The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-25
A RUSH TO KLONDYKE
Coast Cities Are Preparing for q
Stampede.
TELLING FAIRY STORIES
Some of the Good Ones Heard by Mr..
John Noyes Relative to the Fabu-
lous Richness of the Land of
the Frozen North.

Mr.. John Noyes, who returned night
before last from Seattle. where he has
been for the past six weeks, superin-
tending the construction of an annex
to his big hotel property there, tells in
an interesting story of the preparations
being made, all along the coast for an
unprecedented rush to the Klondyke in
the spring, the fabulous richness of
whose gold fields he does not believe
have been in the slightest exaggerated,
except by few people given 10 telling
fairy stories more for the edification of
their listeners than because they ex-
pect them to be believed. Mr.. Moves
repeats one of these stories, which is a
good one
Il sat in the Office of the hotel one
evening" he said, when a man who
had quite evidently been to the Klon-
dyke without doubt commenced telling
of his mining operations on the Yu-
kon.
Il conceived the idea said he, of
going through the ice in the dead of
winter to see what was in the bottom
of the river and selecting a tributary
of the Yukon | began sinking through
the ice. The river was frozen to the
bottom, and l went down through 90
feet of ice before reaching the ground.
/ then went down four feet through the
frozen gravel and struck bedrock. |
took out S150,000 in no time, every pan
running from I to 10 ounces. | pros
pected the stream Is miles and have Sc
cured q lease from the United States
government to pan the whole l. miles
of the river bed
These are the kind of stories YOU
will hear 100 times every day, only not
quite so lurid, perhaps. but notwith-
standing. il is undoubtedly in my
Judgment the greatest gold region the
world has ever known, and the rush
the spring will see inaugurated will
surpass many times over anything of
similar character in history. 1t has
been estimated that 100,0 900 people will
go to the Klondyke next year, but that
is not enough. That many are coming
from Europe alone, and THIS country
as many more.
Great preparation are being made
everywhere on the coast for the rush.
and Seattle alone has from 10, 600 to 15,-
600 more inhabitants than when the ex-
element began, all of whom have gone
to Seattle TO locate and reap part of
the profits. Every hotel and eating
house in the city is charging or maxi
ing preparations to do as much bust
ness as possible, and the same thing is
true everywhere else.
THE idea that many entertain that
every man VINO goes Ill SHOULD TAXI al
wears supplies is an erroneous one |
believe, for with all the steamers thar
will be put on the river IN the spring,
it is my impression that one can buy
provisions and supplies at Dawson
by the last of July, cheaper than lie
can buy them and transport them N.
There are IA new steamers being built
in Seattle, q number at st. Micnael's $,
nine at Victoria, and | understand two
ocean steamers will come around the
Horn laden with river boats. all in
sections ready to set up. ! believe the
river will be black with boats, ami that
transportation will be much cheaper
soon after the season opens"
"A great many men are going now
and will be all winter. They Mil g.
over the pass and prospect toward their
destination and in the spring, il they
have struck nothing, will 80 tc Daw-
son. That is the plan my son has
adopted. He wanted to go, Ant when
| found just such an opportunity as IL
wanted | sent him. He and his part
ner will each take an OK, and hitch him
to string of four sleds on which they
will haul all told about $500 pounds of
supplies Each will lead his OK, and
| they will go over the pass. and on
| reaching the Hotalinga, will pos
| pect till spring II they have no further
use for their oxen on reaching the river
| they will slaughter them and add the
| meat to their stores. In the spring il
they have not struck it, they will buy
a boat and go down the river To DaW-
| son. ] believe horses are more useful
| for taking in a relief expedition this
| winter than reindeer. as they can now
| haul right over the passes and so right
4 II. L. f.AsI1