The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-12
FRIEND MORE THAN GOLD.
How n KIOndiI1e Miner Cared for HIS
Sick COmrade.


Sick COmrade.
From the Seattle Washington Post-In-
tellgencer.
At Providence hospital John Anderson
lies dying. Over his emaciated and uncon-
scious form bends friend who has shown
more faithfuhess than is seen every day
At the close of this cynical and selfish
nineteenth century people are apt to read
the story of Damon and Pythias, of David
and Jonathan, then smile incredulously,
and say such things may have been in
ages gone by, but not now. Such skeptics
should step into the little room on the Sec
ond floor of the hospital and hear the life
story of the two men, william Sim and
John Anderson.
Both are natives Of Scotland, Sim having
been born at Elgin and Anderson on his
fathers little farm four miles out from
Elgin. The two learned the carpenters
trade together, serving as apprentices in
the same shop. Eleven years ago Sim
came to America, locating in Chicago A
year later Anderson followed him. He
spent his first year in st. Paul, whence he
went to Chicago and joined his friend.
The comrades came together at Seattle,
the great fire. Then things doomed. There
was plenty of building going on, and the
carpenters trade was q good one to fol-
low.
But the years rolled on and business
grew dull and times grew hard. Two years
ago last March there came quietly into
Seattle the news that there were some
wonderful gold finds being made in Alas
ka. Sim and Anderson heard the name of
Birch creek, near Circle City, mentioned
with special favor by some of their friends
and they determined to go thlther and try
their fortunes. Leaving Seattle they made
their way as far as Forty Mile. In that
neighborhood they prospected in various
directions, but met with no success until
year ago last spring, when on Last
Chance, about ten miles from Forty-Mle
they struck pay dirt. Patiently they toled
on till summer, and while they worked
they averaged $40 a day. They got a good
quantity of coarse gold. Among their tro-
phies from this field they have two mug
gets of good size, one valued al $6S and the
other at $S2. Mr.. Sim states that they
picked out a number worth $40 each.
Last fall the Klondike excitement arose.
There was a stampede The friends re-
solved to so. They got to the new field
too late to locate, but in connection with
two of their companions, Foote and Thorn
as, they bought claim. No. 43, below Dis
covery on Bonanza, for which they paid
the very reasonable sum of $500. Mr. Sim
says that at that time almost any claim
on either Bonanza or Ell Dorado could
have been bought for that price.
"The claim we bought" said Mr.. Sim to
a Fost. Intelligencer reporter proved a
fairly good one. The dirt we took out av-
eraged from II cents to so cents a pan.
OF course we cannot tell precisely what
there is In the claim, but 1 am safe in say
ing that so far from being exhausted, it
has not yet been thoroughly developed
"While we were still working this claim
two of us, I'oote and l. took lay on a
claim on lei Dorado-that Is TO say, we
worked it on shares. Anderson and
Thomas remained on the claim
on Bonanza. though Anderson even then
Mas far from well. and was not able to do
much work. In fact, from about the LIST
Of April Anderson was in bed. We didn't
know then what we know now-that he
had Bright's disease, and was a doomed
man. We did all we could to minister TO
his comfort. In May We had DR.. Cham
bers from Circle City. Then we sent down
TO Dawson and got a horse. 1t was a
tedious undertaking. We mounted Ander-
son on the horse, and one of us walked on
each side all the WY 10 steady him. Thus
We reached Dawson with the invalid
His one wish during his sickness had