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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1904)
M VOL. VI. SUMPTER, OREGON, DECEMBER 21, 1904 NO. 17 RECRUDESCENCE OF POT YUEN Pot Vuoti ia a financier. Pot Yuen is a sawed-olF runt of 11 Chink, with u frank opuu counteu huoo and a perennial niorry smile, who canio to this country from the environs of Hour Kong some thirty throe years ago, and who slnoo that timo has laid up so much Meliaiui mouoy that he ia enabled to do nothing but saw wood. Pot Vuen resides with his coiihIu, who keeps the wash house ou the Powder river brldgo in Sumpter. Pot Yuen's bauds resemble those of the "Mao Who Would Be King," iu Master Kipling's story of that itle. Thoy are twisted and guarled, olawliko, horrible. Written iu Pot Yuen's bands is a chapter on tho "Building of the West." There Is poetry iu them likewise' tragedy. They hold tho pathos of poverty in their palma. They speak of a terrible toil. Thoy are grimly human documents telling anew the truth of tho suspicion that the lust for gold, Iu Caucasiau or Mongolian, iu Christian or Buddhist, ie set as a human motive above every tblug above abstract religious dogma or idols of carveu wood; above hope of heaveu or fear of hell. Pot Yuen does not know this. In his uiysterioifsly-movlug eastern mi ud he has never revolved the pheuomeuou of the life as lived duriug bis 'l!l years in America. It has esu sufficient for him to kuow that the mainspring of his aatiou was made of the usual stuff what he did was no more thau others about him did; and one of the cardinal tenets of.the Oonfuolau philosophy whiqh is bred in the bone of every Chinaman siuoe GGO years before Cbrst is that the nias9 cauuot err; a thory (the modern version of which is that the majority should and shall rule) which has held good duriug nearly twenty -six centuries of human life. Pot Yuen told his life story to The Minor man the other clay. The Miner man does not speak Chiuese, but out ot the wonderful taugle of pigeou Eugllsb, the rapid tire jabber of a man who has much to ay with a poor vehicle uf expression, be deduced the ground work of a tale of no meau merit. Pot Yuen was attracted to The Miuer office by the sight of a pile of unsawed wood in the baok yard. Did it require sawing? Was the help of Pot Yuen iu demand? Was the job worth a dollar? Thus woro negotiations begun. The wood re quired sawing, Pot Yuen was the man for tho job, but the maximum compensation Hhould and would uot be moro thau four bits. "Fohbittco! Wastia mallo you? Dollah hup! Maybo one dollab. 1 see. 11 Pot Yueu surveyed the woodpile from four side with a practiced eye. "One dollah," heaunouueed, with a air of complete finality. Nothing doing. Pot Yueu went away, mutteriug. This was at high ncou. A geutle snow began to fall aud soou the woodpile was buried. At two o'olnok Pot Yueu reappeared. "SisHhe bit. Too uiuchee snow." Fifty cents was tho soalo, aud agaiu Pot Yuen went away, cursing iu an alien tongue. At throe o'clock lie presented auothor ultimatum. "Sixty II' cents." The bargain whs cloHud. The wood was sawed. Tho geutlemau iu tho front office who handles the Miuer's finances (wbeu there are any to baudle) passed over to Pot Yueu seveuty-tive cents, there being a lack of small change. Pot Yuen pooketed the coin, smiled a mysterious Ori ental smilo and went out into the a orm. "Here!" bawled the frout office mau, "Uinitue my change. " Pot Yuon waa deaf. Shouldering his sawbuok be plodded away, look ing for other frout office meu to conquer. The Miuer reporter stood iu the auow, watching Pot Yuen saw the wood. The sight of work appeals to the reporter. There ia something about work which attracts him. There is a novelty about it. The reporter ouoe faced a woodpile, armed with a bucksaw. The woodpile looked good to him. The prospects of work made him joyful. The anticipation was almust paiuful, it was so pleasing. The reporter stood and enjoyed the sight of that woodpile from breakfast to lunch, from lunch to diunei unable to break the spell of alluring prospect. Next day he hired the wood sawed. He had gotten all the bappiuess out of it be could. Pot Yueu sawed wood like a bouse afire. The pile melted. To an ao oompalment of raspiug saw-thrusts, Pot Yuen told bis tale. i He lauded in Victoria in 187 1. He knew uot why he oaine, uor whither. Ho was herded with a gang of other Hong Kong coolies, shipped by the Six Companies to work ou Oregon placer mines. The gaug came to Baker City, whero they separated. Some weut to Idaho, some to Mormon Basin, aomn to Lower Powder, some to Sumpter. Pot Yuen was herded with the Idaho contingent, landing ou Salmon river. For five years he worked, knowing not why nor for whom. Ilia wage waa a pittance.; his toil unceasing. Tho cleanups were secret. Ho knew nothing of tho profits made from his labor. Born a coollo alavo, he was content to ooutiuuo his slavery. Ou tho Continental Divide he Haw his tlrsti buow ou Salmon rlvor felt tho first pinch of bitter cold iu all hia lire. Ho grew to hate It. In tho dead of wiuter, insufficiently clothed, he bucked boulders, coated with Ice from the spray of roaring giants, ills bands were fto.ou dally, until thoy became us they are today guarled, clawlike, horrible. All thia because be was a slave herded to frigid luices at dawn, driven to cold cabins and when tho day's toil was ended ice-covered picks and stiffly-frozen gum bootH were thrown ou tho bare floor in front of a hideous painted imago of Buddha, with distorted countenance, still furfhor distorted by drifting clouds of iucoiHo from punk sticks ami burning paper prayers. (jontlotiien mining men of the snug ofllco and fragrant cigar, do you reck of this sort of mining when you dictate typewritten ordors to your superintendent to. reduce expenses at your placer minesV An awakeuiug came in Pot Yuen's life. One day he was promoted from bucking bowlders to assisting the foreman at a big cleanup. When be saw two gold pans full of yellow dust and nuggets he began to understand. All night long be counted on hia guarled and crook ed fingers the worth of that cleanup. He computed that by working a thousand years as a coolie he might earn that much gold. Next morning he burned a paper prayor, lit a punk stick before his painted idol, and entered the world of men. The year 1870 found 1'ot Yuon iu Sumpter. Chicken Creek, Three Ceut (in lob, Bull (mi river, the North Fork of the John Day saw him working s master placer miuer no louger us a coolie. He and others leased the old Kills diggings bore in Sumpter. iu 1880 he made a trip to Hong Kong, carrying $8,000 in American gold. rJight years later he returned, but fouud conditions ojauged. Tho elbow uf Fate had hit the Chiuese placer miners in Oregon a jolt iu the ribs duriug his absence. Big companies had secured control of all the diggiugs. There was no niche in the scheme of things for runty little Pot Yueu, with hia olaw liko liandp. Wherefore Pot Yuon saws some wood and lives In peace aud quietude with his cousin at the wash house. After five years In America Pot Yueu awaken )d from centuries upon centuries of Oriental sleep, i For flvo other years ho lived a mau. And thou oight years' life mil on g hia countrymen at home, among tho coolies In Hong Kong, lulled him to slumber again. The juice of tho poppy is not more potent than racial environment. Pot Yuen sleeps--and juwa wood. (July hia olawliko hands speak of his historical roorudoscfltioo. INUREST IN THE CORNUCOPIA CASE Milling men, especially, aud busi ness men generally in Baker City are auximiH to know the outcome of the litigation over the celebrated Cornucopia mines, 00 miles east of Baker City, some tweuty-soveu claims iu number, tint property of Searlos, of New York, now iu bankiuptcy, closed down this lust summer lor debt to local dealers and workmen and bolng one of tho acknowledged rich mi lies of tho Kastern Oregon country. it can be stated that the local claims against tho property amount to about 950,000; that judgment for these has been obtained; that tho pennual property of the mine has boon sold and the timo for redemp tion expired; that tho leal prop erty has boon sold and the time for redemption unknown; that II, O. Bogers, of the Standard Oil Co., has sued to foreclose what ia claimed to be a first mortaggo on the prnpeity for 9100,000; the records of the county show that ho has on record a conditional deed to the property executed iu 1001; the legal matters bore staud awaiting result of the Koger'a last move, he haviug been through the federal courts with hia claim. Tho attorneys for the local claim ants aganist the property say that It will never again lie operated until the claims are paid one hundred cents ou tho dollar, Boger's suit is now iu the Baker county circuit court. Demonra. St. Joe Opens Monday. Work on the St. .loo (Wild Mining company's properly ou McCully fork, will begin Monday. Vice President aud (Jeueral Manager Anthony Mohr has reoiuited a orow of miners and is preparing a shipment of winter supplies. The Ht. Joe compauy is composed principally of Cincinnati meu. Over 1000 feet of development in the property has opened a sixty foot ledge carrying good values. Y I I