The Alaska daily empire., 1914-12-30

JOG h. Woed, dleu or ptidly- q sis at Nome
 Dr. J. J, Chambers, one of :. .s owners, driven insane; died. .. @ q q @ C Q Q q e @ e e @ 6 !,
 Nome's Jonah" gold mine, the Bon Voyage, has added another vic tim Co its already long list since Che recent death of Dr. J. J. Chambers in the Morningside asylum at Port land, according to l. J. Underwood special writer in the Seattle Times who writes some Alaskan history in the following story"
 Like the dead Hope diamond, which is now believed to be at the bottom oi the Pacific Ocean and which wrecked the fortunes Of everybody who ever owned it, the Bon Voyage. one of the richest claims on the celebrated third beach line at Nome, brought disaster to nearly everybody connected with 1t excepting. of course, the lawyers, and oven some of them did not es- cape its malignant influences.
 The Bon Voyage. in some respects, is a second edition Of the Treadwen. John Treadwell who opened this lat ter proDerty-one Of the richest in tho world-a few weeks ago filed an insolvency schedule In bankruptcy in New York and Pete Erussard. the dis. c verer of the mine. known as French Pete, died in destitution at Katalla about three years ago.
 Doetored the Governor.
 Dr. Chambers. the Bon Voyage's latest victim was a prachcing physi- clan 10 Seattle He went to Alaska in 1896, 8 year before the Klondike was discovered. At Dawson. In 1898, when t1e camp was in its widest and "woouest" days he nursed some Of the Northern citlzons back to life when typhoid fever scourged the Yu- kon metropolis. Among his patients were Maj. J. F. A. Strong, now goyer. nor Of Alaska, and George Carpenter. another newspaper man.
 Carpenter later was frozen to death in bringing mall across the Noxxepago divide from the Arctic to Nome. Rex 5each. the famous author, who was no less famous in the North as a musher. was day ahead of Carpenter on the trail, but successfully weathered the same disastrous storm. In 1900 Dr. Chambers stampeded to Nome. It was there that he became interested in the ill.starred Jonah mine,
 Many Conflicting Locations
 The claim originally belonged to J. Potter Whittren and Chambers. Whit tren sold part of his interest to Joe Hammer and Andrew Eadie. There were many conflicting locations, in- cluding the Roosevelt claim, owned by Mrs. Elma McNaught, wife of John McNaught, former managing editor ofI The San Francisco Call, and now man aging a paper for James Gordon Ben nett in Paris.
 The various claimants leased to other parties. Whlttren. Eadie and his associates leasing to Frank II. Waskey and Joe Crabtree Everybody seemed to hink the way to adjust the diff ferent interests was through the courts and about eighty different suits l were placed on the docket. Chambers and Whittren quarreled as to the amount owned by each, and this also brought about @ number of suits. in. cluding one criminal suit for periury. Two Of the suits were taken to the supreme court of the United States and eight Of them to the United States court Of appeals.
 Waskey and his parties working un- der tho lease. discovered the pay streak no feet below the surface. but never profted by 1t. lie had a large fortune, but lost 1t in this and other ventures. Two years ago. he was wrecked on Q schooner In Boring Sea, | and for five days clung to the bow spirit of the partially submerged craft. i When found on the beach by natives he was frozen and nearly starved. Hel Is now at Marshall City, on Che Lower Yukon, badly crippled Waskey, byI the way was Alaska's first delegate In Congress, and spent a large portl Of his fortune in trying to inducel Congress to pass law granting ter. ritolial government to Alaska
 Waokey Held Up.
 Waskey took out a large pile Of pay gravel in the winter Of 1905, but be- fore he was ready to cleanup in the spring he was enjoined by the court. For several years the eases dragged .heIr wenry length along. oivIl suits.