The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-08-31

put Them in easy circumstances. AT that
ciLne Gnere were not more than 900 men
In the district, and practically ali of them
were concentrated on the two creeks
mentioned. the other creeks being neg
lected until spring.
"A miner who arrived on the Portland
te,ls story Of an unlucky prospector
who was bemoaning his fate. when C. NJ
johnson, of bunker, said to him:
See, here, Bill, am not going to see
you go back without claim of your own
In the district. l have one over on 30.
nanza that will give you
All right" said the unlucky one.
Make out the bill Of sale.'
~ don't know whether YOU want tn
SAID johnson. cit is nothing but an old
moose pasture and is not worth much.
ouG II you want it you can have it."
w hen they came to look for paper on
which TO write the transfer none was to
be found, They took the lsbel from an
empty tomato can, and this unique and
wildly colored document is now on file
with the gold commissioner. The claim
could not be purchased for less than
S2o00OO now, although nothing more
thon prospecting has been done on it.
y. h. lilly. one of the returning Yu.
koners, is a Seattle man. His first trim
INTO the Yukon was in the spring of
1893, where he worked for WAGES on
Mastodon creek. He came over the same
year ana went out again last year, being
the first Yukoner AT Dyen last year.
reaching there on February IS. When
the great strike WAS made Oh Bonanza
creek he was among the first to reach the
diggings and located claim which has
since made Him comfortable for life He
in, of ~
claims on Gold Bottom. Mr.. Zilly de-
ciines to state the amount of his "stuke"
so far, but his friends say his fortune is
now fully S250,O00.
In an interview Mr. lilly said: "You
can believe almost any statement about
the richness Of the Klontlike diggings that
you hear. They are rich beyond belief.
Every inch of pay ground is located.
In TACT, it was all located before spring.
Newcomers will have to prospect for
themselves. Bonanza and Eldorado
creeks are the richest so far, having been
1 worked more extensively than any
other creeks in the district. Hunker and
Gold Bottom creeks give every evidence
OF being fully rs rich. Little work has
been done on these creeks, but so far
every prospect has been fiatteringn
James Rowan, called by his friends
Loc," is one of the old timers On the
Yukon. He went into the country first
In lS96. Since that time he has made
several trips into the Yukon and there i
hardly II creek where gold has heen found
that he has not been upon. Now he has
come back with II good sized sack. and,
besides, is the sole ow her of claim No. %,
above BonanZn, one of the first opened
and one Of the richest on the creek The
claim has. been prospected at both sides
and irUOl nav bnS hean fOuD1 =, H.,
lieved that the claim will yield no less
than 100000 in dust before It is entirely
worked ont.
The value of real estate in Dawson has
multiplied II thousand fold in less than
six months. When Joseph Ludu lad out
the town in 1896 he chose a site a mile
below the mouth of the Klond;ke on the
east branch of the Yukon. At that poi..t
the river makes . slight bend, and in
front of Dawson there is an eddy formed
by the waters of the Klondike and the
Yukon. This gives Dawson fine front
age, steamboats, landing within few feet
OF the warehouses;
All vessels touo hing ut st. NIichael's
this summer have had great difficulty in
Keeping their crews, who have caught
the gold fever soon after arriving One
schooner from Victoria WAS entirely de-
Serted and her crew, from captain to
cook. started up tie liver for klondike.
The crew of the schooner J. NJ. Colman
tried to desert also, but. the attempt was
discovered in time, and by q display of
firearms the men were compelled to re-
main OIL duty
The mates of the schooncrs .Jewett and
Colman and the carpenter of the Fred e.
Sander were paid of ut ST. Mchnt Ia and
left at once for Dawson. Every vessel
from st. Michael's has come short
handed The Portland lost several OF her
crew, but was able to obtain new men by
paying high wages.