New-York tribune., 1897-07-17


IRON cLoNDyKE-aooD ORDER AND NO
CLAIM -,uMpINo-RooM FOR FIVE THOU
SAND MORE ABLE-BoDlED MEN.
icy TELEGRAPH TO THE TnBuNE.l
s.r Francisco. July 16.-The stories told by
forty returned Alaskan miners from the new
cjond,k ke Camp on one of the tributaries OF the
Yukon River have set old miners mere crazy
Nothing else is talked OF in mining crH!sS'
.,a ~ the present enthusiasm continues several
,arc. partes will start next month and one hum
d-e6 men Will go north next spring
Tho accounts of all the miners are substan-
tally the same. They rushed into the new fields
ss early as September Of last year. when the
ars, authentic news was brought to Circle CltE,
and they parcelled out the rich narrow gnlch
tnow,: as Bonanza Creek, which is thirteen
miles long and at Its widest not over l,Vo"
feet, These claims bid fair to pan out fortune
,or each. as the coarse gravel varies from
fourteen to twenty-five feet in depth till bed
rock Is reached, and every pan of this gravel
Yields from 80 cents to $50. The nearer YOU get
10 bedrock the richer becomes the gravel.
The new camp is peculiar for several reasons
They don't have a dead man for breakfast even
once a week in Dawson City. the headquarters
OF the camp because the Canadian Provincial
police don't allow the men 10 carry arms. II
the miners get drunk and fight they use their
hsts, and the land laws are so good that no
claim jumping Is possible Dawson City now
has 1000 people. and is expected that 2ooo
more will swarm in before snow flies ana the
trail from Juneau is closed for the winter Here
is good summins-up of the new district and its
prospects by J. O. HestwOod one OF the miners
who came back on Wednesday:
Modern history records nothing rich IN
extent as the placer mines of Yukon district.
The ton OF gold dust which was turned into the
Selby Smelling Company office on Wednesday
Is only slight indication OF what is to follow
in the near futura. The climatic conditions OF
that ice-bound region are such. however. that
only the very courageous should seek fortune
there. Food is scarce. the distances to he ira
versed are great. and the country Is inhospl-
table. A grea; many men went into the coun-
try poverty-stricken last year. and came out
This spring with thousands Of dollars; yet that
does not signify that every newcomer will be
able to do the same There is plenty of room
for five thousand more able-bodied men, but let
no one undertake tie task Of getting there until
he first considers what he must bear and un-
dergo to reach the FL Dorado of the far North,
remembering that wealth from mining in that
region as rule is more accidental than other-
wise"
The stories Of the returned miners vary only
In the details Of their good fortune. l.. Is.
Rhodes an old miner tells the following story:
II am located on Claim No. II, above the dis
covery on Bonanza Creek. | was among the
fortunate ones, as ! cleared about S4oWV' nut
brought only $1,000 with me. ! was the hrst
man to go to bedrock gravel and to discover
that it lined with gold dust and nuggets
The rock was scanned and cut In N-shaped
streaks caused. il IL supposed. by glacial action.
In these esams ! found o clay which was eX-
ceedingly rich In fact. there was stratum or
pay gravel four feet thick upon the rock, Wnlch
was lined with gold. particularly in these chan
nes streaks. The rock was about sixteen rect
from the surface. That discovery made the
camp. II was made on October w. lS'6. and as
soon az the news spread everybody rushed 10
the diggings from Circle City. forty miles away.
and every other camp in the district There was
a lack Of food. We had nothing but what was
sedded from forty miles. Flour sold as high
as S45 a sack and shovels at SIS ] invested
nv money in another claim. two-thirds di-
vided interest in Claim No. %. If | hadn't
bought in | could have brought up az least
$4,000. but the investment there is the best
security and pays interest from II to - per
cent year.
Free Price said that there were four miles Of
good claims FL Dorado Creek, and ten miles or
claims on Bonanza Creek. He brought down
IS 900 and left S200no invested In good claim.
He wanted all rrospectors to take full outfit, as
there no credit at the stores. even II a man
starving.
From Seattle Wash. come reports to-day Of
a tremendous rush for the new mines which has
already set in. Seattle Is the Quitting point for
all the Yukon business. Among those who
have Joined tho rush are Ex-Governor McGraw.
General r. NJ. Carr Colonel Joe Green and many
others.
MORE ABOUT THE GREAT DISCOVERY.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST GOLD FINDS EVER KNOWN
THE BONANZA FIRST STRUCK LAST
AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER.