The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-14
1lTrON GOLD BOOM.
n 400 Miners Camped
gsIlingham's Shores.
- souTe TO The FRASER.
,,sSs-Ff-st Brick Buiid-
.,,,,gson-Collapse Of the
and the Bay Towns.
/, r.,,iss IN whateom Rsvilee

Is 1,-n-t.is which eliminated IN
II ) s,-.lamed Fraser river excite
80 he spring Of l.J5 rich deposits
sonnd on small bars in the
- ~ and above Fort Yale, and
- made a. high as thousand
- IN a few weeks. The news
rid FIRE. and for time moth
re- ef among the California
- y-sssr river. and thousands
he ssE Colorado. IS Beiling-
the nearest American chip
- the mines, all the steamers
s.oa, san Francisco came here,
Not tine after the excitement
awards Of 1000 men were
.s~,sd her shores, which number
'sminisAed for over four months,
- Ard ships kept constantly COM
80 erowGs faster than the de-
=, he new mines took place.
of sehoHe vas then laid OF,
,ss-e 10 WhatcOn the bank was
-, tents. and buildings rapidly
"a 4 sehome and Whateom. while
@s.,sjng place az sebonse around
- Whatcom, the hank was
ss,es tents as II an invading army
-, possession Of the bay. The
~ ss.rted seven ocean steamers
81. siuare rigged vessels lying in
80 time. all coming from san
- Iosdsd with merchandise and
80 steamer arriving in San
- n 1850 vas ever mere densely
=, "a human beings than were some
4. .,svs-s arriving on Bell:ngham
- vt3t hunters in search OF the new
60 For three or four months there
=. ss,s people in Whatcom county than
8, sslanee Of the territory put To-
- 70 confident were the people that
-. -sn Francisco was To arise on
.ss.s.u bav. that Is high as =. go was
t. IN an unimpFoyed lot in Whatcom,
|rsfs woaId have purchased almost
!. ..wproyed lot in any other town in
ftgt.so-v.
ii lie gold fields we're in British Col
Is MI as the only route was by Fraser
rd a road from WhatCom about
= a. thirty-fve miles long would
s gfaer river at a point over 10 miles
+ .han by water, it was resolved 10
y rad from Whatcon to the nearest
e a. Fraser riyer. Work was COM
saa thereon and pushed rs rapidly as
zssanees would permit. While work
n rsressing on the road Fraser river
- rise. and Il was found impossible
ksznd il through the canyons, or rather
Ewzh the Cascade range of mountains.
IA tie small boats that fitted out for
J H.nes al Whatcom or other places
vi enly reach Fort Hope or the foot OF
: FOUNTAINS on toe Fraser. IL therefore
|ume evident that although the road
bald greatly shorten the distance to the
|ae, from Whaeom, still it would not
Isae aay one 70 reach the mines while
J river was higb, and that parties
" IS vel remain IN Whatcom until
ssEsg fell as 10 90 TO Fort Hope and be
81 to sait there. A meeting was called
ekiie0m 10 consider the matter afsd
bxSae what vas best To do. aud it was
lsws 10 open a road across the noun
SeGi reach the river above the Cascade
"a . Tat the mines could be reached
1x1lias, wLether the river was high or
J Tpseeemplish this aid was offered
kngT town on the Sound, and an ex-
}Sas vas lifted out nnder charge of
~ " ". DeLacy, United States
srr 10 EXPLORE and open trail across
sesslains. and the celebrated What
III vas matter of notoriety all over
ssAern Pacific coast.
~ meaBtime Governor Douglas, of
kasEr island, was thoroughly aware
ANf0rt9nce OF the commerce and
TAT was bound 10 arise from the dis
s7a GOLD, and was no way inclined TO
ssafelgn nation 10 absorb aud con-
ssi commerce if IL could be- prevented,
saoagh he could not remove the ma
idYantages that the geographical
81 q bellingham bay conferred. still
81 10 a certain extent neutralize
= Tor that purpose. he issued q pro-
Ekoa that no person could work in
~ mines Of British Columbia without
NaAlalng license so to do, which
obtained at Victoria. ard alsa that
as soaid he allowed To ascend
aSef without first obtaining n per
29l ,he customhouse at Victoria.
sasa great blow Ia Whatcoin. for a
n hom California # he came 70 What
n obliged 10 so hack Ia Victoria TO
miners license. and once in
- i Hes easier to 90 20 the
II HYer III steamboat than 10 30 to
sa'l and then - 10y water 10 the
D road by land being yet open. In
= TO this fatal mistake was made
@SnSlte owners in refusing To- en-
capital 10 center al Beilingham
90 liberal policy heen shown TO the
-ssl companies and others. enough
souid have been invested here 10
L ever falling back 10 It's former
bat the proprietors both OF Se.
S. NhatCom imagined that COM
81 travel iaust come this way il
al efforts - prevent IL. and re-
6 make concessions demanded bv
- Nail Company and others: the
rs that steamers refused 10 come "a
Aa and by this time the gold mines
= 0eif attraction. Il, being found
8 eaFs CA the river where the gold
q 'eand in the spring had little left
= xaea the water fell.
SD excitement was pronounced "A
8 and the exodus from WDatcnm
.-''' As rapid As the Influx. Nearly
- Bindings We're taken down and
= Victoria leaving tho two-story
~ by Richards Il Hyatt, the FIRST
zoe only ouc in the ;erritorv
Il tEe solitary monument Of our
grandeur. Fortunes could have
- 'aen 80 buying up merchandise
s>SFipton that was daily sold az
~ 'se owners Fre,cring ia take what
\ .vl1d set FOR 10 rather than carry
i = 'AiaoTnta; bat as is always the
4 A Vaeap bargains are 90 te had.
40 can profit by them have no
H. 81 ueu, aud those who have
-. 20 Want the bargains then. In
b.. ~e bay had almost gone hack
sAs before the geld excitement
~. s W That we're selling Tor several
y ! s',iAfs Ia LIS couldn't be sold for