The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-19
KLONDYKE.
1t Turns Out That Nearly $2,-
100000 i'm Gold
Was Brought Back by the Alas
ka Gold Hunters.
THEY HADIT SECRETED
Dawson City, the New Mining
Center, to be Incorporated.
No "Sure Thing Gambling De-
vices to be Allowed

Seattle, Wash, July 19.-The amount
of treasure brought down from the
famed Klondyke district by the steam
snip Portland is now placed a t 81, 500, 900
and there is good reason to believe that
the sum was nearer s., 900, ,000 In this
connection, something in the nature of
a confidence game appears to have been
worked on the North American Trad
ing and TRANSFORMATION company, or it's
OHlclalS IN charge of the Portland, by
the miners. Each man was required to
place his gold dust in the ships safe,
but this was not done by any means.
Many of the miners secreted their dust
in blankets and luggage, which were
taken either to their stateroons or
thrown carelessly about the ship.
clarence }. Berry, one of the klon-
dyke kings, brought down at least $S4,-
OOO in nuggets, not cent of which the
Portland had any record of. The state
ment is made on the authority of Cap
tain William KidsOn, the master of the
vessel.
When pressed for an estimate as to
the grand total of the Portlands cargo,
Captain Kidson said it was no doubt
nearer 100000 than the amount ac-
counted for on the ships records.
At present only miners laws rule the
camp, but next year Dawson City will
be Incorporated and municipal officers
elected. The miners are determined on
one thing, however, namely that order
will be preserved at all hazards. No
Sure-thing gamblers will be permitted
in either Dawson City or the diggings.
Informa ton comes from Juneau to the
effect that several rich strikes have
Gently been made in the neighbOrhood
of Forty-mile. It has been christened@
Minute Creek, and is now panning out
$22 a day to the man. Another dis
coVery on American Creek, so miles be-
low Forty-mile camp, is said to be pay
ing well and a great number of men
have f1Ocked there during the last few
weeks. The pan runs from SO to $1S.
1t is thought likely that many of the
prospectos will strike for these camps,
thus relieving the strain on Dawson
City.
San Diego, Cal, July 19.-An inter-
estine letter telling of the recent trip of
the steamer Excelsior to Alaska, has
been written by Captain j. f. Higgins,
of the Stea mer, to friend in this city.
He says:
THE word Klondyke means Deer
River and is called Reindeer river on
the charts. 1t empties into the Yukon
so miles above the big river. The geo
graphical position of the junction Is 16
degrees. 10 minis. north latitude, 13S de-
grees so minis, west longitude Bonanza
Creek dumps into klondyke ABOUT Two
miles above the Yukon. Eldorado is a
tributary of the Bonanza There are
numerous other creeks and tributaries,
the main river being 3O0 miles long. Inc
gold so far has been taken from Bon
ANA and Eldorado, both well named,
for the richness of the placers is. truly
marvellous. Eldorado, 80 miles long, is
Staked the whole length ana as Iar as
"As each claim is 500 feet long the
creek bed, there is half a million to the
claim So uniform has the output been
that one miner who has an interest in
three claims told me that If offered his
choice he would toss up to decide one
of our passengers who is taking $l0o,Vo
with him, has worked 100 feet of his
ground and refused 5000, 900 for the re-
mainder and confidently expects to
clean up $4O0, 900 and more. He has in
of rf
paw dirt while being washed averaged
$3.50 an hour to each man shoVeling in
Two others of our miners who worked
their own claims cleaned up $6,0OO from
the DAVIS washing. There is about 10
feet of dirt above bed rock. the pay
streak averaging from four to six feet
which is tunneled out while the ground
is frozen. OF course the ground taken
out is thawed by building fires, and
when the thaw comes and water rushes
in they set their sluices and wash the
dirt Two of our fellows thought
small bird in the hand worth large
one in the bush and sold their claims
for $4,000. getting $4,000 down, the re-
mainder to be paid in monthly INSTALL
ments of $4,000 each The purchasers
had no more than $4,000 paid: They
were 20 days thawing and getting out
dirt Then there was no water to
sluice with, but one fellow made
rocker and in ten days took out the
SO 600 for the first installment- So,
tunneling and rocking, they took out
with.
"Of course these things read like the
story of Aladdin, but fiction is not at all
in it with facts at Klondyke. The
ground located and prospected can be
worked out in a few years, but there is
still an immense territory untouched,
and the laboring man who can get
there with one years provisions will
have better chance to make stake
than in any other part of the world"
Port Townsend, Wash. July 19.-The
excursion steamer Queen has arrived
from Alaska with 40 passengers, prin-
cipally tourists. The officers of the
Queen state that the merchants and
traders in both Juneau and Sitka are
closing their stores and shops and has
tening to the new Ell Dorado. Fifty
business men left Juneau for Dawson
City on July II and $50 would leave on
the 18th, two days after the Queen sail
ed. The officers say that by the time
the Queen returns to Juneau on her re-
turn trip, nine days hence, there will
not be an able bodied man left in town.
Many men are leaving Juneau for the
to buy them.
The steamer Alki sailed for Alaska
at midnight last night. She carries 40
horses and 900 sheep for Dyea, where
they will be landed and driven across
the summit to the Yukon valley. Stock
men say the sheep are the finest band
ever collected off eastern Washington
ranges. They will be taken to Circle
City and Klondyke and slaughtered
Any kind of fresh meat there sells at so
cents per pound
NEW YORK STIRRED UP.