Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-27
THIS SUMMERS KLONDIKE GOLD
OUTPUT NOT HEAVY.
PORTLAND NOT BRINGING MUCH
MANY CLAIMS YIELDING FAIRLY
WELL, HOWEVER.
Work Will he Ener9eticnlIy Pushed
Next Winter-Two SciiOoners Ar
rive From st. Michaefs,
With News From Yu-
kOn Gold Fields.


schooner j. NJ. Colman. which left st.
Michael's. at the mouth of the Yukon.
July 2S. was spoken last night off Race
Rocks at $50 by the Associated Press tug
Vigilant which was in the straits watch
ing for the arrival of the steamer Port
land. The Colman brings four passengers
who have been in the klondike and who
left Dawson City July Il. The passengers
are Charles ii. Metcalfe. of Detroit, Mich;
b. Il. Jones, Berkeley. Cal. an assayer
for the Alaska Commercial Company at
Dawson, and c. i. and u. b. Patrick,
brothers, from Humboldt. Cal. They left
Dawson ten days after the Thorp party,
who arrived at Seattle last week on the
steamer George L. Starr, from Dyea.
They all tell stories of the richness of
the Klondike, Bonanza and Eldorado
creeks, but all say that very few cleanups
have been made since the early summer.
Mr.. Metcalfe has been engaged in the
mercantile business at Dawson City. Cir
Gle City and other points for three years.
and has been out every year. He goes
in each year over the Dyea trail, and last
spring he took in twenty tons of freight.
1t took him from March to May 1 to
get his freight over the pass with one man.
two horses and eight dogs. From Lake
Linderman to Dawson City he was four
teen days.
When the Colman left ST. Nichaers
there were about twelve men waiting TO
come out on the steamer Portland, and
another steamer with passengers was ex-
pected down the river before the time set
for the sailing of the Portland. The men
waiting at St. Michaels each had from
900 to $l5,0O0 but no phenomenal strikes
were reported by them. With regard to
ascending the Yukon. Mr.. Metcalfe said 1t
takes from twenty to twenty-five days to
go from st. Michael's to Dawson City, and
passengers leaving Seattle later than Au-
gust 90 will have no chance of reaching
Dawson City this fall.
The Lippy claim, on Bonanza creek, from
which gold amounting to s112,Ooo 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 recognized by
miners the center of the field. other
claims being numbered each way from 1t.
Sixty claims are now located above and
ninety below Discovery. in all fifteen miles
empties into Bonanza. sixty claims are
located. twenty nearest the junction of the
creeks being fabulously rich. From one
claim located on Skookum gulch. tribu-
tary to Bonanza creek. N. W. Potters. of
Denver. and Joseph Goldsmith. of Juneau.
took 5000 in nuggets. ignoring fine goli;
cash. They worked only four weeks. Bear
creek. small tributary to klondike, is
also remarkably rich in gold.
B. F. Jones Of Berkeley Sa al $; said: II
son City and on the creeks around there.
This summer only about 200 claims have
of money has been taken out. Almost every
body is getting ready for the winters
work. which Will be pushed as vigorously
this year as last. AS far as / can estimate,
iS d.
ing out. Still, the amount of gold that will
come down this fall will not be as :arse
as estimated in some quarters. I should
say that there would be in the neignbor-
hood of 175 men down by the Portland and
Excelsior, and very fair average to each
man would not exceed $4,000. Many will
bring down practically nothing. 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 companys safes were filled,
and the stuff was packed away in saloons
and in any place miners 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
wifi III gSd a the
claims in operation. They viii nearly ali
and next winters output will be propor-
tionately as large as last. although there
will not be as many rich strikes. The
bench claims are turning out well. much
better. in fact. than was expected. The
upper end of some of the creeks that are
rich at the mouth range from 10 to 20 cents
to the pan.
AS TO supplies. I believe there will be
fully $500 tons taken up on 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 2s. and if the river
begins to freeze as early this year, many
of the boats now going up and intended
til next year. 1 believe the Indian river
and its tributaries will prove valuable dig