The record-union., 1897-09-26

SEATTLz Sept. 25.-The first au-
thentic news concerning Washington
new FL Dorado near Mount Baker, and
how to get there, with all intermedi-
ate details was brought to Seattle yes
terday by E. W. Saportas, President of
the Information and Registry Bureau,
who with Frank Crydo and Gus Wag-
ner, experienced miners of Dawson
City, left for the scene of the latest
excitement last Saturday morning.
According to Mr. Saportas, the route
is passable and not very difficult until
the investigator is within five miles of
the promised land, but the last five
miles present obstacles that would for
ever discourage anyone who was not
an experienced prospector and noun
taineer There is in Mount Baker
and it's surrounding nights enough
gold" says Mr.. Saportas, ito keep
prospectors busy for the next ten
years.
'Ar the stories of the fabulous discov-
cries are corroborated. In samples of
Gre that were brought back by the in
formant, Mr.. Bogardus, the assayer,
by a cursory inspection, declared that
free gold existed in exceeding good
quantities.
Il met many men who came from
Mount Tomohoy (Tomboy) and they
all reiterated the stories that have been
told concerning the great strike of $40,
900 to the ton, made in Bear Mountain.
Among them was man named Leith
who has a claim. Post and Lambert's s
claim is on the east side. In Tomohoy,
Esterbrook and several others have
found ore equal to the discovery in
Bear Mountain. A man named John
son and several others have been there
two weeks, and are still remaining, To-
eating mining claims. East of these
mountains is SILICA Greek, along which
my people tell me is placer gold. There
is enough yellow metal there to occupy
prospectors for the next ten years.
There are three hundred people on
the mountains now, and I met sixty
more going in when 1 was returning. l
believe the mineral is rich, as rich as
has been reported, but I cannot know
definitely about it until my friends re-
turn. My advice is not to go in now,
as the rain and rough weather are great
obstacles to successful prospecting"
A special correspondent of the Even
ing Times sends word from Sumas as
follows:
THE gold discoveries in the noun
tains of Whatcomb County are beyond
any doubt the richest in the annals OF
the Pacific coast, or even in Alaska. SO
say the most experienced prospectors
whom I have just accompanied to the
scene of the recent finds. The recent
find is in Bald Mountain, situated IN
the northeast portion of Whatcom
County, northeast of Mount Baker The
mineral range runs northwest and
southeast, and to-day is located for
thirty miles There is no telling how
much farther it extends. Every hill
in the immediate vicinity of the find
is covered with location stakes. AT
present there are $50 prospectors in the
field running from experienced men to
office seekers who have forsaken
their employers offices to try their luck
in the new fields.
"The vein in the five claims, Lone
Jack, Bennie, Sidney, Lulu and Whist
varies from three to five feet in thick
ness. It runs northwest and southeast
under layer of porphyry ledge in a SER
pentine manner, and auriferous shale
appears in the ledge. 1t is free mill
ing quartz of sugar and rose color, car
rying copper and silver. The vein can
be traced half a mile. The cropping is
under solid porphyry. The gold is
known as wire gold, and can be seen
without trouble by the naked eye and
picked out with the finger nails. That
there is a great quantity of it there no
one who has seen the ledge can doubt
The formation of the range in which
the find is located does not look to be
very rich in minerals.
However, it is no place for a ten
derfoot. II there is any placer mining
it has not as yet been demonstrated to
be a paying proportion. Tenderfeet can
not go where the rich claims are to be
found without the gravest danger Of
losing their lives. I went over places
in company with prospectors that all
the gold in the range could not hire me
to go over again. AS to whether it is
advisable for men to go to the new
finds at the present time opinions of
the prospectors differ. Those who have
been there the longest say it is safe
for one to two months yet One thing
must be borne in mind: That all claims
in the immediate vicinity of the great
find have been taken. New men must
go farther on. I would not advse any
one to go in until next spring The
country in which the finds are located
is as rugged as can be imagined. 1t