The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-06
special Correspondents post-Intelligesncer

Special Correspondents Post-Intelligencer.
SKAGWAY, Sept. Ia rich placer
strike has been just made on the head
waters of the Copper river. Two men
sluiced fourteen pounds of gold from one
OF the claims in less than forty days
They made the discovery July of this
year. During the next forty days they
got their lumber and carried II nine miles
TO make the slHce boxes they used in
washing the gravel. At the end of the
forty days their food gave out and they
had to leave for the Coast. They will
take In new supplies over the trail from
yalces in winter.
The news OF the strike has JUST been
received in Skagway by way OF the Forty
Mile country. II is brought here by
George Steeismith. J. II. Mccourt
and others. of Forty Mile, who are here
to attend court. The news was brought
to them at Forty Mile by Oscar Fish.
the mail carrier on the valdes- Eagle
trail. Fish passed the new dlggings
through to the Yukon at Eagle.
The exact location Of the new strike Is
on the ChistochiRa river, one OF the
northern tributaries and formative
branches OF the Copper river. The dig
gings are 200 miles from valdes and 2Io
miles from Eagle.
Steelsmith. McCourt and Others. of
Forty Nile, were so well pleased with the
story told by Fish that they grub-staked
Tom McNeeley. formerly Of Skasway. at
Eagle. and Immediately dispatched him
to the strike to locate claims. He went
with Fish. who was returning TO valdes.
Then Steeismith and the Others started
for Skasway. At Dawson they told the
story OF the strike to friends, VINO Inn
mediately started for the new gold
fields.
II Is thought quite stampede NAV re-
suit. especially from about Forty Nile.
stu. II Is not to be expected that much
OF movement will take place until win
ter, because tho far interior location
makes i necessary TO travel a long way
overland. and supplies can be best taken
in In winter over the snow.
steelsmith states that Indians arriving
at FORTY Mile over the trail from valdes
corroborated in their statements the re-
port Of Fish as to the. rich strike. The
Indians said. white man ind heap gold !:
much more than on Forty Mile
Fish said the diggings were summer
propositions and shallow. The stream on
which the strike has been made Is with
N an area that can easily be enclosed ON
the map ~ small circle which would
and ,he ahs Of the White
Tanana and the White. all great streams,
seem to divide a high watershed, and run
hundreds OF miles In diverse quarters to
remote and widely divergent outlets.
New gold strikes on the headwaters ~
the Tanana have been the subject Of
much talk and have attracted hundreds
OF prospectors the last several months
These new Tanana digginrs. those Of the
famous Forty Mile. the oldest in the
Yukon valley, that Just made on the
headwaters of the Copper and the placers
In the Cook inlet country, are
all practically, II appears. in a straight
belt stretching from the Coast 10 the
Yukon river. That there are likely to be
other and probably greater and more
vsfuabie strikes in this belt IL expected
Z By the oid-time miners In the Held
McCourt. one of the men who brought
the news OF the Copper river strike. says.
ana his partners agree with him, that
the American Yukon country f. scarcely
touched by prospectors.
Charles Hauge. one Of the men with
Steelsmith and McCourt, has fine piece
Of native copper which he carries as a
pocket niece. II came from the head
waters of the Tanana. and IL round hay.
ing been cut out by the Indians, who gave
II TO him for bullet. He says there is
much native copper in the country