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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2007)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday. October 10,2007 - NINE Stub Lewis and The Gold Cat Editor’s Note: The following article was pub lished in the Sept/Oct edi tion of Gold Prospectors Magazine. By Lee Farren 1 » 1 Sept. 27: -MCSO was notified of an attempted theft of gravel. The reporter Drake, daughter of the Rev stated that the subject put erend Grace Drake of Hep the gravel back when con pner, ran the Portland Mara fronted. thon on Sunday, October 7. -MCSO received a She ran the marathon in four request to have a female hours and 30 minutes. subject trespassed off the Drake’s overall place reporter’s property. The was 3,667 out of 7,724. Her subject was confrontational division placement for Fe and would start a fight. The males ages 50-54 was 59 reporter’s ex-husband is Reverend Gwen Drake out of 399 and her gender on her property in Rev. Gwen Drake is a staying placement was 1,437 out the pastor travel trailer. The subject of the Hillsboro is the ex-husband’s of 4,195. This was her first United Methodist Church. friend. The reporter ex-girl race. stated that the ex-husband was welcome but not the female subject. A deputy made con tact with the reporter who said the problem had been solved civilly. -MCSO received a 911 hang up call from a cell ip i W phone. -MCSO issued a ci tation to Peter Alex Valov, 78, for passing in a no pass ing zone. / -MCSO received a 911 hang up. On call back, a female advised she had misdialed. -MCSO received a * #• 911 call stating that the reporter’s husband had hit something or thrown some thing at her boyfriend’s car. Kevin K. Alexander, 34, was arrested for criminal mischief II. -BPD issued a cita tion to Roger Bruce Steele, 48, for failure to obey a traf fic control device. -BPD issued a cita tion to Ralph Earl Bonham, Steve Groce, with wife Dora and children Robert and Katherine 53, for violating the speed limit by going 42 mph in a Donations for the 30 Steve Groce, a 1982 zone. Heppner High School grad family can be made at the mph -BPD issued a cita uate, lost his wife Dora and Bank of Eastern Oregon. tion to Gary Frank two children Robert, 8, and Steve, who was not er, 59, for violating Weiding- Katherine, 4, when their in the car when the crash rule by going 35 mph the in basic a 20 vehicle was struck by a car occurred, has a brother and mph school zone. believed to be involved in a sister who live in Board- -MCSO was notified an illegal street race in El man. of an audible burglar alarm Monte, CA. on Oct. 8. from the front door of the Boardman campus. received a attacking a dog. MCSO re 52, for failure to use a seat- walk-in -MCSO notification of a sponded and the dogs were belt - child. theft. -Irrigon Ambulance taken to pet rescue. Sept. 28: -MCSO -MCSO was notified received a 911 call regarding received a 911 call regard a 74 year old female with a that OSP had arrested Jose ing a railroad track that was Manuel Leyva, 37, on an IJC nose bleed that would not stop. EMS responded and not attached. The caller was warrant for DWS. -MCSO received a transported the patient to the worried the break in the track may derail the train. hospital. report of a gunshot. OSP was on the scene. -Heppner Fire De -Boardman Ambu -MCSO was noti lance received a report of an partment was notified of a explosion that occurred in controlled bum that looked fied that a male subject was a shop with a male subject like it might be out of con arrested by Medford Police sustaining injuries. MCSO, trol. HFD chief responded Department on a warrant. -MCSO issued a ci Boardman Fire Department, but was unable to locate tation to a male subject for Boardman Ambulance, and any fire. -Boardman Ambu violation of the basic rule by Irrigon Ambulance respond ed. OSP was called to assist lance was notified of a mo going 75 mph in a 55 mph tor vehicle accident with zone. MCSO. -MCSO issued a ci -Boardman Fire De unknown injuries. EMS tation to Chantel Ann Rob partment was requested for responded. inson, 20, for 75 mph in a 55 mutual aid with a fire but Sept. 26: -MCSO mph zone. had no one to send. lone Fire was notified that a female -MCSO issued a ci Department was paged. subject had fallen and had tation to Monica Leigh Ann -lone EMS was no a bloody nose, hospital per tified by an lone EMT of a sonnel was present. Heppner Van Fossen, 26, for DWS, female that had fallen and Ambulance was notified and driving uninsured, failure to was refusing EMS. The the patient was transported. carry proof of registration. -BPD issued a cita EMT said he would drive -MCSO issued a ci her home and would call if tation to Fidel Rios Torres tion to a male subject for the speed limit more help was needed. 19, for failure to register violating by going 50 mph in a 30 -lone Fire Depart Jr., a vehicle. mph zone and driving un ment was paged out for Ar -MCSO received a insured. lington Ambulance. There driving complaint of a -BPD arrested Ger- was not enough response so 911 vehicle all over the road on rado Cruz Mendoza, 32, for Heppner was paged out. 1-84 around milepost 104. failure to carry and present. -Heppner Fire De The caller was transferred The subject was also cited partment was requested to OSP. for failure to carry proof of Arlington for mutual aid . -MCSO received a insurance. Sept. 24: -MCSO report of a stolen bicycle. -BPD and Board- -MCSO, Boardman man Ambulance was notified that someone received a had pried the lock and en Ambulance and BPD were call from an elderly female tered the reporter’s resi notified of an unwanted requesting them to respond dence when she was gone subject trespassing at the re because she was not feeling porter's home. The reporter well. BPD requested that for the weekend. call back to advise that the EMS respond as well. EMS -MCSO was notified that a shop had been entered subject had assaulted him transported the female to at an lone residence and it and then left. Hospital. -BPD cited a juve Good Shepherd was unknown if items were -BPD issued nile for no bicycle helmet. tion to a male subject a for cita missing. no -Boardman Fire De operator's license. -MCSO issued a ci tation to a subject for care partment received a 911 call received an less driving with accident. of a fire along the railroad EMS call -BPD a 16 year old -MCSO arrested a track on the right hand side male subject for hurt at the foot of the road next to grain. ball game. An ambulance male subject. -BPD issued a cita Continued next column transported the subject. tion to Sandra Lee Ferguson, Drake The runs in Portland Marathon Reverend Gwen ■?> % fjL Gold fever did not hit Stub Lewis until after he had retired. When it did it took an unusual form. Stub likes gold - he wears a favorite nug get on a chain around his neck, but what he likes even more is building gold recov ery machines. Specifically, Stub Lewis and a Gold Cat highbanker. Stub builds Gold Cat Twin Sluice Super Highbankers. He sells them for about sic by a singer named Stub on gravity fed water and $ 1,500 through The Dredge or Stubby. He’d hold me and needs a flow of about 200- Shop in Sumpter, a center I’d bob up and down, so 1 gallons-per-minute. He also for recreational gold mining got the nickname. I’ve gone recommends a trash pump, in Eastern Oregon. which can handle gravel and by it ever since.” A Gold Cat is basi Stub shares his given small sticks. The reason for all cally two sluiceboxes at name with his grandfather tached to a hopper and a Lewis and an uncle on his that water, Stub explains, is pump. The miner loads the mother’s side. Even people that rocks from a stream are hopper with shovelfuls of who have known Stub all coated with a thin layer of gravel. Water from a pump his life don't know his real clay. Gold powder, flakes, washes it from the hopper name. So here it is, Ervin. and the tiny nuggets called into the top sluice, where the After retiring in 2000 “pickers” are embedded in coarsest material is screened Stub took to watching tele that clay. out. Fine material falls into vision. He was particularly “Gold settles out in the lower sluice, and is intrigued by “Prospecting the riffles because it is 19- washed with more water. America” on The Outdoor times heavier than water,” Classifying screens sort the Channel. Stub says. “Wash it and it material by size. The heavier “I'd always been will find the low place and bits of gold settle into spe interested in prospecting, stop.” cial riffle structures and are but I’d never had anyone to Stub plans to keep caught in a piece of ribbed show me how,” Stub says. producing the Gold Cats. carpet. He joined the GPAA “If they sell all right, that’s Stub’s machine is and started going on outings fine,” he says. “It gives called a highbanker because, to the Sumpter are where me something to do so I unlike traditional sluicebox the LDMA owns property don’t pester the wife all the es, it can work without being on the Burnt River. At these time.” For more informa set directly in a stream. outings members spend a The Gold Cat op weekend mining a claim tion about Stub Lewis’Gold erates on a bank, where with pans, sluices, dredges, Cats contact Stub at (541) gold-bearing gravels are metal detectors and high 676-9261. often found, and works with bankers. They have pot- *Please note that water pumped up from the lucks, share techniques and Burnt River is the property stream. enter contests. On the last of Lost Dutchman s Mining “Old-tim er min- day all the gold they find n is Assoc, and as such it is re- ers rfsdV rocker boxes'in^’divvied'up among the par- stricted strictei to LDMA members streams,” Stub says. “They’d ticipants.* only i unless you are there at shovel the material in, pour “They are running an GPAA/LDMA scheduled water over it and rock them, highbankers,” Stub says. outing. * Where they could, they’d “I thought, ‘I need one of pipe a flume of water down those, but I’m not going to and use a kind of wooden pay that kind of money.’I’m Sheriff's Report highbanker.” one of those guys, if I need Evidence of slui- something I’ll go home and The Morrow County cebox mining can still be build it.” Sheriff's Office reports han found in the Sumpter area, So he did. He de dling the following busi where stub goes a half- signed his first Gold Cat in dozen times each summer 2002. “I just wanted a name ness: Sept. 21: -BPD re on outings with other recre for it, so I called it a Gold ceived a call stating that a ational miners. Cat,” Stub says. Stub's highbankers He had Ross Ma male subject was threaten are unique in having the chinery in Hermiston build ing the reporter’s husband. -Heppner Fire De two sluiceboxes set at dif the sluice boxes. He made ferent pitches so that both the hopper out of an old partment received a call transferred from John Day the coarse and fine material road sign. are washed at the same time, “It worked great,” from a reporter stating he with the water running at Stub says. “The design had been in a head on col different rates. hasn't really changed since. lision with another vehicle. Most miners sprin I’ve improved the riffle trays Three people were involved kle material into highbank and added wheels so it rolls and the reporter was unsure of the injuries sustained. ers - Stud’s hoppers are so over the rocks.” big he loads them with a Stub’s Gold Cats HFP, EMS and MCSO re shovel. He claims a 25% weigh about 100 pounds. sponded. higher gold recovery rate They can be lifted and 23: -MCSO than machines with only moved around like a wheel and BPD Sept. received report of one sluice, because he can barrow and tipped up on water running in a a residence run so much more material. end for storage. He’s been since 1 a.m. with no sounds In addition, his machines asked to make smaller ones people in the residence. come apart for cleaning and that would be even easier to of The reporter stated that a go back together w ith easy- carry around. young man with health is to-operate latches. “I’ll call it the gold sues lived in the residence. Stub grew up on the kitty,” he says. -MCSO responded Imnaha River in Oregon and After trying out his to a motion alarm and deter graduated from Freeze Out first design. Stub remod mined it was a false alarm. Grade School at the end of eled his woodworking shop -MCSO issued a ci 8,h grade. He attended high to handle the new project. tation to a male subject for school in Asotin, WA and At first he made everything no seatbelt. joined the US Army after himself, taking about two -MCSO issued a ci graduation. From there he weeks for each machine. As tation to a male subject for went into automotive front- production has gone up (he no seatbelt. end alignment and frame sold nine in 2005 and 20 in -MCSO issued a ci work. He moved to Hep the first half of 2006) he has tation to Kimberly Lynn pner in 1984 and ran Les turned to Apollo Sheet Met Johnston, 31, for violation Schwab's alignment shop al in the Tri-Cities. Apollo of the basic rule by going 81 for about 10 years. Then he prefabricates the aluminum mph in a 55 mph zone. worked as a janitor for the sluice boxes and the hop -MCSO received an Heppner School District. per boxes. Stub takes over animal neglect stating Oh, and that nick from there, producing the that three horses report were name? Stub got it when he riffle trays, legs, classifying ing and eating their starv own was a baby. “I'd wake up screens and plumbing. waste to stay alive and that real early in the morning Pumps are not in a dog next door had no food and Dave, one of my mom's cluded with the Gold Cats. or water. The reporter would relatives, would get up with Stub recommends a 6-horse like a deputy to respond. me. There was a radio sta power motor with a 3” received a tion that played country mu- pump. The Gold Cat works report -MCSO of two large dogs A Former Heppner grad loses family in car wreck ■it f
