Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-17

We'll, no, not exactly. You see the
pure metal cannot be worked as the
ore can. ard il cannot be mined. The
Jumps might do. but for mining pur-
poses one needs the ore. We brought
out samples of the ore in our mines.
and ii has yielded an assay beyond
our fondcSt hopes. 1t is IS per cent
copper, and it is found there are %
ounces Of silver to the ton of ore, to-
gether with $50 worth Of gold. The
total value of the ore per ton in our
claim is $15S. The gold alone is worth
enough to pay all expenses of mining
and smelling
We are in hopes to form a stock
company i'll san Francisco, this winter
and interest parties to go into the
work and erect mill at this point
for the working of the claims There
IS 4 great bed Of the ore in sight. and
it is rich place. At the same time
we brought out sample of our gold for
turns from that have not been made to
me yet. | have a little bottle here with
SO worth Of washed gold valued at
about $40 an ounce. This was washed
out in the sideways. 1t is our hope
to interest an hydraulic company to
purchase or operate our claims"
. .l~n,
Mr. Hamlen gave the Journal is what
is known as peacock copper, as the ore
showing in it has the color and APP
pearance of peacock feathers. 1t is
very heavy and one side is covered
with copperas rust of grcenish cast.
This. ii is said. is to be found all over
the rocks of copper nature in that
country.
Cannot the Copper river be used by
You until the railros.l is built"
II should hardly say that il would,
The Copper river IS but a mad. dash
ing river about the size of the Kennc-
bee at this point, and it resembles a
mountain torrent. 1t goes dashing
down mile after mile of rapids. II
really has its source in an immcnsa
glacier. and is fed from an mnumer-
able number. a party towed a boat
up the river, last year. and they We're
six weeks going lis miles When they
started back they went through the
rapids. and it took them exactly II
hours to perform the trip
What is the climate there"
Il have always found it very pleas
ant. though. of course, in the >Wintcr it is
very cold. After leaving tn" seacoast
one never finds Il person suffering with
Il cold We would often he wet from
one weeks end to another. and sleep
III wet clothing, night after night, but
never did we catch cold. There is
something about the atmosphere that
prevents colds. In the summer months
there is vegetation in abundance, but
of course. there is snow from Septcm-
Der to May Of every year. We hay"
four horses up there now that arc
staying with the four men who re-
manned The same trouble exists there
az in every cold climate, that If
scurvy. | had slight touch of il
myself 1t is due to the absence OF
ease that turns the skin black and
often stiffens the cords of the legs. 1t
attacks a person from the hips down
in most cases. | saw several men die
If it. and others had to be carried to
the seacoast to be sent home
Il should think it would become very
r7onotonous there in the winter
oh. yes. it does to a certain extent.
But we are ut work and prospecting al
the time. and the time slips away
The first year we We're there the WIN
ter was unusually severe, and we at
tempted to send out to the nearest set
Element with our mail. and in return
to get what was waiting for us. NV"
Svedes went with it. They were gone
about a week when they returned all
exhausted. having been driven back by
the severe snoW-storms. After an
other week they started out again.
lThis time we saw nothing of them~for
a long time. when one returned alone
and in a pitiable condition. He and his
! comrade had been out about week
when the other had broken through
| The ice. and before reaching plac"
where they could build a fire had
frozen to death. The survivor Gug
hole in the snow and buried the man,
If the same time sticking the others
! snow-ehocs up as a mark in case he
wished to return to the place. For tW"
DAYS he stumbled. on and then turned
back. He returned to the place where n"
had buried his cOmrade, Dug the frozen
! corpse out. and digging another hnl"
| got into il with the remains and spent
| the. night We thought he must have
been slightly insane at the time, for n"
said he was 50 lonesome that he