The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-28


town. for the place bids fair to become
world renowned, but because it takes
time to engrave maps. and it takes only
day in Alaska TO establish city on
substantial, if unconventional. lines
Teller is fortnight old. 1t is situated on
Grantley Harbor. an arm of the Behring
Sea, short distance from Port Clarence
and sixty miles northwest of Nome. 1t
has been called Teller from the fact pre-
| sumably of its proximity to the Teller
| reindeer station. 1t may be tersely de-
scribed as the gateway to the Bluestone.
Nearly month ago the great Bluestone
! strike was made. News OF the strike
travelled to Nome. to Council City, TO St.
! Michaels to Cape Prince of Wales, and
| to every point up and down the coast and
| in the near interior where there are
miners, but the news was in the form Of
| rumors which sounded like the rumors
| that are heard every night from every
| mining district of Alaska in the saloons
| of Nome. Few persons believed the re-
| ports, for the region was regarded as IN
| promising. Last year, when the greatest
| gold excitement since 1897 in the klondihe
| prevailed in this western peninsula of
Alaska, all the territory for $50 miles on
| the coast and for a long distance into the
| interior was staked into mining claims
containing twenty acres each. With the
| rest, of course. the Bluestone River and
| tributary creeks were claimed. hut not
claim in the whole lot, comprising several
hundreds, was prospected thoroughly until
| this summer. In many cases-probably
in the majority of cases, stakes we're
driven without any genuine discovery OF
| gold having been made by the claimants.
| Not shovel or pick touched some of
them, although the Federal Law IS spe-
cific in requiring that a genuine discoy
cry of mineral be made before ctakes are
driven or claims recorded.
fortnight after the first vague rumors
of gold in the Bluestone were heard last
month the reports became more definite.
and the small stampede of miners that
had set in from the direction of Nome
increased rapidly. Now there are some
thing like 1850 persons in this imms-
date region, and this promising little
town of tents and .'shacks' has actually
become the rendezvous Of scores of real
estate spectators, whose advertisements
of city lots are never very far behind
the vanguard of miners in a stampede
into new territory. Teller will appear
on all the maps hereafter.
The Bluestone is river of about the
same magnitude as Snake and Nome: that
is, a goodsized creek. with many tribu-
taries. emptying into Grantley Harbor.
the nearest salt water to the new gold
fields. Men who have thoroughly pros
pected Gold Run, part of the new ter
ritory that has already became famous.
declare it to be the richest deposit of
placer gold thus far found in Alaska, it
apparently exceeding in wealth anything
that has been found in the Klondike or
on Anvil or Dexter creeks, and it has
the great advantage of shallow diggings.
Miners hereabouts aver that Gold Run is
a wonder so far as it has been pros
pected, and that fortunes are in sight for
the owners of developed claims.
Some of the gold already mined has come
into circulation in Teller and some of 1t
has found its way TO Nome where it has
caused no little excitement in that rather
dissatisfied camp. Men are arriving nearly
every day from Nome and are ''mushing''
over the hills in search of territory that
has not been staked- They are satisfying
themselves as TO the reputation Of the new
gold country, and some new strikes of
greater or less Importance are being re-
ported every day. Here is a representa-
tive instance of the worth Of the new Dig
gings: Two men shoveling in No. 9 Gold
Run. with two lengths Of sluiee boxes.
using water from the creek are taking
men are from Idaho and are engaged in
placer mining for the first time in their
lives
Claim jumping is rampant. and litigation
over several of the most valuable proper
ties in the district is about to begin Some
persons who staked claims here last year
but who had not prospected them until the
new strike was heard Of have hurried from
Nome and other points, and are holding
down" their properties against jumpers.
One man who is as well known as any in
diyidual in western Alaska is superintend-
ing the operations of his men with a rife
always near by Jumpers are giving that
claim wide berth. for the reputation OF
the owner for short, decisive argument. in |
which he always worsts his opponent, is |
well known. The owner of this claim could |
unquestionably sell it today for 100000, |
and there are two or three other claims in |
that vicinity which would command as high |
q price
The natural advantages OF the coast here |
are far superior TO those at Nome or any |
point north of St Nichaels. Port Clarence |
has a good natural harbor, and it is pos
sible for large ships to come in close TO the /
shore. Teller is located or the most nat I
ural town site in this part of Alaska-on |
the spit which divides Grantley Harbor and |
Port Clarence Bay--a hard graveled level |
stretch Of land Of considerable extent The |
town site has been surveyed by Govern |
ment surveyor and symmetricaliy divided |
into lots. There is a big boom in town |
properties. Business places notably sa- |
looms and general merchandise stores are |
springing up like mushrooms In a night |
A meeting of citizens was called two |
nights ago to decide upon the name of |
the new city and to discuss other matters |
of interest to the common veal. The |
meeting was held in the Pup saloon. |
United States Commissioner Regnon was
appointed permanent chairman and a |
stampeder was elected to record the pro-
ceedings of the meeting. a committee
which had previously been appointed in
troduced several resolutions pertaining to |
matters of public interest, such as sani-
tation, arbitration in case of disputes |
about lots, extension of streets and al /
leys, and the naming of streets. By rea-
son of the fact that a postmaster, with
all the equipment of his contemplated Of
fee, was in a position TO locate at a point |
which bore the name of Teller, and for
other reasons which seemed good TO the
meeting, that name was adopted. The To-
cality, which has heretofore been in
habited only a few natives, has been va
riously known at Grantley City, Nook
etc, but the fact must go down to history
that the name Of the new city was made
neither OF these, because would-be post
master had had his sign painted Teller"
Commissioner Regnon assured the as
sembled pioneers that the United States
had appropriated funds for the erection
of court house. jail, and public build
ings, and that the funds would soon be
available and there was a. great cheer
ing. About that time the bar near which
the majority of the audience was stand