Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-03
.Dray Loads of the Virgin Metal
Not an Unusual Sight.
DUST FROM CAPE NOME DISTRICT,
Labor is BADLY wanted Around Cape
Nome, and a Dollar an Hour Is
0Gcred for Ordinary Labs
orers-Assay Mint.

Seattle, Washington, sept. ~ ~ Spt-
cial Correspondence.) "a dray load OF
virgin gold is not an, unusual sight IN
the streets of Seattle. 1T is not the
size of the load which attracts atten-
tion-rather the apparent eNertions OF
the large team of horses because OF
what appears to be rather small load
of iron bound boxes. These boxes usu-
ally contain from 200 to 400 pounds of
gold, in nuggets and dust, the boxes
being about one foot square by Is to
is inches long. A half dozen of such
boxes make a load for the best OF
teams, when toiling up Seattle hills to
the assay office Fifteen such boxes ar.
rived by steamer on Monday, besides
numerous smaller quantities in bags
and pouches. The amount received at
the assay Office for the day was $780,,
600, aggregating $s,05o,ooo since the
first of January, and brings the grand
total to $13,72O,o0o received since july
1898, when the Office was established.
Considerable gold has arrived from
Cape Nome district within the past ten
days, and miners are freely predicting
that Cape Nome will yet prove seri-
Gus rival to Klondike without the Of
fetal interference of the latter district,
and eNtortionate royalties exacted.
In passing the assay mint, while the
furnaces are roaring with white heat,
the doors open, but heavily secured,
gold bricks and bars may be seen in
| glitterlng and enormous profusion.
During the day when the above men
4 toned consignment was piled upon the
1 floor, a nearby table fairly "groaned"
under its weight of gold bricks. There
were eighteen or twenty shining bars,
each about twelve inches long, four
wide and three deep, as near as one
could judge from the sidewalk-$15.-
900 or more to the brick-between
l$ao0,oOo and 100000 ready for ship
ment east, and twice as much more
Kicking around" on the floor. And yet
SO common has the sight become in
d Seattle, that only strangers. in town
think the rich display worth going a
4 few blocks from the business center to
see.
i The steamer Charles Nelson arrived
/ from the north on Wednesday adding
between 100000 and 100000 to the
gold receipts above mentioned. Abou,
100000 came from the Cape Nome dis.
tsict, and the reports from there are
more and more encouraging. Steamers
4 Laurada and Roanoke are still to ar
! rive from st. Michael with passen
gers and considerable more gold, botl
from Nondike and Cape Nome.
I Speaking of the new and All-Amer
lean district Cape Nome, ]. 7. Word
ner, a veteran mining man, who has
been in the business for twenty five
!, years, and has visited almost every
camp Of any distinction in the country
said:
'This is the first camp have eve
struck where ST per hour was paid fol
: labor and $1.5o for carpenters, ant
flour was plenty at So for fifty pounds
Even at these figures it is almost i'm
possible to secure labor. The gambling
houses are practically closed for tn
want of men to work in them. Every
one is out on the beach rocking on
lgold. 1t is, in my estimation, the rich
est camp in the world without doubt
Eldorado and Bonanza are rich, blu
: they are not as extensive as Cap
Nome. There are many women a
work on the beach as well as menu
o. M. Moore.