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About The Sumpter miner. (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1905)
THE SUMPTER MINER Wednesday, March 19, iM The Sumpter Miner t'UIILIillliM l!VI!HY WliUNHSDAY II Y J. W. GONNKI.I.A t.nlerrl it the ostoft1ce In Sumpfer, OreRon, (or irnriMtilsfoii tliruuzti ttie mulls as second clas SUIISCHU'TION HATKJ ir Vc.ir ,t Month ,f 3.00 1. AIWAVS IN AOVANCH. Deportation h tlio remedy which n Colorado paper HUgifunlH for thu knocker nvil. In 'hoiiio' camps tlnit would moti a depopulation, iiuIohh favorites woio played. IOvoii thou, tho onto wouldn't ho iih Imd iih tbo disease. Tho mining low amendment bill, introdnood In tlio lowor house of (ho I'riiHHiitu diet, prov.dH that ownore must oporitt" thoir iiiIiihh when thoro Ih ft pnnpoot of profit, or whou tholr HUHpoiiHlon Ih dotriinontHl to public InturoHt. In tbo ovout of owners not complying with nn ordor o( tho mln itiK dopiirtmont to roHiimo work, tho Jiittor Ih tnpoworod to iiiHtituto pro coodingH to doprivo tho owners of tholr ptnporly mid in (ho Meantime to itppolnt nn official to oporalo tho nilnoH. That bill ooiluiuly miiHt huvo boon draftod by a Willuinotto valloy fanner. Tlio Noviula legislature Inn votod f'J-.OOO for a metallurgical Inborn lory fur tbo atato university, Iboro having boon not a single dlHHotiug voto. I'ooplo engaged in milling down I horn iiiiihL bo considered juut an good oh ordinary folkH. It h dilf oront In Oregon. Iloro tho farniorM from tbo Willainotlo valloy and tho 1'ortland guttlers combine to onnut legislation to kill tho mining Indus try, seeming to tioiiHldor it an illogtl initio ouoiipation that miiHt bo "regu lated." Ovor In Washington, too, tho loulHlatiiro ih considering hill that will oltootunlly put a quietus on tho llllHilMHH, Tho only roal satisfactory niolbod of determining tho weight or oro in place Ih to tako a hI jpo, carefully inoiiHiiro up an excavation and weigh (bo oro that Iiiih nnmo out from tho cavity ho inado. Of nourae (ho old nilo of lining tho Hpmilllo gravity or (ho average material, If oaroiully up plied with tbo proper factor of safety, will give rair results. It Ih ofiou tho only nun that oiiu bo adoptod. Tho factor or satoty appllod, of coiino, Ih vory largely matter of judgment , and oxporiouuo. It 1im boon round, howovor, that tho nppll nation of., iho specUlo gravity rule UHiially gives uihiiIM Hoiuowhat in ox m'HH of tbo 10 obluini'il by tho applha t Ititt of tho practical mothod of break I UK down 010, measuring tho ouvity uiado, and weighing tho 010 otaiuod from It. MliiliiK Koportor. Tho Koutho'-n Paolllo railroad oMUilalH bavo Huppliod Loudon and Purls oIIIoIhIh, at thoir requoits, all (ho data that ban boon collected during tho past thirty tlvo years per taining to (bo gradual drying up of .Suit Lake. .InriL what those hoiotitiHts wIhIi to dotoruiiuo Ih not HteUnl. From tbo data it appears that tbo lako hurt linen receding Btoadily since 1S75. Ju tint aUtoon yoara between J SHI and UK), thoro has boon a total fall of about twolvo foot. I'i t.Hiiliou.itoly tho fall in tho lovol ot tbo lako during tho past three yoarH ban boon much greater, mid at (ho pronont rato tho lako will dry up within forty yoarri and hcoouie a dry, oxteusivo bod of Milt. 'I he largo diversion of water from streams emptying into the lako for purponoB of irrigation, to gether with constant evaporation. Ih, of course, tho simplo explanation of why thlH unique nody of Halt, water, about 4:i()0 feet in altitude and 1100 miloB inland from tho shoios of the Pnaillc oouhii, will, iu a few years, bo a thing of the paut. Thoro Ih vory little harmony in Iho mining lawH oHtabliHbed by the vnri- oiih HtatoH. In regard to the size of olaim, Home HtatoH allow the full maximum area allowed by tho federal law i 1,500x000 foot. Other -itatoH allow claims only ouo-lialf, and In hoiiio oases only ono-quaitor tbo area allowed by tbo federal statute; for example, iu Montana, mining oliilniB are 1,500 foot long by 000 feet wldo that iu to Hay, .'100 feet on each Hide of the vein located. In Colorado tho width cannot exceed .'100 foot, or 150 foot ou oaob Hide of tho voln. In hoiiio counties of Colorado, the local regulations coniluo tho width to 150 foot, or Hovonty-flvo foot on oaoh Hide of tho dlHoovory shaft. In hoiiio Hiitoi tho law roiuiroH tho prospector to do IiIh location work within a Hhort period, Hiich iih ninety days, whoro as In otliorn, a pronpootor may allow IiIh itHHMHHinoiit woik to o for nearly two yearH In hoiiio oi.hoh. MiniiiK Hoportor. Much hiiH been mild and written about tho promotor, but it Iiiih boon loft to tho Dillon, WynmliiK, Double jack to compare him to a niirHO maid; which hiikkohIh tho idea (o Tbo Minor that thlH conception, extended fur ther, would load one to doHlunnto tho proHpoctnr iih a Hat, burro;. -broitHtod mother and tbo inveutor ih tho wot uiirio. Tho Doublojack Hityn: ".And yet, if tho devil alwayH Kot IiIh duo, tho much mallKiiod promoter Hhoulil bo credited with playiiiK the moHt impoitaut part of tho trinity of iiidividualH who make tho milieu tho proHpoctor, tho promotor and the luviHtor. l')r a pronpuc'or llndi (ho mine and IiIh work Ih dotio, tho In voitor IiivohIh his money and waits for roturiiH. Tho promotor tellH of I(h oxlHtoiico to tho men who bavo money; bo Ih the Ko-botwmm for the moil who have the proHpoct and no motley and the moti who huvo tho money and no pionpoct. Tho pro motor lt tho n ii iho maid, who adopts a foiindliiiK aud iiuihoh it, traiiiH it, and dlrootH Kh youth. Aud to him, by all tho lawn of juatloo, should cro dit ho nlvon fort ho part ho plays in tho dovolopmoiit of tho ureal wont. Without him iiluo-toiihtH of out Kreat milioH, which huvo annuitlly added mlllioiiH to tho wealth of tbo oast, would Htill bo more proapoot holon, and an army of prospmitorH who made their 'little ritako' throuuh tho aid of tho promoter, would ntlll bo lookliiK for tho mine that paid from tho utaaa iooIh," A number of loading cltizona mot litrtt ovodIiik with Mohhih. Ki 1 lou aud Wttruor to dUcusH tho Uumptor-Uuurno railroad proportion. When it was aunouucod iu Tho Minor that these Kontlemou wo to hero for tho purpoao ofpirfoctiiiK arrHiiKemontri to build thlH road, oxpoctiiiK to IiokIu work at an early date, Home inexplicable up poHltiou to tho ontorprino appeared. They at unco aunouucod that if tho people horo didn't waut the road, thoy eortaluly wouldn't force it ou tho community. Thin entirely justi fiable attitude ou thoir part cmiied hoiuo of the mure progressive citizens to tako the mutter up, which renulted iu the tueetliiK last eveului. Messrs. Kllleu aud Warner, speak ing for tbeir compuny, stated that they have the larger portion of tho money uocnHsary to build the road pledged, if the people here will show their faith iu the enterprise by sub scribing for a Hinall por cent of the botidH. This witB considered alto gether siitiuFactory aud it is under stood that all opo-iitiou is withdrawn. A committee was appointed to handle this end of tho deal. There is no formidable obstacle iu the way of huccuss, and very little doubt at this time. Strange to HHy, tbsro has been Home, apparently, honoHt dilferonco of opinion as to what effect this road will have on Sumpter's future, a few people thinking that it might divert trade from thin camp. Not wishing to appear dogmatic, The Miner must Hay ttiat these vkeptics are absolutely mistaken. The principle that to Imprcve and facilitate travel and transportation between anj town and tributary districts is supremely bene ficial to both the central and the con tiguous commuuitioB is as coitain es tablished iih any priuciploof political economy can be, tnd cau be demon- Htrated with tho accurate certainty of a mathematical problem. This ii a more allegation, of oourHo, though it is true. Hut to come down to details in this patticu larcaso; the building of thin road will bring in foreign capital that will be circulated horo, iu the con struction of the road. After it is built, it will mako possible tbo profl table working of mines which are not now operated, owing to high transportation charges ou machinery and ore. This will increase the pay roll. As the ore supply increases, the capacity of tho smelter must ueo oflsarily bo enlarged, which will ro suit inevitably in tho growth of Sumpter's population, which menus that the merchauts will soil more goods. Tho whole local commercial and industrial world will be stimu lated by tho introduction of money, both from tho outside and that takou from (he ground, 'tnd money is as uecoHhitry to businoss life iih blond Ih to animal life. This Ih merely otio phase of tho proposition; there are a half a doon others, equally iih important, oven if iu less degree of magnitude. The truth of tho matter Ih, that this is Sumpter's one chance, uot only to hold it? own, but to grow and thrive. Tho must optimistic must admit that during recent mouths this town has lost ground aud that something miiHt bo done to stop thi retrograde move ment. This railroad enterprise will do it and glvo it another impetus that will irresistibly laud it iu the front rank ot western mining camps, aud no elfort or price will be too costly to pcouro ho important a factor iu tho substantial development of tho country aud (he upbuilding of Sumpter. Frauk J. Sullivan, of California, hoiiio titiio since dolivered au address ou tho pioneers of that state, lu which ho gave some interesting facts about thu discovery of gold there. Ho said: "Ou Jauuary -4Ui, 184 8, just two weeks before tho signiug of tho articles of peace with Mexico, gold was discoverd in CMlifuruia. Then commenced the movemeut of people to tho miues from all parts of the earth. Unlike tho pioneers of former days, the majority of theno immi grants dimply desired to gather gold aud thou return to their homes; but as fate would have it, allured by the beauty of the scenery aud the mild climate, they preferred to remain cltizeui of tbh laud of the w jsc. The number of ships that arrived iu 'San Francisco bay then numbered ,two each day. Nearly all were abnn .donod by their ctews, who ptofo'tud to seek their fortunes in tbo mines. !Tho tlnest vessols afloat ratted lu tho bay. lu 1 d alone, tho pioneers by son numbered IIS.OOO, of which 2U,- ,000 wore Americans. Those by laud 'nmouuied to 4'J.OOO, of whom a.V 000 were Americans. To show the jiesults of the discovery of gold, I will give somo figures, lu 1847, tho I total of gold product iu tbo Uutied ! States was Jess than 81,000,000. Iu ,1810, by reasou of tho California miues, tho llguro aiose to 840,000,- 000, and in 185IJ to suu,uuu,uuu, the greatest output iu our history. Cau auyoue now doubt why Califor nia is called golden. It. was goldeu iu its miues, golden iu its (lowers, goldeu iu its sunsets, goldeu in the possession of the piuueers and its native wbb uud daughters." Railroad officials state that 8,000 tickets have boeu aold at St. Louis aud 7,000 at Chicago for Uoldfleld, Nevada, and that thoy expect to sell in all U0. 000 tiokets to Nevada points during tho uxt two or three months. That mob of touderfeet will be as completely fleeced aud thor oughly disgusted as was the groat crowd that rushed intu tho Yukon country a fw yours go. One in a tnousand may make a stake, a fow will mittiHgo to mako a liviug and the vast majority will make it disas trous failure Uut the old "rosi deuter," the mau who has served an apprenticeship iu wosteru booms, who is "wise" to tho situation uud his opportunities will unquestionable make a "big killing." Thoro has boeu no such run of suckers since the Alaska craze, and there will probably bo uo other such for years to como; possibly never again in. this country. Tho congress just ouded made ap propriations at its first sossiou aggre gating 87Hl,172,:i7n. 18, and the expenditure i authorized at the hoooihI session foot up 8818,478, 014.81. Thin gives a grand total of 8 1,500, 051, '280. 0 and It broaks tho reooid. Whsu v;o had our tlrst "billion-dollar congrosH" tho country hold up its hands iu holy hornor, aud campaign orators uud tho newpape-s rang the changes ou goverumeutal ex travagnco for years afterward. The presont iuoideut of "a nil-liou-aud-a-half-dollar congress" is uot likely to cause any general popu lar apprehension as to the Muaucial souuJuorii of the uatiou, but it must ittovitably set the most conservative element iu our uitizeuship to dolug some hard thiuking, for thbse ap ptupriatious by tho tifty-elghth con giess excoed by 813,4:i8,(u'2 the ex penditures of tho tltty-tlfth oougre8e, which had to provide foi the extra ordinary expenses of the Spauish American war, aud they threatou a dellcit of nearly 80:1,000,000 at the close of the next tlecal year. It must bo borne iu mind, too, that iu 1808 special internal-revenue taxes were levied iu various wajs, in order to meet the euormous expendi tures iucideut to tho war, but now the government has ouly the ordi nary sources of reveuue to rely upon to pay the bills authorized. Ou the other baud, a compensating aud altogether reassuriug circumstance in tbo present situatiou is the available cash balauoe of approximately 9141, 000,000 iu the United States treasury a balance fully $00,000,000 in ex cesa of the $75,000,000 that Secre tary Shaw regards as "entirely aafe aud leoure. " J,-- i 'ft' I HtF & X A i. W y