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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1904)
Wednesday, December 21, 1904. THE SUMPTER MINER FOUND $1000 BURIED GOLD About 81000 in gold cold was dug out of the ground near bis slaughter bouse, near the corporate limits of Redding, Cal., by William Menzel, last Monday morning. The Search light tell-i the story as follews: About two months ago Mr. Menzel found thirty dollars in gold coin on the surface of the ground. It was thought at the time that the coin had been dropped by two men who had invaded the premises a few evenings before and who bad been shot as they took their flight. The coins were of an old date but no sig ' nitlcanoe was attached to that fact at that time. But on last Sunday Mr. Menzel found a twenty-dollar gold piece sticking out of the ground edgewise in the corral. The coin was an old one nud the find Bet him to thinking. So on Monday morning Mr. Menzel went down to the slaughter house armod with a rake. At the first haul of the instrument over the rich diggings a lot of twenty-dollar pieces canio to light. Mr. Meuzel had his young son with him, aud the little fellow fell ou tho coins scream ing excitedly that thoy bolonged to him. The father did not disputo the claim, but kept up an iudintrlous raking. The reeult was nearly one thousand dollars, all found about four inches below the surface aud scattered over a small patch of ground. All of tho colna were hardly recoguizable, they were so tarulshed. All the coins are dated over thirty years ago. Among them are six two-and a half-dollar pieces, the mintage of which is seldom soeu nowadays. Mr. Menzel does not like to state the exact amouut or his rich rind, but coufe-ises that it is in the neigh borhood of one thousaud dollars. Mint Golnaqe Statistics. A larger tin tuber of coins, and of a greater total vuluo, was turned out from the mints of the United Stateb during the last fiscal year than in any other since the establishment of the government. (Jeorge E. Roberts, director or the mint, in his annual ' report to the secretary of .the treas ury, gives the total domestic coinage in the fiscal year ended June 30 last a 1228,202,150, while the number of pieces coined, including the coin age for the Philippine islands, Ven ezuela aud Costa Rica, was 219,353, 442. The total coinage for the Philippines was 12,552,020 pesos lu silver aud 635,843 pesos in nickel and bronze. The treasury bus been re lmbursed for the cost of the Philip pine coinage, the total charges therefore to June 30, 1904, being 126,964. lu addition to the fore going the mint at Philadelphia coin ed 210,000 pieces for Veuezuela aud 030,000 pieces lu uikcel for Costa Rica. The exhaustion of the stook of silver bullion purchased under the act of July 14, 1900, and the oonseqent discontinuance of silver dollar coinage have necessitated- a large reduction of the force of the New Orleans mint, which wa chiefly employed upon silver. The director recommends that the present pro vision requiring nickel and bronze eolnt to be made at the Philadelphia tint be repealed, In order that the ether mints may supply their adjacent terriotry. tie culls atten tion tc the fact that under the pro visions of the monetary act of 1900 not more thau 950,000,000 of the 150,000,000 gold reserve cru be in bullion, aud he recommends that this bo changed to permit of a larger supply of bars. He say's that auy importaut demand upon the treasury for gold is always for exports and that for thl9 purpose bars are pre ferred to coin. The seigniorage ou silver dollars coined during tho year was f 3,032, 495; on subsidiary silver coins, 11,950,086. and ou minor ooius, 11,349,717. Mining World. Oregon's Gold Output. While the state of Oregon 1b pro duoing less coal than other states of the Paaiflo coast, the reoeut develop ment of its coal deposits are rapidly swelling the output of the state aud bringing Oregon up to California. The prospects are that within another year Oregon will take preaedenao over California, though Washington is bo far lu the lead as to be safe from competition for mauy yearB to como. Acoordiug to the annual report of the geological survey, the total coal production of Oregon in the caleudar year 1903 was 91,114 short tons, valued at 22J,031. Comparud with 1902 this Is an iucroaso of 25,190 short tons iu quantity nud of $00, 950 iu valuo. Tho increased pro duction is due in largo part to tho reopening of the Heaver Hill mine iu Coos county. Tho entire proluction of the statu is lignito, and most of the product is shipped to Sun Fran cisco by water. Tho repurt does not give much detail about tho coal In dustry of Oregon, aside from a table of production for tho past ten yeais, from which it is seen that the total output last year fell below that of 1896 and 1897. There were em ployed in coal mining lu Oregon last year 235 men, who worked 258 days. In 1902 there were 265 men employ ed, working 234 days. WATCHING THE DIAMOND TRUST The Department of Commerce has Issued a very interesting report iu re gard to the South African production and th,e United States importation of diamonds, it is said in this report that the whole diamond busiuess is "the closest aud the most powerful of trusts, for not only is the trade con ducted in an underground way, con cealed from all public scrutiny, but It seems to be managed independ ently of all custom houses interven ing betweeu Cape Colouy and the United States." Suireptitioua trade is now greatly favored by the secrecy with which busiuess is conducted, values being declared iu South Africa and concealed iu Europe, and the whole busiuess being carried on in dependent of European official re cords. The vast bulk of diamonds sold iu the world now comes from South Africa and the greatest market for these gems Is In the United States. The people of this country, iu posses sion of abounding prosperity, seem willing to spend their money lavishly, paying the highest price for ImSorted diamouds, imported wines and imported opera. It is a well known fact that no other trade re sponds more quickly to the varying conditions of general bueinesa tbau tho jewelry trade, aud the recent re vival iu busiuess bai produced a very active demand for geniB and jewelry. All the South African diamouds are exported to London and from there distributed to different parts of the world, lu 1903 the total valuo of South Africau diamouds exports to Cheat Hrltniu was $26,194,019. In the same year the total imported of diamonds into the United States from all countries was 120,507,786, or slightly moro than the total out put of South Africa. It should be Raid, however, that of this total, $10,933,188 wore uncut diamonds, and $15,574,598 were cut diamouds, which are uucessarlly of highor value. Tho great proportion of cut diamouds imported into the Uuitod States, or, to be exact, 17,458,733 iu 1903, camo from tho Netherlands, which, haviug obtained tbo unaut stones from South Africa by way of Great tiritaiu, out them and thou ox port them to otbor countries. Tho vast majority come to the United States. It is estimated that thero are over 7,000 expert diamond miters required to supply tbo Americau de mand. Our government is making an effort to get at the bottom of the trado in diamouds, so as to prevent tbo surreptious Importation of tho stoues iuto the United States, and thus protect tho home diamond cutting iuduMtry. Tho government has had some huccohs in this, iih tho imports of regular diamonds have iucreasod from $2,517,759 in 1898 to $10,933,198 in 1003. Wall Street Journal. NOTES OF THE MINES. The report emanates from Granite that a new lead has beon uncovered in the Quebec mine, and that Man ager W. C. Calder la ou the ground Investigating. The Hascho-Sago llardwaro com pany this morning sent out a wagon load of steel, powdor, fuse, and nils cellaueoin mining Hiippliea 'to tho Imperial mine. Steady shipments of hiuh grade copper ore coutluno from tbo Seven Dovils district to tho Sumpter smolter. Seven toams aro hauling bot.woon the mines and Council, Idaho. Lumber fur anothor cabin at tho Niue Stako Hxtonsiou, on Little Cracker Creek, was Bent out by Gen eral Manager Touy Mohr this morn log, who has arranged from a steady wiuter's work. Property belonging to the Weather-by-llnnauza Gold Mining company, at Weatberby, on Lower Uurnt river, was sold yesterday by the sheriff to satisfy a $5,000 judgment held by Marion A. Duller, of Portlaud. A letter has been received Cbarloy Warren, written at Autouio, Nevada, Warren states that peditiou, whlah he pected to outer Touopab the follow ing day. The halt was made at San Autouio ou account of a Hick horse, the fir t illuess to be suffered during the long overland trip by either man or beast. Attorney Chance, for the Alpine company, in the case wherein it is de fendant aud?Ashby plaiutiff.appearoil before Judge Alleu at 2 o'clock UiIh afternoon aud moved that the amend ed service be set aside, which motion was overruled. He then de murred to the complaint. The de murrer will be argued tomorrow afteruoou. The cause of this action has several times been stated iu these oolumus. from Sau in which Mr. the Kitchen ex accompanied, ex- ffnCOIDGMNDE iWvJg : Only transcontinental line dassing directly through Salt Lake City ilLcadvillc i; Colorado Springs i and Denver. - w Three splendidly equipped tra ne ; ; dally TO ALL POINTS EAST. I Through Bleeping and Dining Can ', and f reo Koelintng Chair Cars. Tho most Magnificent scenery in ; America by daylight. 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