The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1900-05-30
CAPE NOME STAMPEDE
The Most Gigantic Confidence
Game Of the Age.


public in the history OF the world is now
being Systematically, shrewdly and per
sisten,ly manipulated by the steamship
companies, aided by the newspapers ans
,radesmen of the coast cities, notably
those oi Seattle. This rush to Cape
Nome Is as senseless a craze and ap
proaches IN magnitude the bulb Spccu
la,ion that demorailed the finances OF
Europe some years ago.
The MINER has seen a letter written
10 gentleman In this camp by Il friend in
Seattle. who has been Ia Nome and is evi'
IDENTIFY 'in on the play" In response to 4
request for an honest opinion regarding
that northern repuled Eliorado. This
letter advises the Sumptrr citizen, under
no circumstances, to think OF going there.
he writes at length regarding the move.
mcnt. aud makes the astounding state.
mcnt that there is now IN the fund Ia pro.
mote this srnsclesS stampede the large
cash fund OF 100000. He says the
movement, has reached that degree Of in.
,rnsi,y that II can be accurately character.
ilcd rs u contagious, almost universal
madness. Tie SAYS that twenty dollar
gold pieces coulnd't br sold there for ility
cents on the dollar, unless Cape Nome"
was stamped on the coin.
one nigh, reasonably doubt that SO
large u fund had been raised to promote
this fraudulent proposition, but the prob.
abilities are that the figures are not eN.
agcratcd. The Seattle Times ol recent
issue SAYS edilorially:
"Somc idea Of the amount oi money the
boats are making out ol the Nome rush
may hc formed Nv knowing that the
Oregon, which sailed a few days ago, car.
ricd freight on which the tariii was
So, 900: live stock Tor which She received
$4,000 and $4,000 IN passenger fares.
She calculates on bringing back 900 pass.
cngers tor which She will receive $50 900,
and the round trip viii he made in thirty
dayS."
lha, makes Si7s,ooo income for one
vessel ior thirty DAYS; a ship, too, that
u few years since would not have sold Tor
much more than halt ,ha, sum. When
such profits can I've realized. there Is, vi
course. no difficulty IN raising large sums
OF money Tor the purpose Of detelving and
exciting the puhlIt.
The letter above referred 10 goes on 10
say tha, already the plan Is matuIed 10
spring another ri,h lind on the tredulous
fools who arc not caught hy the Nome
bait, as soon ~ ,ha, graft IS worked To
the limit. Men ATE nov IN Alaska, pro-
vldel with large quantities oi gold dust,
who viii come down on one oi the late
boats In the tall, dlsembark at Seattle
with the alluring stuff; relate fairy tales
q, the fabulous wealth oi this lar away,
previously unheari oi district and prove
their story Nv exhibiting the dust. All
winter, when the cold hloodrd ialsity ot
these statements can not he proven,
Sound papers viii publish plausible AZ
counts oi others who have made fortunes
there and nrN, spring there will doubtless
I've a repetition OF the Nome business.
OF course there is some gold at Nome,
rs there was IN the klondike; but like
that place, too, the diggings are limited
and the rich claims ATE few. This STAN. I
pede viii result rs the other one did-not
one man in a thousand who goes north
viii make his expenses. That Was the
history OF the klondikr movement.
When the first reports came out from
Dawson aud the fortunate few landed in
seattle, that town was a business corpse;