The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-09-04
TALES o. rae kLoNpIkg.
Told by Passengers ON the Portland
Just from Alaska.

land carried ~ miners, each OF whom
brought only n small part OF his stake.
The total amount of dust on the vessel
is perhaps S575,OO0. The Portland was
delayed by the failure OF the Il. b.
Weare 10 arrive az ST. Michaers and by
a storm on the North Pacific ocean.
Tie miners on board. with the amount
Of their total mining profits. parts OF
which were brought with them. are as
follows: j. Rowan, $4,000; Jim Bell,
$4,000; Joe Goldsmith. $4,000; n. w.
Powers, $4,000; w. w. Caldwell, $685.
oo0; w. Oler, $4,000; C. X. lilly, $685.
900; f. w. Cobb. 5000; w. Zahn. $751;
600; A. Buckley. S1O.0 900; NJ. S. Lansing.
$4,000; b. w. Farnham. $4,000; NJ. II.
Cnmler. $4,000.
The Portland made the trip from St.
Michaels without a convoy OF revenue
cutters. But she will be guarded by
Uncle Sans armed ships on her next
trip. She brings news from Dawson
City that provisions are every scarce.
Coffee is worth so cents pound.
While the small. amount OF gold
brought from the Yukon by the Port
land was n disappointment to many the
miners who returned unite In saying
that the country Is fabulously rich. The
claims which have been worked promise
well. and, in fact. many of them give
assurance Of proving very rich. Az es-
Inmates of the amount OF gold which
will be taken out Of the Yukon next
year must necessarily be very rough,
as there is no means of determining
how much work will be done. IL men
could be secured TO work the claims al
ready located there would undoubtedly
be many millions of dollars taken out,
but the majority of men who go there
prefer 10 prospect ON their own ac-
count, notwithstanding the fact that
high wages can be had wherever claims
have been located and have proved rich.
Statements have been made that the
steamer Portland on her next trip viii
bring fully S2,0O0,000 in gold. but the
most reliable men from Dawson City
say that no such amount OF money will
come, as IL has not been taken out OF the
ground. One miner who came down
places the outside figure at 100000.
One OF the returning miners says that
the remarkably rich claims on Eldorado
creek will number 40. He estimates
that at the rate these 140 claims are now
producing, and considering the ground
vet TO beworked, in the next three years
they will aggregate about ST0,0o0,000.
To this must be added the favorable
possibilities OF new gulches and the de-
yelopmcnt OF claims already found. but
not opened so as TO permit Of the great
est production. There have been other
rich strikes OH Stewart river. bunker.
Henderson and Indian creeks, but none
OF these are as rich asiclaims on Edo
RADIO and bonanza creeks.
There arc two facts about the Klon-
dixie brought out clearly by interviews
with passengers on the Portland. They
are, first, that Alasla's fields are rich
with gold; second that awful perils
threaten those who seek IL. The Yukon
miners who came back on the Portland
without exception estimate that not
less than S10.000,0 900 will be taken out
Of the Klondike district next winter.
Many OF them think the amount will
reach fully $1500000O Following are
extracts OF interviews with some OF the
passengers:
"You can believe almost any statement
about the richness OF the KiondSe dggings
that you hear. They arc rich beyond de-
scrlpton"
IT'S hardly fair 10 Judge the Klondike
by the returns OF this year. sensational as
they may seem. The work that has been
done Is little more than 'gophering. 1t
was impossible 10 do systematic and thor
ough prospecting Of claims. Next win
ter they viii get down 10 solid work Then
look out for results"
1T IS Just as good and even better than
the Canadian side" says firm believer
IN the American part or the Yukon. There
IS lots OF rich gravel on our side. Out
side OF the Klondike strike nearly all the
gold digginEs have been found on Amer
lean territory There are good chances
there for prospectors and FOR capital"
Warn people TO stay out OF the Yukon
this winter. Tell them Il means starva-
ton there. Telegraph TO every paper In
the country that miners Will starve there
II more people 80 In"
I'm warning people 10 wait until spring
] simply act for the miners, who speak in
the name OF humanity. There Is gold in
Yukon country plenty OF Il. but 20 seek Il
this season under these circumstances is
sheer madness. IL is even worse. Il ~
criminal to those who already are I'm the
country"
supplies and TO so without supplies means
starvation. as there IL not near enough
food IN there now for tho people already
in the district"
srhc Yukon IL the last place on earth
for man 10 look for a soft snap. Tho
very best Will be hard living there"
The Seasons seal Catch.
Seattle, Wash, Aug. 81. - Advices
from the Behring sea by the steamer
Portland show that the entire catch OF
the North American Commercial com
pany for the season was 10000 skins.
which arc now en- route 10 San Fran
cisco ON the steamer Del Norte. Last
years catch amounted to over 10000
skins. Instead Of over 20 Sealers that
hunted last year ib the Behrlng sea
there are but 30 this season
Murderers break jail.
Leadville. Col, Aug. 30.--About ten