The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-05-26
MINING ROMANCES
Seekers After Gold Who Had
Riches Thrust Upon Them.
"SWEDE LUCK" IN ALASKA.

PPoopeotore Stumbiod Into Claims
That Put Them on Easy Street.
Good Fortune Plus Hard Work.
1t IL literally true that some men
who went to the north had fortunes
thrust upon them. There is Charley
Anderson. who was prospecting on
the Yukon. Shortly after the Klon-
dixie strike was made by George Mar
mack and Shookum Jim, Anderson,
trail weary, ambled into the frontier
Camp Of Dawson-then known as
Lousetown-from Circle City. He had
developed a taste for a primitive bev-
erage of local manufacture known as
"hooch," and promptly proceeded to
crafty 1t. When he came to he dis
covered that his alcoholic companions
had gone through his clothes, extract
ed $500 and left In lieu thereof deed
20 a claim on Eldorado creek, which
was thought to have no other value
except which pertains to a grazing for
moose.
Anderson almost wept 1t was true
he was the owner of location, but
claim isn't necessarily a mine, and
also there Is a lot of difference be-
tween deed to a piece Of frozen
ground and $500 In real money, which
was all he had possessed. But he
was not bereft of credit. Taking the
deed to trader, he pledged 1t for a
grubstake, which he hauled to the
creek on a hand sled. He burned wood
to thaw the frozen muck and discover
ed that the gravel underneath was
thickly permeated with gold. The
moose pasture proved to be worth
more than S2,OO00O0. There are some
wonderful real estate records in
Alaska!
Depressed and discouraged because
he had been unable to find values In
a quartz mine which he had been sent
to examine, John Treadwell sat In
log cabin hotel In Harrisburg, now
Juneau, waiting for steamship to
take him back to San Francisco.
French Pete Erussard drifted in and
told Treadwell a hard luck story.
Treadwell was sympathetic. The tale
was well told; so well that he was
induced to put up $500, taking there
for a deed to a half interest In a
claim. Treadwell returned the fol
lowing year and examined the prop
erty. Then he bought the other half
and 1t became known as the Tread
we'll mine. 1t has produced more than
$5OOOO,OOO. and there is sufficient ore
blocked out to keep the big stamp
mills working for many years.
Erik Lindblom went to Alaska on
a whaling vessel-shanghaied from
San Francisco. some people say. With
Jafet Lindeburg and John Brynteson
he discovered the Nome gold6elds and
laid the foundation for big fortune.
Two of the richest placer claims In
Western Alaska were traded for COM
parative trifles-one for gasoline en-
CINE that wouldn't chug, and another
for $50 and bottle of brandy distilled
from prune juice. There are thou
sands of similar Instances, common In
the history of every mining camp.
But there is another side to the
story. Thousands of men in Alaska,
with privation and hardship for their
teammates. have toiled bravely and
assiduously for many years and have
failed to find the golden fleece. Per
haps they lacked what the north terms
"Swede luck"
"Swede luck" is 80 called because
many of the rich strikes have been
made by Scandinavians. In Alaska
every Scandinavian is a Swede. Per
sonal observation, however, has shown
me that "Swede luck" means hard
work and enduring fortitude under ad-
verse circumstances.
Several years ago at the mouth OF
creek where a strike had been re-
ported and an incipient stampede was
In progress met a prospector.
who made the striker" asked.
who do you think made the striker
he countered disgustedly, as though
had propounded foolish question No.
1862. ibid you ever hear Of anybody
having luck In this darned country I'M
less he was a Sweden
I walked fourteen miles up that creek
and found six holes to bedrock. Pay
had been encountered In the sixth
Every shaft had been dug by the
Swede who made the strike, and who,
by the way. happened to be Norwe-
gian.-Sunset Magazine.