The record-union., 1897-08-30

OOO, but 1t is as Hard to Get
as Elsewhere and is in the
Hands of a Few.
SEATTLE, Aug. 29.-With the ar
rival of the tug Sea Lion at 2:30 o'clock
this morning came authentic news of
the treasure ship Portland. She was
boarded by press representatives off
Cape Flattery at l o'clock yesterday
afternoon, and the run to this city was
made in a little less than thirteen
hours. The Portland brings back
thirteen miners. each of whom brings
out a small part of his stake. The
total amount of dust on the vessel is
perhaps $175000
The Portland was delayed first by
the failure of the P. B. Weare to ar
rive at st. Michaels. and next by a
storm on the North Pacific Ocean. The
miners on board, with the amount of
their stakes, are as follows: J. Rowan
500, LOCO: Jim Bell, $4,000; Joe Gold
smith, $50 600; \. W. Powers. 3d., 600:
w w. Caldwell. $35O00; Win Oler,
$4,000; c. X. lilly $4,000; F. w.
Cobb, So, 600; w. Zahn, $4,000; A.
Buckley. $4,000; G. S. Lansing, S15,-
600; B. Farnham $4,000; NJ. r. Gam
Ter, $1,000.
OF the above list, G. K. lilly and f.
w. Cobb are old Seattle men. This is
Zilly's second year in the Yukon. Last
year he was on the American side of
the line and barely paid expenses. This
year he went to the Klondike and now
owns claims Nos , and 4 on Gold Bot
tom, the richest prospect in the dis
Trict. He said to the Associated Press
correspondent that the product of the
Klondike this year would probably
reach $12,00O,O coo
Papa" Cobb, as ne is familiarly
known was at one time a well-known
Harvard athlete. He would have un-
doubtedly been a member of the foot
ball team that played against Yale and
Princeton only that he injured his knee
a few days before the first big game
and was put on the sick list.
He has been on the Yukon two years
and viii now make a trip East
Cobb says that last May gold was
found on a tributary of Indian River,
known as Daman Creek A big rush
of prospectors occurred and claims
were located at every available point.
There was also a rush to Henderson
Greek, but the excitement soon died
down, as little gold was found.
s. p. Weston of this city made the
round trip on the Portland. He is con-
WINGED from conversation with the min
ers that there will be great suffering
on the Yukon this year.
FABULOUSLY RICH.
SEATTLE, Aug. 29.-While the small
amount of gold brought from the Yu-
fkon by the steamer Portland was
disappointment to many, the miners
who return unite in saying that the
icountry is fabulously rich. The claims
which have been worked promise well,
and. in fact. many of them give as
surance of proving very rich. All esti-
mates of the amount of gold which viii
be taken out of the Yukon next year
must necessarily be very rough. as
there is no means of determining how
much work viii be done If men could
be secured to work the claims already
located there undoubtedly viii be many
thousands of dollars taken out. but the
majority of the men who go there pre-
fer to prospect on their own account,
notwithstanding the fact that high
been located and have proven rich.
Statements have been made that the
steamer Portland on her next trip will
bring fully S2,000,000 in gold, but the
most reliable men from Dawson City
say that no such amount of money will
come. as it has not been taken out of
the ground One miner who came
down places the outside figures at
hot T-,I do
Bonanza Creeks. where the richest dis
coveries were made. have been staked
out for many miles, and desirable
claims are scarce, the prospeetors are
beginning to scatter out.
When the rich strikes were made at
Bonanza and Ell Dorado, hundreds of
miners left paying claims and rushed
10 the new diggings. Many of them
struck it rich, while others secured
nothing. and either. returned to their
old claims or went prospecting anew.
1t is stated that the North American
Trading and Transportation Company
brought down S750.G00 of their own
money on the steamer Portland, but it
was generally understood that this
money would not be brought down un-
til the next trip of the Portland when
States revenue cutter.
John f. Miller. ex-District Attorney
of Seattle, writes to a friend in this
city from Dawson City. under date of
July Sd. as follows:
There is an enormous amount of
wealth in this country. gold by the
thousands and millions, but it is just
as hard to acquire it here as else
where. It, as elsewhere, is in the
hands of a few. while the many are
hunting and searching-the same old
story. El Dorado and Bonanza Creeks
are the richest Of all in this locality, the
only diggings of great value, and 1
can say that one might just as well try
TO get in on Wall street in New
York City. He could do 50 with no
more money than here. Men on those
creeks value their claims at the enor-
nous figures of one, two and three
hundred thousand dollars, and even
higher. The amount taken out last
winter may justify such valuations. but
of course there are no purchasers.
You csn inform anybody and every
body who intends to come here that