The times., 1901-03-15
STALKING CLAIMS IN THE SEA.
Rich Finds of Gold Made I'm the
Behring Waters

VICTORIA. y. c.. March H.-Accord-
ing to advices which reached here from
Nome a number Of hardy miners risked
their lives to stake claims out IN the
Behring Sea. putting up their stakes
the ice to cover the rich ground discof
cred By them beneath the frozen ocean
The richest strike was made on
cember 5. about three miles up the -
from Cape Nome a sand bar
was nearly inaccessible. William A.
strong staked a discovery claim ana
". Slater No / above. Others soon
lowed and many claims were stakf
Slater. in an interview, said;
II don't think claims were ever sta7
below the water here before. IL W
hardly safe to cross the bar. as a gd
deal Of Hood water had come over
r,1aces and made the ice soft. We W
over ice not foot thick in places,
got there safely. and after putting 8
stakes in the ice we had TO cut out
feet of ice to reach sand and gra e.,
which Is very rich
Mr.. Slater said he believed he and MS
partners could hold their claims summer
and winter. for the northeast and soutn~
west stakes were on the edge OF the
water and they would know all summer
lust where their claims were. William
sutton, another stalker on the bar. said.
The bar runs parallel to the coast for
| one hundred miles or so. OF the place
where the claims have been taken II Is
about three hundred feet out and about
the same distance across. As soon as the
| ice is thoroughly set there viii be num-
ber of claims staked in the BehrinS Sea.
Advices from Nome include news 20 the
| effect that the stories of finds in the hcs-
kokwin district are without foundation.
| 7 Dinsmore. a Nome miner. had returned
| there in December from the kuskokwin
| and he told of how he and other unfor-
| tunate prospectors who had run short OF
| food in that country had TO eat their
dogs. but not word could he say of gold
| being found there. Leaving Weare' on
/ the Yukon he said he had gone UP the
/ Tanana about seventy-hye miles anu men thei,
| struck out in southerly dlrectioh uhtl,
| he had reached the KuskOkwins head
| waters.
| He and his partners prospected for
| three hundred miles down that river, put
\ ting down many holes. but not cOiOT
| was found Had provisions not run out
| Dinsmore SAYS ne would have prospected
| the entire country, but when tnsy were
| about three hundred miles from the heal
| of the river the larder gave out ana a1ter
/ eating three Malamute dogs and chewing
/ deerskins and moccaSins to sustain me-
| they at length reached the Tanana, nav
| ing lived on three poufoS VI tea AVi SOii'0
/ days.
| At the Tanana food was secured and the
| Yukon was soon reached.
| A strike had been made, according 20
| stampeders from the Kaughrock country
who had reached Nome when last advices
left there, on American Creek, tributary
| of the Agiepuk. The first finds were
| made bv several Laps who arrived at
| Teller. with prospects averaging u cents
| to the pan. The gold was coarse IN gram
and a deep red in color. There was quite
! STAMPEDE after the Laps had shown
their gold and it was afterward reported
| that a good find had been made.
| Stanpeces TO Norton Sound were also
| occurring. although with what result was
| not learned There was much winter
| work going on at Nome on the dinereht
! benches and creeks
| In Grass Gulch nearly every bencn
| claim in the district was being worked
| James DolIsrook < Co. who nave a claim
| on Nickels Gulch. were reported 10 De
taking out pans running all the way from
| 81 to S25 in value