The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-14
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

In recent issue the New York sun
day Sun presented a page article on
this subject by William Ogilvie, f. Il.
G. S., who for years has been employed
principally i'm the exploration of the
vast north land of Canada, and is con-
Ceded to be the greatest living author
ity upon all matters concerning the far
northern portion of America. From
this article we have extracted the in
formation which follows.
Early in the seventies an attempt
was made to get over to Tesln lake by
Cassiar miners who had learned of the
existence of large lake nOrthward
from Cassiar. Several men tried, but
unsuccessfully, and returned disgust
ed. In 1872, Sept. 9, two north Of Ire
land men from coCnty Antrim, named
Arthur Harper and Frederick w. Hart;
George w. Fitch. who came from the
vicinity of Kingston, ontario; Andrew
Kanselar, a German, and Sam Wilkin-
son, an Englishman, left Manson Creek
to so on a prospecting trip down the
Mackenzie river.
Harper, because gold had been found
on the Lizard. which empties into the
Mackenzie and is one OF its principal
branches, was under the impression
that there was gold on the Mackenzie.
They made their way down Peace
river, by the Fnlay branch, to what is
known as Half Way river. There they
met a party of men surveying for the
Canadian Pacific railway, and unwit-.
tingly helped to drive spike in ourl
great national highway, because they
gave their boat to the survey men to
make their way up the Peace river.
/ 10 nf hoi
provisions up the Half Way river and
over a twenty-five mile portage to the
waters of the Nelson river. down which
they went until they found it safe for
the passage of canoes, where they
made a cache and proceeded to make
two dug-outs, with which to ascend
the Nelson.
In 1891 I was sent by the Dominion
government to examine the northeast
portion of this province. and coming
out by the trail followed by Harper /
saw the cache which Harper had told
me about in 1887. Well Harper's party
made their way down to the Lizard
river, where they met two men named
McQuesten and Mayo. Wilkinson de-
termined to try his luck on the Lizard,
and left the others. Harper, Hart
Kanselar and Fitch went down the
Mackenzie, across to the Peel and
thence over to Bells river, an affluent
of the Porcupine. and down the Por-
cupine to Fort Yukon, where Harper
saw an Indian who had some native
copper which he said came from White
river.
Harper determined to try for 1t. With
Fitch and Hart he went 400 miles UP
the Yukon to White river in Septem-
Der, and thence up White river until
they were stopped by running ice when
they made preparations for winter,
building a cabin of suitable dimen-
siOnS.
From this point they made prospect
ing excursions in various directions,
mainly in search of the copper which
they did not find. Harper attributes
their non-success to the late closing of
the river and the thickness Of the ice
drift, which precluded any attempt to
cross it. He believes he saw across the
river rock of such peculiar colors as to
Justify him in at least assuming that
he had found a copper vein of consid-
cradle extent. He kent that matter a
subject of inquiry with the Indians
during his long soiourn in the coun-
try, and now thinks that he is certain
time obtained from the Indians of the
locality pieces of native copper and
copper ore, all Of which seem to him
to point to one locality. Where this is
he did not tell me, but he hopes. if he
lives long enough, to be able to dis
cover and prospect what he considers
a very extensive copper district
THE FIRST PROSPECTS.
In the spring, being short of provis
Ions, they made their way down the
river, prospecting as they went, and
found very good indications in the
vicinity of the mouth of the Stewart.
But the shortage Of provisions pre-
vented their taking advantage Of these
discoveries. On their way up they as
cended Forty Mile river two or three
miles, prospecting, and found very
good prospects, but the Indians whom
they met on that river scared them
away by telling them that there was
very dangerous and impossible can
on some distance further on. We now
know this is not the case. They found
no gold on the Mackenzie. and the re-
suit OF their prospecting Harper
summed up to me thus
On the Nelson, nothing; on the Lizard.
NblolS, On lne hdCkenZle, nothing: on
the Peel, fair prospects; on the Por-
cupine, colors; on the Bell, nothing,
and on the Yukon, prospects.
To obtain provisions they had TO
make their way to st. Michael, and on
their way back they encountered Nc
Questen and Mayo, who had gone into
the service of the Alaska Commercial
company Near the mouth of the Koy-
ukuk Harper saw an Indian with some
gold which he said came from a noun
tain in the vicinity. Harper spent the
winter of IA and 10 prospecting at the
point indicated, but found nothing.
McQuesten and Mayo, as the result of
a conversation with him. went up the
stream and established Fort Reliance
In August and September, 1874. Har-
per Joined them the following sum-
mer, and partnership was formed
which existed until 1889.
CLOSE TO THE KLONDIKE IN "A.
Fort Reliance is only six and a half
miles from the mouth of the renowned
Klondike. While trading it appears
that they made very few and short at