Fort Wrangel news., 1898-07-27
THE GREAT MOTHER LODE
The Often Reported Rich Strike
 Near ketchikan.
Samples of Ore Examined by News Repor- ter. A. Cramer. Joseph Hambiet and l..
 J. Smith the Lucky Owners.

J. smith me LUCKY ONneTs'
 Last Tuesdav News man boarded the City of Topeka for trip to Sltka, and he found large number of pas sengers on board, bound for various points along the course of the route the boat takes. Some were on the way to Dyea and Skagway, from there to take start to the klondike. Others were the irrepressible tourists, who are out for pleasure and sight seeing. \ few were returning Dawsonites, well supplied with nuggets, and two of the number were from Ketchikan, where they, with one other, located five claims which will make them millionaires, and who have already refused S250,0OO for the located properties. The names of the owners of the claims referred to are Joseph Hamblet, the discoverer, \. Cramer, d New York man. and k. J. Smith from Tennessee, and are equally interested as owners. MT. Cramer and Mr. Hamblet were passengers on the Topeka on their way to Sitka, and of course the News man soon tackled them for an interview. Mr. Cramer, who is a quiet, unassuming gentleman, consent ed to an interview and he gave Us d talk that we know will interest the readers of the News.
 Mir. Cramer is thirty-seven years old and native of Ohio. At thirteen he left his native state and went to Lock port, Now York, where he went into the employ of the Holly Water Works Go, and one year thereafter he became a member of the gang of employees that put in systems of water works in yarl- ous parts of the United States. He con tinued in the employ of the company for five years and then at the age of eighteen years, he started out on his own hook and his first work, which was putting in system of water works for the city of Memphis, Tennessee, which proved to be very profitable piece of work. He drfted from one place to another and finally put in system of water works for the city of Pueblo. Col orado. which was in the years 1SSJ-6. From Pueblo he went to the mines at Lake City in the same state where he worked for some eight years, but luck did not favor him at that place and he made but little money above his living. From there he went to Santa te, X. M., where he drove tunnel 3,OOO feet long for the Santa l'e railroad company and made considerable money out of that contract. From that place he started on a prospecting tour through Cobra do, Arizona and Idaho. He struck sev- eral good silver propositions, but ow- ing to the decline in the price of silver, they were finally abandoned. He spent a considerable amount of money on the claims, and the decline ill the value of white metal was all that prevented him from making a fortune out of them. He next prospected ill California and did considerable prospecting in that state. It was in this state that Cramer first met his partner, Smith, and they work ed together in that state. Cramer's knowledge, gained in the Holly works, has been of inestimable value to him, and at number of places he put in and repaired mining machinery. In March of this year Cramer and Smith came to Ketchikan and the two pros pected the surrounding country until the first of this month when the two joined Hamblet who had been also prospecting around Ketchikan for some time Hamblet knew of Cramer's eX- perience and knowledge as d miner, prospector and machinist and the three joined forces in the claims which had been previously discovered by MT.
  at once and Mr. Cramer soon became convinced that most valuable discov- cry had been made. The lodges of min eral are so well defined and so easily accessible from the surface that they secured a sack full of ore which is free milling and will assay from 550,0O0.00 to S75,O00.O0 to the ton. The writer was shown some of the samples and the richness is so great that it is almost be- yond belief. Enough work was done on the different claims to ascertain the value of them. MT. Cramer was asked concerning the lodges, width and depth and we quote his language in reply:
 "The mother lode has 120 foot ledge that we traced the full length of the claim, 1,500 feet. It is a contact of prophyry and slate, the latter being we'll mineralized. The hill top alone is 90 feet wide and you can trace that 2,5OO feet. The Sea Breeze lode has two parallel lodges twelve feet apart, two and one-half feet thick and can be traced for one mile. The Tide Water lode is three and one-half feet thick and can be traced 300 feet. The fam fly lode 1 am unable to give the length and size of. We also have 1000 inches of water located one mile from the beach, where the claims are located. Also two mill sites one mile from the water location"
 What do you think of that country