Evening star., 1900-06-02
wAsHINGToN.s GOLD MINES.
Certain of the AuriferiOus Digging
Said to Abound in the District.

Certain of the AuriferiOus DfEEinEs
Said to Abound in the District.
Il read disoatch in The Star few days
ago that six large steamers had sailed in
one week from Seattle loaded with passen-
gers bound for the Cape Nome gold dig
gings.' said the chief clerk of one of the
executive departments.
This is a question which has occurred
to many: Where do all of these men come
from?
They all list have considerable money
each. at least 81 600, and fancy that most
of these gold hunters have twice and over
that sum, as the trip is expensive and liv-
ing high when one arrives on the beach
where the gold nuggets are said to be so
plentiful.
ITO obtain the means for the trip many
of these men are using the savings of years
or the proceeds of the sale of their bus
inesses. How many left Washington I can
not say as regards pursuits other than gov
ernment employ, but SO far as my own de-
partment is concerned none of its employees
have cared to have their names erased from
the pay roll to make the journey to the
arctic seas in search of a fortune.
Carrying my idea to a definite and prac-
teal conclusion. 1 have asked several of
my confreres If any of their clerks had
broken the time-honored rule that, while
government clerks may die, they never re-
sign. The result has been as 1 expected
While many clerks expressed a willingness
to undergo the fatigues of such trip, they
couldn't brace up sufficiently to put their
names to a letter which would begin, L
hereby resign my place - in order to
make the preliminary move toward getting
out of town.
There is one exception. that of n robust
young man in one of the downtown depart
ments, who has been crazy on the subject
of Alaska ever since the Klondike fever
first Set the pulses of the ambitious throb-
bing. He resisted that attack but the Cape
Nome stories proNeduoO much for him. and
he embarked on one of the vessels men,
tened in The Stars dispatch.
But even he did not resign. AS his de-
sires We're well known in the department.
and he is first-clasS clerk he was granted
six months leave. So he has good. safe
anchor to windward. in case his expecta-
tons are not fulfilled.
He will have the proud distinction of be-
ing the only man from Washington ont of
the 10000 odd executive employees who act
ually started, and he represents a large
constituency. If there are others they have
not been brought to my attention.
"A small number went to the Klondike
OF whom several have come back and were
relnstated in the service, but the number
was extremely small"
The reason why residents of Washing
ton employed in the executive (iepartments
don't go gold hunting" joined in by
stander who was evidently not so en-
ployed but who was willing to be "is sim
pie They are all holding down good paw
Ing claims of gold which assays 800 fine on
the !st and the 18th of every month. when
the big mine of Uncle Sam is cleaned up,
These District of Columbia diggings are
very rich, though the quantity of free gold
dust. which does not have to go first to the
smelter. is comparatively small to each
miner. But it is enough to satisfy these
toilers in the Uncle Sam, overworked
though they may be, and the fact that the
Districts dfggings are as rich and as
sought after as state is borne out by the
number of wouldbe miners who are each
year trying to find pay dirt somewhere
within the ten-mile limit"