Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-27
GOLD faow THE OCEAN.
"A story Of Great Treasure on the Coast o.
alaska

Captain Robert Linbridge of the
schooner Lila and Matte. which sailed
| for the South seas with a party OF
scientists Monday. tells story of re-
mGrkable discovery of what is prob
ably the richest gold bearing ledge OF
rock in the world.
The captain spent several months of
the coast of Alaska last summer, and
| it was while he was cruising from
point to point that he made the dis
covery He said he had told his story
to some of his friends who had money
and they are organizing a company for
the purpose of making thorough in
vestigation of the matter. and when he
returned from the present trip he ex-
pected to take a party to the spot,
which he alone could locate. The story
as he told it is as follows:
we had been cruising along the
coast and were compelled to do much
sounding, as the whole coast was new
to me. One evening when the sound
ing lead came up | noticed there was a
number of yellow scales adhering to it.
paid little attention to this and final
ly cast anchor near the same spot
Next morning | found the anchor had
caught on a ledge Of rock and | had
some difficulty in getting it up.
when it came up I saw that there
were particles of the same yellow ma
terial sticking to the tlukes of the an
chor, and this made me think Il little
more about it. | had some Hedges that
/ had used to drag for shells, and let
these down and dragged up a lot of
stuff from the bottom and found sever
al pieces of rock which carried par
ticles of the same yellow metal, which
/ was sure was gold.
II made soundings and found that a
ledge of rock could be traced for a
mile to the coast, and then there were
several outcroppings which could be
followed clear to the mountains, show
ing that the ledge in the water was
the extension of the one on land. I
got several pieces of rock from the
shore and put them away in my locker.
when | came back the schooner
was Immediately chartered for a trip
to Mexico, and | gave the sounding
lead, which still held the yellow par
ticles, and the pieces of rock from the
ledge to a friend, who took them to an
assayer. l returned from the Mexico
trip about a month ago. and found
that the experts pronounced the metal
gold, and the rock was so rich with it
that it ran all through it in threads.
The assayer said it was the richest lot
Of ore he had ever seen, taking the
whole lot together and expressed the
opinion that the ledge would prove to
be the most wonderful find of gold that
had been recorded.
The Lila and Matte has been char
tered to go to the south seas and we
will be gone until next spring. on my re-
turn the company will be fully or
Ganized. and | shall take the party to
the place. do not know what boat
we will take or who will be in the COM
nany,and | think the whole matter will
be kept a secret until the ledge is prop
erly located and mining operations are
fully under way
Captain Linbridge showed several
rich pieces of quartz which We're thick
ly veined with fine threads of gold. and
also showed the sounding lead, which
still had the yellow particles clinging
to it. He says the ledge where he made
the soundings is fully thirty feet wide.
but that where it comes out on the
shore it has evidently been covered
with sand. as it shows only in few
spots He says the mines there can be
worked at least six months in the year,
and believes that there are fabulous
riches in store for himself and those
associated with him.-San Francisco
Call