Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-09-23
fIONERR PROSPECTORS.
ADVENTURES OF THE FIRST YUKON
GOLD MINERS.

Nell" Almost Starved in the Midst OF
Their Useless WeaIth-..Rescued BY the
Thetis.
The present gold fever in Alaska re-
minds Lieutenant Edward Simpson,
who is In charge of the Baltimore
branch of the photographic Office of
the United States Navy, of an early
experience to which he was party.
He was an officer on the Thetis when
she rescued seventy-two stranded
miners and their gold on the coast of
Alaska in 1889
Previous to 1889 miner named
"California Pete" had left juneau, on
| the southern coast of Alaska, and
gone over land to the headwaters of
the Yukon river. In the course of
| time Pete did not return, and rumors
foated among the miners of juneau
that Pete had ''struck it rich.
Seventy-two miners and Seattle Nell
| decided that what was "good enough"
| for California Pete would also suit
them, and they decided to follow his
trail and strike out for fortune.
Juneau originally consisted OF a set
| Element of seven Indians, but upon the
discovery of gold the population in
| cluded, as miners newspaper stated,
10000 men and seventy odd women. " 1t
was from this field that the seventy
two miners and Seattle Nell started
into the bleak north. They were ten
days on steamer, which worked its
way through the islands and narrow
waters to the foot of Chilcoot pass.
Here they shouldered their supplies
and scant mining implements and
STARTED through the divide. Seattle
Nell had taken along several kegs of
alcohol, with which she intended to
mix brown sugar and water and sell
it as whisky. The miners carried no
liquors themselves, as they did not
want any fighting, and, though Nell
was welcome, her alcohol was not
The beast of burden stumbled in the
divide, and Nell's alcohol rolled down
precipice and was lost. The way
she stormed about it was caution.
After two days tramping the pros
pectors were ont of the pass and at
the headwaters of the Yukon river.
Here they took canoes and ran down
with the current, after many spills in
the rapids, to Forty Mile creek, which
is the centre of the recent discoveries.
They had arranged that steamer was
to travel the 1,500 miles up the river
when the season opened, and take
home those who wished to go by the
water route. When the vessel arrived
Al I. i a
with little luck, they had no money,
and the vessel left them behind. AZ
terward every man out of the seventy
two had found at least $500 worth of
the yellow metal, others had 81, 500,
some had so, 900 and one had So, 900.
Their wealth was useless, however,
in the Alaskan Wilderness, as there
was no food to buy and supplies were
running short. If they had been put
on short rations the food would have
been consumed six months before the
next steamer was due. Starvation
stared them in the face. 1t was almost
impossible to go up the stream against
the rapids, and then attempt Chilcoot
Pass in the winter season. The sew
en- ty-two and Seattle Nell decided to
drift with the Yukon river /, 500 miles
to its mouth at st. Michael, where a
vessel stopped at rare intervals. and
the few Indians at the place did not
see any one from civilization for six
months or a year.
BY rare good luck the United States
steamer Thetis was returning from
the Arctic sea, whittier she had been
sent to look for lost whaler. She
stopped off st. Michael to land a ma
tive interpreter. And this was just
five days after the miners had arrived
at the settlement. As boat put off
from the Thetis the occupants were
startled to hear rattle of revolvers,
the boom of guns and pandemonium
generally at sleepy st. Michael. The
seventy-two stranded men had seen
the Stars and Stripes and were frantic
in their efforts to attract attention.
The men begged to be taken back
to civilization. The captain of the
Thetis sent three officers ashore to
see if they were really in need. The
seventy-two men met in room
twenty-five feet square. The uni
formed officers were given seats. At
ter much coughing and nudging of one
another, the uncouth, but big-hearted,
committee succeeded in stating their
difficulties. They were not used to
standing up and making addresses.
All the men were taken aboard and
shipped as seamen for their rations.
As Seattle Nell was woman, she
could not be taken aboard United
States man-of- war, and she was left in
the wilderness with the Indian settle
ment, to wait months for steamer.
Aboard the ship the miners did not
know a rope, but, if it was shown to
them and it had to be pulled, it was
manned with will. They were big
and strong, but on the first day out
gale Frustrated them with seasickness.
California Pete was found lying on
deck unable to get up or even smile,
and when an officer summoned him he
could only raise his hat as respectful
recognition. They placed their gold
in charge of the ships paymaster and
refused receipts. When the Thetis
landed them at Sitka the men wanted
to pay for the passage, but this was
not permitted, and then they desired
to entertain the whole ships company,
but the Thetis had to proceed south.
Baltimore American.