The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-13
WENT UP IN FEBRUARY, 1895.
HE TELLS ALI. ABOUT THE COUN-
TRY FROM MINERS STAND
POINT.
HE HAS TWO CLAIMS sTAI1ED oUT
Ono oEs Bonanza Creek and One On
Gold Bottozm-SoE.e Facts About
itae Golden Land.

returned to ST. Paul after an absence
OF eleven years from home. He is di-
rect from the Klondike. one Of the
Portland's passengers, and has brought
back with him abcnt $4,000 in god dust
and nuggets taken from two claims he
is interested in away up in the British
possessions near the Alaskan border.
Mr. Zahn is a stalwart young Ger
man, standing square and erect with
broad shoulders and deep chest to the
height of six feet. He is specimen
of magnificent manhood and consider
ing the few educational advantages he
has had is remarkably intelligent. He
has frank and open countenance, and
his face is adorned with a heavy black
mustache, which adds to his manly
appearance. Although only twenty
nine years of age the young mans
hair is literally sprinkled with gray.
He did not develop this evidence Of
aging early in the KlCndike country,
because even when he was a boy the
gray hairs began to creep out here and
there over his head. Mr.. Zahn will re-
main with his old mother, Mrs. Kath-
crime Zahn, of 719 Hudson avenue, un-
til February, when he will return to
his placer mines in the far Northwest.
1t was at the home of his mother
that Mr.. Zahn was seen yesterday af-
ternoon by a G l o b e reporter, to whom
he talked freely about the great Ell
Dorado. The house stands on the side
of a hill on Dayton's bluff, and is a
tWo-story frame structure, in the up
per fiat of which resides Mrs. Zahn. At
one time the lower story had been oc-
cupied by a grocery store, but that dis
appeared long ago, and the large Win
dows have been closed in with boards
Although the Zahn family is quite
comforta bly, fixed III a financial way
there is no ostentation about their
method of living They are a plain
German family who give more atten-
tion to comfort than luxury. Before the
family was broken up by the scatter
ing of members, the Zahns all lived in
this house, in addition to which prop
erty they have several other pieces of
improved real estate in the city The
family consists of Frederick Zahn Jr.
who is settled on a fine farm near San
Francisco; George, who is at home with
his mother, and William. His return
after so long an absence was a pleas
ure to his old mother, which she admits
she cannot describe. 1t had been so
very long, you know, since she saw
her boy last that with true motherly
Instinct she makes many endearing
references to him. About his good for
tune she will make no expression. In
her words she cares but little for
wealth. Had William returned home
in straitened circumstances instead Of
with a fortune in sold, it would have
been all the same tC this most delignt-
ful old mother. Indeed, it is a question
whether Mrs. Zahn has ever asked her
fortunate son how much of the pre-
cious yellow metal he returned with.
He cannot recall her having done So
and he said he has not offered to tell
her.
The home of the Zahns is comforta-
BILE, but it's furnishings are far from
being elaborate. Over the door leading
from the hall into the front room
hangS framed motto, "To My Dear
Mamma which was Christmas
present to Mrs. Zahn from her pretty
daughter several years ago. Yet ev-
| erything about the place is clean and
! tidy and is evidence of the fact that
Mrs. Zahn is good housewife She
has reared her family in the good,
| old-fashioned way, and to her Will
lam says he owes all his wealth and
success. Ever since the young mans
return last Wednesday, he had been
entertained day and night by friends
! and relatives who never seem to tire
! he says, Of his stories about the Klon-
! dixie. He has managed to steal away
/ from them long enough, however, to
/ pay several visits to dentist He
! intends to take some gold back to
| Alaska with him, even though he Jeff
quantities OF the yellow stuff there.
Mr.. Zahn is not much of a dresser.
He never did go much on clothes, ne
says. UD in the Klordike country
| people must study comfort rather than
style, and this has become a HABIT
with the returned gold hunter He is
satisfied with himself and cares moth
ing about the opinions of other peo-
pie.
The young man always was
Of rowing disposition, and
I long before he struck out for
the land of gold he had been
/ all over the country. When he left
home the last time, in the spring of
! 1886, he had no intention .f remaining
away as long as he did. He was born
! on a farm about four miles from St
! Paul, and was reared With his broth
1 ers and sister in the city. AS con-
I sequence his home always was an at
traction to him. At an early age he
learned to be a stationary engineer,
but, after his brother Frederick settled
in California, he decided to go West
himself. He str9IG;ls, CIT vii, h4t little Is
winding up in Helena, Mont. He
went to work in neighboring mines
and there gained a knowledge Of min
ing that fitted him we'll for the Klon-
dixie experiment. -Four years ago M
worked his way further west with
about $3.50 he had saved, and. after
adding to this sum considerably, he
decided TO cast his fortune in Alaska.
L heard a great deal of talk about
the rich gold yield in Alaska out in
the Sound country" said Mr.. Zahn,
| and prcSpectors who returned from
the far north by nearly every steamer
always had new stories to tell about
the riches up there. Being a miner
myself, l got in with a number OF
these men. and, through them, I
learned much about the location eff tn,
gold fields before L started north
Bear in mind, however, that the ricn
/ Klondike had not then been discoy-
cred. All the mining was being done
in Alaska.
"One day in February, 1856, I fell
into the company of two old prospect
oTS named Stahldrom and Peterson
and learned that they were preparing
to go to Alaska, I decided to accom-
i paDy them, and, after laying in our
stores on March s, the three of us left
for Dyea. When we reached that place
we crossed the famous divide to Lake
, Bennett. Building boat, we trav-
/ eed about 600 miles by wafer, max
ing our way up the Stewart river sew
eral hundred miles. We experienced
ro Inconvenience frem the weather.
as that spring was unusually pleas
IL: G