Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-07-04

my
My visit to the Guggenhelm camp
was prolonged for three days on ac-
count OF rain and fog, through which
IL seemed foolish to venture out.
found their experience to be the same
as ours. Their camp was on little
creek which they had named Eldora-
do. and they had run long drain and
crosscut. sinking over three feet. but
had found nothing but few stray
colors. Two of the boys went into
the station with me to learn what had
been done by the rest OF the party
who had come from the station.
Ed had beat me in, and when | got
there he had planned to run down
with boat TO the camp on Russian
creek, where about 20 of the men
were working and where Captain
Armstrong had camped waited at
the station till his return. One 25
cent nugget had been found there and
two or three smaller ones. and the
men were thoroughly prospecting the
stream. which had been prospected
the previous season by the Russians
A deposit OF graphite had also been
exposed, and several men had filed
conflicting claims on this, and on
what they supposed to be its exten-
sin, although the deposit as far as ex-
posed seemed of blanket formation,
Indefinite both as to extent and direc-
a fine quality.
For our return trip we packed the
horses with camp stove, as there
was plenty of drift wood around our
camp and the stove would do away
with the nse of kerosene for fuel. |
asked the agent for some supplies, but
was denied.
had left Nome without signing
any contract. as the manager was
busy and had not time to prepare one.
He had promised to attend to the mat
ter ou the ship. | had twice called
his attention to the omission and both
times lie had stood me off. The last
and he had again promised to supply
me with contract and letter OF
credit on the companys agents for the
necessary SUPPLIES. When the ship left
he had given me neither. Capt. Arm
strong, his agent. had also promised
10 give me an order on the store but
had failed to do so, and the agent re-
fused to furnish me supplies. Ed got
what necessaries we needed, however.
on his order, so of course | did not
suffer.
1t placed me in a position OF a nav
erick. however, and though I had a
verbal understanding with the man
ager, my right to claim mining ground
of value could have been disputed,
and from what | saw of the company's s
methods would have been.
On our return to camp Ed started
work on one of the many greeks,
while Nadeau, Fox and myself pro-
visioned our little boat for a trip
around the coast, to prospect the
creeks and examine the cliffs border
ing on the Arctic ocean.
Our trip lasted two weeks and
skirted the coast for go miles. We
climbed the cliffs, collecting speci-
mems and panned the streams. Our
furthest camping ground was about
ten miles up big river just south of
Cape Serge. We saw many deer men,
caught plenty OF salmon killed ducks
and geese and used our sail on the
many lagoons Our wanderings
among the cliffs disturbed many sea
birds, and We explored many caves
and queer places along the shore.
AT one of our camping grounds
where we were detained one day by u
storm | noticed some posts or slabs
standing upright on some high
ground quarter of mile distant,
and wolked up there to examine them.
/ found the remains of an old Esqui-
meau village.
Inquiry among the natives close at
hand revealed nothing as to the for
mer villagers. Who they were, what
they did, why they moved or II they
had died were unanswered questions.
They did not know.
When the natives move neither
they nor their descendants ever occu-
py again the same ground. Villages
now swarming with life may be de-
serted a few years in the future and
the natives then alive and living but a
short distance away can tell you no.
thing of those who lived in the old
igloos. Its former occupants and
their life are sacred in his memory,
and he respects their old residence
with q superstitious awe. They hunt
ed seals. they traded deer skins. they
killed bears In winter and made long
trips In their boats in the long sum
mer days: even so does he do now;
but he will not touch single part of
the old igloo or remove a stone from
where they left it lie. lest their spirit
be troubled and they cause the devil
to visit him. II may be that father
or mother. grandfather or grand
mother lived there he does not know
and seems not to care-suiiicient to
him Is the knowledge that some Ma
sinka tgood) man once rested there.
He leaves his relies in peace. And the
path to the spring is overgrown with
mosses and vines.
In my diary under date OF Septem-
ber | find the following;
"On the beach at mouth OF big river
30 miles from Whalen. The hills are
Naur nv covered