BELCHER. Bt Yet Eocouatcred on That Property 300 Fed Lone. 0. W. Dalncs, president of tho Dallies uud Fortune mining compan ies, operating Iu tho Greenhorn dis trict, passed through tho city last week returning from a trip to his properties. Ho stilted to Tho Miner that tho fourth oro shoot at tho llel chor is tho best yet encountered ou tho property. It has beou crosscut a distance of twenty-one feet without rouchlng tho opposito wall. This shoot is :00 feet loug and Mr. Dailies thinks it will carry an average width of between forty-live uud fifty feot. Ho stated further thut tho Boloher mill is expected soon uud will bo Installed Immediately upon Its arrival. Only the nest brawls ot liquors and ciuarsat Dunphv's "The Club." EVERY INVESTOR SHOULD KNOW That the West is the place to buv Western stocks, I don't care if it's Golconda, Red Boy, Cracker Jack, Cracker Oregon, or what is it it stands to reason that I, being right in the heart of the Northwest Mining Dis trict, should be able to supply you with any stock desired. This business is done through my brokerage department, which, by the way, handles more stock than any other firm in the West. 1 want to place the name of every reader of this paper on my mailing list. A postal card will do, requesting my market letter regularly. YOU HAVE READ Of the development of the Victor Group, in the Cracker Creek Distiict, in the recent issues of this paper. Same has been bought by a strong Eastern company, and the stock will shortly be put on the market by the CRACKER CREEK GOLD MINES COMPANY An elaborate prospectus in now in the hands of its printers. As soon as it is off the press you should re ceive a copy. Drop a postal to me today, and I'll mail you one in due course of time. I shall act as the Company's Fiscal Agent. ADRIAN G. HANAUER BANKER AND BROKER p. o. Drawer 1726 Spokane, Washington L'li TTET Beautifully Illustrated rivIZiL-j Pamphlet of 16 Pages Showing OREGON'S Great Dividend Paying Mines Any Kirson contemplating a mining investment should not bo without the Information contained in this valuable uaiiiphlut. WRITE TOOAY (Mention No 110 and it will be promptly mailed you,) WHEELER & CO. 32 BROADWAY, N. Y. THE GEM SALOON A.J STINSOISJ, Rrop. (Successor to Snyde & Stlnson) Only the Best Brands of Liquors Served Over tho Bar SUMPTER, OREGON Books and Stationery 1 havo added to my Mock of Cigara anil TolmecoeH a large number of popular novels, the leading periodical and a complete line of Htationery ....The Elite Cigar Store... L. HARRIS, Proprietor