THh SUMPTER MINbR
?
SUMPERITES BANQUET IN
SWELL GOLDFIELD JOINT
CLAIM-JUMPERS ACTIVE
AT END OF OLD YEAR
Wednesday, January 4, igo$
They Express a Poetic Yearning for Timber,
Water, Snow, Wives and Sweet
hearts Left Behind.
Goldfleld, Nevada, Dee. 27.
There was a gathering here on (ho
evening of Duo. 24th of a number of
old "Sunipterites," who commem
orated the ocoaalun in proper style.
Of course, there was a "feast of
reaBou and a flow of soul" aud natur
ally enough the "flowing bowl" whb
not neglected. Out here on the suud
dunep of Nevada, it is pleasaut to
think of the green trees which line
the Blue tnnuutaiuB and eveu tbo
suow at this season of the year is a
pleasant reminiscence and preferable
to the clouds of dust euoouutorerJ
here. Last, but by no means lonat,
are fond recollections of sweethearts
left behind.
In view nf all this, it is small
wonder, that the following "Rang"
assembled at the Palm restaurant, tho
"awelloBt" cafo in Goldfleld. It was
mado up of Judge J. L. Evans, who
used to diupoiiso tveu-hauded justice
in Sumptnr and who achieved the
distinction of being the cbampiou
"slough" player iu the "deoatrlet;"
Arthur Fbilbriok, Charlie Fenuer,
W. T. Vouug, formerly of the May
Queen; Frank Murphy, V. U. Scott,
Charlie Warren of tho Valley Quoeu,
Jobu Davies, Dr. Pomeroy aud T. J.
Costello.
It is quite needless to describe
what took place, because those who
know thorn can well imagine it. Aud
then an elaborate bill of fare awaited
them, sbarpoued by two days of
abstinence from food aud drink.
It would naturally be presumed
that after having got through with
this meal, the boys would have been
'coo full for utterauoe," but they
woron't. It would take up too
nmob npaoe tu tell all they laid or
repeat all the "bon mots" (that's
French) thoy got off. Philbriok's
effusion whh:
"Here's to Oregon's timber, Hah
aud bay,
Likewise Nevada's sunshine, silver
and gold;
It will be many a loug and weary
day;
This bunch .will grow old and
feeble aud gray,
When Oregon's timber, flsh and
hay,
No more shall be, aud
Nevada's sunshine, silver aud gold
Snail fail to welcome all of thee."
Then Tom Costello bad his in
nings: "Here's to dear old Sumpter,
In the heart of Oiegon's moun
tains, blue;
Here All to the brim a bumper.
She's a friend ever tried and true."
Judge Evans, too, lapsed into
poetry :
"Here's to Nevada, the land of
gold,
; Where the coyote bowls and the
iwind blows ooldf t .
We will never go back till we all
grow gold,
Without some of that stuff we all
call old."
Frank Mu?zy, with a youug mous
tache and imperial just started, raved
about tbo wives and sweethearts left
behind aud Charlie Warren bowailed
the fact that this district did uot
have two or three of Sumpter's cap
able uewspaper meu and half a doon
of lt-9 promoters. They wero follow
ed by Dr. Pomeroy, DavieB aud Scott
aud the program closed with Cos
tello's: "Hero's to the knocker with bis
awful little hammer,
When ho arrives lu Hades;
The devil quickly raisos all tho
shades,
'Cumo here thou thrino wolcome
oue
Sic on my right Hud simmer. ' "
The boys bad a jolly good timo
and were an on duck tno next mom
iug.
The following Sumptoritos who
were here aud were kept away from
the banquet through other engage
ments, or through fear of tempta
tion, are: Charlie Petors formerly
with Attorney N. C. KiohardB and
who report says is on tho high road
to wealth, Sol Camp, 13111 Kitchen,
Jim liogau, George Uarues, Henry
Urauuiug, L. C. liuokwith, Ed
Smith, W. N. Kiuoaid, George Hid
well, Wesley Warruu, George Dun
ham aud K. R. Casper.
SIMPION TUNNEL
NEAR COMPLETION
Tho close of the proaeut year will
mark the completion of one of tho
greatest eugiueeriug works of mod
ern times, the Simplou tunnel, pierc
ing the Alps and establishing a new
fast means of communication aud
transportation between the north and
south of Europe.
The total length of the Simplou
tuuuel is, acooridug to official fig
tires, 10,791 meters, or about O.'l,
310 feet.
It was expected that the two gangs
of workmen digging away from each
eud of the Huh would meet uudei the
mouutaiu toward the end of last
mouth, but great and unlooked for
troubles were encountered, wbiob
delayed the work to such an extent
that this novel meeting under the
mountain has been postponed, but it
is a matter of only a few days before
this will ocour aud the hole will be
complete. Considerable work, how
ever, remains to ba done after this
The olaim jumper will bo abroad
in the laud tonight.
Thero promises to be smoothing
doiug when midnight cornea aud
graveyards yawu.
One or two lutrcptitiouB expedi
tious have plauued tn start for toe
hills about uoou armed to the tooth
aud propared to jump or be jumped
ou.
The only active aud visible sign
of preparation so far has boeu the
purchase by half a dozou miuiug
meu of snow-shoes, quart bottles,
location blankB and guus.
It is rumored tint au expedition
has been formod to jump tho North
Polo mine. Tom Gray has IiIh eyes
ou tho Columbia aud Tony Mohr 1h
expected tu disappear iu tho direc
tion of the iiouau.a.
it is a fact worthy nf note that
oach year there 1h Ichb claim jumping
iu tbo Sumpter district. Various
causes oxplaiu this phenomenon, lu
tho first place, nearly overy operator
in this camp does bis annual aaHOB
mout work. In tho second place,
a broad fooling of liberality a desire
to givo ovory miner a show for It Ih
whito ally actuates tho mining
population of tills region. Iu tho
third place, claim jumpiug Ih a
recreation daugeroua alike to life and
limb. Fouithly, tho weather Ih
usually auythlug but salubrioui ou
meeting before the work is Mulshed.
At tho presout time the woBt Alps
aro pierced by two tuuuels, of which
oue connects tho other one tho Mout
CouiH with Franco. There wub
alwaj'B a need of quicker transporta
tion botweon Italy, on tho ouo hand,
aud tho north of Franco aud Eng
land on tbo othor. Tho importance
of tho Simplou pasH has been known
for centuries, and during tho yearn
from 1800 to 1805 Napoleon built
the famous road over (ho Simplou,
which, at that time, was ouo of (ho
groatost engineering aahiovmontH.
The road has boon used up to tho
presout day.
Whan, iu lHf7, construction ou
tho Mont Couis tunnel whs begun,
plans had already been laid out for a
railroad tuuuol through tho Simplou,
and since thou a number of plans
aud schemes havo been submitted,
but it was only iu 1 HIM that actual
work ou the Simplou tuuuol whs
started.
Tho following figures will bo of
interest, as thoy show tho length of
tho principal Alpine tunnels lu
Switzerland, viz. : Arlberg tunnel,
,'i:i,972 feet; Mout Cuuis tuuuoi,
42,405 feot; St Gothard tuuuel, 4 1,.
9G2 feet; Simplou tuuuel, OTj.IUO
feet.
lu other words the Simplou tunnel
will be about 20,000 feet longer
than tho tunnel uudor tbo St.
Gothard. What immeuse eugleeriug
difiiuutlies have beon encountered lu
the construction of the Simpluu
tuunel can hardly be told iu au
article of this kind. The pressure
on the tunnel is immeuse, tho Sim
plou Alps laying over the tuuuel to
au average height of more thau 7,000
feet of the entire length of the out.
The constructiuu of the Mout
Ceuis tunnel took 14 years aud in
volved an expenditure of nearly
Doc. :U at midnight. Few meu caro
to mako a snow shoo journey to some
wiud-Hvopt peaktop, where tho mer
cury flirts outrageously with thu
figures below zero.
Laat year there was very little
claim jumping. It is truo that an
armed body of men marched to a
fraction adjoiuiug tho Columbia and
met another armed body coming
from anothor directiou. There wan
uo clash, except verbally, but tho
case Ih uow poudiug in tho courts.
Advices from out Greenhorn way
say that the jumper will havo but
little to do this year. Proofs of
lubor havo already been filed by
owners of almost every located olaim
iu that section.
As a usual thing, on tho ov of a
Now Voar, tho sale by iiowspaper
otlluuH aud stationers of blank loca
tion notices is very heavy. Tho
publisher of Tho Minor recalls that
two years ago today ho sold fully a
huudrod location blanks. A year ago
businosH iu this lino had dropped to
two dozen. Thia year, during tho
week, tho total number of location
blanka sold by this cilice would uot
buy tho printer chewing gum
All of which Ih indicative of tho
fact that claim owners lu tho Sump-
tor camp consider their undeveloped
hotdingH of Hufliuleut value to impel
them to do legal assessment work hs
a precaution against jumporH
75,000,000 fnmes; that of tho St.
Gothard tuuuol, ul no and a half
years, and cist over HO, 000,000
fratiCH. Tho Simplou tuuuol, as
shown before, nearly oiio-third
longer thau the St. Gothard, has
been completed lu a little Johh than
10 years aud has uot cost over
70,000,000 franc.
Tho Simiilou tunnel consists of
two parallel giillorioH, tho axes of
which aro of) foot distant of each
other and in lutoravlH of 700 feet
thoy aro connected by a transverse
section. However, only ouo of these
two gallorim Iihh beon built nut to a
railroad tunnel, while tho second
gallery will bo completed later on,
whenever truffle shall require it.
Stockmen Organize.
The meeting of (ho ituokraiHors
aud citizens of northern Grant, for
tho purport of opposing outside
stouk, was held at Hamilton ou Fri
day, December 211, at which there
were quite a number of the most
prominent slieepmen aud cattlemen
present. Tho resolution stilling (ho
object of tho association mis again
endorsed by this moot iug, aud the
organization was perfected by the
election of Emll Soharff, of Monu
ment, as president; H. Craig, nf Fox,
secretary, aud W. W. Austin, of
Hamilton, assistant secretary. Presi
dent Scharff appointed W.Austin, J.
D. Cusuday aud Wm. Swiok, a com
mittee ou constitution aud by-Jaws,
with instructions to report at the
next meetlug. Emll Soharff, Law
rence Sweok aud John Jonas wore ap
pointed a committee on publication.
Ulue Mouutaiu Eagle,
J. Win Wilson, of the Listen Lake
mine, returned from a business trip
t n..L.n nit., iki. ...!.... i
i i.u unaui vjiby iuii uiuiuiuk.
J