Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-07-22
Tales of Richness Told.

Tales of Richness Told.
Nore stories of the golden wonders of
the arctic mining camp in Alaska are be-
ing told by the returning miners. The
stories of the great gold find are sur
| rounded with the frozen breath of winter,
for the new gold field is almost within
reach of the arctic circle, and the miners
are snow and ice bound for six months in
the year. Fortunes await the daring and
the hardy who have money enough to buy
Il seasons provisions and strength enough
to withstand the extreme cold. Those
who were III the gold region of Alaska
have been able to withstand everything,
and are now returning to warmer and
more civilized climes with plenty of
money. In the summer the miners find
the climate delightful. Those who do
not care to fight the rigors Of the journey
over the divide north OF Juneau reach the
gold fields by the steamer route along
the Yukon river. But the fight for gold
is one in which all the natural forces of
winter are combined against those who
seek some of the convcniences of cities.
The miners who have returned to San
francisco and Seattle have not exhaust
ed their tales of the wonderful richness
of the arctic mining camp i'll the Clon-
dyke district. They are raising their
voices, however, in solemn warning to
those who would go to the gold region
without sufficient means and plenty of
supplies.
Later and more authentic news places
the amount of treasure brought down
from the Clondyke by the steamer Port
land ut 81 100000, and there is good rea-
son to believe that the sum was nearer
$2,OOO,O0O
Every man was ordered to place his
gold dust in the ships safe, but this was
not done Many of the miners, perhaps
half of them, secreted their dust in blan-
kets and satchels, which were taken eth
er to statcrooms, or, as in some instances,
were thrown carelessy about the ship
Others deposited small bags of gold in
the ships treasure box and carried far
larger amounts in their valises tucked
away in stateroom hunks. Clarence ].
Berry, one of the Clondyke kings, brought
down at least SS4 600. not a cent of which
the Portland had on record. This state
ment is made on the authority of Capt.
William Kidston.
Story of Fortunate Miner.
One Of the most interesting of the many
Clondyke stories is told by William Stan
ley. He is SO years old and has Il family
of seven children. When he left Seattle
for the Yukon Il year ago last March he
was poor. One of the sons cared for the
family, while another and the father
sought fortune in the Alaskan placerS.
Mr.. Stanley made the statement that he
would not take ST 100000 for his posses
sion on the Clondyke. In less than three
months he and his partner took out S12O,-
600 from claims Nos. % and 2G, Ell Do
RADIO creek. This great sum of money, in
credible as it may SEEM simply represents
the yield of prospect holes-shafts sunk
here and there i'll order to find bedrock to
ascertain the actual value of the claim.
They have actually in sight on these two
properties over $1.O0O.0O0. They are
50O-foot claims, and every prospect hole
gives up dirt running over 81, 600 to the
lneal foot. Stanley and his partners, the
Worden brothers, also own claims Nos.
So and "a. Ell Dorado, known to contain
equally hgh-paying dirt. They also pur-
chased for $4,000 spot cash half-lnter-
est in claim No. 81. Eel Dorado, and they
also own valuable claims on Bear gulch,
Last Chance gulch and Indian creek. The
pans on the claims run from $500 to 1901.
Five pans taken at random yielded 500.
Advice to Gola-ecekers.
Miners who have returned advise and
urge those who contemplate going to the
Yukon not to think of taking in less than
one ton of food and plenty of clothing.
While it is Il poor mans country, yet the
hardships and privations to be encounter
ed by inexperienced persons unused to
frontier life are certain to result in much
suffering. They should go prepared with
Mt least "A years supplies. There are ut
present about $500 people in the country,
and that number is about all that can be
accommodated this winter. Provisions
are high. as it costs 10 to 10 cents a pound
to land goods at Dawson City. and 1T Is
impossible to Get more provisions in this
wear than will supply the present popula-
ton. If miners rush up there this sum
mer. unless they take with them their
own supplies, they will suffer great hard
ships. The fare to Dawson City from San
Francisco is $3.50, and it will cost ut least
$500 to transport supplies for one man.
The first discovery of gold on the Clon-
dyke was in the middle of August, 1876,
nv George Cormack. on a creek emptylng
into the Clondyke ON the south called by
the Indians Bonanza. He found S16O to
the pan OH high rim, and, after making
the find known as Forty Miles, went back
with two Indians and took out 81. 40O IN
three weeks with three sluice boxes. The
creek was soon staked from one end to
the other. and all the small gulches were
also staked and recorded. This is proba
bly, the richest placer ever known in the
world. The miners take out gold so fast,
and there is so much of it, that they do
not have time to weigh it with gold scales.
They use steelyards.
News of Minor Note.
Rellamy Storer, the new United States
minister to Belgium arrived at his post
Thursday.
There heiny no nroSnect of work in Chill