The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-26
FAITH N THE Inlet MINES.
ROBERT n. CALLIGAy TELIS or
THE COUNTRYs DEvELOPMEST.
sunrise City, . Town Controlled
By Miners-seme seattle Mea Who
Have MADE . Coed Deal 81 Money.

Robert r. Calligan, who few years ago
was superintendent Of tho city water
works, Is home from Sunrise City. Alas
ka. He is q member OF tho United states
Mercantile Company, which operates the
Stella Erland and does a mercantile buss-
ness st Sunrise Caliigan Is looked upon
as the pioneer OF Sunrise. When he went
there In May, 1885. there waa no Sunrise
City, only q cabin or two. He made II MS
headquarters and announced that he was
thare to stay. Many miners and pros
pectors who had located further down the
river concluded that Sunrise was 10 De
the city of that part Of the Cook Inlet
country. and in = very abort tine they
had changed their quarters.
Sunrise Is on Six-Mile creek, which Is
on Turnagain arm. and is probably the
ideal mining camp OF the great Alaskan
country. The town has fine, good frame
houses and many splendid log cabins.
1--WE are peaeeable and happy people
up there" said CaiiigaQ to a Post-Iniei-
ligencer reporter yesterday afternoon.
The miners have supreme control OF the
city. Of course we follow the established
code in governing mining matters. but the
business OF the town is In the hands OF
three trustees, who carry out the wishes
OF the miners. The latter are peaceabls
and honest and in all matters are strict
aud straight and just You can't say that
of every mining city. but you can in
speaking OF Sunrise, and no one will come
forward to challenge the statement. We
insist on improvements. A miner Is al
lowed a 10, but to hold II he must make
certain Improvements within specified
time If he fails he loses it.
There has been much said about the
future of the Cook inlet country. Every
man has his own views. have mine.
The men who are developing the country
are satisfied with 1t. True. II Is not as rich
as the klondike. but then we have many
advantages that the Klondike does not
and never will possess. With very few
exceptions the miners In our country have
done we'll They go to work along in
July and are not interfered with by the
elements until October. Sometimes they
have two and three weeks in October.
during which time they make as much
progress as In the summer time.
''Of course there Is some chance in pia-
Ger mining. Your claim may be good
one. ii may be bad one: you cannot tell
anything about Ii until YOU get down to
bedrock. If your bedrock is found to be
smooth. then You know better than words
can tell you that your work has been
fruitless. In such cases the men who have
claims below you are the ones who reap
the harvest. Many miners who come into
the country buy claims on what is known
as q bedrock price. The purchaser is al
lowed so much day for developing the
claim and he pays his purchase price ac-
cording 10 the amount he takes out. A
man may work for some time making on
ly bare living while others near him are
cleaning up good money every day.
II recall the case OF III. +. Stratton. a
brother OF Judge Stratton. OF this city.
He and several others came along there
last summer and purchased a claim from
several men who had worked It the pre-
vious summer Anything but success had
accompanied their efforts. They had not
made good living. Stratton and his men
took hold of the claim and marvellous was
the change that followed. l have been
told by men who know that Stratton and
his partners took out from go to 800 a day
each. The claim IL one OF tho best in
the country.
Just before / left Sunrise I went to
make call on A. l.. Mills, of Seattle,
who with Erickson and Heddy, two Seat
to go out on the claim and gather lit
tie gold. In a very short time had a
small bottle filled with the precious stuff.
As is we'll known. w. w. Price and II. c.
Pierce. OF the Polly Mining Company, are
two Seattle men who are making money.
They have probably as fne claim as
will be found in the country. Price was
at one time on the Seattle police force.
I'VE all have faith In the country. / do
not advise any man TO go there. because
X / should and he failed to win out
might come In for some criticism. But we
are satisfied with our country. Andrew
Williamson. an old California and Mon
tana miner. who was In the Cook inlet
country last summer. told me that In his
Judgment not six claims In the entire
country have been developed. He said
that we Afd not aupreefa 70 tha rsrhuess NJ
the country. Perhaps not. but We are
satisfied"