The state herald., 1897-07-23
THE REAL ELDORADo.
Marvellous Tales of-ths New Piacers in
Alaska- Big Quantities of Gold
Verify Them.

Verify Them.
Seattle, Wash, July IA special to
the Post-Intelligencer from Port Town
send, Washington, says:
At 3 o'clock this saturday. morning
the steamship Portland from st. Mi
chaels for Seattle passed up the sound
with more than n ton of solid gold on
board, and slxty-eight passengers. In
the captains cabin are three chests and
a large safe filed with the precious
nuggets. The metal is worth nearly
SI00,0OO, and the most of 1t 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 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 "tendcr.
feet" willie the old and experienced
miners of many years experience are
suffering indiscribable hardshlps and
privations In Alaska and the northwest
territory, and 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 We're fortunate.
The steamer Portland which brought
down over S1,O0O,OOO In gold is on her
return trip and will be crowded to her
utmost capacity. Conservative men
who have been in the country claim
that there is room for hundreds of men
more in Alasl.a. They admit that all
of the fields in the vicinity of Klon-
dyke have been taken, but every river
in Alaska is, in their Judgment. filed
with gold, which can he secured. il the
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
500 claims staked out. and there are
between 1000 and 1900 men in there.
We can safely say that there We're
about 81 100000 in gold mined last win
ter. The wages in the mines We're S15
n day. and the sawmill paid laborcrs
$40 day.
'The claims now staked out will af-
ford employment TO about 5000 men,
l believe. II man is strong, healthy
and wants work he can find employ
ment Mt good wages. Several men
worked on an interest, or what is
termed lay and during the winter
realized from 5000 to $4,000 apiece.
The mines are thirty-five to 100 miles
from the Alaska boundary"
"A letter received from Dawson City,
under date of June 18th. contains
many interesting facts. The writer,
Arthur Perry, n well-known citizen of
Seattle, says: ''The first discovery of
gold on the Klondyke was In the mid
die Of August. 1896, by George Cor
mack. on a creek emptying into the
Klondyke 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 gulches were also staked and re-
corded. About September 10th man
by the name OF Whipple prospected n
creek emptying into the Bonanza and
named It Wbipple creek. He shortly
afterward sold out and the miners re-
named II FL Dorado.
"When l first reached the new camp
I was invited by tho butcher boys
Murphy Thorpe OF Juneau and George
Stewart, from Stuck Valley, Washing
ton-to 90 down In their shaft and pick
II pan OF dirt, as they had Just struck
n rich streak. To my surprise II was
SoSl.50. In fourteen pans of dirt they
took out S1.5G5 right In the bottom OF
the shaft. which was -four by eight feet.
March Goth. Clarence Berry took out
$500 to the pan. Jimmy McI.aln took
out over 500 to the pan; Frank Phis.
cater took out Sl35 10 the pan; four
boys from Nanalmo took ms high as
sl25 to the pan. They were the first
men TO get n hole down TO bedrock and
got good pay. They had numbers II
and II.
"in fact big pans were being taken
out on nearly every claim on this creek
until 500 or S2OO.dollnr pans were
common, April 18Th, Clarence Berry
took In one pan thirty-nlnr ounces,
St05, and IN two days panncd ont over
$1,000. April 18th. we heard that some
boys on No. 10 III Dorado had struck
II rich and taken ont $500 In one pan.
This was the banner pan OF the creek.
and Charles Meyers. who hnd the
ground. told that II he had waited 10
picl, the dirt he could have taken 100
ounces Just as easy"