The sun., 1896-09-13
MINING LUCK IN ALASKA.
VIEWS OF 4 WRITER uHo rs ENTr-
TIED TO NE C.iiLkD IN EXPERT
worh IN n New District FROM the Tiue OF
Discovery 90 the Settling Dowa 20
Rsni Rusiness-The Claim JumprrH-
Chances OF success In thc Alaskan Mtnes.

exact condition at Cook Inlet than Frank r.,
Howard, whose letter Is printed herewith. MIR.
Howard has for some time been connected with
the Juncdu Mining Record, aud has spent four
teen years In the mining regions of the North.
This Is not his frs, season Mt Cook Inlet. anil
his article. is 3 truthful exposition NJ the re-
sources Of that much-maliGned country. Mr..
Hownrtl's letter follows:
SUNRISE CITY. Cook Inlet. Alaska, July -.
1t Is amusing to tho permanent settler OF
this section of Alaska to read the garblcd and
ofttimes contradictory reports that have ap-
peared OF late In the columns OF the Pacific
coast newspapers relative To tho mines and gen
eral outlook of this country. Some give highly
hatterinR reports of great richness in tile beds
of the streams wherein sncks illled with golden
grain only await the packing of, and Others are
so contradictory that one, after reading them,
would naturally infer that even the color " OF
gold was scarce production OF the country.
Therefore. to enllgh;en an irquring public this
article is given them from both an unbiased
and unprcl udiced standpoint of view, taken by
personal observations gathered through nearly
four months travelling and pnnninc from the
mouths to the heatwnters OF the streams. In
the article We cndcavor to give an account Of
past and present happenings In the district
and II general description OF the coautrys
geological features.
mining district was in the fore part or the
summer of 1895, by one Sanford j. Mills. al old
placer miner OF forty years experience. who Is
NOW the elected Recorder OF the district. The
original discovcrer located for himself one
claim, and one only up to the present time. OF
twenty acres Following upon the heels ot the
discoverer came hundred prospectors or more
who began prospecting the stream from the
mouth to the headwnters. and staked Of cai'ns
in th..l ne
fad permanent loiEm.nt along the banks and
In the beds. Somo of these men wer" Grub
staked " and others were one Of pnrty OF sew
tral who werr scattered out at that time pros
pec,ing IN different sections, and in such va.ts
more than one claim was located by such repre-.
spntatiN Is Of other men by power Of attorney
and as partnership agreements, and these are
have entered protest against the discoveries
locating 80 much ground. But more of TINS
later on.
some time after the discovery OF the creek the
miners, accor,iing to law, nj public meeting.
laid out Sunrise mining district aud elected
district Recorder: no local rules and regulations
were passed upon governing the Size OF u claim
or the number Of claims that any one man could
locate. the law governing such. as laid down In
the United States statutes. being adopted.
Therefore. II a raan saw ht he could !ocaie
only one claim in a district. The heaviest flow
of gold seeming to eoue down Mills. Canon.
and SIX Mile creeks which form one co;tinuons
stream in like rotation. before fall tie
ground was nearly all taken up ai"nG that
line. and in enc or two instances one man
one clam upon each OF Tie forks. To
MAKE u description Of this line OF streams
from Is mouth. where 1t enpties into Turaaeai;I
Arm ana running up twelve miles to the iorSs
ten mile. to the forks with Mills Creek. and
thence UP Mills Greek about eight miles 10 its
source: inakimS '1,aI G,st"nte , oi ABOUT tmssty
TIM. all the richest claims ot the district are.
When the spring rush arrived men on snow
shoes and some without waI!nG through cnow
up 10 their hips. continued hastily on in their
rush up the main golden artery. TIE most OF
these men were tenGerfee; IN mining camps
rever saw mine IN their lives. or had tho
slightest idea how 20 red nee pan OF gravel. They
expected 10 see the haTs aud beds az the -tr-tms
rlis;enng with yellow metal. and AL they
had 20 d" was TO drive a STAKE. cauip thereon.
and commence panntn- ont a fortune. But i'm
they found through lu,kinE the ground over
that stakes had been driyen thereon the year
bounds. and dates uf valid prior locations nc
cor!ng to the laws OF the land and tie district.
DISCOVERIES and original locator, a! the ground
set Of hogs. and laid plans /" call riners' ~
ard limit man to tie location OF only
t" stop the location Of Chains by power
OF attorney. one partner locating for
district with laws OF their own making. With
this idea in view numerous written handb!ils
were posted throughout tho district calling ~
miners meeting NJ a certain date. pu'tinG " Ey
Order Of the Committee n q signature TO sGCh
notices. In ono inst tnrce n few miners gathered
III the forks the place drsiGu a;rd for such
meeting att the date mentioned. but rs tie said
COMMITTEE" failed o. put IN nn np1carnnc, and
make thrriselyr. known and heard on the oTcni-
i,r- the meeting was not called to order. and
the miners decided 10 pay no more attention to
such calls unless they bore the signature Of the
Recorder OF the district.
Following The schemes to l'u,It and cnt down
claims came the Jumpers and. OF course.
nothing Int choice claims were jumped npon.
As nstutal consequence thiS rlan OF securing
cIRinS has caused trouble. with one shooting
Ing Il the Jumpers Rre allowed to continue and
ho!i possession. The shooting scrapc above
owned by Mr.. B-d". The owners ordered the
jumpers 70 quit the cla..u, but they would not
W. and the consequences were that later on
one OF the Jumpers rece we'd n bad but not
fatal bullet wound in The MP. miners,
the district. TO be held ON the 21th inst. to
hear the testimony in the cas-. and rndenvor TO
adopt measures tn put n stop 10 further jump
ing and occurrences OF II Ike nature. As the
matter now stands. a jumper can 20 onto aud
vet possession OF claim and literally gut" 1t
before action through TIE district conrtnt >itkn
could bc taken t. remove him from the ground
or stop his working thereon. 1t is the unRni-
nous plea OF the mi'c 0wners here thEt ihe
Government furnish a nted states C"inn:S-
sioner and ~ trited states deputy MAJ shall ~:
this place TO guard against much serious troEhle
TINT VIII ocrny. large number Of Claims have
already been jnmncd, and men Vii b. killed IN
ihe disputes II G%vcrnmemt officials are not
placed here 10 settle them.
Finding that MI Of the choice ground along
ing out tn hunt up new creeks. a large number
OF the newcomers disposed OF their summer uut-
fits at store-ki.ling pr!ces ana lett the country
AGd, OF course. gave IL IA black eye tn every
newspaper reDurter they encountered upon
their arrival below. and others who arrived
here later were 50 EtufTed with ban news thnt
they did not even go ashore, but returned on the
same boat that brought them M and took back
with them the yH"ns OF the ilr,t ones. But 1t
Is also true that - large number OF newcomers
o.. remaining here: some have lD"atrn upon un-
claimed creeks others have located fractions be-
tw-,n ella! ms along he gold belt. and others have
bOugAt whole claims and Interests, while slIll
others have leased claims for II season aud for ~
year or more. and quite Number are wOrKin;
| for wages or =" sniping bedrock at low tide on
the beuch and At points along the stream. Com
mon wages In the mines are $500 per day and
board. The market Is oyerstOCked with pro-
visions end therv Is not the slightest danger OF
any person here going hungry. although Mt
times certain articles have become -hOrt, the
principal cases being good butter Rnd choiCe
brands of tobacco. Al the Fourth Uf July cel--
braton held in sunrise city over 500 persons
were cOunted. which did not lnciuGe then one
half the present population OF sunrise district.
| In this district gangs OF from two to Twelve
men are now slniCing and rocking upon eighty
seven claims, ~ Tar AS can he heard from,
l Il.