8
THE SUMPTER -MINER
Wednesday, Octobei i , 1 90 j
NEVADA'S MYSTERIOUS
MOUNTAIN OF URANIUM.
Tho proHOUco of iirHuium and
tungsten oroH lu tho vicinity of
Osceola, this couuty, bus boon known
for novo nil years, and tho report of
the United States geographical survoy
contained lengthy descriptive articles
on the big deposits of tboso strange
metals in this locality.
In this connection Nevada's high
est mouualn, known locally as Jeff
Davis peak, is again destined to
play an Important part. In the
shadows of this mountain, which lifts
its head 14,0(10 feet aliovo tho level
of tho noil, nestles the mining camp
of Ocuola, which has produced 91,
000,000 or more in placer gold, but,
Ithough many thoorloH have been
advanced to account for those de
posits, tho source from whence they
came Is still a mystery.
lelf DhvIh peak itself is a mys
terious mountain, lu its bowels is
Loehmuu'H cave, which rivals Ken
tiicky'siatural wonder, both lu ex
tent and in .tho wulrd beauty of its
scenery, uhilo on Its summit one
booomori Impressed with 'tho Idea that
the hugo mass Is Imbued with life
mid Is in oouHtantiinntltni.
l'rospectors who have spout brief
periods on the peak woru always
read to seek now Holds after wit
nessliig otio 'storm ou this grand old
mountain, and they describe the
scenes on those occasions us being
weirdly awful lu their griuidour.
The freaks played there by electric
disturbances are well calculated to
bring terror to the stoutest hearts,
mill If 10,000,000 imps of darkness
were to be banded together in a mid
night level, their etforts would pule
Into littleness when compared with
the llery scenes produued by the
elements ou such occasions on top of
lelf Davis peak.
Now, this mountain appears to
possess In a remarkable degree the
distinguishing attribute of nullum -that
of casting oil fragments of itself
and hurling them Into space. It Is
only about two years since the peo
ple within a radius of titty nil Ins of
lelf Davis peak, really ' thought an
earthquake had rent the earth asun
der in that vicinity, but the disturb
ance was later traced to that uneasy
mountain. That this coutllct of un
known agencies has been going ou
for ages has been proven by the pres
ence of fragments and boulders from
this mountain scattered ncraldo
extent of country, and they even
uuderly the Mint gravel deposits in
which the placer gold, Is. found. .
Now, theie Is nothing" remarkable
in the fact that boulders roll down a
mountain side, but In this Instance
the conditions are so remarkable that
tlu-v would seem to call for careful
iiucstlgiitlnii. The action of radium
ou other minerals, It tuts been
claimed, will produce gold; uranium
is known to be there lu lingo ipiau
titles, and with It the associate
metals, tungsten, molybdenite, wol
fram, schi'ollte, etc., and It Is not
impossible that nature's powder mug
a 1 no, wlieiolu is stoied tho material
which may some day destroy the
world, is located hero in White l'liio
county. As nullum Is allied at the
present time at from 10,000 to
20,000 au ounce, however, the peo.
pie of this locality will at-sumo all
risks and will hope to be able to
supply the demands of the world for
the new metal. Ely (Nevada) Min
ing Review.
UNCLE BILL STINSON
TELLS OF NEVADA PEAK
Tho story about Jolf Davis peak
reproduced in yesterday's Miner
from tho Ely, Nevada, Mining
Review, recalled to Undo Dill Stln
son his experience with this mys
terious mountain. He asys:
"I do not' know anything about
the peak's being full of radium
and other raro metals, but I do know
about Its being a storm breeder
and its bohavlor in this respect.
This was no droam. I recall an
I ncldout that happouod about fifteen
or twenty years ago. I had flnishod
installing a stamp mill at Cherry
Valley, and lu company with throo
prospectors I sot out in tho dlroction
of Jeff Davis penk to look up somo
claims. Tho peak is a part of Mount
Moriah, and fullv 14,000 foot high.
Wo woroat Mo Culloch's spring about
fourteen miles from tho mountain
ami about four miles from camp;
whou one afternoon, wo noticed a
little cloud which looked like a
Scotch cap hpverlng on top of tho
peak One rof tho boys, who 'was
fiunlMar with; tho country iridO the
tricks .of Joff diuvlsy noticing tho
cloud cap, bocamo'vory much exalted
and advised iih to pull foreamp.at
ouco. ." " t' - ,'
'"Jolf means' .business,' said bo,
'wlionovoi-you see him look like
that. Thafa his signal for a gully
washer, and we'd bettor hit tho trail
in less than no time.'
"Wo thought It wise to act on his
advice, though to the caiisual
observer there appeared to bo nothing
to warrant such haste, as, with tho
exception of the cloud cap, the sky
wiih perfectly clear. Hut wo hiked,
uetertheless, and before we had gone
far in the direction of camp, the sky
became overcast and we were
overtaken by one of tho most terrillu
thunderstorms 1 have ever lu all my
life witnessed. The lightning
plaved around old Jolf, as of
Olympian Jove had his court thoio
lu full session, and tho rain fell In
torrents,
"I learned from this experience
that when Jolf donned his Scotch
cap it was time to hit tho trail in
the direction of shelter at the best
lick that was lu mo. The mountaiu
seems to bo the storm center for a
radius of maiiy miles. Wh .mover
the cloud cap appears the sourruuud
lug circle of country is sure to be
disturbed by an electrical storm.
"I hae never ascended tho rocky
and Juirren heights of the peak, but
J haro' been rqlp4)ly? luformodthat
there Is a crack clean through the
mountain, caused perhaps by somo
"old ciirtjiquakf- H's a peculiar
old vtnti ou iho'surfacoof the planet,
and I tlo not doubt but that it will
be found to contain minerals that
have never been heard of before.
It's just like it."
W. t. Hurd Back to The Hills.
W. K. Hurd came in this fore
noon from Portland, where he has
been for several weeks past, and
drove out to Aalmo this afternoon,
where he will make his headiiuartors
until tho snow drives him Into town.
Mr. Hurd is largely interested in
mining propretles lu that vicinity
and keeps things going at all of
them all of tho time.
10.880 ACRES OF MALHEUR
COUNTY UNO TO BE SOLD.
At a meeting of the state land
board It was decided aud an order
wns accordingly made to sell seventeen
sections of state land In Malheur
county, aggregating 10,880 acres, to
the highest biddor, and the board
will advertise for bids to be opened
ou January 20, 1904. No bids
will be considered at less than 12. CO
per aore, the price fixed by the act of
100.'), and by the board at the July
meeting.
All of the land Is situated In the
extreme southwestern corner of
Malheur county, and on the dividing
line between Oregon and Nevada.
All or uearly all of the country is
rough aud mountainous, but it is
mostly well watered by numerous
creeks which courso through It in all
directions. The upland soil is
described as being rugged and stoney,
whilo in the lowland there Is con
siderable arablo aud tillable lauls.
In oil of tho sections to bo sold along
tho crook bottoms, thoro are long
stretches of rich, sandy and black
loams soils, which aro capable of
producing all kinds of crops with
proper irrigation. Somo of tho
townships aro covered with a thick
undergrowth of sagebrush and
greasowood, which grow rank and
douso, and this laud whou cleared,
cultivated aud irrlagtcd, is capable
of producing prolio crops.
Thoro is also u groat amount of
tlmbet In this region, such as the as
willow, mahogany, (iuforior grades)
cotton, etc., aud in most parts thoro
Is ample growthof- grasses which
make it valuablo for grazlug
purposes. It Is 'expected thafsbmo
good bids will bo received.
Balllet's Mail Held Up Again.
An Associated Press dispatch dated
at San Francisco yesterday, says that
Postmaster Mouatguo has received au
order from Postmaster (leuoral Payne
to withhold from tho malls letters to
tho Pacillc Securty aud Trust com
pany, Sau Frauolsco, tho Will to Swan
MinoM company, limited, and Lotson
llalllet, Sau Francisco and linker
City, Oregon.
Tickets at Low Rates to the
EAST
VIA
The Chicago,
Milwaukee and
St. Paul Railway
Will be on 'sale at 'All ticket
ofllces on June 4th and 5tll, June
24th to HOth, inclusive; July 15th
and 10th, and August 25th and
2tUh.
Tickets good for going passage
for ten days from date of sale,
with tlnal return limit of IK) days,
from ditto of sale.
For further Information, ad
dress, H. S. Rowk,
General Agent.
Portland, Oregon.
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