The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-26
AUTOMOBILES AND GOLD.
Pathinding Party Reach Scene Of
 Stampede to New Gold Strike.

Strangely coincident with the arriv- al of the Flanders "20'' Pacific High way pathfinding party on the old Caribou Trail in British Columbia last week came the news of another big gold strike in the Fraser river district, and the automobile trail blazer arriv- ed in Ashcroft in time to witness the unique spectacle of a stampede.
 The Flanders "2V' arrived at Ash croft Thursday night. The news of the strike spread through the town Friday and Saturday, as the motoring pioneers lay in the town awaiting the arrival of P. E. Sands from Seattle to pilot them on to Haze1ton, B. C., they saw 900 men rush from Ashcroft on the trail to the new digging
 J. B. Perkins, who has been pros pecting in the Fraser River district for nearly thirty years, arrived al Ashcroft last Thursday and eonfided to one or two friends that he had made a strike" forty miles up the Chalaka Fork, point about fifty miles from the head of Buttee inlet and 200 miles from Ashcroft He claims to have discovered vein of ore several feet in width on the sur face and extending fully nine miles in length that assays shown to contain gold values from two to five ounces per ton and silver from $25 to $50 per ton.
 He has been working all alone, and when he finally struck this rich out cropping he proceeded to stake out a series of claims extending along the entire length of the ledge. The news spread quickly through Ashcroft where the prospectors were gradually returning from their exploring trips in the mountains.
 On last Saturday morning, W. F. Palestine and his party saw the crowd deserting the town, some going up the Caribou Trail by stage, others driving teams, riding horses Or even walking and carrying pack-alfs head ed northward toward the scene of the reported Bonanza.
 The Caribou Trail, one of the best highways on the west coast passes within eight miles of Perkins claims, and when the Flanders pothfinders started out Sunday they were accom- panied for the first 150 miles by the stampede. The party made a stop near the Perkins properties and ob- tained number of inter resting photo graphs.
 
 beat the crowd to the district and had money to spend in getting there offer ed to pay Sands several hundred dol lars to carry them and one man sought to buy the entire outfit.for any price Sands would name. His chagrin and deep disgust when informed that that particular car was not for sale may well be imagined.
 Sands obtained one or two specimens of the ore and will keep them as sou venirs.
 The Flanders Pacifie Highway path finders reached Ashcroft after a solid week of battling with the elements. For 300 miles. from Wenatches. Wn. to Ashcroft, B. C., they were followed ed to fight for almost every mile gain ed Travelling in an endless trail of mud, over roads that in places be- came so slippery that chains were re- quired on all four wheels to hold the little car to the road, they were com pelled to surmount terrific grades and frequently ford swollen streams.
 They were forced to abandon the car top because the overhanging for- est branches and rock lodges in the mountain passes would not permit it's use, and the entire weeks run was made through pouring rain from which the occupants of the car had absolute
  lost their way and had to do much night driving in the storm to reach shelter. At one point, between Savona and Ashcroft, they drove twenty feet through turbulent creek where the water rose above the frame of the. car and the men, leaning out from their seats, were able to touch the waters surface with their hands.
 Despite these handicaps the car cov- cred 15S miles on the day it reached Ashcroft, though it required sixteen hours of hard driving to cover the route.
 The Canadians are manifesting un- usual interest in the effort of the ad- venturous motorists to reach Hazel ton. though few express faith in their ability to get through with the car. The people of Ashcroft were awaiting the cars arrival at that point, and the editor of the Ashcroft Journal, a weekly publication that goes to press Thursday noon and is issued Saturday,