The state herald., 1897-09-03
PORTLAND COMES IN.
DIDN'T BRING A CARGO OF GOLD
Less Than 100000 In Gold Dust From the
Yukon-Not Much More May he Expect
cd This Ycar-Gold Hard to Get at
klondyke.

| Seattle, WASH, Aug. 29.-The steam
er Portland arrived here at o'clock
this morning. 1t was fourteen hours
after the Portland was sighted off
| Cape Flattery before she arrived here.
| The Portland carried thirteen miners,
each of whom brought only n small
pnrt of his stake. The total amount
of dust on the vessel is perhaps $175,-
600 The Portland was delayed by the
failure of the p. b. Weare to arrive
at st. Michaels and by strong
storm on 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: ]. Rowan, $4,000; Joe Gold
smith, $4,000: w. w. Caldwell $780,
900; c. X. lilly, $4,000; w. Zahn,
$4,000; G. s. Lansing. $4,000; NJ. II.
Camler. 5000; Jim Bell. $4,000: N.
w. Powers. $4,000; w. Oler, $50. 600;
f. w. Cobb. $4,000; A. Buckley, S10,-
900; b. w. Farnham, $4,000.
While the small amount of gold
brought from the Yukon by the steam
er Portland was disappointment to
many. the miners who return unite in
saying 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 taken out of the
Yukon next year must necessarily be
very rough, as there is no means of
determining how much work will be
done. III men could be secured to
work the claims already located there
undoubtedly would be many millions
OF dollars taken out. but the majority
oil men who go there prefer TO pros
pect on their own account, notwith-
standing the fact that high wages can
be had wherever claims have been 10.
Gated and have proven rich.
Statements have been made that the
steamer Portland on her next trim will
bring fully S2,OOOO0O in gold. but the
most reliable men from Dawson CITY
say that no such amount of money will
come. as 1t has not been taken out of
the ground. One miner who came
down places the outside figure Mt ST.
100000. FL Dorado and Bonanza
creeks, where the richest strikes were
made, have been staked for many
miles and us desirable claims ore
scarce. the prospcctors are beginning
to scatter out.
When the rich strikes We're made
at bonanza and El Dorado. hundreds
OF miners left paying claims and
rushed to the new digGings. Many
OF them struck 1t rich, while others Sc
cured nothing and either returned to
anew.
1t is stated that the North Ameri-
can trading and Transportation Com
pany brought down S15O.OOO of their
own money on the steamer Portland.
put 1t was generally understood TINT
thls money would not be brought down
until the next trip of the Portland,
when she would be conveyed by n
United States revenue cutter.
John F. Miller. ex-district attorney
OF Seattle. writes to friend in this
city from Dawson City, under date
OF July Bird, as follows:
There is an enormous amount of
wealth In this country. gold by tho
thousand and million. but It Is lust
as hard to acquire Il here as else.
where. II. as elsewhere, Is In the
hnnds OF few. while the many are
hunting and searchlng-the same old
story. I'll Dorado and Bonanza creeks
are the richest OF all in this locality
and In fact are so 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 so with no
more money than here. Men on these
creeks value their claims at enormous
ig'ires. one. two and three hundred
,nousand dollars. and even higher,
i,,, me aniouh, 'aRcn out last winter may
Justify such valuation. but of course
there are no purchasers. You can I'm.
form anybody and everybody intend.
ing TO come here that II they exneet
TO hnd god scattered around at ran.
dom or get something for nothing. as
colonel Sellers once attempted. they
VIII be disappointed. While II is true
That the gold deposits In the locality
Were found almost accidentally. IL is
no encoura cement 10 note the fact that
II Is the first accident of the kind I'm