The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-13
MON ANANS IN ALASKA
An Interesting Letter From P
j. McDermott.
THE COUNTRY OVER-RATED
Prospectors Are Returning to Dawson
in Disgust-No Big Strikes Made
This Winter-Dawson Has
a Short Life.

Great rams, Jan. 1E.-Judge Foley or
Belt has received the following letter
from P. j. McDermott, which contains
many items concerning former Cascade
county people, and is without doubt an
unbiased statement of the conditions in
Dawson City and British Alaska
I'VE got to Dawson on the 18th of
July. After doing some prospecting
down the river and around a pretty
ideal town with thousands of idle men,
people had gone up the Little and Big
Salmon, Stewart, Pelly, Mcmillan and
Indian rivers by the thousands, and
are returning to Dawson in disgust.
No strikes have been made as yet this
year, save a few small pockets found
I on Black Hill, a creek up Stewart river
about SO miles, but will not pay to
work.
The country has been greatly over
rated to the outside world. 1t is true
the Eldorado and Bonanza, emptying
into the Klondike, We're very rich, but
the pay portion in the country is very
small and is very spotted. as for in
stance, No. 10, on Eldorado. has pro-
duced $4,000, and No. cost S., 900 to
prepare her and have never yet found
pay dirt. The claims are $50 feet long
and will be nearly all worked out this
winter, in fact, the cream is gone now
Then the laws are a detrment to any
country. On Dominion and Sulphur
creeks the crown reserves every other
claim, thus compelling the poor men
or individual to take a ditch out and
develop it for the government Such
rot and corruption was never known to
exist as is employed by the officers in
Dawson. The gold commissioner, the
recorder, the mine inspector, are all in
the field for tips, and if a poor devil
does go out and find a claim, the
chances are he will never get it re-
corded, not knowing the manner to go
about it, and at last some of the gang
gets it on him. This is driving thou
sands to the American side
Dawson is short-lived town. AS
soon as the creeks around here are
worked out, which will not be more
than two years at the outside, it is off
with Dawson. and as for a townsite. it
beats anything that I ever saw. The
mud is three feet deep, in fact, it is
mud as far down as the ground is
thawed out. There is grub enough
here now to last all the people that
are here two years. yet the prices have
gone up. as there are only the two old
companies here. They do as they
please. Forty-two steamboats, loaded
VIII si up anu freight ldnQeQ mere from
st. Michael's this summer.
"A large per cent of the people who
came in last spring are getting out, in
Guiding Jack Portill and Ed Martin and
Johnnie O'Brien told me he would go.
A great many of the newcomers are
going to work on clearings this win
ter-claims belonging to the old
'timers-thus the country will be pretty
well prospected this winter.
There are a number of old Mon
tanans here, among them are Jim Ben
ders. formerly of Fort Benton, Jimmy
Gray of Highwood. AL Lester of Bar
ker, Frank Aldredge, Ed Tingle, Alex
Thompson and Hank Palmer, all Of
Barker, George Croft and wife, Hank
Lucas, Allen Mcleod. Pete Smith of
Belt, Tom Wheeler of Sand Coulee, Bill
Blankenship and Deaf Frank of Wolf
Creek. The above are all fiat broke.
jeff Tolbert has got some money, but
he has made it working for wages He
IS running a group of mines for Healy
& Co. on Eldorado and gets $500
month. Billy Casey of Belt has gone
out with $4,000. He won it gambling.
French George or Laughing George
as we used to call him in Barker, has
gone out also. He, sold his claim for
$40 Al Blake of Belt has gone out
He has about $4,000
All the pick pockets and thieves in
the world are. here and gamblers, in
GLIDING Jew jake Ted Williams and
Dan Lumbart"