The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-31
THE STEWART VERY RICH.
Canadian Government Said to be Hiding
Its Information but That Section is Sal i'd
to be Richer Than the KIondike.

Ottawa. Ont, Aug. 26-In all probable
ity the richness of the Klondike will pale
into insignifoance before that of the
Stewart. The Government has facts con-
corning the wonders of the Stewart,
but strenuously withholds all informa
ton. The minister of the interior, when
questioned, did not deny that his de-
partment was in possession of valuable
Information regarding the Stewart Riy er
placer diggings, but declined to discuss
the subject 1t is believed that the
facts are being suppressed not only to
prevent an increase of the gold excitement,
but TO enable the Government to perfect
all necessary arrangements for the prop
er administration of the Yukon before
the rush to the new diggings takes
place.
The overland trail from the Peace River
to the Klondike, which the mounted
police are to explore passes to within one
hundred miles of the Stewart River.
George Ecker of the San Francisco
Harbor Commission is able to verify the
reported richness of the Stewart concern
ing the locating of valuable deposits
there. During my trip to Alaska last
year." said MIR. Ecker, II frequently
heard the Stewart River district spoken of
and know of men who have taken gold
out of the Stewart placers. ! am sure
it is a richer place than the Klondike."
On the steamer Walla Walla, which re-
Gently sailed from Seattle for Victoria
iratc
Shand, of East Oakland. Shand has
been in Alaska before. He said: II in
tend to locate on the Stewart River. /
was there some years ago and know per.
fectly well that there is plenty of gold
there" Mrs. Shand accompanied her
husband. Twenty three thousand dollars
in gold dust for three days work at the
lowest estimate of it's value Is about the
best wages yet, even in the wonderland OF
the north. Yet this is the report con-
| tanned in a letter to William Brice, re.
ceived at Tacoma less than week ago
| from William Forest, a veteran, who
left six weeks ago for the upper Yukon.
| The report reached Forest and his COM
panions at Latike Linderman, and in
stead of rushing on to Klondike, the
stream of gold-seekers turned towards
Stewart River, on one of the tributaries
| of which the new diggings have been
struck. Forest says the locator took out
n;nety-six pounds in gold for three days
work, and says there is no question as
to the truth of the report. Stewart River
empties into the Yukon between Pelly
River and Sixty Mile Greek, % miles
above Sixty Mile. Discoveries scarcely
less rich were also made in May and
June on Henderson Creek, which flows
into the Yukon twelve miles below Stew
art River. The first locaters on Hender-
son Greek took out between $4,000 and
$4,000 each in the first weeks work.
Rising waters then compelled them to
stop, and it has since been impossible to
reach bedrock on either Henderson Greek
or Stewart River. This cannot be done I'M
til winter, when the streams are frozen
to bedrock. 1t is believed that their out
put Of gold will be even greater than that
of the Klondike. Several hundred men
who started north early THE summer, af.
ter the largest rush inward was over,
heard Of the new finds, and now have
claims which are sure to yield them for
tunes this winter. For years the miners
have made good money by working the
sandbars in the Stewart with hand rock
ers, indicating that rich ground could be
found in the gulches and creeks higher
up stream 1t is peculiar that years of
working have not diminished the amount
of gold found in these bars. 1t is claimed
they are recharged with gold brought
down in alluvial deposits during the
higher water each spring