Rocky Ford enterprise., 1897-09-02
PORTLAND COMES in.
DIDN'T BRING a CARGO OF GOLD
Less Than saoo.ooo In Gold Dust From the
fnkon--Not Much More May He Expect
cd This Ycar-Gold Hard to Get At
klondyke.

er Portland arrived here at 3 o'clock
this morning. 1t was fourteen hours
after the Portland was sighted of
Cape Flattery before she arrived here.
The Portland carried thirteen miners,
each OF whom brought only small
part of his stake. The total amount
OF dust on the vessel is perhaps $175,-
GOO. The Portland was delayed by the
failure of the p. b. Weare to arrive
Mt st. Michael's and by a strong
storm oil the North Pacific ocean. The
miners on board. with the amount of
their total mining profits, part of
which was brought with them, are as
follows: J. Rowan, $4,000; Joe Gold
smith, $4,000; w. w. Caldwell, $780,
900; 9. X. lilly. $4,000; w. Zahn,
Sio'OoO: G. $. Lansing, $4,000: NJ. R.
CaniIer, $4,000: Jim Bell. $4,000; N.
W. POWERS, $780, 600; w. Oler, $50, 600;
r.; w Cobb, so. 600: A. Buckley, $780,
ooO; b. W. Farnham, $4,000.
While the small amount of gold
Drought from the Yukon by the steam
er Portland was disappointment to
many. the miners who return unite In
SAVING That the country is fabulously
rich. The claims which have been
worked promise well and In fact many
of them give assurance OF proving
very rich. All.estimates OF the amount
OF gold which will be tuken out of the
Yukon next year must necessarily be
very rough. as there Is no means of
determining how much work will be
done. II men could he secured to
WORK the claims already located there
undoubtedly would he many millions
OF dollars taken out. but the majority
OF men who go there prefer to pros
pect on their own account. notwftl,-
Standing the fact that high wages can
De had wherever claims have been To-
catcd ana have proven rich.
Statements have been made that the
steamer Portland on her next trim will
bring fully $2,OOO.OOO In gold. but the
most reliable men from Dawson City
say that no such amount OF money will
come. as II has not been taken out of
IN" ground. One miner who came
down places the outside figure at 81.
oD,oOO. FL Dorado and Bonanza
creeks, where the richest strikes were
made, have been staked for many
miles and as desirable claims are
scarce. the prospectors are beginning
to scatter out.
When the rich strikes were made
Mt Bonanza and FL Dorado, hundreds
or miners left paying claims and
rushed TO the new diggings. Many
OF them struck It rich. while others se.
cured nothing and either returned to
their old claims or went prospectinp
anew.
IL IL stated that the North Ameri-
can Trading and Transportation Com.
pany brought down S75O.OOO OF their
own money on the steamer Portland.
but II was generally understood thnt
this money would not he brought down
until the next trip OF the Portland.
when she would he conveyed by q
United States revenue cutter,
John +. Miller. ex-district attorney
OF seattle. writes to friend in this
city from Dawson City, under date
OF July Bird. as follows:
There In an enormous amount Of
wealth In this country. gold by the
thousand and million. but 1t is tust
as hard to acquire II here as else
where. II. us elsewhere. Is In the
hands OF few. while the many are
hunting and searching-the same old
story. FL Dorado and bonanza creek a
are the richest OF all In this locality
and In fact are 30 far practically the
only dIggings Of great value, and I
can say that one might Just as well
try to get In on Wall street in New
York city. He could do 60 with no
more money than here. Men on these
creeks value their claims at enormous
figures. one. two and three hundred
thousand dollars, and even higher.
The amount taken out last winter may
Justify such valuation. but Of course
there are no purchasers. You can In
form anybody and everybody intend
Ing TO come here that II they EXPECT
to find gold scattered around at ran
dom or get something for nothing. as
Colonel Sellers once attempted. they
will be disappointed. While II Is true
that the gold deposits In the locality
were found almost accidentally, 1t II
no encourn cement to note the fact that
Il is the first accident of the kind in
thirty years searching.