The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-08-04
SONNY" ONCE AGAIN
A Breezy Letter From Him
Describing the
BAKER COUNTY'S GOLD FIELDS
The Siamese Outlook Three Banks
in Portland Closed.


Owing to oppressive heat and
other causes, we are still detained
in the Denver of Oregon which by
this time we like quite we'll.
There is not much excitement
here over the gold discoveries, they
are so frequent that nothing but
the richest strikes are hardly ever
heard of.
There are at present here five
men for every job and it is not adj
visable for those without means to
come here for the present. This
country, in a mineral sense, is all
right and in few months possibly
will furnish employment in the
mines for thousands. While, as l
have said previously, more work
has been done here in the mines
this year than for several years
previous, there are many times
more men here hunting employ
,ment from the silver districts.
! Baker is said by all l3tfavelers to be
the livelist pcint cast Sof the Cas-
cades. There is nothing at pre-
sent to warrant an y more laboring
men to come here.
The Virtue mine has turned out
over$75,000 ingold since the strike
|sabout ten days ago. The property
Ills again in litigation and may be
closed down agair. The White
Swan mine continues to send in
good clean up of the "glittering"
while the Mable mine is holding
it's own and getting better every
foot.
A man by the name of Black, Of
Kansas City, dropped dead at the
hotel yesterday afternoon, | was
talking to him an hour before he
took with a hemorhage of the lungs.
He vas then remarking how excel
lent he felt; never before in Is
years, and remarked. "Well, sir,
| am going in business right here,
and camp here the remainder Of
my days" He little suspected the
truth Of his remarks, Being a
member of the k. of P. order he
died not among strangers but
among friends and brethren. His
wife was telegraphed in Kansas
City and the remains were sent
East today for burial, accompanied
by two members of the order here.
The course of human life is much
like our present financial distur-
Dances, hard to prophesy one day
in advance. Last week / was in
the Auburn placer mining district.
The old diggings are being worked
over again, and some men are
doing first rate, butNater is scarce.
I saw the remains of the old log
|hutSerected by Gee. Griffin at the
headSof a gulch Of the Same name.
fMr. Griffin was with q party Of
emigrants crossing the mountains
to reach the Willamette valley in
the fall of 1861 and by. accident
discovered a nugget of gold, (which
was the beginning of mining east
of the Cascades. At one time Au-
I'burn district contained over $4,000
souls and a town by the name of
lsAubufn, the land marks of which
in the shape of large, canal pipe
Hines and tumbled down houses
.stllsexist, contained a population
lspf7000. When the country was
I'pretty we'll worked out, the Flor
fence, idaho, excitement broke out
and d general stampede was made
to the new strike.
Geo. Griffin was made immensely
rich by his discovery. lie "gruh
Estakedp thousands Of men, and al
lowed no man to want. He was
tkind and charitable, but died a
pauper and the cost Of his funeral
and burial was betrayed by sub
scription by those to whom he had
l.been a benefactor in former days
But few Of these earliest pioneers
live here now. They have either
joined the silent majority, or are
living in some secluded place, de,
lighting in telling of the "good old
days when Auburn was boomin
when coffee, sugar, rice and such
Injuries were worth dollar pei
pound, and bacon scarcer thar
gold dust. Once in a while / come
across some Of these old fellows
They still cling to the miners
habits cannot give it up. Mining
is something fascinating. For who
stays with IL any length Of time
will ever be content engaged al
anything else. | have been pretty
much all over Baker county, in
the various mining districts and
to say thatI have been interested
would be expressing it mildly. TIL,
world little dreams what wealth
there is in the minerals existing
in this section, and it will not b
many years, | again say unit
there will be q home market her,
for . good portion of the products
! Of Umatilla and neighborin,
cniinfiaa