The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-25
TALES FROM THE KLoNDIKE.
AN OXFORD GRADUATE DIGS UP A
HANDSOME FORTUNE.

Twenty-Five Gallons of Gold Dust.
An ola California Miner On the
New Tind-Chance for More Sui
ctdes.
Flom the Plttsburg Dispatch.
Seattle.-Among many men who have
retucned from the Klondyke fields of the
nor Invest territory. loaded down with
gold. no one tells a more interesting story
than that which William Henry Mars
tens gave to a Dispatch correspondent to-
night. He returned on the steamer Port
land and brought with him more than
500, 0OO
Marstens is an oxford graduate. He
spent seven years in the far north with
out finding 500 worth of gold, and it was
not until one year ago that fortune came
his way. 1t was Just by chance that he
made his winning, for seven years in the
cold north without being rewarded had
| almost driven him insane. and when the
news of the Klondyke finds reached him
he was at Juneau, and. according to his
own story. was about to take the stamer
| for Puget sound.
He would have returned to civilization
a year before, but ne had no money, was
too proud to beg his passage down the
steamer, and money which had been sent
by a brother in England failed to reach
him.
To-day Marsten is worth 100000 He has
three claims in the north, out of which
other men from whom he bought them
had taken 100000
|
will have no trouble in taking out $1,000, -
900 in three years. That will satisfy me
and I will return to my home and my peo-
pie if any of them are left"
| Marstens, in order to reach the north,
agreed to work for a miner named George
! Hilly, who was en- route for the Yukon.
They made the trip together. 1t was in
March, 1890, that they reached Juneau and
at once started for the gold fields. Mars
tens tells the story:
| "Hily was an experienced miner but
| he had been exposed so much to the severe
weather that he was not much good for
| hard work. Hilly had never been in Alas
ka. At the foot of Chilkoot Pass we got
lost in snowstorm, and for one week
we felt that we had looked on humanity
for the last time. Finally. however, I
succeeded in finding our way and then
| was stricken with snow blindness, An
| other week was spent there; then 1 recov-
cred my eyesight and together we con-
| tinued our journey.
"A Lake le Barge we found others
who were waiting for the Ice to break I'D.
| week later we were in our boats which
| Woie made for us at the lake b. an old
| Ffenchman. We we're beautifully sun
! pied with food, know how 70 ha idl. 2
boat. and being strong and healthy, ex-
pe1enced no trouble in gettinA along
/ think people In telling the world that il is
! such an awful trip don't tell the truth.
| Why. after we were In our boats IL was
a pleasure trip.
"Of course, the canon Is dana erous hut
know how to handle a boat ana W. ran
| tie canon without accident. Tho White
| Horse rapids are one great source OF
darSer, and while 1 have known many
men who have ran them l saY iont do
| it, We had an uneventfiI trip EXCEPT
| once, when We encountered 4 rock and
| went into the wafer Our provisions had
been packed and tied In me boat so that
| We did not lose hem AMI suffered M
great inconvenience.
ON the trails from Dyea to Lake Lin
derm@n a man has much trouble Ills
| strength and his paiien3e are taxed to
their utmost. but this IS natural MANY
| o. the men who make the tIiD are from
homes Of luxury. They are not used TO
. /
fer to some extent?
Il saw men on our trip sit down and
weep. Others cursed but many suffered
in silence. But few days Of experience
puts them IN better humor, and then
they are all right for the rest of the trip
ana are ready TO smile at the next new
conner who makes his appearance. Some
fail utterly and return. but such are few
and they are usually branded as men who
should have been at home with their
mothers.
THE portage from Duea to Lake Lin
derman is veny severe. The distance is
twenty-four miles. II is an actual fact
that one consumes as much time In trans
ferring ones baggage over this piece OF
tho route as is consumed In making the
remainder Of the trip TO Dawson CITY
which is apout 700 miles
when we got in the far north we struck
out for little creek which was known as
Jumple Place, and where we were told sew
erai men had taken out fortunes. We ar
rived there and worked for six months. but
without success. II was the most difficult
Kind OF work. had no money and my
partners purse kept getting smaller and
smaller. My partner believed II we had
couple OF men 70 work for as we would
be able 70 make a showing. lie agreed TO
pay two brothers, James and Henry Mem
ders, IS apiece a month TO work for u.s.
They had come north on the steamer with
as and were penniless.
I'VE four worked, but there were no
signs OF gold. Here Is shown the hard
luck you sometimes encounter. We
worked the Members for six weeks. The
old man agreed 20 give them the claim n
they would work another week for us
and nothing developed. They laughed
and said they were giving US cheap labor.
When the week was ended lilly said:
The claim IL yours and we went TO
another part OF the country.
Three weeks later two miners came
our way and told US that the Members
had struck pay dirt, and when we saw
them one year later we learned that a
week after We left they struck Il and
had taken out OF the claim more than
$1,000. Two years ago they sold out and
left the Yukon with $4,000. The two
men who are working that claim to-day
are rich and Will take out 10000 more
before another year goes by.
bad luck accompanied US everywhere,
and Il Is an actual fact that before the
Klondyke was on everybody lips. In fact
before nine-tenths Of the people In Alaska
knew where Il was, lilly and I were