The Alaska citizen., 1913-06-16
AT[|N STRIKE 4
 GIGANTIC HOAX

slsookum Jim's gold strike ncal Lake TeslH is q complete and abso lute frost. Two dollars and sixty five cents represents the value el all the gold that eVer came out ot that section Bedrock in seven holes on Johnson and Silver creek produc ed one color So fine that il could scarcely he seen with the naked eye. 4 cut fifteen feet long. fou feet wide and from four to ten feet deep produced exactly T. cents in yellow metal
 These are the facts in connection with the latest Northern gold discov- cry as related by F. l. Barnes, d re- liable mining man, who reached Sc attle recently from the scene of the discovery" Barnes bears out the statement of Dan D. Garvey, spevcill correspondent of The Times, who wired from Atlin q few days ago that 'l4' VI ttf7 i4't'AIiIS-' f'O itti tA.' 'A' ''' able 10 learn. to justify a stampede. Barnes is well known In Alaska. and is regarded as a careful, conservative mining man When Walter l.. Fish CT former secretary of the interior department. was in the Kenai peniE- sula, it was upon Barnes he chiefly depended for information in regarl to that section
 Al. Berry. Billy I.eek and myself, said Barnes, left Seattle on March last, and reached the digeinss twenty days later We sank seven holes on Johnson. Too-Mueh-J Johnson and Silver creek, and raised just one line color Garvey is dead right. to justify a stampede, and in my opinion there never will be. It is not what might properly be called d mineral country. There are no schists or quartz in the country and no sediment in the streams. The creeks are series of high box canyons filled with boulders, and the country rock is mostly diorite. George Carmack. Skookum's partner, says it is good country in which to prospect and hunt. He is right so far as the hunting is concerned It is a splendid game country. Indians have moose meat cached all along the trail and are selling it to stam- peders at 9 cents a pound. That's about all the money the Indian will ever make out of that country. They won't make any by mining
 Skookum Jim, Barnes says, is a member of the 'in-Bad-Club" with the Caribou Crossing Indians. Skoo- kum is a member of the Atlin tribe When the Atlin Indians came to White Horse and reported gold strike. the Caribou Indians stam peded for the new diggings. After they had sunk several holes to bed rock, they were thoroughly disgust ed and wanted to inaugurate a wal dance. Better counsel. however, pre- vailed. and they contented themslve; with the broad general statement that "Skookum Jim, him heap clazy."
 Barnes had an option on half g mile of Silver creek, but after he haf uncovered forty feet of bedrock ans found but one atomic color, he gave the option back This was on ground that was reported to have yielded seventy-five cents to the pan. Ar Indian told the argonauts he hai found much gold about the size O rice kernels The Indian even point cd out the holes whence the preciou! metal was garnered. Barnes and hi: partners cleaned out the holes ant put in some wood fires for thawine In the seven holes they didn't fint color Barnes thinks the Indial exaggerated the facts.
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