The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-03-24
MACHINERY FOR nONNN.
ALEXANDER N'DOxAkD rAkrx0 N
4 HYDRAULIC PLANT.
Has Fleetea . Company In Lon1e1.
ssa with SS00,000 Worth - N
Ostat Expects 10 werk This ssn-
aeR On Gigaatfc Scale.

Special Dispatch to the Post-Inteil.gencer.
TACOMA. March s3.--Atexander Mo
Donald arrived tonight from London.
where he and II. A. Ferguson. Of Tacoma.
successfully foatei the Mcdonald Boz
nanza kiondgke Company with ss.ee.se
transferred claim No. above on Boz
rsnza. and claims Nos. /, = g. : and on
skookum guleh- They purchased claim
No. above on Bonanza one year ago for
Sf2S.eGe- Within one month they took out
H55.esa from a small hole in the claim.
which Ferguson says should produce S.
6sSe0e before u 10 entirely worked out.
In forming the Loxdsn syndicate named
Mcdonald and Ferguson have carried out
plan projected over year ago. existing
British capital to work their best kfoff-
dixie holdings on mammoth scale. To
this end an immense hydraulic plant. con-
sssting OF sixty tons or machinery, has
been purchased In England and San Fran
cisco and Will arrive In Tacoma next
week. IL consists of several boilers. be-
sides numerous pumps and a big guam
uty OF piping and paraphernaiia- Includ-
ed In IL are two distinct kinds of hydraulic
pumps. One comprises the very latest
hydraulic machinery now used In the
South African diamond fields and strongly
recommended by leading British ensin-
GERS. II is claimed this machine alone will
do the work Of 900 men
All this machinery has been put up in
packages weighing 3a0 TO 30 pounds each.
that II may be rapidly transported. 1t
will be shipped TO Skagway next week.
thence taken by rail over White pass and
down the lakes as far as possible on the
ice When the lakes open II will be trans
ferred to the steamboats, and hurried to
Dawson. where it VIII be transported
thirteen miles to Skookum gulch. It Is
intended to have the machinery in opera
ton early In June. The transportation
OF the machinery will be in charge OF Mr..
Ferguson and George T. Coffee. a Cali
fornia mining engineer. who was formerly
with John Hayes Hammond in South
Africa.
This plant laid down at Skookum gulch
will represent an investment OF nearly
10000 about half of which will be ex-
pended for transportation. Sixteen boiler
makers and expert mechanics and twenty
four horses accompany the expedition.
Considering transportation difficulties en-
cosIntered II II claimed this Is largest
hydraulic mining scheme projected In re.
cent years.
Claims one, two and three on Skookum
galch are said 10 be fabulousiy rich. A
year ago last fall, soon after they were
opened. Mr.. Ferguson Is reported to have
had $780, GO In nuggets taken from them
piled up In his cabin. Later development
demonstrated that bedrock dipped down.
ward Ia the riches. part Of these claims
while the surface OF same part raised up
ward into a high hill. From this bin OF gold
strewn earth nuggets were taken out up
to the size of Ferguson's big clenched fist
The largest nugget being worth $500 There
n thus little doubt that these six claims
on Skookum and Bonanza will yield at
least 50 600 90 profit.
Several very rich London men are menu
bcrs of McDonald's corporation. inelud-
ing Mr.. McKifop. NJ. p. chairman Of It's
boari OF directors Mr.. Mcdonald will
go la at once over the ice to be present
at the spring clean-ups OF his claims, and
on which several hundred men are work.
Ing this winter. He believes that tribu-
taries OF Stewart river Will yet prove rich.
His bride. now in Boston. will so 10
Dawson on one Of the first steamers via
ST. Michael.