The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-30


James Fairburn and Ron Crawford
both Seattle men, staked out . claim on
Bryant creek one dark night 1T midnight
In September last. Under the fiaring light
OF their birch torches they stepped on the
required $50 feet along the creek from rim
to rim and then sat down with q tree
sheltering them from the rain 70 see that
none OF the stampeding fortune hunters
walked on with their property during the
night.
Fairburn told q Post-Intelligencer re-
porter last night his experiences in the
Klondike. Twice this year he has crossed
the much-dreaded Chilkoot pass. going In
TO Dawson. He reached the Klondiks me-
tropolis early In June last and came cut
on the Portland when she brought to the
civilized world the first load OF Klondike
gold. He hurriedly completed arrange
ments for introducing some improved ma
chinery for the mining Of gold in the
Klondike, and returned in August. leaving
Lake Knderman on the I'D Of that month.
He reached Dawson September and came
out Ia October with the party headed by
Jack Dalton.
Seated in his home on Madison street
and Fourteenth avenue last night. Mr..
FafrbuFn told a most interesting account
OF his trip out and gave clear and sue
ctnct statement Of the latest gold discov-
cries In the famed region. He said:
THE Klondike gold mining district IL
not like any other placer country ever
mined by civilized men. Conditions there
are so vastly different from those existing
in the placer mining regions of California
that the experience and knowledge Of the
average old miner. gained in years Of hard
ship and slavish toll, are sometimes value
less to him In the search for gold This Is
why so many tenderfeet have grown rich
In the Klondike when even Alaska veter-
ans OF several years standing walk right
over the richest deposits.
ITO illustrate this, have only to tell
you OF the history OF Skookum sulch This
gulch. as you know. Is tributary to the
famed Eldorado creek. IT was all located
before July last, but many Of those who
had staked off ground abandoned their
claims, as they did not pan out few
weeks ago some tenderfoot kicked over
boulder and found sticking under the sod
nuggets of gold. The widest excitement
prevailed In the camp. II was found that
while many of the experienced gold hunt
ers In the district had searched long and
laboriously for the nuggets in the creek
bed and near the center OF the stream
they had overlooked the bench claims.
These were found to be very rich and that
part OF the diggings may be expected to
produce vast amount Of pure gold during
the next year.
Some Of the claims on the creek bed
were prospected well during last summer
but not many of these proved to be rich
Some OF the miners sunk a shaft to bed
rock, and toiled night and day for the
yellow metal. overlooking the thousands
in gold that lay Just under the sod a few
sods farther toward the hill bordering the
stream.
During the few weeks I spent In Daw-
son last June ana during my stay there
last September. there were stampedes al
most daily. SULPHUR creek now conceded
to be one OF the richest In the district.
was staked early last summer. There
was big stampede there. and hundreds
OK claims were located But many of
the locators did not have energy enough to
sink their prospect holes The result was
that 1t got talked about that Sulphur creek
was no good. Some of the first locators
stayed by II, however. and they were
richly rewarded. Later in the season the
news was quietly spread about that a
rich strike had been made there, and
there was another stampede Claims that
had been abandoned were located by other
parties and prospected thoroughly. Now
they cannot be bought for any price.
This thing has happened In more than
one instance In the Kiondike district
You can put II down as fact that nearly
all Of the latest discoveries have turned
out rich. and the claims located during
the summer promise we'll. All Gold creek
- ono OF these. II was located duriag
the summer. and there was the usual
stampede and failure on the part Of the
INCIDENT to find the gold. It has been
prospected since and appears 10 be almost
as rich as some OF the more famous
creeks
"Hunker creek about which little was
out her first load of treasure. has proven
exceptionally rich. The gold is there. and
In quantities that pay Handsomely. Some
or the Portiand's passengers on her trst
trip brought fine nuggets OF gold from
bunker creek. They would say but lit
tie about II, but 1. has since been ascer-
tanned that the creek is one of the very
richest In the district indeed. Won can.
not Dick out stream flowing from the
divide that Hes between the Klondke river
On the north and Indian river on the
south but has paying properties on It.
Inc stampede 10 Bryant creek which ,s
about nine miles up the Yukon from Daw-
SON was In the fore part OF September.
ar Crawford and I walked over the hills
70 the place. carrying enough food 10 last
us Tor two days, and our blankets. The
creek discovery claim had been located
aooue one ana a half miles I'D the creek by
2 man whose name. as remember II was
oids. Bryant creek is about twentv-one
miles In length. and rises within few rods
Of Chief gulch. which forms the head
waters or Eldorado creek. 1t Is only a
snort walk between the two streams. al
though Chief gulch empties into EIdorado
and Bryant creek flows into the Yukon.
Mr.. Crawford and / located claims
and above discovery. II was midnight
when We finally staked off the ground We
drove our stakes by the light OF our birch
torches, and then sat under tree until
morning broke so that We could complete
eur work. Then we went back to Dawson
and made our filings The surface inaica-
ions on Bryant creek were very good
Prospects as low as cents 10 the nan on
the rim rock indicate that gold is there In
paving quantities"
Mr.. Fairburn also secured a half inter
est In claim on All Gold creek. and has
an interest In a claim on EIdorado
He says that Messrs. Crawford Treat.
Burns and Hanna OF Seattle. who pur-
chased No e on Bonanza az Mike Kelly
expect 20 take out a big lot OF gold this
winter. They have leased the ground ION
a lay" and all Of the men who VIII work
Il expect 70 take oUt a fortune