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.
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