The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-04-04
HOME FROM THE KLONDIKE.

Mr. and Mrs. W. III. Rowe and two sons
arrived at the Montpelier House Saturday
night from San Francisco, after stay OF
about two years in Alaska. Mr.. Rowe
came out on business trip, and will go to
New York tonight to meet capitalists who
are furnishing men and machinery to work
claims he has staked. He will return to
Cape Nome in May with his family
Mrs Rowe, who is daughter of the late
Augustus Batchelder OF East Montpelier.
modestly relates, in an interesting manneI
some OF the hsrdships through which she
has passed since leaving Montpelier. She
and her husband brought back with them
large number of curios from that far away
country, which give an excellent idea of
the clothing and manner of living there.
Among these are the moccasins worn by
Mrs. Rowe when she landed in San
Francisco.
Mr.. Rowe and ia nily left New York April
27, 1898, with party of sxty-tve people
bound for Seattle. They left Seattle in
June and arrived at ST. Michaes forty-two
days later, on July %. Here Mr.. Rowe put
together steel boat which he had taken in,
and with this attempted with this boat to
reach Golovin bay. His family went there
in a sailing vessel. Mr.. Rowe was ship
wrecked five times on the way and finally
beached his boat, the "Abbie Rowe"
named for his wife, on a reef which he
named "Abbie Strand" where 1t still lies,
useless and rust-eaten wreck.
Mr. Rowe says the people of this country
can have no idea OF the rush Of people to
the Cape Nome district, when gold was first
discovered there. Over ice and snow some
of them with their feet done up in bags,
they came from all directions for distance
of from twenty to two hundred miles on
foot. In June last there was not house
at Cape Nome, now it has 4 600 houses, reg
ularly laid out streets and numberless sa-
looms The temperature there runs as low
as sixty degrees below zero.
May last Mr.. Rowe went into camp on
Fox River in the Cape Nome district, and
began stalking claims. His family reached
there, by dog teams, over ice eight feet
thick. To hold the claims staked the own
| er must annually do 800 worth of work on
each claim. These claims average fourteen
acres each. These claims yield from 81 to
| $50 per cubic yard. With improved ma
chinery which Mr., Rowe will take there,
he can handle 5000 yards day. With the
loves, yield Of 81 per yara, he Uod is confident
he will be able to take out $4,000 daily.
From April to August it is daylight there
throughout the twenty-four hours, while in
December there Is only two and one. half
hours of daylight. Mr.. Rowe is recorder
for the Blake Mining district, an Office
| which corresponds to town or city clerk
| here. The recorder has to keep a record OF
every claim staked in his district, and
whether the requisite amount of work has
been done on each claim. The miners
make their own laws and they are faith
fully executed.
Mr.. Rowe says more people and more
capital will go into Alaska this spring than
ever before. He will take thirty men baok
with him in May, going in a special through
car from New York. During the summer
OF 1901 the latest machinery for mining
gold, furnished by capitalists who are in
terested with Mr. Rowe, will be in oper
alton on his claims.
Before leaving Cape Nome agents for the
Standard Oil Company, and representatives
OF the Rothschilds offered Mr.. Rowe large
sums for his claims, but he prefers to de.
velop them himself. He and his entire
family are enthusiastic over their prospects
and, judging from the facts related, they
have reason for the faith that is in them.