The San Francisco call., 1896-08-10
ONE SURVIVOR ESCAPED
He Reached Circle City and Told
His Story to the Crew of
the Bertha.
DISCOUNTED MINERS RETURN
They Say the Alaskan Gold Fields
Are a Failure-Trouble at
Sunset City.

The rush from Alaska still continues.
By every steamer and sailing vessel that
leaves Cooks Inlet, Turnagain Arm or st.
Nicholas hundreds of the dupes who left
here three months ago are returning, sad
der but wiser men. In very few instances
has there been actual suffering, as every
body went equipped for at least six
months siege. In consequence provisions
sold for less than they cost in San Fran
cisco, because every body who had stock
on hand was anxious to sell out and reach
home as quickly as possible.
Among the arrivals from the exploited
gold fields Saturday was the Alaska Com
mercial Company's steamer Bertha, the
overdue bark Theobald and the steamer
Umatilla. The latter is from Puget Sound
ports only, but nevertheless she brought
down a number of disgruntled miners
who managed to reach Seattle by sailing
vessels. The brig Blakeley was five weeks
in getting to Tacoma and there she was
sold to pay the wages of her crew. Among
the Blakeley's passengers was j. ]. Camp
bell, the popular purser of the Umatilla.
He made trip to the so-called mines, but
was only too glad to get back on board his
old berth.
The bark Theobald was classed as over
due, but when Captain Swan got in he at
at once reported that he was only twenty
days out. He waited a fortnight for some
miners who wanted to come home. but as
they could not raise the money and had
plenty of provisions he had finally to up
anchor and leave.
1--WE made quick run from San Fran
cisco to Coal Harbor," said Captain
Swan. "At that point there is the finest
about thirty miners to work it. On our
return they had mined out 800 tons of coal
and we brought it down. Judging by the
sample we have in the hold of the Theo-
bald and judging from what | saw of the
placer mines, the Alaska coal mines will
pay 90 per cent better than its gold mines.
From Coal Harbor we went to Ladd
station and there the miners were in
state of insurrection. They said they had
been beguiled away from home and it
would have been sorry hour for the men
who started the rush had they put in an
appearance while we were there. Over
200 miners were camped at that point and
not one of them had earned his bread and
butter.
latter leaving Ladd station I took the
bark to Fire Island and chartered the
steamer Sealight to tow US to Sunrise
City. At that point everything was rush.
ing. Hammers planes, saws and chisels
were going from morning to night. Sa-
looms. butcher shops, grocery stores,
gam bling-dens and brewery sprang up
as if by magic. Everybody had few
dollars, but as there was nothing coming
in it was only question of a few days
when all would be broke. l came to the
conclusion that the Alaska gold fields are
a good place TO keep away from. My men
thought differently, however. and in con-
sequence l had to work the Theobald back
to Coal Bay with only four men. There
we took on load of coal and before I was
ready to sail there were enough sailors TO
man a warship begging passage.
1.-THE placer mining in Alaska is COM
pIete failure. 1t is just possible dur
ing this month that men who have
money and facilities behind them may
locate some rich quartz mines, but placer
mining will never pay. The Boston Gold
Mining Company, in which number of
Oakland people are interested, is building a
ditch from Anchor Point River to the
Bluff. They have sixty men at work, and
when flow of water is procured they will
start washing out the Bluff sand. The
venture may pay. but in any event it has
given work to over half a hundred men
who were glad of the chance of handling
pick and shovel in order to keep warm"
dred miners. Among them was one or
two who had been years in Alaska and
these had considerable money with them.
The vessels cargo consists of 15U7 seal
skins, "a bear skins, ITO otter skins, 1885
fox skins, q packages curios, IL boxes of
amalgam and some whalebone. The rev.
enue cutter Bear was spoken at st.
Michaeis on July % and Captain Tuttle
reported that he could not get through to
the relief stations on account of the ice.
The spring catch of the vessels which
wintered at Herschell Island was given as
two whales.
Omar Maris, special correspondent of
the Chicago Record, was one of the pas
sengers on the Bertha. He is at the Grand.
He tells story of dissatisfaction among
the whalers that resulted in bloodshed.
He got the information from deserter,
who reached Circle City after being three
months on his journey from Herschel
Island, the winter quarters of whaling
vessels.
On January 10. 1896, seven men de-
serted. Five, owing to the frozen con-
dition of two, were taken back to the ves-
sells. The two other men kept on. One
reached Circle City after travelling for
seyenty-two days with party of Indians
he fell in with. The other made for the
post on the Yukon and has not been re-
ported on. On March 16 a party of twelve
deserted the ships at anchor. They, too,
went to the Lawrence River as did the
others. On the 10Th they were overhauled
by ships officers.
Shots were exchanged, but no one was
wounded. The officers then apparently
desisted. On the 22d. however, they came
up again, come 120 miles further on, and
fight ensued. One deserter was killed, one
wounded and six were captured. One
officer was killed. Five deserters got away
safely. These returned later to the spot
and found body, supposed to be that of
Fitzgerald of the Jeanette, but the
features were djsigured. Later one of the
five, John Burke of San Francisco, and
of the Belooga, was frozen to death. The
men deserted because of general dissatis-
faction.
Many of the vessels now off Herschell
Island have been there three years and if
the ice has not broken up they will be
there another twelve months. This will
probably be their fate. because If the Bear
could not reach Point Barrow last July
there is no chance OF the whalers getting
out later on.
Hit With Brick.