The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-26
As he SEES CAPE NONE.


A letter dealing IN detail with the Cape
Nome country has been received in this
ely from William H. whissiesey, brother
81 County Treasurer Wh.fssessy. who ar
rived In the district June - Writing TN
der date OF june - from Anvil City. he
says:
ON June 8 I staked twenty-acre
claim ca the bank Of Snake river, the
principal stream. about four miles direct
from shore. and at the mouth OF Anvil.
creek. Since then | have made several
trips up the different creeks. looking fer
open ground and learning the countrys
pecasIzrities.
s'whea raining or foggy-and IL Is i'm
possible to tina ones way over the tan
dra-a have spent my time in the re-
cerder's ONCE making an abstract Of the
whole District In a short letter j can
scarcely tell you all I wish. but viii Try.
The sea beach II stakei without .
break for eighteen miles. You can pan
90, from a very few up TO 20 coIors any
where ca the beach Under the tunlra or
moss. from surface dirt you can get many
cosors anywhere. The town Is on. a fat.
naarshy meadow. II looks like stretch
twenty miles along. The creeks running
through are small and often no mere than
a~preselons into which the constantly
soaked moss seeps.
There lie not a stick Of timber for a
hundred miles or more back from the
coast We have enough fire~ood from the
drifrwood on the beach: but that will be
gone in a year. and Ne will have 10 de-
pend on coal and oil. A low willow. small
ana twisted. grows along the water
courses The best stakes you can get are
about the size Of your wrist, unless one
takes stakes from tho beach
Now. l have been 10 the feur Claims
which are actually siuieing, the boards
for boxes being waipsawe3 on the beach
and packed to the claims.
mo. on Anvil creek-Four men. two
.eeks' work, $io.vo, which was taken 10
81 Michael two weeks ago.
Z SegeFal thCxfSaffflS
NO. 8 has turned out several thousand.
t'On Snow suieh, only a.5oa feet long,
$4,000 was cleaned up last week.
THESE and others are now working as
fast SIS possible. Snow guich Is one mile
from Anvil creek, over divide running
into Glacier creek This creek lis now be-
ing opened up Rock creek, the next up
river, is showing up well. Dexter creek.
heading against Anvil and emptying into
Nome river, has been rocked TO the ex-
tent OF so Ia a day by two men. ba; the
creek Is dry ana must be damned on bed
rock TO get wafer.
Not = single claim has worked ovee
three feet below the surface. No bed
rock lie We, found. lee underlies the tun-
ORA and beds OF creeks from twelve TO
/ eighteen inches under the moss The ma
terial in which the gold lies in the creeks
stones. OF schtst. Round gravel can scarce
Is be found anywhere The whole sea
beach is of the same fiat. round stones,
'All that l have written reads rosily
The fvo formidable obstacles which I
foresee are these For many miles
in every direction every available foot OF
this district. twenty-five miles square. are
recorded. to say nothing of the many
claims not yet recorded
Many Of these claims. several hundred,
are LOCALIZED and recorded on powers OF at
torney. besides the fact that many men
have located and recorded from i've TO
iaenty-one claims in their own names On
thu different creeks and pups The new
81 in
cry direction, on the grounds that some
have too many claims or that powers IF
attorney viii not hold. have not thought
best to jump any unless l can get a really
GOOD one and then stay with IT.
About 20 people have come in since we
arrived Many are from the Yukon aud
TIE nearby country is overrun. Tomorrow
morning. July l. four Of us start In CT
noe up Snake river. to ne gone a week
81 necessary. ] am satisfied that there is
any amount OF anprespectsd ground TWEEN
" miles back and further. ". can 90
hfly miles IN the canoe Ia get twenty
miles back. One cannot pack much or
| far ever this wet, NOISY Misunderstanding
| in A foot or so at almost every step
The other main trouble here is lack
| Of water. Mary creeks are now dry ami
| the snow almost ali gone; BUT X rains al
| most every day, and If the other creeks
| show Up as rich as those already opened
| some way viii be found TO work them
| inc claim | have taken Is a dredging
| proposition, and Will pat il into any reas-
L
"A more wonderful stretch OF country
| for hydraulicking | cannot imagine If tas
| water could be pumped. and this SUNNI. r
| should prove that the ice under the tundra
| Will thaw rapidly enough when uncov-
| erred
| The remarkable features are the great
amour; OF gold. the fact that the ,hr.se
| claims now producing hsh as yao TO
SD day 70 the shovel are fast FIVE aud a
/ half miles In an air line from the coast
and say. six miles or waking and tina.
| no greater depth than three feet has been,
| worked on any OF them. The largest mug
1 get have heard of is about half an ounce
| II Is ali heavy. small. rot fake gold
| Wages are at present from s. to g. n
| day and board siuch as IL S.: but II g.
were not for the crowd coming In wages
| would rise. II | can succeed IN getting a
good claim. however. shah hope that nav
| VIII Ne had from grass roots az on these
| other claims
/ ''l,FF creek. which runs hack Of tho
| town and through IL. eynptving into Snake
| river IN the town so feet from sas water
| oHer* great prospects ! PANIED out q.
carth IN the creek six inches eeeo twenty
e3i9fs AT least that could pick up with
| fuT knife, and many smaller ones ~, Tgis
| ooYerF claim. three m les straight lack
| u water permits IL viii he worked NEAT
| month.
| Il have tried 20 tell yen things as aava
| seen and find theru
| There viii be great trouble and sxurrSa
| A~ouf jumping, etc. There is one offgrer
| ana ten soldiers OF The United States arm ,
| here nov 'S