The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-04
JERSEY GmOLDSEEKERS.
Millburn Men Seek Fortunes III
the Far North-Don't Know
Who Is President But
Have Found Gold.

Away up in the northernmost part of
America are three young Essex County
men, who ave been having some exciting
experiences since they left home, says the
Newark Sunday Call" The young adven-
turers are three brothers, ' Frank, Ned
and Charles Condit, of MiHburn. They
are sons of Frank r. Condit, of that vii
lage, and ~grandsons of the venerable Is
rael D.. Condit, who died two weeks ago.
The young men are so far away from civ
i~lizaticn thai they will not learn of their
g~randfather's death until Spring. Frank,
the eldest of the three, Is about twenty
five years of age. He left Millburn about
five years ago for the benefit of his health.
He went West, where he obtained a
knowledge of mining and prospecting. His
travels took him further North and across
the Canadian border. His two n
brothers, Ned and Charlie, were flied with
enthusiasm over Franks spirited letters
of travel n adventure, and finally OBJ
tained their fathers consent to join him.
Last summer they Travelled to the far
North, hundreds of miles toward Hudson
BY. This journey was not made by rail-
road, for that comfortable institution is
unknown in that territory. Nor did they
go by wagon, for there are practically no
roads; their northward journey was made
In canoes, n by travensing many water
ways and meeting with more or less adj
ventures they finally arrived at a little
missionary station named Hazleton. The
few white men there, besides the mis-
stonary. are the miners employed by the
Hudson Bay Company. +,
The object of the young Jerseymen in
going so far away from home and civ-
ilization was not the search of health or
adventure. All three are robust and
healthy, and they didn't seek adventure
because they knew they would have it
without looking for it. What they were
after was gold. n their latest letters
to friends Indicate that they have found
It. How it will pan out will not be
known until the cold weather abates.
Letters were received from the boys a
week ago Frank writes very entertain
ingly. His letter is dated December Is.
and it will be seen that it took almost
two months to get here.
He wrote:-'sThis IS the last mail that
will leave here this winter. The latest
paper in town is that of October Is, SO
we do not nj who is elected President
and will not be able to find out until
long after he has been i-naugurated. Soon
after we arrived here an ndian brought
village about sixty miles above here.
With Ned and Charlie 1 made a trip up
mere ana located a quartz ledge, while
that country again next spring and pros
PPeecI TOT quartz; Some of the rocks have
Deen sent to Victoria for an assay, and
months. The ore is pyrites Of copper M
iron, and from all appearances shonld rim
well in gold and silver.
we nad very cold weather all through
november, averaging Is degrees below
zero for three weeks. In the winter all
travelling here is done with oboggans and
dog teams. 1t is wonderful to see the
neavy loads that two or three little dogs
pounds. The Indians are capable of
carrying enormous loads. 1t is no un-
Usual sight to see an Indian start on a
Journey of fifty or sixty miles with $50
pounds on his back, wife with 100 pounds.
and even the little children carry fifty
pounds weight, a load for the average
white man"
Frank evidently does not like Indian
dogs. He declares they are sstoo numler-
Gus to mention. of all sizes, shapes and
conditions, and they live by eating one
another, n everything edible they come
across. They killed and ate a horse the
udy DSlOTG yesterday. Wnen IneX h0Wl.
which is pretty much all of the time. one
is filed with a wild desire to rush forth
with a gatling gun and spread slaughter,
death and woe throughout the canine
hordes. Should ~hydrophobia ever break
out here the people would have to seek
fields and pastures new. It may seem
strange to say so, but it is a fact that
Notwithstanding the vast aggregation of
dogs, as they would say in a circus, n.y.
drophobia is unknown here.
THE Indians do some wonderful wood
carving. Every family has an emblem
or crest, a bear, raven owl or some other
animal. This crest is beautifully carved
in wood In front of the house of the
head man of each family is the totem
pole. This is often fifty or sixty feet
high, and five or six feet in diameter.
This is carved from the top to the bot
tom with figures of men, beasts and
BIRDS. The crest of the family is on the
top of the totem. One pole in particular
Is ~strikingly artistic n beautiful, and
carved on 1t are numerous bears, all
climbing upward, while on the top of the
pole is a realistic carving of a sitting
bear. The greater part of this work has
been lone with stone implements, which
makes it more wonderful" The boys are
hemmed in by snow n ice for the
winter. Ned writes that it is dull and
tiresome at this season, seeing the same
faces day after day. Their chief reerea-
ton is snowshoe running n the library
of the missionary is their principal means
of spending the time pleasantly.