VOL. V. SUMPTER, OREGON, JANUARY 20, n NO. 20 TO OPEN THE BURNT RIVER ROAD AT ONCE W. C. Galder And J. N. Doane Will Leave Tomorrow to Break Way Through. V. C. Culder aud J. N. Dobuo will leavo early In the morning with a couple of toRma to break the new Burnt River road, through to King's ranoh. They have telephoned to King's ranob, and secured tho prom ise of several people with tennis to meet them from that end aud (insist I in the work, Tho entire distance from hero to King's ranch is fifteen miles, but some six miles of the road j this warn completed lost fall, is. broken, aud in good sbapo for travel. About all thero is to be done ou tho remaining distanco to put it in con dltiou, is to drive over It a few times iu order to bicuk the snow. At King's rauch the new rood con nects with the Unity road, aud puts PLENTY OF MONEY FOR INVESTMENT Judge Newbury ha1 communica tions today from two well known pro moting firms in New York, stating among other things, that the market for unlisted securities is rapidly im proving in the east, and urging ex pedition if he has any sort of a prop osition to submit. The firms iu question are in touch, it is stated, with the big money in terests in both New York and Lou don, and appear anxious to take bold of some business movement in Sump ter. They assure ample capital for financing any feasible proposition. Sumpter in touob with a vast scope of tho , productive llurnt river coun try, which hitheito has looked to liaker City as a market, making a forty-soven mile drive lustoad of fif teen. The llurnt rivor poop to will como hero to trade. They aro anxious to do it. Messrs. Billot and Chamberlain, who woro horo a few days ago, were tho advanco guard of nn army of ranchers yot to come Ihoao early ones fared well. They sold thoir stuff without any diffi culty, and will bo back next week via tho uow road. They hud to come by Whitney, out of tbolr way, but when the news of the opening of tho uow road spreads, the entire scope of the llurnt River country will bring its products to Sumpter. VICTOR GASOLINE ENGINE ROLLED DOWN MOUNTAIN The sixty horse power engine being taken out to the Victor, in the Cracker Creek district, by Clint Haynea, toppled over on the moun tain between the Columbia and Bourne yesterday, and rolled down a considerable dlstanoe. The mountain was scarred up, and it is thought was injured internally, but the engine was unharmed. Ropes will have to bo usod to get the engine baok in the road and start it on its jouruey again. NEW SUPERINTENDENT AT THE MIDWAY MINE Iu view of tho death of S. U. Wil liams yesterday, Richard Eckman, former superintendent of tho Colum ola, has been appointed to tho super Inteudeutoy of the Midway, the posi tion held by Mr. Williams. Mr. Eckman, has been in tempo rary charge since Mr. Williams left for Hot Lake, and the Ueiser-Heu dryx compauy, which has tho man agement of the property, has made the price permaneut. Looking After Mining Interests. Dr. Samuel Illume, of New York, Is here to look after his various min ing interests. He contemplates a trip to Europe in the near future, and before leaving conoluded to vUlt Sumpter. This Is bia first visit here. He will remain here about ten days, and visit the properties in wblob be is Interested. Ho 10ft this afternoon with Harry Huudryx to visit the Vic tor in the Cracker Creek district. I. X. L. HAS $8,000 ORE Fred Kelly, superintendent of tho 1. X. L., who was nu the train this afternoon returning from linker City, couflrms tho reports regarding the rich oro recently disclosed at tho property iu the south drift from tho 200 foot level.1. Mi. Kelly says the oro shoot is from six to olght Inches wido carrying oro which assays ,as high as 88,000. It la vory similar, he says, to the tellurldo ores of Cripple Creek, so, ho Is 'Informed by old Cripple Creok miners. fo all tip pearauens the drift is Just skimming the top of the shoot, and oven bottor values nud greater strength may bo expected' with dopth. Ho intends going -00 foot deeper tl(l summer. Last week!, Mr. Kelly says', water connection was mudo between tho I. X. L. workings, uud tho Hidden Treasure, aud that the shaft ou tho lattor Is now being drained through tho I. X L. The mill Is iu perfect working or der, he stutes, aud the cyanide plaut Is giving entiro satisfaction. Lowest Reading of Mercury Last Night The mercury reauhod its lowest reading of the winter hero last night. In faot, the "oldest inhabitant," is slightly up agiaiust it to recall a tlmo when It was ever much colder. The lowest yet reported was thirteen degrees below zero at the Sumpter hotel, about two o'clock this morn ing. From this various thermometers In dllforeut parts of the city ranged to fivo degrees below. It Is stuled tbut tbermometeis registered seven below ou the coldest day lust winter. A report from tho North Pole mill states that it was eleven below there early this morning. Very little damago is reported ou account of tho freezing of water pipes. Iu a few instances, where folks forgot to turn the water olf, tho pipes frozo, but not to any extent worth mentioning. Despite the fact that It was admit tedly pretty cold, very little Incou venlenco wan felt fiom it. People weut around lust ulght without their overcoats, and were not really awaro of any great change In the tempera ture until they consulted tbelr ther mometers. Owing to the extreme dryness of the atmosphere here, cold is not fe'lt to the extent'' that it is in damper localities, and while the mer cury on rare occasion does creep down bulbward, the winter days are usually bright and auusblny. SOMETHING NEEDED L. Viirn Ilccko, of Sioux Fulls, South Dakota, a director in the Mid way company, who roturred homo yesterday afternoon, -cannot under stand why Sumpter does uot support some sort of a commercial or busi ness men's club. Iu conversation with a Miner representative regard ing tho mutter, Mr. Van HoeKosuld: "This is one of the things I am uot able to understand. With tho amount of business centering iu Sumpter, tho big m In It kg district tributary and other varied iute'rests, this proHcutH niio of tho fluest tlelda for elfeutvo work by a well organized busiiolss moil's oluli I have ever seen. "I have been officially connected with sevnrul such orgiinlntlouH.nnd I am familar with tho amount of good, in the way of Interesting capital and bringing in new Industries, that can bo accomplished. "Iu my opinion, one of tho greatest drawbacks to the district, uud 0110 which I believe could bo counteracted ill u measure by n commerolul club, is tho conflicting statements made concerning well known mining properties. A t ranger coming here usually goes away guess ing. As many times as I have been here aud as familiar ns 1 am with the mlulug interests 0MI10 district, I sometimes have my faith shaken by tho array ot unsolicited information thrust upon me. Even ou this trip I was told by one man that tho Columbia had worked out all its rich oro bodies, and that thoiubio is prac tically valueless. Another volun teered tho Information that tho Columbia' is producing $100,000 it mouth, and that the property is con servatively valued at 11(1,000,000. Similar reports and just as uou- trudictory woro given In regard to tho (iolcouda. In neither case, I am persuaded, did the pori-oiis havo tho remotest idou as to the truth of their statements. Hut iu the caso of strangers who hour such conllictiiig stories regarding properties, what un they golug to think t You havo them guessing, and the chances aro that many of them will keep ou guessing and never arrive ut u con clusion us fur us inventing their money is concerned. "Now, u business men's club could do much to counteract this Influence. It could give out reliable iuforma tlou, as fur as obtuluuble, which would bear tbe stamp of honesty aud authenticity. Tbe truth about tbe Sumpter district-is .Muttttiiflut to at tract iuvettora, but between tbo knockera and the hot air peddler, tbe prospective investor does not know wheu be la bat or cold." f