The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-08
MINES OF COOK INLET.
Good Reward for the Nan Who
viii Labor.
NONE FOR THE LAZY GROWER.
Seattiefte Brings Good News or the
Placers Graphic story or the
Wreck or the Crystal.

With the opening OF the next season
there viii be "A thousand men ready 10
hunt for gold on Cook inlet" said Arien
II T0wle yesterday. 1T has been clearly
shown that any man possessed OF judg-
ment. persistence and muscle can do well
IN that section Of country. and / predict
a rush early in the coming year. a large
number Of miners, probably thousand.
will gather at Prince William sound, and
at the earliest moment make the trip
across the divide 10 Turn-AgaIn Arm,
sledding their provisions with them, and
be ready 10 put in the entire summer IN
search for gold.
II found the main difficulty with intend
ing miners In Alaska to be that they are
hstless. do little prospecting. become ais-
gusied and discouraged, and then leave
the country. one might just as well camp
on the shores Of Puget sound and expect
70 find gold as 70 go to Cook inlet and eX-
pect 70 reap 4 harvest without haru
work. or the party l was with all easily
paid their expenses, lived well and re-
turned with fairly good wages n their
pockets. There is no doubt that the gravel
bars OF the creeks emptying snto Cook In
let contain much gold. and as an example
I recall that FIVE men working ten DAYS
took out in one place s.. ss9. But do not
think the country viii ever prove as rich
as California was in the days Of ~.
THE place where was working was on
Canyon creek. some distance from Resur-
rection creek. where George Beede. Of Sc
attic. the discoverer Of coarse gold on the
inlet. has been operating. I took out dust.
but with the coming season ] intend TO get
further up the creek and find coarse gold
There Is no truth in the story Of
troubles between Beede and the miners in
his employ. The men were all paid good
wages. received their money promptly.
and were apparently satisfied. The truth
Il. that If a man doesn't care 70 mine for
himself he can secure employment at "A
per dag, and ia that way put in the sea-
son .
Mr. Towle was a passenger on the
schooner Crystal. which was wrecked at
Yakutat during the night Of September
u The schooner made three attempts 10
pass Cape Elizabeth before being success
full and then drove squarely into the
equinoctial storms. At ; o'clock on the
afternoon of the day OF the wreck she lost
her anchor. and Capt Nick Larsen head
cd the vessel up Iakutat bay, in hopes Of
running her ashore and landing his pas
sangers ia safety. Enough sail was kept
out to handle the schooner, and she was
directed toward the head of the bay. The
night came down in inky blacl<ness, the
wind blew a hurricane and at times pick
ed up great patches of water and swept II
all over the schooner, her crew and pas
sengers Capt Larsen held his boat well
several hours in the storm, she struck
one Of the crew sprang overheard and
got a line on shore. and the rest or the
crew and the passengers reached land
safely. The next morning the crystal
was high and dry, with a big hole in her
bottom. Capt Larsen had saved his pas
sengers and their effects, but he had lost
his vessel. The wreck was sold for 500.
The Crystal was on her maiden trip, had
cost $500. and was uninsured, the loss
falling on the captain, who lives at Ia
coma Investigation showed that the ship
wrecked men had had a narrow escape,
for had the vessel struck within half
mile on either side Of the place where She
drove on shore she would have been dash
ca against a rocky reef. and escape for
those on board would haY cbecn almost
those on board would have been almost
Mr.. Towle says the accounts Of the
wreck published by the san Francisco pa
pers are far from correct 1t was stated
that the shipwrecked men were destitute
and unable 10 provide even FOR them
selves. much lass pay their passage south
ward But they saved all their effects. and
experienced little Inconvenience, except
thai they were compelled 70 stop month
AT Yakutat. They made the most of tho
delay. and discovering that the region was
n veritable hunters paIadise employed
their time principally in shooting geese
and ducks. which locked there BY thou
sands. They killed scores of water fowl,
and distributed the game among the In
dams and white inhabitants. In that way
thev made the most Of an unfortunate
and irks0me delay. An idea OF ths vast
numbers Of ducks and geese at Hallutat
may be gathered from the fact that last
year the crew Of a British man-of war
killed so geese IN a single day.
Among the miners ON Turn-Again Arm.
Mr.. Towle says. there is iittlo real fear
that England Will wrest the richest pos
sessions Of Alaska from the control of the
United States The population. he states.
has little faith in the present administra-
ton. and looks 20 the future for an eguit-
able adjustment Of the boundary dispute.
IN his opinion the United States should at
once begin an aggressive movement look
ing Is the retention of Dyea, the key -
the Chlkat pass, and 10 the rich mines ot
the Yukon.
MIR Towlc expects 20 leave today for
Grand Eapids. Mich. 70 Join his family.
which has been increased during his alb
sence by the arrival cf a vigorous boy.
Mr. Towle's departure frcm th.s city has
been hastencd by word that hiss father at
Grand Rapids IS In puar health.