The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-07-23
FIND LOADS OF GOLD.
MINERS RETURN FROM ALASKA
WITH FORTUNES.
Wealth Awaits the Efforts of Daring
and Hardy Diggers-stories Are Not
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Accounts
Tales of Richness Told.


Tales of Richness Told,
! More stories of the golden wonders OF
the arctic mining camp in Alaska are be-
ing told by the returning miners. The
| stories Of the great gold find are sur
| rounded with the frozen breath of winter,
| for the new gold field is almost within
| reach of the arctic circle, and the miners
| are snow and ice bound for six months in
| the year. Fortunes await the daring and
| the hardy who have money enough to buy
seasons provisions and strength enough
| to withstand the extreme cold. Those
| who were in the gold region of Aask:
| have been able to withstand everything
and are now returning to warmer ana
more civilized clmes with plenty of
| money. In the summer the miners find
the climate delightful. Those who do
not care TO fight the rigors of the journey
| over the divide north of Juneau reach the
| gold fields by the steamer route along
the. Yukon river. But the fight for gold
| is one in which all the natural forces of
winter are combined against those who
seek some of the conveniences of cities.
The miners who have returned to San
Francisco and Seattle have not exhaust
ed their tales of the wonderful richness
OF the arctic mining camp in the Clon-
dyke district. They are raising their
voices, however, in solemn warning to
those who would go to the gold region
without sufficient means and plenty Of
supplies.
Later and more authentic news places
the amount of treasure brought down
from the Clondyke by the steamer Port
land at 81 100000, and there is good rca-
son to believe that the sum was nearer
$2,00OOOO,
Every man was ordered to place his
gold dust i'll the ships safe, but this was
not done. Many of the miners, perhaps
halt OF them, Secreted their dust in blan-
Eets and satchels, which were taken eth
er to staterooms, or as in some instances,
were thrown carelessly about the ship.
others deposited small bags of gold in
the ships treasure box and carried far
larger amounts in their valises tucked
away i'll stateroom hunks. Clarence J,
Berry, one of the Clondyke kings, brought
down'at least $4,000, not Il cent of which
the Portland had ON record. This state
ment is made on the authority of Capt.
William Kidston.
Story of Fortunate Miner.
Clondyke stories is told by William Stan
ley. He is so years old and has Il family
of seven children. When he left Seattle
for the Yukon Il year ago last March he
was poor. One of the sons cared for the
family, while another and the father
sought fortune in the Alaskan placers
Mr.. Stanley made the statement that he
would l,ot take $1,0OO,OOO for his posses
sion on the Clondyke. In less than three
months he and his partner took out $780,
| 600 from claims Nos. % and 26, Ell Do
| RADIO creek. This great sum of money, in
| credible as it may seem, simply represents
| the yield of prospect holes-shafts sunk
| here and there in order to find bedrock to
! ascertain the actual value of the claim
They have actually in sight on these two
| properties over 81 100000. They are
| 0OO-foot claims, and every prospect hole
| gives up dirt running over $1,000 to the
lineal foot. Stanley and his partners, the
| Worden brothers, also own claims Nos.
53 and "a, Eel Dorado. known to contain
| equally high-paying dirt. They also pur-
chased for S45, 900 spot cash Il half-inter-
| est in claim No. 30, Ell Dorado and they
| also own valuable claims on Bear gulch,
Last Chance gulch and Indian creek. The
pans on the claims run from $500 to $3.50.
| Five pans taken at random yielded $3.50.
Advice to Go1d-seekers.
Miners who have returned advise and
| urge those who contemplate going to the
Yukon not to think of taking in less than
one ton of food and plenty of clothing
| While it is Il poor mans country, yet the
| hardships and privations to be encounter
| ed by Inexperienced persons unused to
frontier life are certain to result i'll much
suffering. They should so prepared with
at least Il years supplies. There are at
present about $500 people in the country,
and that number is about all that can be
accommodated this winter. Provisions
are high, as it costs 10 to 10 cents Il pound
to land goods at Dawson City, and it is
impossible to get more provisions in this
year than will supply the present popula-
ton. II miners rush up there this sum-
mer, unless they take with them their
own supplies, they will suffer great hard
ships. The fare to Dawson City from San
Francisco is $3.50, and it will cost at least
$500 to transport supplies for one man.
The first discovery of gold on the Cl0n-
dyke was in the middle of August, 1896,
by George Cormack, on a creek emptying
into the Clondyke on the south called by
the Indians Bonanza. He found $1GO to
the pan Oh Il high rim, and, after making
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 recorded. This is proba.,
bly, the richest placer ever known in the
world. The miners take out gold so fast
and there is so much of it, that they do
not have time to weigh it with gold scales
They use steelyards.
No.. &c u.-