The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-11-03
STAMPEDES AT DAWSON.
Wild Rushes to Newly Discovered Diggings of
Daily Occurrences.
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.

Dawson CITY, N. w. L., sept. IL
Stampedes to new creeks or gulohss are
cf semi-da1ly occurrence. Hardly an
evening has passed during the last ten
days when there has net been from TWO
to three rtlsIhes, or rather stampedeS,
off to newly discovered digg1ngs. over
200 men left day or two ago for Eu-
reka. Greek, one of the tributaries OF
Indian river, a distance of seventy-five
miles through a painless tract OF wild,
mountainous country. To create rush
of this character all that is necessary
is fer a. whisper to be overheard, the
exhibition Of half an ounce or COARSE
| gold and a hint as to where 1t came
| from. In half an hour from ten to 100
men will be strung out along the trail
| in the direction indicated. Some of
them are in such haste as net to take
| along blankets or food, though The dis
| tance is from thirty to fifty miles. A
| few nights ago some one came in and
| reported a gold strike on Montana
| creek, little stream entering the Yu
| kon on the east side. The night was
| miserably dark and stormy and light
| snow was falling. Chez cha-coes," or
tenderfeet, the application applied to
new arrivals, were wildly excited and
| flew off toward the creek. Some went
| in boats and poIled UP against strong
| current, and others crossed over the
| mountain and two or three gulches. The
| first arrivals built fires, and with torch
| es measured 500 feet and planted their
| stakes. Frank Slavin, the we'll known
| pugifist, was the second man to locate
a claim. 1890 O'Clock in the evening
seven claims were stal1ed of; and pso-
pie continued to arrive by the score I'M
till nearly now, when upwards of 400
claims have been located. Every To-
cater was tired wet, hungry end cold.
Some western Yankees were late arriv-
ing, and, observing that the rightful
holders were i'm no apparent hurry to
| get back to the government recording
office to file their claims, when the OPP
portunity was at hand they stealthily
removed the original stakes and planted
their owns and then made bee line to
Dawson City and recorded their claims,
When the first locaters presented them
selves to the office and asked permis-
sion to locate they were told that the
particular claims in question had been
already filed on and they were too late.
Without prosecuting a long and tedious
contest there was no alternative but to
accept THE condition. 1t is as equally
important to reach the recorders office
and be the first to file as it is to be the
first to locate a claim
| The reports sent out as to the yield Of
| gold are not exaggerated, but, to a CIR
| tain extent, are misleading ard have
| created the impression that the mining
| IF bo f,,1I
time miners who have mon. gold than
| they know what to do with, and that it is
| no trouble to locate paying claim.
Up to date nearly 1000 claims have been
filed, and there are less than 100 claims
which have produced $500 and upward.
Hundreds of men are arriving daily with
grub stakes and hope to be bile to pick
! up profitable location in a month or
SO. Perhaps they will, but 4 am afraid
| many will experience bitter pangs of
| disappointment There is plenty of gold
here, and 1T is as fr;e as water for legit-
! innate purposes, and the larger portion
| of it is in the hands of ais keen nanciers
| as ever walked in the stock exchanges in
| large cities. Some of the bsst and
shrewdest operators that ever dealt i'm
mining properties in Colorado Montanal
or California are hene making invest
ments, and 1t is the teindertfeet, who have
| accidentally acquired rich claims and are
dwelling themselves blind with THE dis
play of their own wealth who are con-
tributing to their SUCCESS No one APP
preciates the value elf an ounce of gold
except the old and conservative mining
| Spectators, and in such condition of
| affairs 1t is not a matter of surprise to
| say that immense fortunes will be real
lied in tins next year or two.
FcG, iniquity aII1 vice no city can
| hope TO make a favorable showing along
side Dawson City, this little community,
| which, a year ago, did not contain
| single house and was but wilderness
| alongside Of the bosom the Yukon river,
| and in its brief existence has shipped out
to the world tons of virgin gold Some
| fifteen or eighteen saloons are flied every
night with crowds of men and women.
The dance halls are brilliantly lighted,
and all night long poor music serves to
attract men who have seen better days
and to divest themselves of their gold.
Tonight at the opera house I saw several
men roughly chad in miners costume.
big. wide-brimmed hats and high-topped
with girls whose pretty faces are fast
paling under the blaze of such temper
airy excitement
Around the hall are benches and sugar
barrels, all occupied by spectators. In
the sea of faces I noticed many refined
| countenarces, who looked as though 1t
was revelation of an evn world to
them.
Say BuclSsl1in, don'cher wanter
dancer" Ut was the rasping voice Of
rather pretty girl who was trying to
be tough, and she was addressing an old
grizzled terrier who had passed several
winters in this mountain country and h al
never dreamed of seeing such scene
up here. SO far from home and civiliza-
ton.
"WeH, Kit, don't mind, but waitll
light this here weed"
Buckskins feet were rather large and