The Alaska citizen., 1913-09-15

western from Cordova, says the Alas ka Empire. of Juneau. He was en- route to the Chisana. but became convinced not only that the country is not such as would warrant a stam- pede. but that some positive action should be taken to stop the rush there. He says that only one rich pocket has been found and it is such a one that would have attracted little interest in any of the real min ing districts that exist in Alaska In carefully prepared statement. MT. Soderberg said:
 "l did nct go any further than pCordova, for upon our arrival there We met a number of parties who had just returned from Chisana and they all reported that there had been no ground opened up that would warrant the hope of substantial mining camp such as was early in dicated at Dawson, Nome, Fairbanks. lditarod or koyukuk, as was the inn pression given out by the misleading and exaggerated newspaper reports sent out from Cordova to Seattle and the rest of the outside world
 When the 200 stampeders at Cor dova heard from returning men, .1,1tr r., II, in the Chisana, the effect was much such as the shock that comes to the passengers of a ship that sud denly strikes an iceberg or rock Everyone was staggered, for up to every word that had been received was favorable, and We were led to believe that the indications were that a new great gold district had been scovered
 There were scores f men with complete prospecting outfits and horses and plans prepared for a campaign of from several weeks to several months, and all for nothing
 Many of them decided to go in anyhow. They had their outfits their business arrangements were complete so they would not be miss ed if they stayed away for the time they had planned, many cf them were afraid to return home without going in because they feared that they would be held to be quitters, and, then. the reports all agreed that game was plentiful and hunting excellent.
 More than 65 or 70 came back with us on the Northwestern some stopping at Juneau, some going on to Skagway and others proceeding to Seattle
 T made the trip around with the ship to Seward, and on my arrival at Cordova again, interviewed people that have known in Alaska for years who had been on the ground at Chisana and who tested it. They all agreed that the country has been -boomed and that there is abso lutely nothing there to warrant the hope that there will ever be big mining camp.
 "One of those l talked with was c. F. Johnson, of Valdez, a man about CT and prospector of Alaska and one who had participated in the Dawson, Nome, Fairbanks and Iditarod stam- ,pedes. Mir. Johnson said: I left for the Chisana about July 21st in com pany with James Mcconnell, formerly of Nome, Dawson and Fairbanks. Thomas Lynch, of Seattle, and John Hartberg. All of us are prospectors and miners. We had good big outfit such as four good horses could pack heavily loaded It took us a little over seven days to make the trip in to the James Discovery claim and Carl Wittman's claim adjoining t. I am personally acquainted with MT. Nelson one of the owners of the James claim and up to this time, through his friendship. was shown every courtesy, including access to his property.
 We spent ten days in Chisana and saw all the creeks upon which any work had been done We pros pected cn all the creeks within a radius of seven or eight miles of the discovery claim, finding nothing except in the James claim and the Whitman property adjoining. These two claims are the only ones upon which has been found enough to war talking with the owners of these. James, Nelson and Whitman, all sad that they did not see anything to justify any stampede.
 "'On the James claim the pay streak, is being worked IS feet wide at an average depth of two feet to bed rock So far it has been work ed 75 feet, along the paystreak, and has produced not over s7,0O0 At the upper end of their work the | ground was getting noorer as they