The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-10-09

Erred by A HAPPY THOUGHT.
Mr. n Z Goodell, who took a stock
Of good. from this city TO the head Of
canoe navigation on the sksgit river
returned here Oh Tuesday evening for
the purpose of rep!eni,hing bis stock.
which has been almos. bausted by
the miners. He furnishes US the fol-
lowing particulars concerning the new
Eldorado:
About three weeks ago the twenty OF
thirty miners who had been prospecting
and working 50 hard al summer, and
who had tailed 10 find the precious
metal for which they had go arduously
labored in anything like paying guam
titles, became completely discouraged,
and. placing their packs On their backs,
abandoned their claims and started for
the Sound, intending never to return.
Hardships. want Of provisions and poor
pay bad completely demorslized them,
and they were determined to give up
Skagit mining as bad job They came
to halt at Ruby Creek in the utter
noon, intending ~ camp there for the
night. Just aero. the stream from
whore they had camped. oac Of tie
party, Mr. McCourts, who used H. drive
the Occidental each. noticed f.yora-
hi" place to prospect. uud sail Boys,
lot US 60 over there aud ~e-h Out sulue
dirt; we may be able ye, to find enough
gold to convince people, when We get
back to Seattle. that We have really
been to the mines" Mcdonald and
Cameron said they woult 90 with him.
but had little faith in his project They
went. and before night those three men
WASHED out with pans fifteen i"ilars in
nice clean gold Their report marked a
new era in tie Skagit mines. \, once
the men took Courage AGAIN, a:d located
claims then and there.
The upper claim j, located ore mil.
below the forks Of Ruby Creek, ana
will soon be opened
The next claim below is called Nip
and Tuck. and is paying about five
dollars per day to the man Two men
In two days and a half took out nine
ounces Of gold. or $l53. but this was
more than ordinary work. as the ether
four owners Of the claim assisted ut va
rious details il the work, such as help.
ing to bail tho water out OF the hole
each morning. pumping while the 9th
ers dug, sc.
At Joe Kich's claim. eight miles be-
N, l..t
Tuesday and Friday noon. five ounces
of gold worth SIS per ounce Just
above this claim there are two men
with rockers who are taking out gold.
but the amount they keep to them
selves.
The Seattle Consolidated or Borren
claim, on Canyon creek. two miles
abo.e the forks of Ruby creek, will
soon Toe opened. The miners are dig
giug u bedrock drain. preparatory TO
sluicing Five men are At work on this
claim
The Butcher claim. owned by n l.
Goodell. Il b Ebey. Gibbons and Jack
Dow, takes Eve hundred feet above and
five hundred feet below the Nip and
Tuck. 1t is now in process of being
opened with force of seven men, who
are putting in wing dams. and will have
the claim opened in ten days. 1t pros
poets very rich.
The above areall the claims now held
in the mines. aud the total number of
men there is thirty all told. Mr.
Goodell brought down about eighteen
ounces Of the gold, which he will ex-
change for goods aud return on Mon
day. Ills place 10 at the head of canoe
navigation. and twenty miles from the
digg,ngs The trail between the store
and the mines is a fearfully rough and
dangerous one. and it requires FROM two
to three days to make the trip on foot.
The miners are now happy. and will
probably work till next June. They
think the people should do something
in the way Of opening the trail for
them. rs they cannot stop work to do it
for themselves. 1t is estimated that
ak men in one month could make the
route reasonably pnssable, and would
secure the entire trade Of the mines to
our people. which will perhaps Others
wise 90 to British Columbia. A little
enterprise, and three hundred dollars
judiciously expended. would forever
settle the question and secure for Sc
attic and Puget Sound the desired
boon. MIR Goodell does not wish to
create any excitement. and in the above
statement concerning the richness of
the mines has in every instance made
his estimate much lower than the facts
would warrant He gives it as his
opinion that tho season 10 now too far
advanced for men to go in and take
claims to any advantage this fall. 1t
would be well enough for man with
money to go aud satisfy himself as to
the richness of the diggings. but not
expect to do much in the way Of taking
out gold till next season. At u miners
convention recently. they made law
regulating the size of claims At $50 feet
instead Of 800 feet as formerly No
doubt next season miners from all SEC
tions Of the country will flock into the
diggings. which have now. without q
doubt. been demonstrated to ba rich
and of vast extent.
Coop JoB.-Thc bridge just finished