Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-07-18
THEY STRUCK PAY DIRT
Those Klondikers Were Lucky Who
Staked Claims on Ophir and
Melsiug Creeks.
pIsCouRAeIAe REPORTS OF CAPE NOME.
One OF the Returning Prospectors
Brands This Latter Place as u Fake,
Pure and simple-TrooDs Sent to
Cape Nome to Preserve Order
Among the Gold Hunters.

Seattle, Wash, July 17.-David +
Lane. a former real estate dealer of San
Francisco, who was passenger on the
Alliance, brings the latest news from
Ophir and Melsing creeks, tributaries
of the Neu-Uk-LuR river, which is
reached by going from Cape Nome to
Golovin bay and thence up Fish river.
A stampede from Cape Nome to these
creeks took place last November. Lane
says pay dirt was found running from
rs cents to three dollars per pan. No
body has struck bedrock yet. He de-
clares that the country is no place for
poor man to rush of to. Wages paid
the past winter were five dollars per
day and found. The only chance poor
man has is to work for wages or take
lay. Lays were eagerly taken on a
basis of 40 per cent. Lane says miner
cannot afford to take a lay for less than
so per cent.
Lane secured number of claims on
Ophir and Melsing creeks. On one
claim he is interested in so men had
taken lays.
On one other claim, the Dusty Dia-
mond company Of Chicago has secured
a lay. In two hours working the men,
bers Of this company took out $50.
In letter written to Lane by his
partner from Council City on June 25
last, the letter said: yesterday four
men on Snow Gulch cleaned up $4,000"
DR.. Kittleson took out $4a from one
pan of dirt. Many pans running from
$40 to SEQ have been washed out.
Rfoh Claim on Dexter Greek.
As good story as any is the finding OF
rioh claim on Dexter creek by Leo
Lounenberg. He struck good ground
on Dutch creek in Eldorado district.
He then made a trip to Nome and back
and with an old rickety rocker washed
out $as in two hours time on his claim
on Dexter creek. With good rocker
he can take out $50 day, and with
sluices $1,000 day, and everything
seems to pay, from the grass roots.
Very few claims up to the time Lane
left for the outside had been pros
neoted. Unprospeoted claims or
claims showing pay dirt from the
source down were already command
ing fabulous sums. On Glacier creek, a
tributary of either Ophir or Melsing,
offers have been made as high as $780,
600 for claim.
On ophir creek itself good claims
were reokonsd at as high as $3.50, 900.
All the good ground had been pretty
well staked out.
Report Not Encouraging.
Some of the passengers who came
down on the Alliance do not bring en-
couraging reports of the Cape Nome
country.
One of these passengers was George
Case, of Ithaca, N. Y, who does not
hesitate to brand Cape Nome as fake
pure and simple.
There is 40 gold at Cape Nome." he
said. THE entire Cape Nome excite
ment has been worked up by transpor-
tation and trading companies for the
purpose of taking people up there and
getting money out of them. have
been in several parts of Alaska, includ-
ing Dawson City and Birch Creek, and
there is plenty of gold there, but there
Is none st Cape Nome"
J. w. Barrie, another of the Alliance
passengers, claims to have come flom
Cape Nome and brings discouraging
rcpopts Of the wealth of that district.
He claims to have been in that country
about year and says he saw no pay
ing claims.
Troops Sent to Preserve Order.
Capt. Walker, in command of the
troops at st. Michael, has sent detail
OF ten men under Lieut.. spalding to
Cape Nome to preserve order.
The Alliance had 1876 passengers,
most of whom were from Dawson City.
Purser Shaw states he only had about
$4,000 worth Of gold dust turned over
to him.
The alliance brought consignment
ct whalebone from Dutch Harbor
which had been landed by one of the
New Bedford whaling fleet.