1 Ui VOL. VI. SUMPTER, OREGON, OCTOBER 12, 1904 NO. 8 WHY THE FRENCHMEN CLOSED THE FLAGSTAFF Bit of Ancient History Touching "Billy" Reynolds' Squirrel Theory as Applied to Mining. "W. O. Reynolds, former superin- ( tendent of the Ibex mine, later of the White Swan, has a toroe of men doing special development work at the Flagstaff mine, six miles east of tfaker Oily, owned by a Paris com pany it Hidden beneath the abovo little item, which was printed in yester day's Miner, is one of the prettiest little mining stories ever written about the eastern Oregon gold fields. The final chapter has not yet beeu written, the climax has not yet beeu reached. Still the tale contains all the necessary eloments of interest, even if it does lack dramatio fltuesa. The Flagstaff mine cost tho French Flagstaff oompauy of Paris, France, 820,000 in Amerloau gold. It was a mere prospect wheu the Yank represeutative of the Parisians assumed coutrol. A hoisting plant was installed, a 700-foot iuoliuo shaft suuk, and a ten-stamp mill erected. All these improvements cost approximately $130,000, so that the Flagstaff as It stauds today represents an investment of $150, 000. "Billy" Reynolds was superin. tendent and had charge of the sinking operations, lie made the Flagstaff shaft one of the prottiest pieces of mining work in the camp. Cross outs to the main Flagstaff vein were driveu from the GO, 1G0, 200,400, and GUO-fnot levels. Dtifts on tb'j veiu at the three first-named levels found but little pay ore. The vein was narrow, and good gold assays were obtained. The gold was ex ae;llngly flue, however, so that amalgamation was impossible. Superintendent Reyuolds sank the shaft below the 300-foot level, not for ore, but for water. Wheu the 700-foot level was reached and still the shaft was dry as a powder horn, Reynolds suspended operations temporarily, put on hi thinking oap, and evolved a theory, which turned out to be correct, and wbiob proves that mining, far from being a slap-baug sort of business, is an exaot science On tho surface about 140 feet to the north of the main Flagstaff vein, ground squirrels had been busy dig glug homes. Oddly enough, these squirrel holes were in a direct line, ruuuiug practically parallel to tho treud of the Flagstaff veiu. Super intendent Reynolds devoted a wholo day to tho study ot squirrels. Tho French goneral manager laughed at him because ho squinted down those squirrel holes and because ho earn plod tho squirrel holos dumps. TIiobo squirrel holes constituted the ground work of R'jyuolji's theory. See, now, aud judge, how it worked out like tho simplo rulo of throe. Reynolds told the writer about it, oue uight in tho bunk at tho Whito Swan mine, just over a couple of ridges from the Flagstaff. "And, sir," ho wound up, "snmu day I'm going bnak to tho Flagstaff aud prove that my thoory i i right, oven to its utmost limits." The diorite country rock comes almost to tho surface ou the Flag staff group, which is Inuated on a barren knoll at an elevation of fully 1,000 feet abovo Powder river valley. Only a aouplo of foot of soil affords root-bold for sagebrush and bunch grass. Becoauso of this fact, aud because of the further fact that the squirrel holes, abovo-meutioued, wero iu straight Hue, Reyuolds concluded that here was a fissure. Aud, if there was a fissure voin, 140 feet uortb of tho main Flagstaff veiu ou the surface, he calculated that a crosscut from the 700-foot level of tho Flagstaff shaft, it driveu north 140 feet, would intersect that fissure voin, ami afford a flow of water. Iu brief, that waj Reynold's theory, so dowu iu the dry shaft he seut a crew with machine drills to test its oorreotues3. A crosscut was started, aud at a poiut 138 feet from the shaft a round of machine holes were drilled iu the face. Each hole Bpurted water. The aggregate flow wa 140 gallons enough for all purposoB. The holes were never fired, Reynolds fearing to break into too wot a vein, aud not caring to risk tho heavy expoiiflo of pumping a big flow of water from tho 700- foot level (au exponao, by tho way, which wrecked ouo or two operators of tho adjacent Virtuo mine. ) Tho crosscut was bulkheadod, aud it to day constitutes a subterranean reser voir of adequate capacity. Tho water problom solved, Rey nolds turned his attention to the ore problem. Ho hoistod 810 and $1T rock from Nos. 1 aud 2 levels, but holplossly beheld tho gold si into off, the minute particles absolutely re fusing to adhero to tho amalgam platos. All this was beforo tho cyuuido process was perfected, so that it remained for Roynolds to eithor find bottor milling ore iu the miuo, or shut down. Tho Frouch owners, upnu whom assessment after assessment had been levied, advisod aud almost demanded a shut-dowu. Tho French general manager, N. B. Imhaui, however, had faith iu Reynolds, and Billy himself turned again to the squirrels. The squirrel hole vein was known ou tho Flagstaff maps as tho Whito Frost ledgo. Roynolds always called it tho Squirrel. He conferred with Imhaus. "I'm going to crosscut from No. 1 to the Squirrel," ho announced, aud Imhaus told him to go ahead. Eighty feet woro driven toward tho north from No. 2, and a vein was cut. (lood ore camo in, and hopo was high. Also a horse camo In aud hopo was blasted. "This isn't the S(uirrel, anyway," said Reynolds, Forty feet further another vein was cut. It was barren. The Fronch owners were kept duly iuformod of tho progroBS of work by weokly reports. They couldn't understand the squirrel system of mining, aud each week their joint and soparate feet became coldor. When the socond vein was tapped In tho Squirrel orossaut, and tacked onto the announcement was the grim word, "barren," they rushed to tho telograph office aud cabled : "Shut dowu!" Imhaus aud Roynolds read the mossago aud swore. It Is rotated that Imhaus said "Sacre bleu!" while Reynolds contented himself with a plain American "Damn. !" Paris, however, is a far cry from Powder liver. And the squirrels w roodoiug business at the same old stand. Whorofore, Iuihaus and Reynolds entered into a conspiracy. They would NOT shut down. They would do some moro squirrel mining ou their own hook. Thuy had faith in those squirnls, aud were willing to buck it up with their own private uud personal coin. Which they did, aud now approaches the dramatio climax. With a crew of three meu, paid out of their owu pockets, Imhaus and Reynolds continued the Squirrel crosscut. Within twenty addi tional feet they broko through tho wall of the Squirrol voin. One shot broked down a mass of ore glittering with gold. That was tho climax. Now follows tho auti-ollmax or rather, tho wot blaukot. L'ellmoll to Baker City rushed Imhaus and cabled to Paris: "White Frost voin cut on No. 2 levol. Ore lousy with gold. Wiro flvo thousand to roopeu mill." Ovor tho mountains and uudor tho soa across a wholo hemisphere- Hashed tho glad words. In duo tlmo thoro camo clicking back a mossago from Paris which almost moltod the wires. It was written In Fronch, which is a polite language, aud the language of love. Trans lated into plain United States, aud shorn of its jaggod edges, it read iu offoot as follews: "For two yoars we have beeu ooughlug up. Our legs have beeu pulled until we limp to our scanty meals. We have paid, t-ald aud paid for the blessed privilege of tract ug squirrel holes across a bleak hill top. Wo havo beeu six hundred aud soveuty-six separata and distinct sorts of damphools, hut we refuse to be longor buncoed. Wo havo swallowed hot-air promises until our chests are inflated like a Parisian flllo do chambre with the newest style of iiust pad, but we won't stand for being told of a rich strike in a mine that has been shut down for two weeks. Back, back to tho alfafa fields, or we'll have tho law ou yol" Thus was tho Flagstaff shut down, and thus it has long remained. Reynolds, according to the little news item which has been made tho text of this tale is again at tho Flagstaff. Perhaps the Parisians have given him permission to show thorn. Perhaps he only desires to show himself. It's dollars to a doll buggy that his theory Is correct. J. I). Clark has discovered marble on government laud about three in lies from Lehman Springs. Hit made no attempt to secure any from lioueatli the surface, and only brought away some fragments broken from the out croppiugs. These have beeu exam ined by Mouterasetlli brothers, who pronounce them puie marble beyond question, and capable of taking u high polish. In tact, one of Mr. Clark's samples was polished by them as a demonstration. Mr. Clark slat oh that the outoroppings exhibit about every shade of marble he ever saw, and some that he never saw before. The range is from pure white to prao ticully black. The samples he brought iu, and which were selected, uot ou accouut of their color, but be cause of tho ease of getting them, are slaty black aud veiy uuatractive in color, but the marble meu assert that they are geuuine marble. atfafcMSTtt'yig- m onuMtttiar Tnnr-rrnrfiMWMMfaWacr irmttiWrtMrTinUM