The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-10-03
ARCHIE on ALASKA.
Had a Rather Rough Experience
IN Behrlng Sea.

Had a Rather Rough Experience
In Behring Sea.
VIM. D. Lines Of this city has re-
ceived letter from Archie D. Nc
Intyre, well known in Redwood
Falls, who is now making his head
quarters at San Francisco, but who
does more or less business with
Nome, Alaska. III the letter Archie,
as he is Familiarity known, says:
II arrived home from Nome last
week, feeling fine. | was about to
write you when my wife received
your kind letter. After you left
here last spring | decided not to
take on stock of goods, as there
was SO much merchandise being
shipped there. It was lucky
change of decision for me, as the
bark Alaska, on which l should
have shipped my goods, was driven
ashore on the beach at Nome, a
total loss, and without insurance.
In fact, you can get nothing insured
that is going to Nome NOT even
your life.
There is no harbor from Galooin
Bay to Cape Prince of Wales. The
coast is dangerous and shallow, and
when storms come up steamers put
to sea, if they can. Sailing crafts
are piled on the beach by the huge
breakers and torn to atoms. There
has been great many lives lost on
the Behring Sea coast this summer.
We had several narrow escapes on
our trip from Port Clarence to Nome
in an open boat, which I purchased
at Dutch Harbor. She was large
ships boat, and she carried six
men, together with supplies, very
easily. We were caught in the
storm lasting from Aug. 10th to
Aug. 18th. but the boat being a
good, staunch craft and we'll man
aged, brought US all o. K. There
were 80 men lost in that storm.
eight of whom were drowned not
far from where the storm struck u.s.
1.-The miners use boats in going
up and down the coast, and also up
the rivers for the purpose of pros
pecting, I left here on April 21st,
with good miner, to discover and
acquire some of the placer ground
in the York or Port Clarence coun-
try. We found after a lot of hard
work some fair indications, but they
were in an isolated country far from
wood 40 miles from even a willow
tree. There is no timber north of
Galooin Bay-nothing larger than a
small willow that grows along the
rivers.
with thousands of others that
got there after we did, we left the
country north and came back to
Nome and vicinity, where we Sc
cured several claims which we are
going to work in the spring. My
partner remains there this winter
for the purpose of being on hand
early in the spring. My intentions
are now to form stock company.
We will have to put in a pumping
plant in order to sluice some of the
ground. It will take some money
to get started, but once going we
know there is big money to be made
by washing out lot of the gravel
in this way There is no doubt but
what Nome is very rich. Anvil,
Dexter, Snow and Shovel and sew
eral other creeks are immensely rich.
They had a clean up. on claim on
Anvil Greek the day before I left.
Twenty-four hours run, $18, 900.
A good many of these claims are in
litigation and not being worked.
They will not be until the courts
decide as to who are the lawful own
ers.
There were a great many who
were sadly disappointed on their
arrival at Nome this spring. The
beach was staked or located and
worked out in places. They finally
settled down to rocking along the
beach for 80 miles. Some ten to
twelve thousand miners made fair
wages. Some even done we'll.
In the future l will write you
regarding my travels in Alaska,
packing food and blankets, laying
down for a nap anywhere, when
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