Omaha daily bee., 1890-05-04
MORSE DRY GOODS co

ject went to pieces, the mill was sold by
the marshal and is now corroding to
ruin in the rain and snow Another
company, organized under the laws of
Wisconsin, have become the owners of
the Lucky Chance" and with five
stamp mill are making satisfactory
milling tests, preparatory to liberal
and adequate investment in a plant the
coming year. Water for power in that
group is abundant all the year round,
and owing to the mildness of the
winters at Sitka, through the trend OF
the Japan current, milling operations
will seldom if ever be interrupted by
freezing weather. Ore has been taken
out of ledges in the Sitka group, yield
ing $40 ton; but numerous tests made
demonstrate that the fair average is
about $40 a ton. All the work and ex-
ploration done up to this time, in this
basin, has been of the crudest, most care
less and unsatisfactory character. No
definite policy of prospecting and ex-
ploration in any part of the territory has
ever been adopted and where discover
les have been made they We're
merely accidental. Those owning
and controlling these valuable interests
have hitherto been unable to inspire
that confidence in the future of their
capital to even closely investigate their
value and possibilities. The manner of
developing this and other similar min
ing localities in Nebraska will be re-
ferred to again, when considering the
larger and more thoroughly worked
mining district of Juneau and Douglass
Island. 1t is to the latter that we must
look for the most satisfactory results,
and by noting what has already been ac-
complished in that field, possibly predict
whether the gold yield of Alaska will be
permanent and profitable, or only fitful
and spasmodic.
Juneau and Douglass Island are $50
miles northeast of Sitlpa, and reached
senges of Peril and Catham straits, and
GasteneauX channel, which separates
Douglass island from the mainland. In
1880, that section of southern Alaska
was without single white inhabitant.
and was one of the most forbidding por-
tions of the earth. In October of that
year Mr.. N. A. Fuller, in charge of the
affairs of the Northwest trading com
pany at, Sitka, became aware of the fact
that AUX and Tarku Indians, whose vii
lagos were on the mainland at Caste
neauX channel, possessed tradition of
the eXistance of gold in some
ol lne ueep DdSln OF the noun
tains in that vicinity One particular
basin was designated as containing
abundance of this treasure. Having
faith in the story, Fuller fitted out a
canoe expedite for the purpose of test
ing his belief. 1t was intrusted to "a
Canadian French miner, Joseph Juneau,
the nephew of the founder of Milwaukee,
and who had visited all the gold mines
from Arizona and Old Mexico in the
south, to Cassiar, in British Columbia, in
the north. Juneau was accompanied by
two Sitkan Indians as guides, and
after ten days of tempestuous canoe
voyage up Chatham Straits, landed near
the site of the present town now bearing
his name, and proceeded to follow the
difficult course of Gold creek, the outlet
to Silver. Bow basin, until he reached
the head of gulch filled with glacier
ice. Passing down the gulch, Juneau
discovered some quartz laid bare and
into the ravine, and an ex-
animation showed at once that il was
rich in gold, so rich that the free gold
was apparent in many. places
where the rock was fractured
Claims were staked off, tho party
returned to Sitka, and reported their
success to Mr.. Fuller. The secret could
not be long kept. Before spring had
fairly opened several hundred miners
We're ON the ground, and the nucleus of
mining camp created.
When the snow. disappeared from the