Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-25

barrier and the consequent clearing of
the course of the stream, the pocket
reservoir Immediately sucked dry, the
inlet OF the c~ataracting pipe was ex-
posed, and the secret of the flooded
Cinnabar was a secret no longer.
The scheme which had been elab-
Grated and set in motion to SOAK"
Grandfather Jasper was a premedi-
tated %"holdup." The Cinnabar, in OPP
GRAFTON and producing to Its capacity,
was worth, SO Beasley asserted, all
that my grandfather had paid for it;
and more. But with/the branch rails
road built to its very door, it's value
would be doubled. Two alternatives
had thus presented themselves to the
owners, who were Cripple Creek min
ing spectators who had bought in
the stock at a low figure while the
main vein was as yet unexpected:
they could 60 on mining the r and
storing lit against the time when the
railroad, with its cost-reducing ad-
vantages, should come along; or they
could suspend operations for the
same length of time, setting the loss
es of a shutdown over against the
increased profits when they should
start up again. b f.
With our discoveries Of the morn
ing the plan OF the robbery became
perfectly plain. Some giant of fin
ance among the spectators had
evolved a scheme by which the mine
not only might be shut down during
the interval Of waiting for the rail
road to build over the bench, but al
the same time be made to yield a
bumper cro of profits.
Taking its various steps in their Or
der, the first move in the game was tc
sell the mine oNGrandfather Jaspe.
while it was still a going proposition;
and this was done. But Of the
conditions Of the sale (Beasley told
US this) was that the selling corpor-
alton should continue to operate the
mine, not as a lessee, but under 8
contract by which the operating com
pany should receive a certain percen-
tage of the output; an arrangement
which gave the holdup artists ample
opportunity to prepare for the cour
de main.
How these preparations were made
and the secret of them kept from
leaking out, still remained one of the
unsolved mysteries, though Beasle,
suggested that probably imported
workmen were employed. and that the
work had been done under jealous
supervision with all the naedful pre-.
cautions taken against publicity. The
tight wooden box-which would fig.
ure as a part OF the shaft lining-had
been built, Ind into the box the creek
had been diverted by means of the
small dam and the underground con.
duit. With the water admitted, tc
rise in the box to the level Of its in.
take in the creek reservoir, the trar
was set and was ready to be sprung
Beyond this point there was a gai
we were obliged to bridge by conjec-
ture, but the inferences were al.
plausible enough. Doubtless the plot
tiers had notified my grandfather tina,
his mine was flooded and Was nc
longer workable. Doubtless, again. hi
had authorized them to buy the need.
ful pumping machinery and to install
(which they did.
In this barefaced impogture the
plotters had conceivably builded
something Upon Grandfather Jaspar'l
advanced age as an insurance agains,
any too-searching investigation; bu,
beyond this they had carefully dis.
armed any suspicion that he nigh,
otherwise have harbored by encour.
aging HMM the actual purchase OF
the property-to take expert advice
aild by crafty prlming him by under
staten nts Of the facts, to trust them
Only rumors. of what had occurred
at this visit feached Angels; but
BeaSley could testify that my grand.
father had come and returned alone
and that after the pumping demon.
stration had been made he had seem.
ed disposed 10 pocket his huge los.
and to call 1t q bad days work,
Tbs later developments were no,
hard to figure ont. Beasley wa. able
to tell " that the proposed railroad
branch TO run to the new copper
properties In Little Cinnabar, gulch
was now arGertatnty for the very neaI
future. Hence the tins was fun,
by the p~lotters. No doubt they ma
confidently aasnmed that q repur.
chase Of the prGpefty-wnot directly
by themselves, Of course, but BY al
agent who would figure AZ q dtsin-
tsreSted third party,-wouid be easy
BefSlsy said that there had been ZONE
Talk OF an tHAdarruDpfNg dFaipaae
tunnel sUeh ~ Daddy and I had M
ured vpon~vtgts ~ the time Of tbs
sprtnsing Of the flood trap--4nd thai
ne cont had been sstimstad at hail
2 million, Unqusgttonabiy the rob.
ger 9 assumed that IN old mar
Up " preit and los velid ssiI "a,
q song rather than Is venture axain:
ana In tMs way they were probebiy
well within tbs truth.
Hgt at the mcEaAnt when they
tmpostyre. Asathrr4hs Geaih y
Grandfather ya4psy-ka4 stSpps4 II
~ eoHqpltqats MAtters. Somebpiyw
Rosst!W Geudn HNFS5--ha4 cevyo.
epAnaeA With whoever ~ represent.
ne yeeoey alNStSasA.aN6 ~ thil