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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 1905)
k? VOL. VI. S. V. RY. PLANNING TO CIRCUMVENT HARRIMAN May Buy Steel Rails in Germany for Ship ment by Water to Porlland. Same Trouble in Hood River. Hariltnau or no Harrimau, freoza out or thaw-out, boycott or no boy cott, the Sumpter Valley railroad's extension from Tipton to John Day way yet be built, according to Chief Englueer Joseph West, who says that tbo company I just now awaltiug future developments, at the same time getting tig urea from (ramp steamer in German waters, with the intent of buying steel rails abroad, shipping them by water to Portland, thence to the Hlue Mountains over the O. R. & N., which will be such ! a short haul by rail that Harriman'a high rated will cut but little figure. It will be remembered that a short timo ago Uarriman uotitiod the bumpter Valley company that here after a regular rate on steel rail shipment over his liues would be charged. Prior to that time a sort of "courtesy rate' had been in effect. Regular rates made rail shipments impossible aud the .lobu Day extension, which was to have beeu rushed to completion next spring, r;as perforce abandoned. The S. V. company cancelled all its orders for steel raila and gloom settled over eastern Oregon. It .was the popular belief that Harriman'a hit-up of rates on Sump ter Valley rails was the first move iu a definite plau to quelcb the Utile road aud later to buy it iu, broaden its guage to standard, exteud into the interior aud make the system of value as a feeder to the main line of the O. It. & N. All of which is exactly what tbe people of eastern Oregon grestly desire, but fear wag entertaiued that Harrimau would take bis time in extending further iuto the luterior, it beiug tbe firmly established policy of the O. K. A N. to keep down tbe development of eastern Oregon until tbe fertile webfoot transportation field la worked to a ripe red limit. Id an interview with a paper in Ogden, Mr. Weet's home towu, tbe obief engineer of the Sumpter Valley Mid that because there la no particular huny about tbe propos SUMPTER, OREGON, tioti, his company will nut plauu au ordor abroad for atool rails for eotno timo, aud in (he meuutimu will await developments, which moans that tbe S. V. baa not yet giveo up Its attempts to provall upou Harrimau to ro-eatabllah the old "courtesy rate." "There are uow a number of (ramp ste'iinun in German wafers, waiting for oargouH," said Mr. Weat, "and we could buy our atoel there, ineiit the tariff charges aud Have money over the aubedula now presented. " Mr. West further explained that the stool could be alilppnd around tbe Horn or by the Hue, canal to Portland, thouro to linker City over but a abort flit etch of llarriiuati's linea, Tbo Sumpter Valley Ih having the Bamo (roublo iu Hood Klvor, where tbe company la building a standard guage road to haul logs for the Hood river branch sawmill of tbe Oregon Lumber company. Harrimau also demanded full ratea fur hauling rails for this piece of road. He was cir cumvented by the use of northern roads to Portlaud, tbonce by water .haul to Hood river. Mr. West's plau to circumvent Harrimau in the John Day extension looks good on paper, but he is reck oning without his host. If Harrimau does not desire tbe construction of tbe John Day line, be will find other means to prevent it. He holds pleuty other cards, as well as a couple of cold decks. Viewed cursorily, there seems not tbe shadow of a possibility that tbe John Day extension will be built next spring, or tbe next. Chaityte in Mining Laws. The convention of the California Mluesr' association, which closed on the 8tb Instant, at San Francisco, California, was one of tbe most im portent In tbe history of thst organi zation, tbe discussion of the several phases of tbe mining industry In that state and the numerous technical pa- ftrlS JANUARY 4, 1904 porn read were IntoroHtlutf and In atruotive. Among tbe mauy interest ing topics which cauio before the con vention was that of the proposed re vision of tbo miuiug law,as explained at longth by A. 13. Heluher. In this connection tho moat im portant is probably the contemplated repeal of tho extralatoral right law aud the Hubatitutiou of a aquaru loca (ion law with all rights hounded by tho claim linea drawn vertically downward iu ita atead. If, however, it is the Intention, aa ia suggoHlud by Mr. Helcher, (o make proviaion for the claim owner to take au additional aide location at some later period when he haa dlacovered tint, hie ore dips iuto adjoining ground aud be deaiiua lo follow it, complicatioua reaulL at once, and II were poaailily bettor to continue with the old extra lateral right law, aa it la, than to atari a new crop of litigation, which will curtaluly be tho outcome of in discreet tampering with the exiatiug law. Mexico has apparently settled tbla pioblem satlaafotorlly by permitting tho location of at many claims aa the locator caret to pay taxea on. No discovery of "mlueral-boariug rock in nlaeo" is required, but he muat pay the uniform price demanded by tho government . This idea might bo adoi ted in (he Uu I tod Hlatea with some uecoaaary modi float iona. If we are Iu have aijuare locations aud no extralateral rights, let it lie nlmply that aud nothing more, for any at tempt to make e.xeeptiona will involve tho iawa iu a new period of litigation which would last for yearn, xuuiu in iiu iuiikui uuni iiji i;aiuii- moot. The action aud effect of tbe preaont Iawa tre well known. There are precedents aud deolalona for al most every aaae to cover exiatiug mimug claims. Other countries, where uo extralatoral rights obtain, have fui uhhed sufficient data upou which to base a new oodo.when desir able. The only thing iu connection, some think, is, perhaps, the number that one person may take. That this ia material is not apparent, as tbe poor miner will not take more tbau be cau pay for or lepreaeut, and tbe rich coiporatlou would buy all it wanted auybow. Uudei exiatiug laws one person may take as many claima as he cares to, and tbe same thing applies to cor porations. The fear that the corpora tions would absorb all i he valuable ground is without precedent. Miu iug and Scientific Press. Dou W 1 1 lard, geueral manager of the Little Cracker Gold Mining & Milling company's properties uear Hourue, visited tbe mine yesterday In company with Tom C. Gray. A force of fifteen men are employed, one crew by contract ou a crosscut tunnel, and another crew In au adit level, where fine ore from a wide payshoot Is being extracted for shipment to tbe Sumpter smelter. NO. 19 IMPERIAL'S SHIPMENTS A. L. MoKwou, general manager of tho Imperial mine, la in Sump ter (uday. He feelH elated over tbo December record nt the Imperial, which, during the month haa shipped a total of 'J 17 toitH of ore to tho Sumpter smoltor, grading from l( to 10() per ton. Thia high grade ore ia being take from (he new about opened in tbe main Imperial vein. Development in the I'Jnglo vein ia alao being carried ou. COMMISSIONER'S ORDER ON RESERVE GRAZING The ordor isiiied by the Intorlor department, addressed to Forest Hup orvlaor Terrell, of Kumpter, allowing cattle to grazo on (he flaker City water abed reserve, regarding which ao much haa been aald, is very re stricted in ita prnvlaloiH. Jiofnro any atock ia allowed (o oii'.or the re serve, a permit iiiiihI be hoourud from Supervisor Terrell. The following la the text ot the order, algned by CommiHaiouer V. A. llieharda,: "Ou December 10, 1 !)()!, the De partment decided to alio not more than 100 head of cattle and horaeH lo be owned by aettlera around aud uear (he borders of (he liaker City Koreat Iteservc, o graze therein from Juno lat to October in, 11)05, aud (bat all stock shall be prohibited from that pari of the reeerve lying south of (he divide beween Pine and Goodrich creeka on the east side of the summit of the range of mouutaiiiH which furnish water to Maker City, comprising about nine teen saotiouH of laud; also that part of tbe reserve covering tbe headwaters of Pole aud Wind creeks on the west side of the mountains, which furnish water to Bumpter, comprising about three sections of laud. "liy prior decision all sheep are prohibited In the reaerve. " WW Start Dixie m. Zoeth Houser, who was at one timo United States marshal for Oregon, but who Is uow owner of the Dixie mine at Quartzburg, as well as beiug a heavy stockholder iu the Standard, Is iu town today, lie spent the holi days at his old home Iu Peudletou, aud is en route to the mints at Quartzburg. He expects to have the Dixie stamp mill running by January Mrfit. A