The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-21

are having q prosperity such as they
have never had before"
care there many people in Seattle
who have not been able to leave for
Alaskan"
mo. I think most of those who
wanted to go have been able to get
away some way or other Such as
have stopped are now waiting the COM
ing of spring in Alaska. We have a
number of boats preparing to start
out next year. One company offers
to take a man to Dawson City from
Seattle and to give him a full outfit,
including one years supplies, for $500.
Another steamship line advertises to
leave Seattle about June 10, and every
ten days after that. Passages are al
ready being engaged on these boats"
HUNDRED THOUSAND MINERS.
"Have you any idea how many peo-
pie will go to the Klondike next year?"
"Of course such an estimate would
be, to a large extent, guess work Still,
from the letters we get at Puget sound,
we can form some idea. I think there
is no doubt but that there will be 100,-
600. I have just heard that something
like IL, 900 miners will go from Colorado
alone. All Of the Western states will
furnish a large number. There will be
thousands from New York, Pennsylva-
MIA and Ohio and companies are being
organized in all parts of the United
States. Some will go by sea around
the Horn, but the most will go across
the trunk lines of railroads to Puget
sound. We expect to have a large
number drop off and settle in Wash
ington, and of the gold miners who
return we hope to get a good share.
In addition to this we are going to sup
ply the most of the food for the out
fitting parties, so you can see that the
Alaska gold discoveries are a good
thing for US"
MINES OF WASHINGTON.
GLOW about the gold mines of your
own state, senator? Have any devel-
opments been made lately?"
New discoveries are being made
right along all over the West. TIE
various mining districts are being
worked over and reprospected. 1 Wis
tied the old mining camp of Florence,
Idaho last year. This is not far from
the boundary Of Washington. The
rounded by mountains. The basin was
just about as big as that of Washing
ton city. The gold was in the shape
of nuggets and dust, and along in 1862
more than $50,000,000 worth of metal
was washed out of the grass roots
The camp was then given up. Gold Is
now being found much further down.
1t may exist for 100 feet below the sur
face, and if so a vast amount of free
gold will be discovered. In the Occur
d'Alene country, in Western Washing
ton, we have valuable mines Of lead
and silver. The Standard mine there
is paying $4,000 month in dividends
The LIE Roy gold mine, in which Sena-
tor Turner is interested, is paying divi-
dends of $4,000 month, and there are
valuable mines on the Colville reserva-
ton. There is considerable placer min
ing. I am doing something Of this
myself on the Salmon river, in Idaho
We have there a 160-acre farm, the
dirt from which we are washing in the
river to get out the gold. We find about
10 cents worth in every cubic yard,
and can clean up from $100 900 to ST., 900
a year. This is not great deal, but
the property cost us very little, and
1t gives US a big percentage on the in
Vestment."
GOLDEN EMPIRE OF ALASKA.
"I suppose you have good facilities
on Puget sound for getting Informal
ton concerning Alaska, senator?"
Yes" replied Senator Wilson. "Our
people talk little else than gold now.
have met scores of men who have
just returned from Alaska, and a num-
Der who have prospected in other parts
Of the territory than along the Yukon.
There is no doubt about the enormous
amount of gold on the Klondike, but
believe if anything that there is more
gold in Alaska than in British Column
bia. Old prospectors tell me that they
have never yet washed earth from an
Alaskan stream which has not shown
some -eolor. Nearly all the beaches of
the Alaskan islands have gold mixed
with their sand. On the big island
of Kadiak there are men who are al
ways washing the sand to get out the
gold, and they make good profit. The
Alaskan Commercial company has
mines on one of the islands which pay