Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-07-26
FROM THE COPPER RIVER.
Further xplorotion by a Prospecting
Party From Salem

Further xploroton by a Prospecting
Party From Salem.
COPPER CnNfHR, Alaska, June 20
This town Of tents is situated on the
Klutena river where it enlarges into
the Copper. There is a h";rI and a
D p1stofgc, here. The Kiuieua river
is one higher up Oh tie Cw4er than
the T,nslna. We are NOV 2O2
miles from the mouth Of the Copper,
over 100 miles further up than we eX-
p.cted TO be when we started from
Valdez. We desire TO reach the
head9atcrs of the Copper before fall.
The mailman arrived iu camp last
night with two horses and two
doLkeys to carr tic mails, We got
down here without accident Will al
our goods oyer this rugged and RAPID
river week ago. The last boat but
one tore loose from us for about orc
mile at lively rate of speed, ith no
one on it, but Dr. Norman. with
simply one paddle to manage it. The
doctor was equal to the emer'
ency and beached the boat at
the first opportunity. There was
some good foot-racing done on our
part trying TO keep in sight of the
Doctor, and boat. Many poor man lost
all his goods on this river. Many
Others had their goods damaged by
the boat filing nth water, We were
nearly three weeks coming from the
head.of rapids down here a distance
of only about 25 miles. But we did
not propose to take any chances on
our goods.
We prospected some on the way
down. Could find very fine color most
any place on either bank but not pay
ing in quantities. Of course, there
has been no thorough prospecting
done yet, on account of there being
too much water in the ground. The
river is lowering fast now, and the
best of the prospecting season will
soon be on. We have built a cabin
here to cache our goods in, and will
take three months outfit and start
up Copper River next Monday,
July 4th,
Many men have become discouraged
at this point and gone home. Some
of them come here and hear no favor
able news from up the river. They
cannot find gold hanging on the
bushes here, So they weary and 90
ome;.others claim to have been away
up the Copper and say they cannot
even get color. However we do not
feel discouraged and propose to pro-
ceed on. We should do our duty and
at least seek what we haYe come here
to find. If we do not succeed there
will be feeling Of satisfaction tina +
wefhave worked hard enough. This
will be our last opportunity to send
out mail for many morths, as when
we return from up the river IT will
be too late to depend on sending mail
out. | expect to stand the hardships
Of Alaska o. X. and return in better
health than when l left. Am ten or
fifteen pounds heavier than When l
left Salem.
1t would be picnic to be laying
brick compared to the work l have
been doing most of the time since |
have been up here. Mr.. McOscar has
supper about ready and l must close.
Enclosed are few wild flowers,
gathered off the beach of Copper |
river, a destination we worked bard |
to reach for four months. l won't |
say word about the mosquitoes, but
one of our party is writing IN detail
about them. They are very numerous
and very vicious and their bite seems
quite poisonous. A good bite seems
to irritate the skin about three days. |
We get papers to read about once a
month.
GEORGE MAURER.