The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-24

If the mines were really as rich as
had been reported to the world out
side. The verdict was, in the words OF
the Queen of Sheba to Solomon: BE
hold, the half had not been told"
Our next duty was to find out the
area and room on remoter mining dis
tricts and see if it we're right or wrong
to let the world pour it's surplus Of
enterprise and brain in search of gold
in this direction longer. I set about
pulling myself together and was ready
to set out by the 26th of August. There
had been some storms and rain and
snow. The ground was frozen hard as
I climbed up the hill in the quay past
the new little grave yard. 1 was load
ed down, for there were but few men
remaining in these remoter camps;
and nothing at all to eat save what
could carry on my back. Besides, each
must now carry a bed for the bitter
cold nights. I also had to carry pick,
shovel, and a change of boots and all
sorts of footwear, and few extra gar
ments in case of drenching storms for
a change Of clothes.
My pack was about forty pounds,
bling up the Klond!ke hillsides, over
the icy hunmocks and great grassy
"nigger heads that stood to the knee
at almost every step. The load grew
heavy, very heavy, as 1 put the miles
behind me. The sun was hot and op-
pressive by 10 in the morning. By II
I looked down into Bear creek, a
great, deep gorge that plunges into the
Klondike, dense with somber forest.
Here, at the north of Bear creek,
met a Mr.. Seymour, to whom 1 hao
been recommended as a good man to
see and a learned man in many ways.
I found him and his partners at work
with whipsaw making a track for
underground cars to carry dirt to the
mouth OF the tunnel. Bear creek is
worked entirely by drifting. It is the
deepest place in these mines. more than
fifty feet deep. It. is rich, tremendous
ly rich, so far as prospected; was dis
covered on Sept. 6, 1895, by Russian
Fins, and is staked for more than 100
claims. But the records Of Dawson, a
COPY Of which l had in my pocket for
reference, showed only ffty-two claims
recorded. Men often delay this i'm
portant matter While prospecting on
their claims until they go to Dawson
at the end of the season on business,
as a location must be recorded in. per-
son.
NOT FROZEN TO BEDROCK,
Bear creek IS peculiar in another re-
markable feature. Besides It's great
depth it is not frozen to bedrock, as
are all the places in this region. This
Is very strange Even Mr.. Seymour,
whom I found to be most obliging in
every way, could not. with all his
learning and scientific research, solve
the problem AS this expedition was
not for the purpose Of seeing heaps Of
gold, but to find out If the outside
camps were rich and desirable, like
those nearer Dawson, passed on with
the assurance from Mr.. Seymour,
"Hear creek is all right"
I must have been limping badly, for
as I emerged from the great trees that
grow rank and proudly here, because
the ground is not SO much frozen, a
boats crew, polling up the KIondike,
hailed me, pulled ashore, and took me
to the mouth Of Hunller creek the next
objective point.
The valley at the mouth of Hunker
creek is miles wide and the woods are
stately and beautiful. The creek is of
8 rich amber color, caused by a soda
spring which puts into Gold bottom, a