The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-07-29
KL0NDYKE GOLD CRAZE
Country FabuIously Rich With the
Yellow Metal.
THE '4e EXCITEMENT CUTDONE.

! Commander Tuttle, Of the Or tied States
Revenue Cutter Bear, Tells OF tho
Scenes at St. Observation-Disclosures Had
$3.50, o,o00-Made It All In Seven Months
Gold Enough to Turn Ones Mind.
SEATTLE, Wash. (SpeciaD.-Ihe popula-
tion Of Alaska and the northwestern Sec
tion Of the Northwestern Territories will be
multiplied tenfold insids Of the next six
months. The exodus Of excited gold
hunters from all over the Pacific coast has
begun, and trains arriving twic daily from
the south, bring hundreds Of eager and
anxious men, who would gladly pay the
transportation companies double for berths
on the three outgoing steamers,
One Of the most significant utterances In
corroboration Of the stories OF immense
gold finds In the Northwest territory Is
found in q letter received from Captain
Francis Tuttle, commander OF the United
States revenue cutter Bear, who was at the
time Of writing at st. Micha,Ps on the
Yukon River. Captain Tuttie cannot, oy
those who know him, be accused OF being
dreamer. It Is the first communication sept
down from the far north by United States
officer relative to the gold excii ement. The
letter was mailed July l, and Is, graphic IN
its description. .
Captain Tuttle says: "The days Of '49 in
California are q mere side show compared
with the excitement in the Yukon country.
Imagine nv astonishment on rt aching here
Yesterday to run across a man who, last
September, was discharged rs deck hand
from steamer on Puget Souno. The fel.
low made his way into Alaska, worked
seven months on the Klondyke and has
now reached ST.. MichaePs with Sl50,0Oo IN
gold. I could hardly believe my senses,
but there was his gold, sure enough.
Gas write st. --Iiohael's Is full OF miners
awaiting an opportunity to get down to
Puget Sound and to California. Nearly
every other man OF them has go, 900 worth
of dust, and there Is not mall here with
less than els, 900. The latter ire referred
to as poor fellows who have been hard hit
with bad luck, and 1t seems to he real sym
pathy that the more fortunate ones show
for these S15, 900 fellows
"The deck-hand, with his $50, 600, had
the largest amount OF gold OF any one IN
the crowd. The whole business Is almost
incredible. vet one must believe what he
sees.
"It is enough to turn the mind OF any
person, and particularly wher one learns
with what comparative ease This gold Is
mined"
Captain Tuttle adds that no cannot af-
ford to lay long in st. Micllaers or his
whole crew will become daft, and he con-
tinues:
"I almost feel as II I would like to go up
the river myself, and certainly would 40
80 were twenty years younger"
The thermometer at st. Michaeps regis
tered eighty seven degrees at the time Cap
tain Tuttle penned his letter.
At st. Michael's Captain Tuttle received
instructions from the Governm ent to assist
in the transportation OF reindeer from 81
IBERIA into the Yukon country.
F. G. q. Bowker, one OF the resurIea d nea
Yukoners, who brings back nearly s40, goo
in gold dust, the result OF six months
work, is authority for the statement that
on the American side Of the International
boundary placer fields have been Lfoand
the shade