The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1898-09-29
HONEST MINERS.
Gold Dust Is Left Lying Around Care
lessly In the KiOndike.

Gold Dust Is Left Lying Around Care
lessly In the Kiondike.
Much has been written Of the won
ders of the klondike gold fields. a cor
respondent writes. but practically
nothing has been said Of the almost
phenomenal honesty of the miners.
What amazed me most during my first
few days in Dawson City was the reck-
less way in which miners left thou
sands of pounds worth of gold expos
ed in empty cabins and tents, as if in
viting the first conner to help himself.
There were millions lying about with
out any one looking after them. and
so FAR as one could see. they belonged
10 nobody. l explored many of these
cabins during their owners absence.
and in the very first cabin / entered |
saw dirty, tattered blanket careless
ly thrown over two mackerel kits. l
lifted the blanket ard found that the
kits were almost full to the brim with
gold dust and nuggets to the value OF
at least 6 5000. The miner was on:
prospecting on Bear creek, and had no
more anxiety about his pile than if
it were safely housed in the bank of
England. 1t was the same in nearly
every cabin 1 entered. Gold greeted
NE everywhere. There were shelves
full Of oil cans, meat tins, fruit jars.
and buckskin and walrus bags, packed
with the precious metal, all as unpro-
tected as if they were full of potatoes.
One Norwegian miner on Hunker
creek had made a strong box OF
pair Of canvas overalls, the legs OF
which he had sewn up. l lifted the I'M
canny safe" and found that it weigh
ed good 100 pounds, every ounce Of
which was virgin gold and the least
value l could place on these dirty over
alls was $4,000. There were five-gal-
Ion oil cans full Of gold carelessly
pushed under the miners bulks. every
one Of which held fortune. for which
most men strove a lifetime Out on
Eldorado creek there is a settlement
Of miners who have no fewer than Ii
rich claims. and are washing out gold
at the rate Of many thousands OF
pounds a week. Their strong room is
a common galvanized washing tub, and
when / was there it was three-quar-
tiers full of gold, and much too heavy
for two strong men to lift Had /
been inclined l might have pinched
thousands Of pounds worth. Gold
abounded on every side which seemed
to belong to nobody. Even if miner
leaves his cabin for a week or more he
Simply leaves a notice IN this effoct
attached to the walls. He never thinks
Of putting guard over his pile. OF
course there have been attempts at
theft, but the perpetrators have been
invariably detected. In one recent
case the thief managed to carry his
booty a distance of ten miles, when
cold and exhaustion compelled him to
take shelter at the cabin OF one Of the
miners. His hosts suspicion was
aroused by the mans conduct and BY
the bags Of gold, for which he could
not satisfactorily account. The miner
detained his guest, communicated with
some Of his fellows; and fifteen OF them
assembled in the hut, and sat in judg-
ment on the thief. He was found gull
ty, and half dozen bullets put sud-
den end to his career. Such cases.
however, are very rare, and it speaks
volumes for the honesty Of the 10000
men who are now gathered in Dawson
City, and they can see hundreds of
thousands Of pounds worth of gold
lying about, without even thinking of
laying hands on it.