The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-07-29
RAILWAY UP YUKON
A Wilmington, Del, Company
Proposes to Build It.
THE ROUTE Is A FEASIBLE ONE
1t Was Located by an Oregon Man o
Year AgO-ClOndyke will Be
More Easily Reached.

Wilmington, Del July 23.-The
Yukon Mining, Trading & Transporta-
ton Company, which was formed here
last year and which is just mpleting
final arrangements for explorations in
the Yukon district, will shortly put
into effect plan which will solve the
vexatious problem of shortage Of sup
plies in the Yukon territory.
In 1896 P. l. Packard, of Portland,
Or, who is interested in the company,
went to the Yukon district to locate a
route from the coast to Testin lake, the
head of the navigable waters of the
Yukon, upon which railway could be
built. With the aid of Indians he
located the pass leading direct from
Tagu inlet ON the Alaska coast to Testin
lake. This pass, he learned, was
known to only five white men. In
October last year, he returned and
made his report to the company and
Immediately applied for charters in
Alaska, British Columbia and Canada,
all Of which were granted last spring.
AS an encouragement to the enterprise,
British Columbia made the company a
grant of 5, 100 acres of land to the mile
of railway to be built, in all $50, 0OO
acres.
In an interview last night, Mr.. Pack
ard, who is here making arrangements,
said the road would be great boon to
miners, as it will reduce the cost of
their supplies and remove the present
dangerous delays to their transportation
up the Yukon.
How the Clondyke Was Found.
Ottawa, Ont, July 23.-Inspector
Ogilvie has made report to his gov
eminent of the Clondyke excitement.
In part he says:
''The discovery of gold in the
branches of this stream l believe was
due to the reports of Indians. A white
man named J. A. Carmich, who worked
with me in 1887, was the first to take
advantage of the rumor and located a
claim in the first branch, which was
named by the miners Bonanza creek.
Carmich reached his claim in August.
He had to cut some logs and get pro-
visions to enable him to begin work On
his claim. He returned with few
weeks provisions for himself, wife and
brother-in-law (Indians), in the last of
August, and Immediately set about
working his claim. The gravel itself
he had to carry in box on his back
from 80 to 100 feet. Notwithstanding
this, three men working very irregu-
larly washed out $14, 200 in eight days
and Carmich asserts that had he proper
facilities he could have done it in two
days.
"a branch of the Bonanza named
Eldorado has prospected magniticently
and another branch named Tilly>creek
has prospected we'll. There are about
ITO claims staked in the main creek
and the branches are good for as many
more, aggregating about $50 claims,
some of which will require over a
thousand men to work properly. A few
miles further up, Bear creek enters the
Clondyke, and it has been prospected
AMI located on. About IL miles above
the mouth of Bear creek. Gold Bottom
creek joins the Clondyke, and On a
branch of it named Hunker creek, very
rich ground has been found. On Gold
Bottom creek and branches there will
probably be two or three hundred
claims. The Indians have reached an
other claim much further up which
they call Too Much Gold creek. on
which the gold is 90 plentiful the
miners say in joke, you have to mix
gravel with it to sluice it, Up to
date nothing definite has been heard
from this creek.
"From all this we think We have
here a district which will give 1000
claims of 400 feet in length each. Now
1000 such claims will require at least
8, 200 men to work them properly, and
as wages for working in the mines are
from s. to $40 per day, we have every
reason to assume that this particular
territory will in year or two contain
10. 900 souls at least, for the news has
gone out to the East, and an unprece-
dented influx is anticipated next spring.
And this is not all, for large creek
called Indian creek joins the Yukon
midway between Clondyke and Stewart
rivers, and ali along this creek good
pay dirt may be found All that stood
in the way Of working heretofore has
been the scarcity Of provisions and the
difficulty of getting them up there.
Indian creek is quite large stream
and it is probable it will yield 500 or
600 claims.
A Woman's Fast Bicycle Ride.
Toledo, O., July 23.-Lizzie CLAW,
the German bicycle champion, has