The San Francisco call., 1898-03-31

last plug of tobacco had for it. I hated to part with the last plug, for gold was more plenty now than to- bacco. We went on up the Creek. The native led the way to small rifle, where he had found it, and we commenced to work and found it in such quantities as to make us almost crazy, often getting ten ounces to the pan. In ten days we washed out $5O,OoO."
 Ross warns his friend tokeep the mat | ter quiet, but in view of the fact that seven or eight vessels are already on l the berth for Kotzebue Sound and more l are ready to follow, he came to the ] conclusion that there was nothing to l be gained by keeping the matter secret. | Over a thousand gold-hunters have al- ready secured their passage on various sailing vessels bound for the Kowak River, and they will reach the new gold fields just as speedily as Messrs. Rals- | ton and Ross. In fact they will all ar rive on the ground together, as Mr. Ralston will go to St. Michael on the | first steamer to rejoin his friend. and 1 the barkentine Jane A. Falkinberg will l call at that place for them on her way | to Kotzebue Sound
 All of the eight sailing vessels bound | north are taking away stern-wheel steamers, so, as before stated all will reach the head waters of the Kowak | River about the same time. Ross let | ter to MT. Ralston is as follows: RAMPART CITY. November IS, 1897. Friend Ralston: You will be surprised l if this letter reaches you. Remember when I left you at St. Michael on the 27th of last June You were bound for | fh0Sa were very much excited when Clarence | Berry arrived there from Dawson with the 18th of June, and on the following day | left with the natives in a skin boat for Port Clarence, that being as far as l could induce the natives to go From | there I got another native with a skin boat to take me to KotZebue Sound. but I could not induce him to go up the river unless I gave him whisky Not having ing some one else. Not having much trade in their line, I was finally obliged to give them what tobacco had for our own use; Jack Hayes had a gallon of alcohol and | some drugs, and with this we made about
 four gallons of whisky. With this we | finally induced the natives to continue up
 the Kubuck (koWak) River, as Tar as we 1 wanted to go.
 Our original intention was to go as far
 as Fort Cosmos, but before we got there
 the Indians told us two white men had | gone up before us and were on small
 stream where they were getting plenty or | gold. We thought this too good to De | true, but concluded to follow on around | to where they were. Imagine our surprise
 to find them with not less than SZ5OoO,
 which they had taken out in fifteen days. l The mosquitoes were nearly hell, and as
 we had not much provisions, we started
 in to do our best. Our fondest hopes were
 more than realized, and in twenty days
 we cleaned up with I should think about
 S50,00O
 This was about August 25, and our
 two friends were thinking Of coming
 down the river in the hopes of getting to St. Michael before the last boat would 1 leave for San Francisco. They started,
 but we concluded to stay ten days longer
 and take our chances in getting out. Two 1 days after they left a native who had | been further up the stream hunting deer came back with plenty of fresh meat and
 a nugget that will weigh not less than
 twenty ounces. I gave him the last plug
 of tobacco I had for it. l hated to part
 with the last plug, for gold was more 1 plenty now than tobacco. We went on up
 the creek The native led the way to a l small rifle where he found it, and we
 commenced work and found it in such 1 quantities as to make us almost crazy, l often getting ten ounces to the pan. In l ten days we washed out S50,000. Oh, how
 we hated to leave. We had only fifty
 pounds of flour left, and very little tea 1 or sugar so we started down to the
 mouth of the river, and when we got