The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-19

river and the kiutena is the town Of Cop
per Center. where We arrived June 10.
Now. that part OF the Journey up the
Copper river from the klutena IL not
child's play. Ii is difficult and uTesonle.
but men with strength, pluck ard deteTIn-
ination can overcome the natural obstacles
and get into the Yukon just as we did.
We lowed cur nine boats up the Copper
river a distance Of 130 miles 10 the Siena
river The average distance traye.ed va
r4ed from four 20 eignt miles per day: not
much TO be sure, but We kept al Il and
finally reached the Slena. which is an i'm
portant point on the route into the interior
OF Alaska.
Arrived at the Slena river, we began
our prospecting. We found but little be-
sides occasional colors on the Slena. but
after ascending the stream FOR some dis
lance We found portage OF sixteen miles
to the Siuta river On Neil creek, trib-
utary Of the Sluta. We found gold in pay
ing quantities. and this. too. without be-
ing able 10 go 10 bed rock. The soil on the
creek banks is similar 10 that in the Yukon,
namely. the outer covering is moss ara
muck. underneath which The ground is
frozen the year round. Our prospecting
had this disadvantage, thar We We're unable
TO reach bed rock On account OF the water,
which put out our fires in the prospect
holes. We found ii stif, hard clay, like
hard pan about nine feet from the surface
which caught the coarse gold, of which this
is d sample said Mr.. Mcclellan pulled
out a bottle containing over two ounces
to that OF a pea
Prospects Similar to bonanza.
Prospects on Neil creek Were very fiat
tering, in my opinion he continued. Il
think they will compare favorably with
the first discoveries OF gold on Bonanza
creek Our plans, even on the hard cay
| spoke OF, ran from 90 cents upward.
Every member Of the party, fifteen III AL,
located claims and we organized mining
district under the law, and elected one OF
our number recorder.
.On July % We resumed the journey
into the Yukon. We assembled the Seua
river polling up stream and averaging
twelve miles per day tin We reached Lake
Mantasta. A thirteen mile portage is made
from Mantasta lake To Toxic river, which
is tributary OF the Tanana. Here the
party divided. SIX Of us continuing the
journey into the Yukon and the remainder
returning to Copper Center.
THE PoSt-Intelligencer readers are, of
course. familiar with the route from the
headwaters Of the Tanana TO the Yukon
The Toxic river is nearly 100 miles long
and 1t IS very crooked. We hoated down
the Toxic and for fifty miles down the
Tanana 10 the mouth OF the stream which
forms the outlet for Lake Mansfield. We
poied up this stream 10 the lake. where
abandoning our boats we started across
country TO FortyMile creek.
I'VE were fortunate in arriving there In
the early part Of August. After prospect
ing Chicken creek. We found that Ruby
guCh "a tributary 10 @ Bren creek had moi,
been stakod. Colors were found on this
gulch from the surface. Good pay was en-
countered near bed rock and We all l0ca ted
claims. We left two men 10 work the
claims on Ruby gulch this winter and
ii is the opinion of every member Of the
party that We have obtained good proper
ties.
AFTER we filed our claims OF Ruby. /
went down 10 Forty Mile and thence by
steamer 10 Dawson where | visited one
day / hurried back, ana obtaining a
fresh supply OF goods started across the
or. | reached Copper Center September -.
having been gone 40 days
Discoveries ON the TOnsina.
Nov as 10 the discovery of gold on
Quartz creek, Tonsina river district. want
10 say that | know the men that made
this lind and that | have seen the mines
and have taken gold from them. The dis
covery was #Hlade by Daniel Kane. Joe
Wood and J. L. Hamin, the latter being a
member of my original party There is a
canyon, perhaps TWO miles long, on Quartz
creek Bed rock breaks out at frequent
intervals and extends in ii diagonal direC-
ton across the stream in many places Il
has caught the geld. and this that | have
here was taken from little crevic@s in the
lied rock not more than ak 20 twelve inches
from the surface Showing an ounce or
dred dollars was taken from the creek in
Just this way. by proSpoctors who Were
fortunate in getting into the district cary
in the day. II * easy enough for people
to say that the creek was 'salted.' but
have here the signed state .nsUts Of nine
nroxpect0rs who located on the creek ard
thev each give the amounts pauned on their
respective claims. y on see they vary from
3 cents 20 81 per pan. The creek is Stakei
for il distance Of tfteen miles. benches and