The San Francisco call., 1899-07-26
MILLIONS IN
GOLD ARRIVE
FROM ALASKA
steamer Bertha Here
From St. Michael.
MINERS HERE WITH FORTUNES
CONFLICTING REPORTS COME
ABOUT CAPE NOME.
Mrs. II. W. Benz Returns From St.
Michael After a Narrowing
Experience in Kotzebue
Sound.
MINERS HERE WITH FORTUNES
CONFLICTING REPORTS COME
ABOUT CAPE NOME.

The Alaska Commercial Company's
steamer Bertha arrived from Cape Nome
via St Michael and Unalaska yesterday.
She made the run from the latter placej
in days 20 hours, and Captain Thomas
says he could have done better had he
not been compelled to stop outside on &C
count Of the fog.
The. passengers on the Bertha were: A.
Moncrief, Z. B. Holmes, George Howard,
Peter Forman, A. Z. Brien, Q. Hellese-
stadt II. A. MunToe, T. J. Hour S. b.
Chambers, J.. ". McQuestin, John
Gustad, S. Thomas, Mrs. W. Z. Yates, c.
A Brannin. Mrs. y y F. de Balaine, Mr..
y A + de Balaine. A Hood, y. Demars,
W. Z. Reese, Z. J. Blaine, F. Hannacher,
Z. A. Bolich, Joseph Patterson, Z l..
quick. J. '. Quick. David Marcoti, Leon
MarcOti, 3. F. Hobbs. W. Is. Judson, W.
L. Detrick, K. II. McCreary, l.. II New
man, A. +. Myes, J.. &. Cnampiaih' l.. .
ADAMS Y. II. R0land, K. &. Foland, Il =
l1ausJed, q. 7. Houock, q. ". NivAerson,
homas HANDBOOK, Mrs. v. Gempe, mrs
benz. X. B. BALDWIN, !. y Donnell,
august Hedben, L. W. Johnson, harry
segren. ". Il. Dawes, :, -. JeWetI,, W
lyYnout. Allan Gray, NJ de G0Uud, Mrs
roote. ". VI. Leggetr, Mrs. Leggett, . >
" aHace, John LoN, j. A Nelson, ,. Coh-
tine. n. COrlen, Q. Rousso, " margin, Z
;. Mckay, ". ". Thumser, Il. y. snort,
< SpotIswood y. +. " allney, X, seth
aiGs6n. Z. {. Hoog. S A thompson, W.
+ Hoog. J. L. thompson, l. A Blodah,
T. J. Drais H Z. DraIs, T. II. Robinson,
T. q. Philips, h. Emonernlch, ". Joost
Z herman, H. Gibson, y. l. Steout. Nj.
lranon. A. Crews. & r. Coe, + Jonns-
ION. .. P Rose, (. L. Hewitt.
me Bertha brought down $4,000 worth
Of gold dust. That much il certain. The
resi- OF the treasure that the passengers
brought down is an unknown quantity.
some value II at q Million, while oIners
20 as high as q million ana q half. VII
nam NJ Legeett was said 10 have brought
Gown $500 while the fact IS ne carrieI
d draft Tor 10000 and the amount OI
golc dust he brought along was known
Hall, SlnILl is said to have brought
down $50 utU IN treasure, George DeIndrs
$40 ,qo0 y. Mercler $6J,VW, Wnlie JACK
McQueStin the father Of the k1on-
dixie. is said 10 nave brought out ano1her
fortune
Smith has been many years in the, Klon--
dixie and is In the hotel business he IS
brOther-in-lsw OF Clarence Berry, and MS
home is in Fresno. McQuesun lives III
North Berkeley and he al once headed
in that direction as soon as the steamer
dOcked Whether the men named brodg1t
the sums put opposite their names doWn
with them is not known for q certainty
II is simply the. value placed on tnelr
wealth by the ship ; crew.
In regard to Soloom Bay and Cape
Nome the accounts differ. Some OF the
returned Hlondikers say the places are
rich and others say they are not. Many
Of those who say there is no gold at either
place have never been there, while those
who have been over the ground say il
is rich. The Bertha made Two trips be.
tween Cape Nome and St Michael On
the hrst trip she orougnt oack man
named Pierce. who had taken out twenty
three pounds of nuggets from claim No.
on anvil Creek in a day. 1 ne crew or
the vessel all deserted nd the passengers
had 10 assist the officers in getting the
cargo ashore. On the first trip 10 Cape
Nome the officers found about 800 people
there When the Bertha went back a
week later. there were BOO men on the
ground and the crowd was still rushing
Nearly all the men who went to Kotze-
bue Sound last year are either at GoloVin /
Bay or Cape Nome Last year they sent
an Indian out from the sound with ijU0
letters but instead OF going on with the
mail he went back and reported the strike
az Nome and Golovin. Nearly all the
gold hunters started out over the snow
and some Of them suffered terribly. 4
man named Rice and his party had 20 Kill
and eat their dogs IN order 10 preserve
their lives. AS soon as the ice broke up
the river steamer John Reilly took all
The miners she could carry TO Cape Nome /
The bark Alaska was at GolOVin Bay, !
bound for KOtZebue, when the Bertha was
there and she was to take away the re-
mainder OF the miners from that place.
GOlOvIn Bay is IN the same Dox as cape
Nome as far as reports go. Some Of the
returning miners say II IS rlch and others (
again condemn it, The fact of the matter I
is that nothing will be known about (
either place until the claims have been
worked and the returns come in. Every !
inch OF ground in both places has been
taken up but so far very little gold has
been taken out. as IL has been impossible !
10 work for want of fuel. This fault Will /
be remedied in a short time. and then it /
will be known just what the new diggings
are worth.
Among the passengers who came back /
on the Bertha without gold and only a
tale OF suffering and death TO tell was
Mrs. H. ". Benz Of Clay City. KY. She
and her husband went to Kotzebue Sound
and they had a terrible time Of it. Mr.
Benz died of scurvy on May - and left
her alone. Three fishermen buried the
husband and marked his grave so that
II ever found it would be known who
law there After many hardships Mrs
Benz reached Nulato, where she was
taken care Of by Father Ragura OF the
Catholic mission. He nursed her through
an attack of scurvy and when she was