The herald., 1897-10-29
MILLIONS FOR MINES
LAID DOWN BY AN ENGLISH
SYNDICATE
Gold Placers Eclipsing the Klondike
Said to Exist in the Kotzebue
Sound Region

! SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2S-English
capital has invested an amount, said to
be nearly $500, O,0O0 in the purchase of the
Grand Victory group of gold mines on
Squaw creek in Ell Dorado county, seven
miles southeast of Placerville. This is
the largest deal which has been made in
California for some time and the inten-
ton is to work the property on an extern
sive scale. The purchaser is the Trans
atlantic Mines Purchasing Syndicate,
limited, of London, and the sellers were
H. e. Pickett of Placerville and J. E.
Wright of Indianapolis, Ind. The first
payments have been made and the prop
erty has been taken possession of by the
English syndicate, which has placed j.
Ralston Bell Of Glasgow, Scotland, in
charge. The reports on which the invest
ment was made showed a large body of
low grade ore, the vein being 215 feet
wide and the ore running 81 and IS ton.
The property comprises 100 acres of min
eral land.
ALASKAN PLACERS
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2S.-Captain
B. Cogan of the steam whaler Thrasher
on Kotzebue sound than any yet discov-
cred on the Yukon. When the whaler
was at Point Hope on her way into the
, Arctic last spring the Indians came ir
with a quantity of gold in small sealskin
bags. They said there was plenty of the
same stuff in the Buckland, Noatak and
Kowak rivers, and what they had had
been scooped up with their paddles Cap
tain Cogan, Captain Witham, late of the
steam whaler Fearless and one or two
other whalers are bound for Kotzebue
sound next spring. The whaling bark
Northern Light, now in Oakland creek,
will probably be fitted out and will carry
the party to Point Hope.
RETURNING MINERS
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2S.-The Alas
ka Commercial company's steamer EX-
celsior, Captain Higgins, arrived to-
night fourteen days from st. Michaels
and eight and a half days from Un-
alaska, the only intermediate port at
which she stopped. She brought 5000
| ounces of gold, all belonging to the
Alaska Commercial company. No min
ers came down on her. She carried
three passengers, Mr. and Mrs. Ducos.
son City, but got no further than st.
Michaels, and Edward Hamilton, the
| Journalist. There has been no recent
communication with Dawson City, the
Yukon being impossible, but the latest
information received from Fort Yukon,
which now constitutes the base Of sup
plies for the places further north, is to
| the effect that the people are swarming
out of Dawson and Circle Cities by every
possible means to escape suffering and
possible starvation. Small boats can
still be used on portions of the Yukon,
and in one Of these an agent of the
Alaska Commercial company came
down from Circle City to Fort Yukon.
He confirms the reports of great scare
ity of provisions at all the mining
camps. Those who succeeded in get
ting out in time will be very fortunate,
for hunger will surely be the fate of most
Of the winter dwellers on the Klondike.
The rush to escape from the gold fields
exceeds the influx, and the indications
are that a large colony will winter at
Fort Yukon.
Captain Higgins Of the Excelsior con-
firms the news of the probable loss of u
portion of the whaling fleet, but can add
no details to those brought down by the
Thrasher. He also tells of the rescue Of
| the men of the Navarch from an ice foe,
but says that there were sixteen saved,
and not fourteen, as at first reported.
1t is not expected that much, if any,
more gold will come down this season.
unless some of the miners succeed in
reaching sailing points by land routes
fror, the interior
Sam Wall and some other newspaper
correspondents got as far as Circle City,
eighty miles from Dawson, but were OBJ
liged to retrace their way to Fort Yukon.
where food is obtainable. They may re-
main there until spring, but it is mora
than likely that If an opportunity af-
fords they will try to reach st. Michaels
and return home to recuperate for a
fresh start next year.
Captain Higgins says it is worse than
folly for any one to go to Alaska now.
A Strange Case
GAM TIT, ANCTCCO Oot % - I.lella