The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-15
PLAGUE OF INSECTS.
Retarding Development Of the
Yukon's Mineral Wealth.
MINING PROSPECTS BRIGHT.
III. A. Fredericks Gives an Account OF
His wanderinzs In the Far North
Gold Brought Out.

some OF the men who have gone 20
7 Alaska have returned 10 complain OF the
hard work OF the cold. The heat. the frost
/ or the snos, bat the real encouragement
watch make Iise IN the far north a great
swelterfng burden Is the deadly mos
quito. from whose inslnusstng bill there Is
no escane They are there in sGc1
swa-ry1s that sometimes you seem TO De
looking az the sun through a snovstorrn.
said H. A. F'redericks. OF this city, yester-
dzy. Mr.. Fredericks has Just returned
from a long trip IN the Yukon country,
and K was 10 that region he had particular
references They are the worst thing in
the country" ne continued. and beside
them the other difficulties amount to moth
ing. In the settlements they do not bother
people much. bat when man goes up one
OF the creeks prospecting he must envelop
hts head in a mosquito frame OF cheese
cloth-thesr bills would go through net
ting like a knife through tissue paper
and must wear gloves and tie his trousers
and shirt sleeves close about his ankles
and wrists Some OF the large ones have
bills measuring twelve inches in length
Il have come back not because am dis
gusted with the country. but because
want to vote for Mckinley: then ! viii
be ready to return and night mosquitoes
until my work In the North is finished.
There are no politics or taxes on the
Yukon, and they do not even know who
has been nominated. Three or four years
must be spent in the country 10 accom-
plish anything, and only men or stamina
and will power can make success even
In that length OF time. / prospected in
numerous streams. nearly always finding
the color, and IL one Is willing 10 work,
not only In summer. but in winter, good
money can be made. A few have been
particularly successful, taking out snug
fortunes as the result OF several years
hard and continuous labor.
THE party / was with left here March
IL on the steamer Mexico. On arriving al
Dyea we took sleds and dogs and freightsd
10 Sheep camp, where quite small army
was encamped waiting for the cessation
OF storm raging on the summit OF the
pass. There must have been 400 people and
about go dogs. When four or five days
had been spent there the storm let up and
we made the crossing. At Lake Bennett
all set 10 work building boats. This put
In the time until the lake became free from
ice. The crowd was a jolly one and We
had good time. Mountain sheep and
bear are very abundant in that region. and
hunters with the party killed several. On
June We broke camp, raised sails, and
started down the lake. When We came 10
Cariboo crossing another barrier OF Ice
was found, and a party Of about 1s0 was
encamped there waiting. Until the ice
gave way two days later We managed 10
keep time from hanging heavy on our
hands.
THE trip on down TO Lake La Barge
was uneyentfuI. There We found the An
derson brothers and Mr.. and Mrs. Fergu-
son, OF Tacoma, who Joined our party.
prospected ali the tributary streams or
the lake and found from five to thirty
colors TO the pan in every one No claims
are taken there yet, but several parties
will go in next year. Our party staked on
three claims on Posle creek. The next
stop OF Importance was han mile below
Cassiar bar on the Lewis river. There
We found 4 bar that prospected from 20
10 80 cents 10 the pan. Mr.. and Mrs. Fer
guson decided TO stay there and try that
SPOT for fortune. The Cassiar bar was
formerly very well worked. but has been
deserted for some time.
"On reaching the Policy river we stopper
at Mr.. Harpie's place. and he said that
nearly all the miners there were doing well.
he IL one OF the oldest settlers in that
country, and he declared that more and
coarser gold was being found than ever
! before and considered the prospects very
bright His place is a great fur station.
and Mr.. Harpie has bought over sl5,p9l
worth OF furs from the Indians during
The past winter From there We went 10
T.aaeau.s trading post at Sixty Mile. which
Ia also an important fur station. ladeau
said ALI the tributary streams OF Sixty-S,ile
were panning out well. especially Ten
Mile
.,Forty-Mne was reached June q. and the
miners were found In bright spirits. having
passed n good winter, during when theS
claimed 10 have taken out more gold than
IN any nrevious season. A man named
John Miller. who afterwards came down
on the boat with me. had taken sl4.cW OUT
OF one hole IN seven years. lie came OUT
this season with ~ pounds OF gold DUST,
H. ma "
Is years OF age. who had been III the coun-
try for eight years. came out with $4,000.
Both declared they had all they wanted.
and would now enjoy X. f, w MIDGET
OF Seattle. also came out this season with
a very nice sack. r y. Van Wagenen.
lawyer OF this city. Is az Forty-Mlle. and
Is doing we'll lie is coming out. and beside
a good sack OF gold dust. has crate OF
moose and carihoo horns. which Will be
worth about $50
"On the way between Forty-Mile and
Circle city I shot a moose. II was aoou,
= o'clock In the morning. and the animal
was floating In the water. one shot Kill
ed Il. ana I towed the animal ashore.
where four OF us skinned IT, In order 10
keep the mosquitoes away Ne had 20 build
a circle OF smudEc fires about ten feet
apart and wear gloves Circle City was
reached at o'clock In the morning. had
ths moose piled on The prov OF the boat.
ana of seven or eight people on the bank.
ready 70 pull IS ashore. several offered
me = cents pound for the moose.
Circle City has popn.ation now OF
about ISno There are fifteen saloons.
with gambling games running wide open
IN ali: two dance houses. one for whites
and one for Indians. a barber shop. a tin
shop. three restaurants. ore blacksmith
shop and four general merchandise stores.
There are number 81 nice people there.
The rourth Of July VAS celebrated while
q areH Na as FsH ~ Tss~4a
made could not Be discounted anywhere
.a Use Ualed States one noticeable feat
IRE OF the place Is is or1egiiness. There
- no sh.cvlag snd ID rowiy!sm. Doors
are Isft opcH a uight. and anything %
value could BE left out q doors II We're
pt. where the dogs could nos get q. Al
circle CITY. rs weI as elsewhere II the
Yukon country. the cznine population is
very well represented ara important. A
xo,a sog IS worth So - tlea
''E'or the trip q i.s0 miles down the
Yukon river the steamer Alice was taken
R=a we arrived az 81 Michaels July -.
1, is easy COR n steamer - 60 DOWN the
river. as Il IS carried along by the current
al TIE rate % ter miles an hour. Going
un - a different matter. ard On che Upper
Yukon 4 has been found Impossible 20
opcrata steam launches ana small Sseaua-
erS TIE voyage 20 San Frsu~tsce was
ma e IN tne steamer Bertha Capt Hays.
ana thA Go.den Cate sas reached August
) after quick ard pleasant run
ILLINOIS MONEY N ALASKA.