The leader., 1904-06-18
GOLD BRICKS M KLoNDlKE
One That Was Foisted BY a Jap caugh
q the Miners for a Good
/ Clean-Up. + ss,s If,ss.. ff

s3tsss} @ff -~-~@---- f54& HI s6sa So b
"The average gold hunter ii TIL
klondike Is the. most susceptible fel
low on earth when you talk rici
strikes to him." remarked Enginee
w. a. Hicks. Of the Biees n1iiitar!
academy, according to the New iYorl
Sun. He doesn't stop to reason
Along with six friends il made /,
trip to the Klondike in the summer
OF 1901. and after getting through .thl
perilsl common to visit to that bleal
region. I got a job at Dawson run
ming hosting engine-$1.25 an hour
and board. / was satisfied with my
wages for awhile, but the gold tall
brought on the fever and / resigned
to take up claim. SO 8aiiot
$50 set off with a partner, and WI
staked out acclaim over the. divide
near Eureka creek. We struck dir
ten feet down that ran, 81 cents to the
pan. In a few weeks my share was
1877 ounces, worth 1892. This looked
all right and we began to forget thu
miseries of our journey up. tsss !
I'VE went down to Dawson to lay Ii
more supplies We found the tow
spnttering over a. new strike, = COZ
miles up on Tanana creek, Yukon. a
Jap had come down and brought
along q handful of nuggets and was
showing them around to the miners.
HE said that the gold UP on Tana
ma creek ran from $75 to 500 to tbs
pan. In comparison our little claims
seemed too insignificant to fool with
mo one thought of asking the jar
why he didn't stay up-there and spike
down the wonderful land of Monte
Cristo for. himself and his heirs. He
looked so innocent and meek that the
miners supposed he told of it merely
because Of his obliging disposition. b
II reasoned that there was no api
parent object for him, to lie about 1t,
and Joined the 1000 strong procession
in the 600-mile tramp. After eight
days of the hardest travelling i ever
did in my life, during which I paid
as high as five dollars for a second.
class meal, we landed in the blessed
country the Jap had told us about. N
"At first the Jap pointed out sew.
eral good places where an astonishing
amount Of gold was found. The min
ers staked out their claims and went
to work with feverish haste. Ell
Our friend, the Jap, wisely antici
pating our necessities, had stocked UP
an immense room with provisions,
which hn 70 ,11 - -
men realizing from $75 to 500 a pan
for their work. We soon bought out
everything he had, and he babe us
an affectionate farewell. s2
after we had toiled through the
earth for miles up and down the
creek and found nothing better than
three cents pan, we would have
quickly sent him, If we could have
laid our hands on him, to warmer
climate. 80 81"
ITO be held up and swindled in any
circumstances Is bad enough, but to
have the job attended to by miser-
able, lamb-eyed, idol-wershiping
heather is rubbing it in. Is kti
'.The rascal had sailed enough
places to keep the excitement up until
he sold out his stock. and then moved.
Il retraced the trail back to my
claim on Eureka creek, found it relo-
Gated by a miner who hadn't lost his
head when everybody else was going
crazy over the Jap's yarn, and gave
up gold mining. L got back to Seat
tie in the fall with the same amount
l had left with and splendid cold"