The San Francisco call., 1897-04-09
FACE STARVATION
IN SEEKING GOLD
Miners Along the Yukon
Confront a Scarcity of
Provisions.
Flour Sells for Fifty Dollars a
Sack in the Cloudyke
District.
Though Hunger Thre atens, Fabulous
Discoveries Nerve the For.
tune Hunters.

SEATTLE, WASH, April S. -Sensa-
tional news, and apparently of most re-
liable nature, as to rich gold discoveries
in the new, but already famous Cloudyke
district, came via the steamship Mexico.
which arrived from Alaska to-day. A
correspondingly unfortunate condition
pertaining to the scarcity of food supplies
at Cloudyke and towns on the Yukon are
also reported.
Edward Thorp who went in last June
with herd of cattle; Hugh Day, the Gov
eminent mail carrier; }. Z. Binet, Charles
Lamb William Mckenzie and George
Rounds, constituting party of six. have
just returned from the Yukon. They say
the stories concerning the extraordinary
richness of the discoveries in the Cloudyke
district have not been exaggerated in the
least
Thorp arrived there last fall and spent
the winter along the various creeks tribu-
tary 10 the main stream. The prospects
thus far located, Thorp says, are on Bon
nanza and Ell Dorado creeks. The amount
OF gold contained in many of the claims,
which has been computed with a reaso ma
BILE degree of accuracy by sinking pros
pect holes in various portions of the pay
streak and taking an average of pans of
gravel from each one, is almost incredible.
In these districts 10 cents 20 pan is
considered paydirt. but Thorp solemnly
declares that there are many claims yield.
ing from s. to 500 to the pan.
Even richer discoveries were made by
Frank Berry, owner of No. 6, at Ell ID o.
rado. A single pan has yielded $33S. in
cluding a nugget worth $23S. Berry oper-
ateG his claim almost all winter, paying g
his laborers 81 % an hour. He located the
pay streak for width of $50 feet, averag-
ing three feet IN thickness. the full width
oil the claim. Good dirt is encountered
Immediately under the muck (Which in
that locality is about niue feet thick) that
yields from to 25 cents to the pan, but
the pay streak is not considered TO have
been struck until 75-cent dirt is reached.
Pan after pan taken from the bedrock on
this claim ran from $3.50 to $500. 1t is
reported to have almost staggered the be-
lief of the oldest Yukoners.
Berry's expenses have been about $3.50
day all winter, but he is said to have
enough gravel lying on the dump ready to
be washed out TO equal fortune of six
figures.
81 was standing near Berry's dump one
evening" said Thorp, "when Mrs. Berry
came down from the cabin to call her hus-
band to supper. While waiting for him
10 come UP the shaft she picked up over
$50 in coarse GOLD and nuggets that were
lying loose in the gravel, just as it came
from bedrock, not five minutes time be-
ing occupied IN doing it,"
But Notwithstanding the abundance of
gold there appeared to be, at the de-
parture of Thorp, grave danger that starva-
ton would run some OF the miners in the
Yukon very close race before the spring
supplies of provisions reached them.
at Cloudyke flour is selling at $50 a
sack-$1 pound. There is none to be
had at Forty mile, and Circle City is with
out bacon. No game TO speak of can be
found anywhere in that section. 1t costs
81 a pound to take provisions from Circle
City 20 Cloudyke. Beans are selling at 30
cents a pound at Cloudyke and Is cents at
Circle City. No sugar is to be had at
Cloudyke, and any grade sells 25 cents q
pound at Forty mile.
Meanwhile the Canadian police, as Gus
tom officers, are getting in their deadly
work in the way of collecting duties. On
the cattle taken to Cloudyke. Thorp had
to pay customs duty OF 20 per cent of
their price.