The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-04
KLONDYKE GOLD CRAZE.
Country FabuIous|y Rich With the
Yellow Metal.
THE '4e EXCITEMENT 0UTD0NE.

Commander futile, Of the United States
Revenue Cutter Bear, Tells of the
Scenes at St. Observation-Disclosures Had
S150,OOo-Made It All in Seven Months
Gold Enough to Turn Ones Mind.
SEATTLE, Wash. (Special).-The popula-
ton Of Alaska and the northwestern Sec
ton Of the Northwestern Territories will be
multiplied tenfold inside Of the next six
months. The exodus Of excited gold
hunters from all over the Pacific coast has
begun, and trains, arriving twice daily from
the south, bring hundreds Of eager and
anxious men, who would gladly pay the
transportation companies double for berths
on the three outgoing steamers.
One Of the most significant u%tterances in
corroboration Of the stories Of immense
gold finds In the Northwest Territory ts
found in a letter received from Captain
Francis futile, commander Of the United
States revenue cutter Bear, who was at the
time of writing at st. Michaels on the
Yukon River. Captain Tuttle cannot, by
those who know him, be accused OF being a
dreamer. It is the first communication sent
down from the far north by a United States
officer relative to the gold excitement. The
letter was mailed July !, and Is graphic In
It's description. ..
Captain Tuttle says: "The days OF '49 In
California are a mere side show compared
with the excitement in the Yukon country.
Imagine my establishment on reaching here
yesterday to run across a man who, last
September, was discharged as q deck hand
from a steamer on Puget Sound. The fell
low made his way into Alaska, worked
seven months on the Klondyke and has
now reached st. Michael's with $4,000 IN
gold. I could hardly believe my senses,
but there was his gold, sure enough.
"As I write st. Michael's Is full OF miners
awaiting an opportunity to get down to
Puget Sound and to California. Nearly
every other man of them has ESQ, 900 worth
OF dust, and there Is not a man here with
less than SIS, 900. The latter are referred
to az poor fellows who have been hard hit
with bad luck, and 1t seems to be real sym
patty that the more fortunate ones show
for these s15, 900 fellows.
"The deck-hand, with his S15O, 600, had
the largest amount Of gold Of any one In
the crowd. The whole business Is almost
Incredible, yet one must believe what ne
sees.
"It Is enough to turn the mind OF any
person, and particularly when one learns
with what comparative ease this gold is
mined"
Captain Tuttle adds that he cannot az
ford to lay long in St. Michaeps or his
whole crew will become daft, and he con-
tinues:
"I almost feel as II I would like to 60 up
the river myself, and Icertainly would do
30 were I twenty years younger"
The thermometer at St. Michaeps regis
tered eighty-seven degrees at the time Cap
tain futile penned his letter.
At st. Michael's Captain Tuttle received
instructions from the Government to assist
In the transportation OF. reindeer from 81
IBERIA into the Yukon country.
F. @. n. Bowker, one Of the returned
Yukoners, who brings back nearly $40, 900
in gold dust, the result Of six months
work, Is authority for the statement that
on the American side Of the. international
boundary placer fields have been found
which even put those IN the Klondyke into
The shade.