The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-22
RICH PLACER FINDS.
with the Latest News Of Discover
fes-BfgEest Strikes Ever Made In
That Ceuntry-Many Claims Filed.


placer, Is sccumuac.ng daily. and thsrs
is strong likelihood that few days. or
a few weeks at NOS. VIII bring forth IN
formation that viii siar;le even a commit
nifty as accustomed &c fabulousiy rich gold
strikes as Is this
Away back Il $50 rich deposits OF placer
gold were found In the Ruby creek region.
ana the big rush 70 that creek Is yet wei
remembered by tbs old-siners. A. least
1900 people made their way into that dis
tr1ct Al that time. and many thousands OF
the yellow metal were washed out in dust
and nuggets from the river beds before
the district was abandoned. And the rea-
son that active work ceased on these de-
pos.ts was not because the gold VAS not
there. bur simply for the reason that the
difficulties OF getting II out were too great
TO warrant the necessary expenditure OF
labor and expense There was i large river
which lay between the miner and the
golden sand. To divert the course OF this
river was out OF the question, for The val
ley is narrow and long, and expensive
fumes would be necessary 10 lake the VA
ter away. Even then the first freshet
would sweep the aume away and destroy
the conclusion that there was no use n
trying TO do anything on Ruby creek.
But there were some who never gave Up
the hope that they might some day md the
mother Lode above the creek, and for
eighteen years there have been prospectcrs
searching among the mountains for ths
supposed rich quartz veins from which The
dust and nuggets had been washed. II has
been slow and IaborIous work. owing large
n tas IN In les.
tor there Is only an Indifferent pack trail
leading INTO the region, and even this Is SO
long and precipitous that IL has deferred
those who might otherwise have gone N
with ample outfits 10 systematically pros
pect the region.
Heretofore the search for gold in the Cas-
cade balls has been almost exclusively for
quartz But the wonderful placer discov-
cries OF the klondike have proved such an
impetus to that class Of mining that from
one OF The Cascades 10 the other. and even
ever in The Olympics. the beds OF the
streams are being prospected as they never
have before.
Ruby creek, where 1t was demonstrated
there was much gold is only six 10 eight
miles from the scene Of tbs present excite
ment on the northeast slope OF Mount Ba-
ker Yesterday news was brought % The
city Of yet other rich strikes, and these
new strikes lie directly between Ruby
creek and the ledge that has just been dis
covered. and which has caused such an ex-
odus from Sumas and other towns in
Whatcom county.
The latest news of that region il brought
out by Otto klement of Lyman, Skagit
county, who has just returned from q pros
pecting tour into the mountains Mr..
klement Is credited with being the original
discoverer of the Ruby creek placers and
a
time In prospecting. He has spent thou
sands OF dollars in searching the hills
above Ruby and south along the range 20
the Monte Cristo mines for The valua bls
metal which has led 1900 men 70 tempt
starvation in the Yukon this winter. A
short time ago Mr.. hlemsnt win several
companions, went up the skagit river to the
Baker river. Thence they proceeded up
ths Baker until they came to the What
com county line. Pressing on they came
TO Baker lake.
Here they learned that Judge Mcbride,
with a party OF seven men, were encamp-
ed on one OF the streams which flow into
the lake from the northeast. This stream
is called Noisy creek Without delay, for
they had left some OF their party below
with the promise Of Joining them soon.
they crossed the lake and proceeded up the
creek TO the camp Of Judge Mcbride and
his party. On the way up they came
across the location stakes of which they
had heard at the lake. To see for them
selves what there was IN the creek they
stopped 10 take out a few panfuis OF sand
from the bed OF the stream. To their as
constituent they found from twenty to
thirty colors in every pan. This was
surface dirt and Mr.. klement says that
the indications were the best he had ever
seen IN his twenty-five years prospecting
in that region
4 mile or so further on up the creek
they came TO the camp and learned that
the men IN the party had located the en-
tire creek. from one end to the other. even
going right up into the glacier al the head
OF the canyon The richness OF the sand
increased the nearer they came TO the
glacier. and they were running a drift 10
bedrock. confident that from the way the
sand was running & would be very rich
when they got 10 bedrock
The strike is without doubt the richest
that has ever been seen IN that section"
said Mr.. Klement last night at the North
arn hotel 1T is much richer than any
that was ever seen on the Ruby creek. and
richer than any placer discovery ever
found in the state that have heard OF
~ should say that this strike IL about
four miles from the rich End Of quartz TO
which they are stampeding. The creek for
distance OF FIVE miles or more Il all To-
Gated and there IS no chance to get in
Some Of our party tried to get interests in
the claims but they could not be pur-
chased at any price.
we prospected on other creeks IN .ha
neighborhood but on the other creeks We
could not get color. Noisy creek ia on
n direct line between Ruby and the Arn,,r.
Baker strike. The sold Is coarse gold and
small nuggets"
Judge Henry Mcbride. who IS AZ thu
head Of The party in the new distric, was
superior court Judge OF Skagit county for
four years until the last election He "a
interested IN the Inaugural gold and con-
per mine. opposite Hamilton. and :, a
number OF other properties in re- ,atyh-
borhood OF Birisyiew.
whateom Wide Awake.
A special dispatch 20 tsls Pazt -I,,.fr,-
Seucer from Whatcom says:
There vas a mass 5ueetsna o. ~fttz.rs -
The csty hau last 8lght. cfl1e8 he -
Board - Trade go devise unezrs 20 -,,ssFa
he4i-nglam hay TIE only base o. vsrr.,li~s
Tor tae Whatconl Eol3 mines " ara : y-az
hummer There Was the usual o,rofs
o. kckers tHeTe1 s.Easust See -tie Who sc
af"a3s y evidence tn such meetings r,,u~a7
more ready w-$ta advice than vrst- -,
o.fe mere "-'e also many level hea8ss.
and pubiic-sp5rttesf business mon 49,,
-ize that the saving thar o. -ra T.,-.4 -.
those wHo help theTrselye-s % s--lses =,
e-srr11a celes as Wei as lra5vsaaais ~
men vanc trade and they seem n -as}5~s
that ere fact thai this Is che s.r.+r,-sf So
SITTING point for the Whatcora NICE" a
n3, alone sutt- est 80 Ger e. = 80. 49,
emulate re "Se8feie spirit a. %. =
move On them