The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-08-27
STORES OF WEALTH
70 he Found tn KIondlks Rsglon-Pso-
pIs who Have Arrived from Tho'' Gold
',,.,d. nav Tnsy wal Hold Out.

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash, Aug. 20.
rho schooner ]. l.. colman, which left
c, AIichaels, at the mouth Of the Yu-
,on Iuly IS, was spoken last night on
oor, Rocks at $3.50 by the Associated
press tug Vlgrant, which was in the
s,r,Ights watching for the arrival OF
,,a steamer Portland. The calman
brings four passengers who have been
IN the Kiondike and who left Dawson
CIV July II. The passengers are
charles II. Metcaif, of Detroit, Mich,i
r E. Jones, Berkeley, Cal, an assayer
f,r the Alaska Commercial Company at
Dawson; C. b. and z. B. Patrick, broth
ers from Humooit, Cal. They left
Tawson City ten days after the Thorp
-ar,y which arrived at Seattle last
,yesk on the steamer George II. Starr,
from pyea. They all tell stories OF the
richness OF the Klondlke, Bonanza and
Elolrado creeks, but all say that very
Iaw ciea a-ups have been made since
,ba early summer. Mr.. Metcalf has
been engaged In the merchandise busi-
rsss at Dawson City, Circle City and
other points for three years and has
been out every year. He goes in each
year over the Dyea trail, and last
snring he took Ia twenty tons OF
freight. Ii took him from March TO
Nav / to get his freight over the pass
with one man, two horses and eight
dogs. From Lake Linderman to Daw-
son CITY ne was fourteen days.
When the COlman left st. Michaels
there we're about twelve men waiting
10 come out on the steamer Portland,
and another steamer with passengers
wn,, expected down the river before the
time set for the sailing of the Port
land. The men waiting at st. Mlchaels
ali had from $1,000 to $4,000, but no
phenomenal strikes were reported by
them. With regard 10 ascending the
Yukon, Mr., Metcalf says 1t takes from
twenty to twenty-five days TO so from
St Michaels TO Dawson City, and pas
seugers leaving Seattle later than Au-
gust 20 will have no chance OF reaching
Dawson City this fall. The Llppy
claim on Bonanza creek, from which
gold amounting to $4,000 was taken,
he said, was one OF the best developed
claims In the group. Others Will doubt
less prove Just as rich when fully de-
veloped.
The first claim located OH Bonanza
creek was named Discovery, and Is rec
ognlzed by miners as the center OF the
field, many others being numbered each
way from 1t. Sixty claims are now To-
Gated above and ninety below Dlscov-
cry. In all fifteen miles being taken.
on Eldorado creek. which emptles into
Bonanza, sixty claims are located,
twenty nearest the conjunction OF the
creeks being fabulously rich. From
one claim located on Skookum gulch,
tributary to Bonanza creek. n. w. Por-
tiers, Of Denver, and Joseph Goldsmith,
OF Juneau, took 5000 in nuggets, ig-
norlng fine gold They afterwards sold
the claim for SIS, 900 cash. They worked
only four weeks. Bear creek, small
tributary to the Klondike, is also re-
markably rich in gold.
r. u. Jones said: 81 should say there
are about $500 people In Dawson and
on the creeks round about there. This
summer only about twenty claims have
been worked, and thus far not large
sum Of money has been taken out.
Most everybody Is getting ready for
the winters work, which will be pushed
as vigorously this year as last. AS far
as | can estimate, the great wealth Of
the klondike is holding out. Still, the
amount OF gold that will come down
this fall will not be as large as estlma-
ted in some quarters. 1 should say
that there will be in the neighborhood
of l75 men down by the Portland and
Excelsior, and a very fair average to
each man would not exceed $4,000.
Many will bring down practically moth
ing. would not care to say what the
Alaska Commercial Company has in
gold on hand.
at one time gold was so plentiful at
Dawson that people did not know what
10 do with It, The trading company's
safes were filled and the stun was
packed away In saloons and in any
place the miners could find. But most
OF the gold was taken out when the
eleanups We're completed last spring.
Since then there has not been such a
large amount Of gold coming out, as the
wet season does not permit of exca-
waiting. This coming winter there will
be about 600 claims in active operation.
They viii nearly all do well, according
TO present Indications, and next win
ter the output will be proportionately
as large as last, although there will
not be as many very rich strikes. The
bench claims are turning out we'll,
much better, IN fact, than was expect
ed. The upper end Of some OF the
creeks that are rich at the mouth range
from fifteen to twenty cents to the pan.
AS to supplies, ! believe there will
be fully $500 tons taken up on the
river boats owned by the trading COM
panies. Only about half of this, how
Ia
being supplies. Last year ice began to
run in the Yukon as early as Septem-
Der g. and II the river begins to run
this early this year, many OF the boats
now going up and intended for the
Klondlke will not get through until
next year. / believe the Indian river
anu It's tributaries Will prove valuable
dIggings next winter.
You may say that Circle City Is
practically deserted, the people having
all gone to Dawson. The river steam
ers Alice, Bella and Healy have made
their second trip down the river for the
season. They viii be down again in
time to meet the Portland and the Ex-
celsior, and most Of the miners who will
come out this fall will be abroad on
their flnal trip"
Close upon S2,000.000 In dust had gone
down on river steamers, others intend
ing TO take the steamer Portland at st.
MIchaels Gold passed at ll7 an ounce
at Dawson CITY Shelp gives list OF
Juneau men who struck II rich. They
are Dick Law. 100000; j. Smith, 100000:
oscar Ashby and w. Leak refused
100000 for their clalm; Joe Brant, sie.-
,.Oi Cornelius Edwards, $4,000; a.
Whlpplc. 10000; Harry Ash. who left
On me last boat for San Francisco,
100000 and an old man, who n few
mouths ago was cutting wood around
juneau, 100000