Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-20
GOLD FEVER RAGING.
TOWNS DESERTED IN THE
RUSH FOR KLONDYkE.
MANY GOING WITHOUT MEANS.
MORE STORIES OF THE WEALTH
THAT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED.
Captain Higgins, of the Excelsior,
Says That KIOndyke Ii n Great
Place for N Man with
Years Provisions to
Make a Stake.

Port Townsend, Wash, July l9.-The ex-
cursion steamer Queen has arrived from
] Alaska with 10 passengers, principally
tourists The officers of the Queen state
| that the merchants and tradesmen in both
! Juneau and Sitka are closing their shops
! and Fastening to the new Eldorado. Fifty
business men left Juneau for Dawson City
| on Julv T. and $50 were to leave on the
! 18th. two days after the Queen sailed. The
officers say that by the time the queen re-
| turns to Juneau on her return trip, nlne
| days hence, there will not be an aole-bouleu
| man left in the town. Many men are leaV-
ing Juneau for the gold fields without pro-
visions or means to buy them.
| The steamer AL Ki sailed for Alaska at
midnight. She carries forty horses and l'OOo
| sheep for Dyea, where they will be land
| ed and driven across the summit to the
Yukon valley. Stockmen say the sheep
are the finest band ever collected on East
ern Washington ranges. They will be taken
to Circle City and Klondyke and slaughter
ed. Any kind of fresh meat there sells at
50 cents per pound.
San Diego, Cal, July 19.-An interesting
letter telling of the recent trip of the
steamer Excelsior to Alaska has been writ
ten by Captain ]. F. Higgins, of the steam
er, TO friend in this city. He says:
1.-The word Klondyke means Deer river.
WhlCn Is CalIeG hGlnuGtE IlNGI blA AAlS
charts. 1t emptes into the Yukon fifty
miles above the big river. The geographic
al position of the junction is IS degrees 10
minutes north latitude. 1$9 degrees so min
utes west longitude. Bonanza creek dumps
into Klondyke about two miles above the
Yukon. Eldorado is a tributary of the
Bonanza. Their are numerous other creeks
and tributaries, the main river being 800
miles long. The gold so far has been taken
named, for the richness of the placers is
truly marvellous. Eldorado, thirty miles
long. is staked the whole length and as far
as worked has paid.
LAS each claim is 500 feet along the creek
bed, there is half a million to the claim.
So uniform has the output been that one
miner who has an interest in three claims
told me that If offered his choice he would
toss up to decide. One of our passengers
who is taking 81 900 with him has worked
100 feet of his ground and refused $200.O00
for the remainder and confidently expects
to clean up 100000 and more. He has in a
bottle S2l2 from one pan of dirt His pay
hour to each man shoveling in. Two others
of the miners who worked their own claims
cleaned up $500 from the days washing.
There is about fifteen feet of dirt above
bedrock, the pay streak averaging from
four TO six feet which is tunneled out while
the ground is frozen. OF course the ground
taken out is thawed by building fires. ana
when the thaw comes and water rushes in
they set their sluices and wash the dirt:
in the hand worth large one in the bush
and sold their claims for $4,000. getting
$3.50 down. the remainder to be paid in
monthly installments of $4,000 each. The
purchasers had no more than 5000 paid.
They were twenty days thawing and get
ting out dirt. Then there was no water to
sluice with, but one fellow made a rocker
and in ten days took out the $4,000 for the
they toe took out SO before there ' was s. water %
'Ot course these things read like the
e fTN- NJ hPf e
with facts and Klondyke- The ground To-
Gated and prOspected can be worked out
In a few years. but there is still an immense
territory untouched and the laboring man
who can get there with one years pro-
visions Will have better chance TO make
a stake than in any other part Of the
world"
Seattle. Wash. July 19.--The amount of
treasure brought down from the famed
Klondyke on steamer Portland is now placed
at Sl,5O0.O00 and there is good reason to
believe that the sum was nearer to S2Vg,-
900. In this connection, something in the
nature of a confidence game appears to
have been worked on the North American
Trading and Transportation Company or
its officials in charge of the Portland, by
the miners. Each man was required 10
place his gold dust in the ships safe but
this was not done. by any means. Many
of the miners secreted their dust in |
blankets and luggage, which were taken
either to their state rooms or thrown care |
lessly about the ship.
Clarence ]. Berry. one of the klondyke |
kings brought down I az vS1Sb ISas he tV Port IN
land had any record. The statement is |
made on the authority of Captain William |
Kidson the master of the vessel. When |
pressed for an estimate TO the grand |
total of the POrtlands cargo, Captain Kid
son said it was no doubt nearer I,JOOpJ |
than the amount accounted for on the |
ships records. .
At present only miners laws rule, the |
camp but next year Dawson city Will be |
and municipal officers elected. |
The miners are determined on one thing, |
however, namely. that order will be pre-
served at all hazards. No sure thing
gamblers will be permitted in either Daw-
son City or the dggings.
Information comes from Juneau to the |
effect that several rich strikes have recent |
ly been made in the neighborhood of Forty
Mile 1t has been christened Minute Creek
and is now panning out so day to the |
men Another discovery on American /
creek. fifty miles below Forty-Mile camp.
is said TO be paying well; and great num-
last few weeks. The pans run from $40 TO
SIS. 1t is thought likely that many OF the
thus relieving the strain on Dawson City.