The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-01
MAY BE BLOODSHED.
Returned K1Ondilers Look for s
Clash With Canada.

WlUI a SelI-TSllducS he Welt "
Alaska last spring and stopped at the
Minook-and fortune smiled on him.
Mr.. Thomas is an older miner, having
spent three years in Alaska, two Of
which he spent on Birch creek, and the
last on Minook. His story Of the To-
eating and development of those dig
gings, which are on United States soil
reads like romance. Said he yester-
day:
II was at Circle City a year ago,
working with Indifferent success, when
Capt Mayo, an Indian trader, located
a. Tanana post, visited the place. He
said that Indians had been bringing
gold in to him and he thought they
mined it in his vicinity, so a party of
fourteen of us got an outfit together
and fioated down the Yukon to the
mouth Of the Big Minook-named after
an Indian chief. There we prospected
up the stream and on its tributaries,
but without success, for some time, but
finally one of the men struck the ledge
and a rich paying streak. After that
we had only to get on the ledge, and
claims were staked out on the Hunter,
Dawson, Grouse, Little Minook and
Hunter creeks.
"Of course the news spread and now
there are 900 miners at Rampant City,
f1ourishing and typical mining camp.
Half interests in claims have been sold
was bought by Eli Gage"
Mr. Thomas also brings the informa-
ton that Mrs Eli Gage and party,
who passed through st. Paul several
weeks ago en- route for the Klondike,
were unable to get beyond Fort Yukon.
but were met there by Mr.. Gage and
returned to ST. Michaels; they are now
expected to arrive in Seattle on the
steamer Portland. In reference to the
newspaper accounts of the demonstra-
ton against Gage, at Dawson City, in
which it was said that he was
drummed out of the city, Mr.. Thomas
says there was no foundation for the
report. He himself went up the river
from Rampant City last June, on
visit to Dawson, on the first boat, the
steamer Alice. The miners in Dawson
were almost starved out and hailed
the coming of the boat with joy, but
when they found its cargo consisted of
$50 tons of whisky, 100 tons of hard
ware and only fifty tons of provisions
there was a little swearing but no
demonstration.
There will be no starvation among
the miners this winter said Mr..
Thomas. There will be a shortage of
provisions in Dawson, as Fort Yukon
is the head of navigation on that river
except during two months Of the year,
but there is large quantity of provis
in by sledges, a distance Of several
hundred miles; besides a great many
miners are on their way down from
Dawson to Fort Yukon.
1--WE had a decided shortage of food
at Rampant City, up to Sept. 1. All the
steamboats, refused to leave any for us
as they passed up stream. although we
offered to pay big prices for it, the cap
tains claiming that all their cargoes
We're being shipped in bond to Dawson.
Finally we became desperate and when
the steamer Bella came in sight we
signaled her to come to shore. A min
ers' meeting was called and all the boys
turned out, armed with reVolVerS, and
captured the boat. We took off 100
tons of provisions, but paid the cap
tain, q Capt. Dixon, a good price for
it, A short time after that another
boat left us 300 tons more, so at Ram
part City the boys will have enough
and to spare.
Rampant City is on the Yukon, 1900
miles above st. Michaels and $50 miles
below Dawson City. 1t is fifty miles
from Tanana post, whittier the United
States government is sending a COM
pany of soldiers. 1t is only two miles
from Rampant to the nearest diggings
OH Hunter creek, so it will be seen
that access to that point is very easy,
compared with getting into the INlon-
dixie.
The mines in the Minook country
have hardly been developed yet,
but the claims which have been work
ed have proved very remunerative. The
dust is much coarser than on the
Klondike, ranging about a grain in
weight, and small nuggets are plenti-
full, the largest taken out weighing
about two ounces. The gold is of a
darker color than that found on the
Klondike, and assays $1885 to the
ounce Many of the nuggets are mixed
with quartz showing that the mother
ledge is not far off. A government ex-
pert, Capt. Ross, in his report, says
that these mines will rival those on
the KIondike-and the best of all is
that they are on the United States
sell All the claims on the Little Mil
ler, Hunter, Little Minook and Hoosier
creeks have already been taken, but
several other tributaries. the Slate,
Ruby, Alder and Russian creeks, have
not yet been prospected.
There is sure to be a big row on
the Klondike next spring" said Mr..
Thomas. THE Canadian government
exacts 90 per cent royalty on all the
gold taken out, and aside from this
the miners are taxed to death for the
timber they use and even for the very
water itself The miners, and especial
ly the American miners, will revolt and
refuse to pay this, and | am afraid
there will be blOodshed. The American
government does not impose one cent
of tax beyond a fee of $2.5G for record
ing claim, and besides this allows
1O00-foot claim to be taken up, while
on the Klondike it has been cut down
to 100 feet"
Mr.. Thomas tells of one of Alaska'S
horrors, death under tragic circum-
stances. During the summer party
of five men, just from the states, stop
ped at Rampant City and prospected
on Hoosier creek They became lost
and turned around" following a
''pup"-a small tributary of the creek
up stream, and then circled around
over the hills. - One of the party,
young man named Tucker, became
tagged out and tagging behind his COM
panions died of hunger, cold and eX-
haustion. A little farther on another
man, named Powell, became separated
from his companions and wandered
about aimlessly. The other three men
finally made their way to Rampant
City, about fifteen miles distant.
In the meantime an Indian woman
reported at Thomas camp that she had
heard some man "hollering" in the
hills: a miners meeting was called and
a party of seven set out to investigate
II. natter They came across fuckers
footsteps and finally found him, dead.
Powell was found shortly after, wan
dering in some scrub, almost crazy
Tucker was a graduate of Yale college
and a son of a newspaper publisher IN
Troy, N. Y.
Messrs Thomas and Oberwager
brought a couple of Esquimau dogs
with them, and will remain in st. Paul
a day or two before going East.