The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-28
A KLONDIKE STAMPEDE
CAUSED BY A RICH GOLD STRIKE ON
THE sKOOKUM DIVIDE.
Pay Dirt Taken Out Worth as Much
as $50 to the Pan--Charles Nc
Carthy Shot at Skaguay.

SKAGUAY, Alaska, March "a, via Seattle,
Wash. March 27-One of the biggest stam-
pedes yet recorded In the Klondike region
was occasioned on Feb. u by very rich
strike on the divide between the Big and
Little Skookum. The strike was made in
Rench diggings on a high hog-back, 800 or
400 feet above the level of the gulches Pay
dirt running from 81 to $S5 to the pan was
found. Following the announcement of the
strike occurred a stampede from Dawson
of immense proportions, and the entire ridge
was staked out in a short time. This news
was brought to this city this week by MT.
A. Piche official courier and dispatch
bearer for the Canadian government. Mr..
Piche says there was immense excitement
at Dawson when he let over the Skookllm
strike. and that over two hundred men were
standing in line at the recorders office to
make a record of their claims.
Mr. Piche also brings the news of a new
strike on Lewis river. which is of great i'm
portance if it develops as is promised. On
March man named Connolly while pros
pecting small pup leading off the leads,
about seventy-hve miles below Lake Lee
barge, found pay dirt which is promising.
Piche personally visited the claim and took
from 81 to SO from single pan. The dis
from the leads.
The latest reports from the Salmon river
country are brought out by Charles Fftz-
patrick who arrived here from that dis
trict yesterday. Fitzpatrick says the find
on Walsh creek is all that has been claimed
for it, that he took from his own claim $3.50
to the pan. He says there are already
about one thousand people at Walsh creek,
which is 500 more than can secure claims
on that particular stream. The creek Is not
fifty miles in length, as first reported. 1t
will not measure over twenty-five miles in
length. He says. however, that the whole
country in that locality is mineral bearing,
and that in his Judgment the next three
months will see some further remarkable
strikes. He says: For instance, / think
the south fork of Big Salmon will turn out
a paying Investment. 1t is about one hun
dred and twenty-five miles from Lewis
river. Then there is the Lotto creek, which
has already shown up favorably, running
20 cents to the pan, and / could mention
four or five other creeks in the vicinity
equally good.''
What is regarded by many as an impor-
tant and rich gold strike has been made in
the immediate vicinity of Skaguay. For
some time past systematic prospecting has
been carried on in the hills surrounding the
Skaguay trail, and at last it has been re-
warded. Thomas H. Phipps and Ralph
Smith claim to have unearthed a lot of rich
quartz bearing free milling gold. The loca-
tion is kept secret. but is described by
them as being within an hours walk of
the port office"
The value of the find cannot be deter
mined until returns from the assay office at
Juneau are made, The prospect bears every
evidence Of being more than surface crop
ping. Samples picked at random were
beaten up with a hammer and particles of
yellow metal washed from the dirt excited
much interest. The locators claim to have
abundant capital to develop the mine, and
say bucket tramway will readily solve
the problem of getting out the quartz
Charles Mccarthy, well-known ward
politician OF San Francisco, was shot
through the legs in this city this morning
by Charley Ritter. a waiter in the Horse
shoe restaurant. The row grew out of a
drunken brawl. McCarthy's wound is seri-
Gus. though not dangerous. About the
same hour another shooting ARRAY occurred
ON Mckinney street. in which several shots
were fired. No visible results were left save
a bullet hole through sign OF a newspaper
office