The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-17
NOT WITH NUGGETS,
BUT Mining CLAIMS.
q. n. Coleman Has Twelve in
His Pocket.
WOULD NOT PART WITH THEM.
Prominent Mining Engineer OF Lon
don, and What He Found In the
kiondike-Thinks the country
Has Nor Been Overrated-Goid 10
There to Prove It-His Estimate.

OF the men who returned from Dswsoa
Yesterday on the goid-iaden steamers from
Skagway. II. y. Coleman. prominent
mining engineer OF London. was perhaps
the most prominent. lie did not come
down the gang plank with bag OF gold
dust earned BIZ the hardest kind OF toll n
ta. frozen gravel banks OF Eldorado or
Bonanza creek. IN his pocket, however
he had absolute deeds 70 twelve mining
claims On the famous gold creeks. pur-
chased outright for two rich English syn
dicates which he represents
Mr.. Coleman went 70 Dawson last win
ter several months before the ice went out.
He had a light outfit and was prepared 20
make a quick trip. He crossed the lakes
on the ice and went down Thi-ty-Mile
river in a small canoe. Once he was
upset, but with no serious damage. He
arrived al Dawson March i3. There were
nine experienced placer miners in his
party and they at once went TO work On
Eldorado and Bonanza creek claims that
there was a prospect OF buying. Not
calm was purchased until Thoroughly
prospected, and the value OF those bought
Is enormous
Mr. Coleman represents the kIondike
Pioneer Syndicate and the klondike Bo-
nanza COMPANY both Of London. aid
backed by very wealthy English capi.al-
lists He declines to state what he Was
compelled to pay for the twelve claims
purchased. but says that at this time he
would not take an advance Of two-thirds
nS, e.z4 Ha maid
the more valuable claims purchased were
those owned by the Butler brothers IN the
hear, Of the gold zone.
Mr. Coleman. conservative as mining en-
g.neers must be well educated and thor
oughfy acquainted with his subject gave
e PosI-inteiligeucer reporter the following
interview on the great gold diggings. He
said:
After spending four weeks investigating
the creeks CT the Kiondike and Indian
river mining districts. am convinced that
the country has not been oyerrated. The
gold IS there to prove II. / have seen
piles Of II on claim after claim During
the cleanup visited several claims where
the washing pans would be half full ~
gold when the miners finished sitting OFT
the chaff. On other mines the pans would
be more than two-thi:ds full. From two
TO three hundred ounces to the pan were
common incidents OF the cleanup. .he
Estimate of Output.
ut is very hard to give an estimate as
TO the amount Of gold that has been taken
out OF the gravel banks this winter. Some
claim that SO 00o. GO Will not more than
cover II. From what have seen. a con-
sentative estimate is sloooo, eco. From the
amounts that have already been turned
over TO the government in royalties. It Is
evident that the royalty will be paid On
over S. GO roo. Many a sack will be sneak
ed out without the governments getting
hold q It's lega; or Illegal tenth
The greater portion % the output will
come from claims or six creeks. with the
bench claims in the background. Bonan-
"a IS, Of course. the richest. with Eldorado
creek a close second. Bear creek Is Prov
Ing 4 wonderful treasure house, and
think It viii follow E,dorado in the list OF
gold-produccrs. Then comes Hunker
creek from the banks Of which VIII BE
washed a very considerable amount of
gold The bench claims are. in my est
nation. fifth In the list Of producers. Be-
yond that X Is hard 10 say what the re-
suits viii be. Dominion and sulphur
creeks are showing up very well. They
were not extensively worked during the
winter Consequently their outputs viii
be limited. Bear creek Is as rich. con-
sidering the width OF the pay streak. 3
any If the others. II Is not as wide rs
that cf BONANZA. however. I pauned a
shove, Of dirt On Bear shortly before COM
trx out which nattcd ne s2ls1 The
bench claims are The surprise and delgac
Of the whole camn. The ground is liter
ally teeui7s- with gold and il is mined
very easily. Many of the benches are be-
ing worxed this summer.
Confusion ON Dominion.
Dominion creek vas closed Cor location
more than a month before we left
Through some oversight two discovery
claims were recorded on this creek This
caused 4 terrible ullx-up between me two
dsscoyererS Gains Tapped over each
other. There was only one way out Il
H. Shu: 70 the creek ana survey T..
claims are numbered below discovery be-
tween discoveries and above discover.
This has resulted in some ~ the miners
losing their Claims. u course the miners
that end themselves without claims are
feeling rather sore bat then some ore had
70 lose.
There nav lee god quartz claims n the
k1orG5ke section bar have not .Hves:i-
gate. them. savA a number ~ nuggets
tha' show Heaffg. blf whore she mother
lode IS located = 4 question shat viii
rot HkeIv D solved - fh{s generation.
There have hcea a number = staalpeies
duria. ;he winter. AMI siuost every weak
~ - The time "a !cft pasi little 1t
teatton . 1tat k.11 = property The
cta;nas rusy tuT5 ont - he good. b.; y
remains - - proven. The French eulch
STRIKE WIS Very PSI. AMI INA bench
showing ~ WEI cons 3eri~x tire little
w7-k tNat h7e h<a- H0-e ~ hem
L th'uk tha: the K -35ke 5S.rics MI
iast Tat -. That re Eoi8 wl uot aC