Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-08-08
BARNEY BARNANW
Of alaska.
Like the South African Millionaire He
made His Pile" Inside a Year.
Owner of a Golden TOwn-One OF
Twenty Who Went Out Penni-
less and Found Millions at Their
Feet-How to Get to the Gold
Regions

SITKA. August 2.-The sudden finding
OF gold in a hitherto unsupported country
has made millionaires out OF poor men,
In a minute. from poverty they came INTO
afiuence. The United States VIII nave
more multi-milliOnaires than ever more
plutocrats and more sudden riches. d
Canada has not struck it so rich' Tor the
successful prospectors have, almost WIN
ont exception. been United states citizens
and residents Of the States.
In the sudden making Of mllhonalres II
IS dificult 10 tell who has struck II rlchest-
Accounts are so widely divergent. But all
agree that no accounts have exaggerated
the facts. so far as the finding OF great
quantities OF gold is concerned.
The richest man among the new Alaska
mnBonaires is Joseph Ladue. the owner OF
the town OF Dawson, and the finder Of
enormous gold deposits.
Ladue is a resident OF Schuyler Falls.
Clinton County. y. Y. where, is is said.
he is soon 20 be married 10 an old sweet
heart whom ne could not before affords
10 we'd.
When the gold fever broke out IN a mild
form two years ago ne went 10 Alaska,
after failure IN the Black Hills. and
found enough to tell him Of greater things
later on. He returned TO his home, but
later went back 10 Alaska, took up a
claim I'm the very heart OF the country.
paid for a certain quantity OF land which
was then for sale az a very low figure. and,
started TO look for gold
His first find brought settlers there by
the dozen. Dawson the place was
called. and as the owner sold of small
portions Of the land his fame grew and
spread. He now owns Dawson, having
sold but little, and is so many times a
millionaire that his wealth cannot be es-
timatsd He is the Barnato Of Alaska.
the man who struck it rich and knowing
a good thing when ne saw il. held on 20 ,
&c. IL is only another tale Of South Afri-
ca luck, but much nearer home-enviously4
near.
The rush to the Alaska gold fields is
such that all the outgoing steamers are
filled far In advance. These steamers run
internationally after the cold weather sets
in. and there are long intervals when few
Alask2 voyages can be made. This ac-
counts for the awful haste TO reach there
before the island waters become unnavi-
gable. There is also an overland route,
but this also becomes impracticable after
awhile, owing 20 the lack Of travelling
accommodations and the long distances
that must be gone over without finding a
habitaton.
Alaska has never been settled" owing
10 the great cold there. but Il is thought
that It might in time be made as livable |
as any Of the other cold cities, and. in |
deed, as St. Petersburg or Christiania or /
any Of the large North-of-Europe cities. ]
But this Is quite a step ahead, though not /
at all improbable.
At present, if YOU want 70 get to Alaska /
and become a Barnato there are two /
ways OF going. one is by sea and the
other is overland.
IL you take the sea route you can start |
by steamship from Seattle, If you have
been fortunate enough to secure accom-
modations ahead, and, crossing the Gulf /
Of Alaska, touch first at Unalaska, pass
ing through the Aleutian Islands. From
there the route lies directly north. getting
colder and colder every minute. Here
YOU will need all the Arctic wraps YOU
have brought with you. The ships fare
viii be warm. nOurishiug food-cereals.
chocolate, meats and spices. But for all .
that. you viii need fur overcats. fur
hoods. blanket wraps. woollen mlttens. /
and big, warm. fur-lined bags IN which
to sleep. For one going from a very
warm city into the heart of this region
the change Is so great and sudden that
there is sure 10 be great suffering, and
many Of the would-be barantos turn back
here.
The crew. on the other hand. enjoy it,
bsing accustomed 70 a polar latitude-for
you are now approaching the pole. In
spring the weather would be getting dali
~ warmer as the season advanced. but
now you would find it steadily growing
more biting
The steamship stops at ST. Michaels;
and here. within sight Of Behring'S sea.