The Topeka state journal., 1897-08-26
FIRST news
From Dawson City, for Many
Weeks, Arrives.
Four Men Who Left There on
July 18th
REACH PIT. TOWNSEND.
$500 People at Dawson on
That Date.
I75 Men Are Coming on the
Portland
With an Average of $4,000 in
Gold Apiece.
ALL ABOUT KLONDIKE.
Fifteen Miles of Territory Ia
ken Up in Claims.
Great Wealth of the KlOndike
is Holding Out.
ALL ABOUT KLONDIKE.
Fifteen Miles of Territory Ta-
ken Up in Claims.
Great Wealth of the KIOndike
is Holding Out.

Port Townsend, WaSn.s aug zo-11le
schooner ]. NJ. Colman, which left St.
Michaels, at the mouth of the Yukon,
July %, was spoken last night off Race
Rocks at $50 by the Associated Press
tug Vigilant, which was in the straits
watching for the arrival of the steamer
Portland The Colrnan brings four
passengers who have been in the Klon-
dixie and who left Dawson City July II.
The passengers are Charles H. Metcalfe
of Detroit, Mich; B. E. Jones, Berkeley,
Cal, an assayer for the Alaska Com
mercial company at Dawson; c. B. and
z. B. Patrick, brothers, from Humboldt,
Cal. They left Dawson ten days after
the Thorp party, who arrived at Seat
tie last week on the steamer George E.
Starr from Dyea. They tell stories of
the richness of the Klondil1e, Bonanza
and Ell Dorado creeks, but all say that
very few c1eanups have been made since
the early summer Mr.. Metcalfe has
been enga ged in the merchandise busi-
ness at Dawson City, Circle City and
other points for three years past and
has been out every year. He goes in
each year over the Dyea trail and last
spring he took in twenty tons of fright.
1t took him from March to May / to
get his freight over the pass with one
Lake Lindemann to Dawson City he
was fourteen days.
When the Colman left ST. Michaels
there were about twelve men waiting to
come out on the Portland and another
steamer was expected down the river
before the time set for the sailing of
the Portland.
The men waiting at St MichaeIs all
had from $4,000 to 5,000 but phe-
nomenal strikes were reported by them.
With regard to ascending the Yukon,
Mr. MPtPalfR said it takes from 20 25
days to go from st. Michae1s to Daw-
son City, and passengers leaving Seattle
later than August 20 will have no
chance of reaching Dawson City this
fall. The Lippy claim ON Bonanza
creek, from which gold amounting to
$4,000 was taken, he said, was one of
the best developed claims in the group.
Others will doubtless prove just as rich
when fully developed.
The first claim located on Bonanza
creek was named Discovery and is rec
ognized by miners as the center of the
field, other claims being numbered
each way from it. Sixty claims are
now located above and ninety below
Discovery, in all fifteen miles being
taken. On FL Dorado creek, which
empties into Bonanza, sixty claims are
located, the twenty nearest the con-
junction of the creeks being fabulouSly
rich. From one claim loca ted on Skoo-
KUN gulch, tributary to Bonanza creek,
n. w. Porters of Denver and Joseph
Goldsmith of Juneau took S. 600 in mug
gets, ignoring fine gold. They after
wards sold the claim for $4,000 cash.
They worked only four weeks. Bear
creek, a small tributary to Klondilxe, is
also remarkably rich in gold.
B. E. Jones of Berkeley, Cal, said: st
should say there are about $500 people
in Dawson City and on the creeks
only about twenty claims have been
worked and thus far not large sum of
money has been taken out. Everybody
as getting ready for the winters work,
which will be pushed as vigorously this
year as last. AS far as can estimate,
the great wealth of the Klondike is
holding out Still, the amount of gold
that will come down this fall will not
be large as estimated in some quar-
ters.
I should say that there will be in
&he neighborhood of 175 men down by
the Portland and Excelsior and a very
fair average to each man would not ex-
eeed $4,000 Many viii bring down
practically nothing. l would not care
TO say what the Alaska Commercial
company has in gold on hand,
AT one time gold was so plentiful at
Dawson people did not know what to do
with it. The trading companies safes
were. filled and the stuff was packed
away in saloons and in any place min
ers could find. But most of the gold
was taken out when the clean ups were
completed last spring Since then there
has not been such large amount of
gold coming out as the wet season does
not permit of excavating,
This coming winter there will be
about 600 claims in active operation.
They will nearly all do well according
TO present indications and next winter S
output will be proportionately as large
as last, although there will not be as
many very rich strikes. The bench
claims are turning out well, much bet
eer in fact than was expected. The up
per end of some of the creeks that are
rich at the mouth range from Is to 20
cents to the pan. AS to supplies it is
believed there will be fully 4,50O tons
taken upon the river boats, owned by
the trading companies. Only about half
of this however, represents provisions
the other being supplies. Last year ice
began to run in the Yukon as early as
September %, and if the river begins
to freeze as early this year many of the
boats now going up and intended for
the Klondike will not get through until
next year. believe the Indian river