The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1902-08-13
ENTERTAINING
"HOT AIR" STORY
Gold Filing Led to Finding
Rich Pay Streak.

NUMBER Oi prOspcctDrs were holding
up the shady side Of Spokane hotc
yesterday afternoon, talking over olG
times. The particular subject, under dis
cussion was to just what extent the clc
ment of luck enters into placer mining
and an old miner who had handled a
pick and shovel up in the Northwest
Territory told this story:
"Four years ago was one Of several
Thousand dcludcd mortals who attempt.
al to push open the back door into X Ion.
dixie. was in Calgary ut the time,
working Tor the Canadian Pacific rail-
road, aud when the rush over the Ed
monton trail started caught the fever,
pulled up stakes and followed the crowd
to Athabasca Landing, on the Athah,sca
river, 100 odd miles across the prairies
north from Edmonton. There ! paused
10 sort oi take observations and inci,len.
tally take in 81 n day turning out Hat
bottoncd boats for gold hunters going
down river to the Great Slave lake, and
thence To the lirndwatcrs Of the Mae
kcnzir river.
at was at the landing fell IN with
three fellows who figure IN this yarn.
Two were young men from Prince Ed
wards island, husky, tirclcss and full of
ambition to get there ar bust, hut who
knew no more about gold mining than ]
do about the theory of least squares the
third was an Englishman who had
worked in the mines ut Rossland, and
who knew gold from copper. We agreed
to pool our prospects, and after consi'l.
able deliheratinn to go up the Atha.
basca, up the Lesser Slave lake, across
to Pace River Landing and prospect
along the upper waters of the Peace
river. 80 the day we left the Atha-
basca We launched two twcnty-one foot |
retcrboro canoes, loaded Ia the gunwales
with prul, and camp and mining nc,css,- |
ties, and faced n turbulent six mile I'M
hour current.
"Our trip up the Athabasca was I'M
cvrntiul. For ten hours each day We
were vais, deep in ice cold water, drag
ging n, the end oi scvcnty-tivc foot ropes
the heavy canocs. Asa rule We made
camp early at night, 81 We might get IN
an hour "r two Imnning, more Tor prac-
ticc than from any expectation of n
strike, We never failed Ia find colors,
although not in quantity ,o warrant our
making permanent, camp. At the mouth
oi Lesser Slave lake stream W. hired
lake, u, the head oi which other
breeds and ircrtraicrs hauled our outfits
across /" the Hudson hay post. on the
banks "i the Peace NJ Peace River Land.
ing.
Our journey up the Peace WAS rc,e-
ttion oi that up the Athabasca, only |
stronger waters and occasional rapids |
mad. progress more difficult. hut per- |
sistrncy finally won the day, and after
three weeks oi the hardest sort oi work |
We passed through the Dungarvcn gorgcs
and hoat.d in com Iaratively open though |
swift water, within hailinp distance oi
the Findlcy branch oi the Peace, our OBJ |
j,vtive point. And right here is where
my story begins,
'Onc oi the 4. T.. |. men was an in. |
vctcratc chewrr "i spruce gum, and, as
you all know, such gum right from the
tree Is u mighty tenacious proposition.
Well, one evening We were all seated
about the campfire when our gum chew.
iny friend, whom We will call Bili, In,
cause that il not his name, murmurd
something that smacked di-agreeably oi
profanity, and stepping up 10 the fire he