Douglas Island news., 1901-12-25


 big rush of prospectors to the Bremner country. where rich diggings. were dis covered the last of October. On Nov 25th the first crowd of stampeders, with 15 dog teams and freight, including 30 men started out for the scene of the ex- citement. Regarding the diggings lit tie is known. It seems that several we'll known Valdez prospectors opened rich ground in the Bremner district and found coarse gold going from SS to S5 to the pan at the surface, Running short of provisions they returned to Valdez for a new outfit, which they se- cured and then returned to the diggings accompanied by friends. There was little desire to keep. the location of the ground a secret and Valdezwent"stam,- pede mad" Everyone who could arrange to go was prepared to leave flight" and stake out claim. The diggings are said to be only 90 m,les from Valdez, lying between that place and the great copper belt. Dog teams at Valdez are worth small fortune. They are selling for big prices and common cur dog quotations probably never approached the figures being offered.
 The Skagway Guide says that word was brought to this city in a private letter on the Cottage City, ,jshat on the next trip of the Dolphin, engineers would come north orun preliminary survey for a railroad from Pyramid Harbor to the upper Yukon river. The letter in substance stated; Fred I. Bradley received word to meet E. c. Hawkins, Il. T. Harper and w. l., Good win in Seattle to go north to Pyramid Harbor on the Dolphin on her last trip. Some hitch was occasioned and the party will get away on the Dolphin's next trip. The purpose is to run pre- .iminary survey from Pyramid Haroor to the Yukon. The preliminary survey from Pyramid Harbor will have to be made on snow shoes. The proposed route will undoubtedly be through the Lake Arkill district, where there are said to be rich copper and gold strikes, especially in the Rainy Hollow district thence to the upper Yukon either com ing out below White Horse or Five Fingers with the probability of Selklrk being the terminus.
 The first United States mail over the Valdez route to Eagle City arrived at the place on November 9th according to the Yukon Sun. It is all American mail for postofhces on that side of the line. This shipment came by pack train and had hard time getting across. The next, and all after it until spring, will come by dog teams. The service is con ducted under a four years contract from the American government. It does not affect the delivery. of Ameri- can mails to Dawson, as that terminates outside of American territory and is covered by the postal treaty between the two countries. In time, however, with its success it might affect the mails delivered to the lowerriver coun7 try via this place.
 The first report of serious accident to occur on the trail this winter was brought to Skagway Dec. 14th, Louis Lindeman, an old man about sixty years of age, we'll known in Skagway as six fingered Louie, on account of. having an extra digit to one of his hands, now lies at Tapee in a precarious condition with his hands and feet froz- en and all probabilities that amputa- tion will have to follow. Lindeman left Log Cabin about two weeks ago for, Atlin. When near Tepee his snow shoes broke and foundering around in the: snow he become frozen.
 J.H. Seely, of the N. w. M. P. Secret Service, has made public, at Victoria, the discovery of a murder committed by O'Brien prior to the three murders for which he was hanged at Dawson. The man murdered was named Habne mann, and he was killed in the spring of 1898. O'Brien held him up. robbed him and then killed him by striking him with lead pipe. He threw the body into the river where it was found by the mounted police. As O'Brien was. convicted of killing Olsen, Relic and Ciayson, the charge of murdering Hab- nemann, was never pressed against him.