Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-02-23
KLONOIKE BUDGET.
Mrs. G. J. Stuart Talks to a Journa
Reporter.
Tells Many Interesting Facts Concerning The
Gold Fields and Routes.

ter, Miss Pauline of Puyallup Wash,
are visiting Mrs. Stuart's brother j. =.
Randall of the Cony house. A Journal
representative called on Mrs. Stuart, yes
terday morning. ana found her seated in
the parlor reading the latest klondike
news. III which she is always deeply in
terested as her home is right on the
route to Seattle. to whom She gave the
following facts.
Puyallup is a junction on the Northern
Pacific Railroad where the Seattle cars
on the overland trains are detached from
St Paul. Mimi, to Portland oregon.
puyallup is p miles from Seattle ana
nine miles from Tacoma and consequent
ly nearly all the miners. except those who
go via Victoria. b. e.. pass Mrs. Stuart 5
home
Mr.. Stuart is the Northern Pacific sta
ton agent at PuNallup and as all express
and baggage to or from the goll fields
has to be transferred there he handled
the first shipment of gold coming from
the klondike, last june. 1t was Il ship
ment of $250,ooo which came on the steam
er Portland to Seattle. thence TO the
assayinG station at Helena. Mont. and
was then shipped to the mint at Philadcl-
phia, Pa
The miners row don't have To send
their nuggets To Helena as many of The
Seattle banks will give checks for the
gold. 1t is hoped that soon a better me
thod than This will be in operation \
number of the influential men of Scatu"
have gone To Washington 10 ondeaVor to
get the government to establish an as
saving station at Seattle for the benefit
of all.
y great many are now going into The
Golfer river region which is ON the
American side. The gold here is in rs
great abundance and Just as rich as that
found in the klon like. 1t is easier of ac-
cess going by steamer from Seattle To
the mouth of the Atnah river The In
dams here are very hostile having
boosted that they would keep the whites
out of This region and for that reason
few have gone, but now they are going
in numbers and the government will hc
asked to provide a protection for them.
Despite the warnings given by the
western papers there undoubtedly are
thousands who have gone in without
the winter While not many reports of
miners periShing have been brought down
still many tell narrowing tales of intense
suffering while going over the passes or
tramping up the rivers.
(Which is the better place to start
from. Victoria or Seattle" was asked
Mrs Stuart. She replied that naturally
she was preiudiced in favor Of Seattle
it being an American place Still people
who have8shad a chance to investigate
both places say that the miners can OBJ
tain their outfit much cheaper III Seattle
than in Victoria There is the duty to
pay provided you buy your outfit in Seat
tie ii you go into the Klondike but if you
intend to stay on the American side Seat
tie is a much better place to start from
than Victoria.
Tacoma has equal advantages with
Seattle as far as shipping facilities are
concerned, steamers starting from Taco
ma as well as Seattle. The only difference
is that in Seattle the business men woke
up TO the possibilities of rich harvest
to be reaped from the departing miners
and they have offered Inducements. The
Tacoma business men have not shown
that Spirit of enterprise and push so have
failed to reap as good results while they
.might have Just as well as not.
Last year one company owned all the
steamers on the Yukon ana charged $500
for transportation from Seattle to Daw-
son City. This winter there are hundreds
Of boats being built for transportation
purposes and their owners will reap "A
rich harvest from the time the river
opens. the middle of June. to its freezing
over. the middle of September. Then
there are others who will get their boats
All ready to put together and ship them
by steamer to St. Michaels and put it
together there and then paddle up the
river.
of course the route through the Chill
koot or White pass from Sitka and Dyea
is hard route but it is only 800 miles
while the route via St. Michaes and the
Yukon river is over three times as far.
There is now what was originally intend
ed for tramWay over the Chilkoot pass.
The man who runs this tramway can
transport Il ton of baggage over the pass
daily. 1t does away to n great extent
With the laborious work of sacking seV-
cral months provisions over on man $
back The Indians who used to do a
great deal of this work are also thrown
out of work but still when the rush com
mences in the spring there will be enough
for everybody. These Indians are anoth-
er tribe from those in the Copper river
region ANA are very friendly to the
whites.
Mrs Stuart brought to Augusta with
her for her brother, a sample of klondlkt
gold weighing two ounces and nine pen
nvwcights, valued at $l5 or $50, Mr.
Stuart sent ii from Seattle since Mrs
Stuart has been East. He got it with
another small nugget which Mrs. Stuart
had made into a pin. The ship on which
these nuggets were brought down had
81. 0oo 900 of gold. The small pieces are
found on the surface almost anywhere
The piece which was given Mr.. Randall
is about the average size which are OBJ
tanned by digging down five feet into the
bed rock.
Just before Mrs. Stuart came east !
man landed at Tacoma with 500 mug
get which is something rare. The nuggel
considered the largest TO have come IRON
| ia. I.-In,.1ilya raq~ioO came from E.lQOrdut