The Lamar register., 1897-07-24
THE RgAL ELpoRApo.
Marvellous Tales of the New Tiaeers In
Alaska- Big Quantities of Gold
Verify Them.

At 3 o'clock this Saturday morning
the steamship Portland from st. MI
chaels for Seattle passed mp the sound
with more than a ion of solid gold on
board. and sixty-eight passengers. IN
the captains cabin are three chests and
large safe filed with the precious
nuggets. The metal is worth nearly
100000, and the most of IL was taken
out of the ground in less than three
months Of last winter, and In size, the
nuggets range from the size of pea
to a guinea egg
OF the sixty-eight miners aboard
hardly man has less than $1,000, and
one or two have more than 100000 in
yellow metal
One peculiar feature noticed is that
the big strikes were made by tender
feet" while the old and experienced
miners of many years experience are
suffering indiscribable hardships and
privations In Alaska and the northwest
territory, aud have only few thou
sand dollars to show for their labors.
Fortune seemed to smile on the mex.
perienced men who went into the min
ing districts late last year, as nearly
all Of them were fortunate.
The stories they tell seem too in
credible and far beyond belief. In
stances are noted where single indiyld-
uals have taken out. in two and one
half months. gold to the value of over
SI5O.OOO.
The steamer Portland. which brought
down over 100000 In gold is on her
return trip and will be crowded TO her
utmost capacity. Conservative men
/ who have been in the country claim
I that there Is room for hundreds Of men
| more in Alaska. They admit that all
4 Of the fields In the vicinity Of klon-
dyke have been taken. but every river
I Ia Alaskn f.. In their judgment, tilled
I with gold. which can be secured II the
I men are willing to risk the hardships.
! Inspector Strickland Of the Canadian
mounted police, who came down on the
Portland. says: when left Dawson
: City. month ago. there were about
800 claims staked out. and there are
between 2.OOO and 5000 men In there.
. We can safely say that there were
{ about 81, 10000 In gold mined last win
ter. The wages in the mines were $40
a day. aud tine sawmill paid laborers
SiO day.
.sThe claims now stakcd out viii af
ford employment to about 5000 men,
I believe. If n man Is strong. healthy
! and wants work he can find employ
Z ment al good wages. Several men
worked on an interest, or what Is
termed n lay and during the winter
realized from 5000 to $4,000 apiece.
! The mines are thirty-tive TO 100 miles
from the Alaska boundary
4 letter received from Dawson City,
under date OF June 18th. contains
many Interesting facts. The writer,
| Arthur Perry, n well-known citizen of
I Seattle says: THE first discovery OF
gold ON the Klondyke was In the mid
die of August. 1890, by George Cor
mack. on a creek emptying into the
| Elondyke on the south, called by the
/ Indians bonanza He found SLIGO to
the pan on high rim. and after max
ing the find known as Forty Miles went
back with two Indians and took out
81 400 in three weeks with three sluice
boxes. The creek was soon staked
from one end to the other. And all the
small C,ulches were also staked and re-
corded. About September 10th man
by the name OF whIpple prospected a
creek emptying into the Bonanza and
named It whippie creek. He shortly
afterward sold out and the miners re-
named Il il Dorado.
when first reached the new camp
was invited by the butcher boys
Murphy Thorpe Of Juneau and George
Stewart. from Stuck Valley. Washing
ton-to 20 down in their shaft and pick
n nan Of dirt, as they had just struck
n rich streak. To my surprise 1t was
S2S3 10. In fourteen pans OF dirt they
took out Sl.565 right In the bottom of
the shaft. which was four by eight feet.
March Goth. Clarence Berry took out
S7DO TO the nan Jimmy McLain took
out over 5000 to the pan; Frank Phis-
Gator took out Sl35 to the pan; four
boys from Nanaimo took as nigh as
S135 TO the pan. They were the first
4, =. 4 fE. nod 9nL "a