The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-27
FROM DAWSON CITY.
Four Miners Who Tell of Fabulous
Riches in the KIOndike.

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash, Aug. 26.-The
schooner ]. M. Coleman, which left St.
Michaers, at the mouth of the Yukon, July
2S was spoken last night at 9:30 o'clock
off Race rocks by the Associated Press tug
Vigilant, which was in the straits watching
for the arrival of the steamer Portland.
The Coleman brings four passengers who
have been in the Klondike and who left
Dawson City July II. The passengers are
Charles II. Metcalf, of Detroit, Mich. b. Il.
Jones, Berkeley, Cal, an assayer for the
Alaska Commercial Company at Dawson;
c. b. and w. o. Patrick, brothers, of Los
Angeles. They left ten days after the
Thorpe party, which arrived at Seattle last
week on the steamer George E. Starr from
Dyea. They all tell stories of the richness
of the KlOndike Bonanza and Eldorado
creeks, but all say that very few clean-ups
have been made since the early summer.
Mr. Metcalf has been engaged in the mer-
chandise business at Dawson City, Circle
City and other points for three years past
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 / to get
his freight over the pass with one man,
two horses and eight dogs. From Lake
Lindermann to Dawson City he was four
teen days When the Coleman left 81.
Michaers there were about twelve men wait
ing to come out on the steamer Portland.
and another steamer with passengers was
expected down the river before the time set
for the sailing Of the Portland. The men
waiting at ST. Michaers all had from 5000
to $1,000, but no phenomenal strikes were
reported. With regard to ascending the
Yukon, Mr.. Metcalt said it takes from
twenty to twenty-five days to go from st.
MichaeIs to Dawson City, and passengers
leaving Seattle later than Aug. 20 will have
no chance of reaching Dawson City this
fall The Lippy claim on Bonanza creek,
from which gold amounting TO $4,000 was
laken he said, was one of the best deVel-
oped claims in the group. Others will doubt
less prove just as rich when fully devel-
Oped The first claim located on bonanza
.reek was named Discovery and is recOg-
nized by miners as t1e center OF the held,
many OF the claims Delng numbered each
way from it. Sixty claims are now located
above and ninety below Discovery, in all
fifteen miles being taken. On EldoradO
claims are located, twenty nearest the con-
junction of the creeks being fabulously
rich From one claim located on Skookqm
gulch, tributary to Bonanza creek, n. w.
Porters of Denver and Joseph Goldsmith
of Juneau, took $500 in nuggets, ignoring
line gold. They afterWard sold the claim
for S25 COO cash They worked only fOur
weeks. Bear creek, a small tributary to the
klondike is also remarkably rich in gold.
Is. ). Jones, OF 1efhTlty, Sdl'' sdlu' u
should say there are about $500 people in
Dawson and on the creeks round about
there. This summer only about twenty
claims have been worked, and thus far not
a large sum of money has been taken out
Most everybody is getting ready for the
winters work, which will be pushed as Wig
orously this year as last As far as / can
estimate. the great wealth of the Klondike
Is holding out Still the amount of gold
that viii come down this fall will not be as
large as estimated IN some quarters.
should say that there Will be IN the neigh
5orhood OF l75 men down by the Portland
md Excelsior and a very fair average to
4ill bring down practically nothing. /