The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1900-04-25
THE GENTLEMAN
FROM COLORADO.
Makes a Few Remarks on
Local Prospeetors.

uE WpNEN Induc CIOSc CdII WIcU u
stated that what Is most needed In this
district are few hundred experienced
prOspectors from Montana and Colorado,
remarked the gentleman from the las,
named state, as he was filling his pipe af
ter dinner Sunday evening. The pipe wa.
filled with tobacco, so his subsequent re-
marks were not the inspiration Of the Sc
duetive drug-which musings are some.
times designated as pipe dreams.
"Had such men stumbled on to this
country thirty odd years ago." he contin.
ned, "when the advance guard of the
west wing Of Prices army stopped here to
catch their breath, IN their wild stampede,
there would now have been a million prO.
pie IN the gold fields Of eastern Oregon;
there would, indeed, have been second
Denver here, instead Of u village ridicu.
iously claiming for itself that proud dis.
tinctlon. But instead, a lot Of dead
farmers, as Chmmy fadden would call
them, got In here and there Is no
wonder that II has required twenty
or more years for the world to learn
that the greatest gold belt on the
continent Is here. And this secret leaked
out by chance, because n mining man or
two happened to come this way a couple
Of years ago.
81 have been about the district consid.
cradle during the past six weeks and can
read from the holes In the ground just
what manner OF men monkeyed around
here. After laying by their crops they
came up into the Blue mountains from the
surrounding farm lands, accompanied by
their families, on u sort Of picnic irolic.
Some Of them, dreading to return to the
slavery oi farm labor, and dreaming Of
the lie of mining millionaire rs they lay
on the hlllsides pleasant evenings, gazing
up into the blue, star.lit sky, resolved 10
remain In these gold'ribhed hills and play
Tor q larger, gaudicr, more en,itng-ii
more clusive-stakc than the game limit
out on the plains permitted. That they
worked faithfully and long, the few De.
veloped mines here testify. But that their
efforts were not guided by intelligent eN.
periencc, the innumcrablc pot holes In all
sorts oi impossible places throughout, the
district prove conclusively. They evi.
IDENTIFY knew that gold wealth was con.
cealri IN Old Eaith's bosom hereabouts
aud WAS there jealously guarded-as II
ever Is. Knowing their lack of expert.
rnte, hut trusting To fortune in finding
the treasure vaults, they did not tell the
world about these gold lodges, Tor fear
miners would come IN and appropriate
what they considered their own. And so
the years rolled Nv.
he Colorado contingent was discus.
sing this matter lew evenings since and
|, was the unanimous opinion that these
early prospettorS looked only for lodges
that crop out distinctly. They evidently
knew nothing OF the science OF discover.
ing blind leads, following them 10 their
hiding places through the AID OF clues sup.
piled hy float, They located one OF these
ledges tina, one could see with the naked .
rye across John Day valley, and proceed
I'd TO waste a dozen wears hlindly driving
a tunnel TO strike the hoped tor pay
streak. Frequently the aid OF a surveyor
Nas not received, and in several instances
have noticed these home made tunnels
iescrihe hogarth's line OF beauty, as is
in horse shoe.
"iou viii find that the we'll posted
'rospectors who are coming into the dis.
rict now will devote their time to locating
md un,ovefinp blind leads n is pener.