The herald., 1898-01-29

by individuals. So you can see that
prospectors are not only limited to one
half OF the territory in which gold is
found, but are obliged to 'whack up
with the governemnt out of their actual
earnings. This is manifestly unfair
and unjust, and it is hoped by the
miners that the commission recently
sent to Ottawa to enter a protest will
succeed in bringing about reforms In
this. as well as other branches, of the
mining regulations now being enforced
In the Northwest territory
Speaking of the gold excitement in the
states, Mr.. Ford said: II have found in
tense interest manifested throughout
California, especially in San Francisco
and Los Angeles, but it is as nothing
compared to the situation in Oregon and
Washington. The people up there seem
to have gone stark mad over the Klon-
dixie country, and the number of de-
partures is swelling daily. No doubt
much of this wild rush is due to the
newspapers in Seattle, Tacoma and
Portland. Every important sheet in the
northwest has continued to publish day
after day, for months, the most lurid
reports from the Klondike, and 1 will
venture to say that more than one-half
of the articles are grossly exaggerated
or made up entirely from Imagination,
without thread of reality upon which
to base them. Every line of news de-
rogatory to the situation and prospects
in the gold fields is suppressed, and l
doubt that there is a paper, except, pos
sibly, the Portland Oregonian, that
would allow the actual truth to be pub
lished in it's columns. / am not attempt
ing to discourage anyone from going
into the Klondike country, but / must
say it is shameful the way the actual
state of affairs is being msrepresented.
OF course, the cities in the northwest are
making big money out of the rush, as
their merchants do the greater part of
the Quitting. This is the only motive
that, in my mind, could prompt the news
papers to pursue the course they do"
Mr. Ford expects to leave again for
Alaska in about a week. 1t was his in
tention to come only as far as Port
land, but he was detained for want of
transportation facilities on the return
trip owing to the prevailing great de-
mand for passage to the north.
Frank Waddleton, an ex-conductor
for the Los Angeles Railway company,
who went into the Klondike country last
summer. is in Los Angeles on a short
visit to his people. Mr.. Waddleton came
down to purchase supplies and expects
to return again in about month. He
has claims on Moose Hide creek, about
three miles southeast of Dawson. When
he returns John Waite, conductor for
the Los Angeles Railway company, will
accompany him.
Il met a number of Los Angeles people
up there" said Mr.. Waddleton yester-
day. Nearly all the boys seem to be
doing pretty we'll Charley Lamb is
about as well fixed as any one up there.
He can measure his gold by the cup
fuls and has plenty more in sight. Then
there is AL Holloway and L. H. Smith
and Ed Bernard-all we'll known Los
Angeles boys-every one of them doing
first-class. Smith and Bernard are
working on lays on Bonanza creek. Hol
loway is over on the Ell Dorado. L. E.
Henderson, who used to be a street car
motorman on the Los Angeles line, was
frozen in on Henderson creek, about
seventy-five miles south of Dawson. just
before l came out and / guess he is
stuck there yet. A great many of the
ldle arrivals met Will d SlIlllldT ldlc.
Some of them gave up the ship, sold
their provisions to the government for
a good round sum and either went to
Dawson to stay or returned to the
states. There was q great rush into
Dawson before l left. Many went to
Fort Yukon and Circle City. AS a re-
suit there has been great congestion
in the principal centers. AS soon as
winter breaks up there will, of course,
be a rush for the interior. There is no
doubt that plenty of gold can be found
on many of the smaller creeks, and those
who are about to leave for that country
will have to spread out into the more
remote districts if they hope to strike
anything at all. Even many of those
who We're among the first on the gronud
found it necessary to drift off into the
interior, so-called. Some found for
tunes, while others returned unsuccess-
full and discouraged"
Relative to the purchase of outfits, Mr..
Waddleton stated that many people
bought their supplies in Victoria and
Vancouver with the expectation of es-
Gaping the payment of duty to the Cana
dian government. This, he said, was a
mistake, as all those who had adopted
this plan had learned to their expense
and sorrow. Those who purchase their
outfits on Canadian soil," he explained,
must pay much more than the duty
would amount to. There is strip of
disputed territory between Alaska and
the Northwest Territory of over twenty
miles in width. A man carrying a
Canadian outfit in bond must be accom-
panied from Dyea across the line by an
American customs agent, so that the
goods may not be unpacked until across
the line For this necessary service $6
day must be paid on trip that occu-
pies period of time ranging all the way
from ten days to three weeks"
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE