The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-21
GOLD FOUND ON
MOUNTAIN TOPS
Rich Bench Claims Near
Dawson.
BY HAL HOFFMAN.
Special Correspondence of The Call.

JUNEAU, Alaska, Feb 10 (via Seat
tie, Feb. 16).-"Jack" Hanley, now here.
fourteen and a half days from Dawson,
is much chagrined at not having beaten
the record out. He is one of the lucky
young men who have all the gold they
can dig out of the ground in the next
two or three years 1t has been some
time since a gold story has come out
of Dawson. Hanley says some of the
bench claims, almost literally on top of
the mountains, are proving as rich as
many in the bottoms of the creeks, and
this fact almost takes the breath out
of the bodies of old miners, it is so I'M
precedented. One of these top-moun-
tain claim owners, Martin Walstad, is
now here and sick. Neither of these
young men know how much he is
worth. Both knocked around Juneau
several years, taking what work they
could get in winter to buy grub to pros
pect on in summer, not knowing the
store of gold ahead of them.
Hanley says the total output of the
Klondike mines next cleanup in the
spring will exceed that Of last year by
several millions. One reason for this
is that a good deal of ground was not
worked last year on account Of the
royalty. nope Oh llS DttI5 ISQQCSd
soon has been abandoned and succeed
ed by the conclusion that life is too
short and there is too much of good
time ahead to wait longer on the posi-
bility of saving a few thousand dollars.
The situation at Dawson is about the
same. The town is comparatively
quiet.
"They are not coming in punches as
they were last winter" is the way Han
ley puts it. Still Dawson Is all right
and will be good camp for some
wears. but I do not think it ever again
will be the town it was last winter and
summer"
! This supports the statement made to
me by another Klondiker two weeks
ago, that Dawson has seen her best
days.
Klondiker Hanley said experienced
| miners would never prospect in Cana
dian territory again. which accounts
| for so many going to Eagle City and
| elsewhere down the Yukon. This is
| on account of the royalty, the licenses
/ required the size of claims (25O feet),
with ten claims below Discovery re-
served by the crown, as well as every
! alternate ten claims
Many men are still out of work al
Dawson, but they have plenty OF food
Hundreds are on the trail coming out
The trail is in good shape and travel
ing comparatively easy.
on the river At the present rate OF
development there viii be towns in g
| year or two not very far apart all the
way to Dawson. Quite a settlement is
| springing up at the mouth or the Ste
wart River and another at Thistle
Creek Substantial buildings are be-
ing erected. Hanley says he talked
with several acquaintance on the way
out who had claims on Thistle Creel
and all expected good pay in the spring
Canadian mail has gone down the
river quite regularly during the winter
but the American mail has been al
lowed to stack up and, figuratively
grow moldy, chiefly at Tagish Lake
since the middle of October last. 1t i.
welcome news to thousands in the
States that the American mail is nov
beginning to move. Hanley met at LIE
barge dog teams carrying about a tor
of it and these teams Will get through
to Dawson all right, If they are not al
ready at Dawson by the time this shall
have been published. Information i!
meager as to how regularly the mai
} will keep moving. There Is need for tn,
postal department at Washington t,
get a move on in making conjunction
with the Canadian postal authorities