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.
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