River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-09-02
TALES OF THE kLoNoIke.
Told by Passengers on the Portland
just from Alaska.

Told by Passengers on the Portland
Just from Alaska.
Seattle, Wash, Aug. 30.-The steamer
Portland arrived here at three o'clock
Sunday morning. 1t was IA hours after
tee Portland was sighted off Cape Flat
| terry before she arrived here. The Port
land carried 10 miners, each of whom
brought only small part of his stake.
The total amount of dust on the vessel
is perhaps S575.O00. The Portland was
delayed by the failure of the p B.
/ Weare TO arrive at ST. Michael's and by
a storm on the North Pacific ocean.
The miners on board with the amount
of their total mining profits, parts of
which were brought with them. are as
follows: j. Rowan. $4,000; Jim Bell,
$4,000; Joe Goldsmith. $4,000; n. w.
Powers. $4,000; w. W. Caldwell, S35,-
oo0; w. DER. 100000; c. X. lilly. $685.
600; F. w. Cobb. $4,000; w. Zahn, $751;
600; \. Buckley. $4,000; NJ. S. Lansing.
$4,000: p. w. Farnham, $4,000; NJ. II.
Camler. $4,000.
The Portland made the trip from St.
Michaels without convoy of revenue
cutters. But she will be guarded by
Uncle Sans armed ships on her next
trip. She brings news from Dawson
City that provisions are every scarce
Coffee is worth so cents pound.
While the small amount of gold
brought from the Yukon by the Port
land was a disappointment TO many the
miners who returned 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 es-
Inmates 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. If men
could be secured to work the claims al
ready located there would undoubtedly
be many millions of dollars taken out,
but the majority of men who go there
prefer to prospect ON their own ae-
| count. Notwithstanding the fact that
high wages can be had wherever claims
have been located and have proved rich.
Statements have been made that the
steamer Portland on her next trip will
bring fully 100000 in gold, but the
most reliable men from Dawson City
say that no such amount of money will
come. as il has not been taken out of the
ground. One miner who came down
places the outside figure at S1,O00oOO
One of the returning miners says that
! the remarkably rich claims on Eldorado
creek will number 40. He estimates
hot OF . hov 4.at hoe D,fn
| producing. and considering the ground
| yet to be worked, in the next three years
| they will aggregate about S70,000,O00
| To this must be added the favorable
possibilities of new gulches and the de-
ve,opment of claims already found, but
not opened so as to permit of the great
est production. There have been other
rich strikes on Stewart river, Hunker.
| Henderson and Indian creeks, but none
OF these are as rich as claims on Edo
RADIO and Bonanza creeks.
There are two facts about the Klon.
| dixie brought out clearly by interviews
with passengers on the Portland. They
are, first. that Alaska's fields are rich
| with gold; second, that awful perils
threaten those who seek it, The Yukon
miners who came back on the Portland
without exception estimate that not
| less than S10.000,000 will be taken out
of the Klondike district next winter.
| Many of them think the amount will
reach fully $t5,O0O,O00. Following are
extracts of interviews with some of the
! passengers:
you can believe almost any statement
| about the richness of the Klondike disgtngs
that you hear They are rich beyond de-
scription."
TITS hardly fair to Judge the Klondike
/ by the returns Of this year, sensational as
! they may seem. The work that has beer
done is little more than 'gophering.' 1t
| was impossible TO do systematic and thor
| ough prospecting of claims. Next win
| ter they will get down to solid work. Then
/ look out for results"
| 1T is just as good and even better shan
| the Canadian side" says firm believer
| in the American part of the Yukon. There
| is lots Of rich gravel on our side. Out
| side of the Klondike strike nearly all the
gold diggings have been found on Amer
! lean territory. There are good chances
| there for prospectors and for capital"
Warn people to stay out of the Yukon
| this winter. Tell them it means starva-
ton there. Telegraph to every paper in
! the country that miners viii starve there
| if more people 80 in"
I'm warning people to wait until spring
/ I simply act for the miners, who speak in
! the name of humanity. There is gold In
| Yukon country. plenty of it, but to seek 1t
| this season under these circumstances is
| sheer madness. 1t is even worse. Il is
criminal to those who already are in the
| country"
| 1T IS almost impossible to take enough
| supplies, and to go without supplies means
| starvation, as there is not near enough
/ food in there now for the people already
| in the district"
THE Yukon is the last place on earth
| for a man to look for a soft snap. The
| very best will be hard living there