The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-31
BUTTE NEWS.
DAWSON CITY is DEAD
Another Entertaining Letter
From Oney Gagan.
WINTER ON AN ICEBERG
Tons OF Yellow Gold Found in an IN
known Creek Credit Play at
Faro Bank-A Shelter for
Hard LUCK.
WINTER ON AN ICEBERG

Oliver Preston has just received an
other letter from Oney Gagan at Daw-
son City. The writer speaks of the de-
lightful weather they are enjoying up
in far away Alaska. 1t would appear
that Montana is receiving Alaska's por-
ton of winter and that the latter is en-
joying what rightly belongs to this
part of the map. The season was not
long in Dawson, but it was severe,
judging from Oney's estimate of it. In
part he says:
Il have just returned from Mains
kootum creek, 800 miles north of Daw-
son. 1 went alone but returned with
an old friend. whom 1 had not seen
since last August I thought he was
dead. He had lived all winter in a
cave in an iceberg that lodged in the
creek. He subsisted on evergreens and
fond hopes We struck good diggings
on one of the bars of Nainskootum and
piled up several pounds of gold. There
will be stampede into Nainskootum
this spring. 1t is the best country l have
seen up here. Dawson prospectors can
reach 1t with less difficulty than they
would encounter on the trip back to
the States, and for this reason I be-
lieve there will be rush up there very
soon. Dawson is dead. There is moth
ing here even for the sure thing men,
most of whom are on the bum. Only
one faro bank running, and it is a cred
1t play. If you lose you give your note
and if you win your winnings are plac-
ed to your credit. In this way the boys
manage TO keep even.
Il have thrown my house open to all
those who are broke. Sometimes there
isn't standing room in my house.
THE wea Their is Italian up here. The
sun has been shining brightly for days
and weeks. We have had a thaw. The
Yukon is out of it's banks and spread
ing all over the country. ] got letter
from Joe Bean, who is in San Francis
co. He was carried down the river in
his cabin and was 16 days on the ocean,
finally being picked up by fishing
smack near Frisco. The grass is green
In my yard and the sage brush is two
feet high.
THE snow was Is feet deep in the
main speedway of Dawson all winter.
but one morning We woke up to see
bare ground. That night Beams cabin
started for Frisco. Big Henry staked
out snow claim above town, where
the snow was at least 60 feet deep. He
was sinking a shaft and had got down
about 40 feet into the snow when the
chinook arrived The morning after
the thaw came his windlass and bucket
were sitting on the carcass of a mule
that died last summer. Big Henry had
hired man to help him, agreeing to
pay him $3.50 a foot. but when they
came to measure up Henry had SO
much the better of the bargain that
the hired man got drunk and ever
since has been living in my house.
1.-TWO Butte boys named Smith and
Jones. discouraged with the prospects
of gold, have concluded to try farming.
and chicken raising They bought a
dozen eggs and as many potatoes They
will cut the eyes out of the potatoes
and plant them; but I am not sure
that they will hatch any chickens in
their improvised incubator. The eggs
came up here with the first expedition
and have been condemned by the board
of health. Still, the boys are hopeful
They are very unlucky and 1 fear that
II their incubator works the chickens
will grow up to be fighting BOOSTERS,
and game cocks are not a good invest
ment up here.
THE fire just missed me. I lost a
suit of clothes that I had loaned a man
to wear to a dance. He left them in
his room and the next day his room
was in ashes.
Every man who does not intend to
go to the new diggings is leaving for
the States. Yesterday so started on the
back trip for home. You will hear
some hard stories about this camp.
came up here TO stay and I'm going to
stay. I've got cellar full of gold, and
all that has been taken out of this coun-
try came from my cellar. If I don't
like Nainskootum creek I will go farth-
er north. / think, and so does my part
ner, that we are in a fair way to dis
cover the north pole. There is plenty
of float here that came from there and
by following it UP I believe we will
find the mother lode-the genuine. real
thing-the pole itself. ! am obliged to
you for the papers. I may take it in
my head to run down to
Butte and spend the Fourth
with you. l want to talk to you about
the days when we started on our jour
ney cross lots to Iceland where, you
know. we intended to start hog ranch
/ will always believe that you were
half glad when our ship struck berg
and stranded us off the coast of La
brador You seemed to be SO anxious
to get back to Gotham. I would have
lost my bearings If l had not gone to
the bottom of the sea and found the
Atlantic cable and followed it to land
Give my best regards to the boys and
the democratic ticket. There are no re-