The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-04-23
To sKAGrr AND BACK.

"eIf known IL this county, has lost
rctdfasd i.oa. the Sk,git mines, and
furnishes US the following particu! n
OF his trip. aid what he actually did,
and observed while the,e. Mr N has
spent eight years in No tspa luring
her palmy days, and .hysii therefore
be competent To judge Of mining ma,-
ters:
In company with Nr Vim ii II
Elliott, he left Port To~nsel d in a
saali csnse on March 18th, in passing
through Deception Pass. experienced
rough weather, but after nine hours
run reached the mouth of the Skae,t
river. Three hours more brous ut them
10 Mount Vernon. where they remained
two days, and stared TN up the river.
AT Greens rifle. so miles abovs Mount
Vernon, they overlook two men, who
were tr, ing to reach the mine. by laud
they bad little provision but no
money. They were taken i.to he
canoe with Msnning aud his ckum, aid
thereafter were Identified with III. M.
The weather was very stormy, aud ON
resching Sksgis City the party remained
five days: enjoying :he hospitality
of Mr. Mcpherson They continued
on and reached Goodell's on the 2Sth
of March, thus making the trip from
Port Tow nsend to 0oodeli's. in = canoe
in ave aud one half days. actual tras-
cling time. The party left Goodells
with TWO packs each. Is or 80 pounds
in each pack. Arriving at Ruby Creek,
April Sd. they formed themselves into
y company aud located four hill claims.
il all 1000 feet. . portion Of Vhich is
on Ruby and the balance on the Skagit.
being on what is supposed to have been
the original channel OF Ruby Greek.
The CLAIMS are known a. the Balsratt
Com paries ground. The noted DirIey
claim lays iiectiy below, the Balsratt
ground While there Mr. Manning
piospected the Dirley Claim. getting
from three to As ceuts to the pau this
was from dirt taken out of the creek
bottom. and under water. Mr. Manning
states that be offered $500 for fifth
interest il this claim. but his offer was
rejected. In regard to the Ba!ara,t
claim, Mr. Manning says he dug through
five feet Of snow IL order to prospect
his claim. AID got from fine color to
one dollar aud ten cents to tho pau.
The party then dug ditch seventy
feet long and eight feet deep ~ their
ground. aud turned the water as Re.
quired by law. aud had il recorded.
Mr. Manning says be found men ~ Ike
MINES who were dissatisfied, aid dis
posed 10 grumbie aud curse I q t,ua-
try. but he Civ, il ny HI mad opin
ion that ans industrious unn. With q
pick. slov.l aud an. san make their
grub at the pre- -t. TIME. End prices;
notwithstanding tn. depth Of snaw.
The party after n fuw days. proceeded
up Ruby aud Canyon Greeks to .
stream called Mill Creek. and on April
9th located i 0OO feet of the creek bot.
tom, in the Canyon district, and called
1t the Orofino Claim. Snow covered
the ground to . depth of five or six
feet. aud III many places slid made it
from fifty TO one hundred feet deep.
Mr. Manning says he got dawn to the
creek through an sir hole in the snow,
on the Orotino claim. aud dug up sew.
eral pans of dirt which yielded from
twelve IL twenty cClors each, that
would save in slnice. Mr. NJ. then
returned down to Borren's csbih. on
Canyon Greek. where no found the
miners well supplied with provisions.
aud Just getting ready for work; the
boys in the Butcher Claim have put in
q very strong dan. which will proesbly
resist high waters; Armstrong il also
ready to commence active operations
ON his claim The Mp and Tuck Csni-
psny worked twn days. When tns water
drove them cut; three mn FROM Port
Armstrong. johnson and
Martin got prospects, vi f,o,n five cents
to tweuty>Hse cents 10 tho pan. III the
gravel; the B.ake.y boys. nrsr tie
mouth Of Ruby, are at work. taking out
from dve u six dollary per day To the
man, from their hill claim. Mr. Man.
ming says they do not knew anything
about mining or they could do much
better. Four OF them Ia two days
washsd out forty dollars, which Nj n.
bought II Il iiaadsoue dust, and was
seen by many OF our business men yss-
terdsy. Other meu ON the creek are
taking ont from $3.50 to IS per day
will, pans aud rockers. according to tho
facilities for work.
Me- Manning wished to state his
MUD regarding the richness Of the
Sksglt miues; We told him We would
repsrt his exact language II he desired,
30 that he would b reapopsible for the
statements made BY himsslf. 10 which
he agreed, and contiuusd ~ Follows:
aAfter eight pears Of mining export
ence. / eivs Il - my candid opinion
that there l. one hundred miles Of
ground on Raby Geek aud its tribu-
laries, that will pay. whon properly
from I've dsllars to Ave ounces
per day TO the msu; hut I aevise no
man. unless he hes msney enough 10
buy. or ppy for packing in provisions,
md wsnts to experience hardships. to
10 into the mines With the expectation
Df doing much before the Arst OF July
II man hes money and wants 10 mine.
Ruby Creek q The place for aim"
Mr. Manning further stahss that there
hes BEEN : great deal Of ground smag-
Rlsd.' that connot be hsld on repTesen.
IatiOn Day. Some have gone % far ~
10 stake cut ave and sometimes ok
claims in the sans district. when bat
I~o can be held creek claim and .
hill claim.
The snow has sufficiently disappear
ed ale0g the route of the Skagis trail
10 aAAis 0f ynrk ON IL being cnm-