The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1900-05-09
BAIT FOR FARMERS.
Ballet, Mining News, White
Swan, Suckers.

Some weeks since The MINER pub
lished lot OF rot from the Mining News,
OF Des Moines, Iowa, about one Lesion
Ballet. The statement was made that he
had refused salary Of 81 5000 a year and
expenses TO take charge Of some reduction
plant IN Colorado, not named, In order
that he might devote his splendid talents
TO rehabilitating the old abandoned White
Swan mine, east Of Baker City, build large
smelters aud long railroad lines IN that Vi.
cinity. Some days previous, this wonder.
tul Napolconic promoter had called at this
Office and represented himself as CORE.
spondent for the Mining News. THE
MINER suggested that there was an ele.
ment Of the improbable in q man refusing
n $4,000 job to take the position Of cor.
respondent for a mining paper published
In an agricultural community, the sub.
stription price OF which is two.bits year,
and from this drew the inference tina, the
Mining News was touting for the Ballet
person and his Colonel Sellers schemes,
from motives not entirely disinterested
To these comments, the paper and its cor.
respondent THAT threw off on the s. 900
job) replies rs follows:
"Ouf special correspondent, now In
Sumrtcr, Oregon, says: 'Sumpter is the
most unhealthy place IN Oregon. There
Is smallpox on every hand. You meet Il
IN the street. have To eat with II, and
sleep with II, and little or no attempt is
made 10 quarantine Il. About q dozen
good mines, and dozen more likely pros.
poets, ranging all the way from ten to
siNty.iive miles 10 the southweStward, are
claimed hy Sumpter boomers as a part Of
Sump,cr.
"'Sumrtrr, as q town, is a great big
fake; there is nothing to II IN really; there
are no mines IN Sumpte' aud nothing that
would make a mine nearer than slN or
eight miles. The railroad company are
ALREADY figuring on running their railroad
to Bourne. This will do the mining and
Sumrter will pass from existence. The
Sump,er papers boom and blow and pro.
mo,crs are paving heavy for outside
booms. Sumptcr is wildcat oi the worst
kind aud iull oi little wild cats. We ad.
wise everybody 10 bc very cautious about
making investments IN Sumptcr without
the report ol some competent engineer.
There are good mines near Bourne and up
Rock creek. hut absolutely none at Stump.
-. al. a. .uFunill AMI tb.s.
is nothing but the lumber business OF the
Sumptcr Valley sawmill. DO not be de.
ceived hy paid write ups. The east dis.
tri,t cas-, q, Baker City and the Rock
creek country viii produce thousand
times more gold than the entire Sumpter .
district
1--WE prin, this in black face type be.
cause the editor oi the 'Sumpter Bladder
is hard OF hearing"
Although Sumpter is in such deplor.
able condition, much space IN this issue Is
dcv otcd I, declaring that Baker City is
more than all right, aud that the tributary
projects ol the Ralliet; well, they aie
three times world bcaters. Read this for
instance;
"ln this district that we have Just tray.
elel, and 81 miles east OF Baker City and
o, miles southwest along this line OF rail-
road, there are 1000 mines. There are no
,mel,ers at all at present to treat the ores,
but the Oregon Ore Reduction company
have already taken steps tor the erection
Of large smelters, both at Baker City and
at Haines. II each mine should supply
one ton a day, which is SO small that Il
IS ridiculous. the sme!ter capacity would