The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-01-23

/ si'dn says, tlat the reports That MS
partner. the late Mr. Scouse, hoisted
tie first pay" dirt on the Eldorado
II quite correct. He recollects the
circumstances quite clearly Il was
the boss carpenter" Mr.. Sloan recall
ed with a smile. and thus 1t fell t.
ny lot to make the first windass and
bucket for the prospecting of the first
shaft on the creek There was some
argument as to the required size o.
The drum and the bucket. When they
had been constructed l gave them
their first trial and raised the first
DIRT, which then was without pay, on
the Eldorado."
First Pay Dirt.
While Sloan and Flack were haul
ipE supplies to their claims from the
KIondyke river. word reached them
that the first pay" dirt had been
raised on their property. At the time
they were on their way to the creek
ard, meeting Alexander Orr, a miner
with claims above theirs on the Ell
dorado, he told them that Scouse and
Wilkinson had reached bedrock, and
that Scouse with Wilkinson in the
shaft, had brought the first gold to the
slrface, there being $57 to the bucket
In sinking the shaft the character
of the ground was watched with in
terest and carefully prospected, but
the results were disappointing all the
way down. When the gravel was
tEawed out it was found Mr.. Sloan
explains to be a loose light wash.
About 90 feet down a pile of drift
wood was encountered and it was not
until after this had been passed that
hard tight wash was reached, this be-
ing only a short distance from bed
rcck. While there was exceptionally
good pay at bedrock on this shaft
the main pay was found in cross cut
ting to a second shaft. Mr. Sloan
states that before the claims were
thus proved the partnership was
STONY broke so that the day that the
first gold was hoisted saw them step
from condition of poverty to one OF
affluence.
Goddess of Chance.
While luck was with the Nanaimo
n in, other miners were not so favored
tN the goddess of chance. 1t was the
cid story of a thousand gold fields.
Some made good and others failed.
Some were brought within easy reach
of fortunes only to be turned aside
By the whims of chance. This was
the case, Mr.. Sloan narrated, with
Jack Kool and French Pete, partners
in the great game of gold hunting
They could have staked claims 16 and
II, next to the Scouse-Sloan, ct al,
combination, the former of which
turned out to be the richest of the
Yukon. They, however, did not like
the looks of the creek at that point
and left to take up Nos. 26 and 81
Aoaps creek. The latter did not pan
worked for wages for the Nanaimo
partnership. No. 16, Eldorado was
staked later by Con Van Alsteine, who
had been prospecting near Messrs.
Scouse, Flacli, Wilkinson and Sloan in
the Stewart river country that sum-
mer. Van Alsteine traded No. 16 to
T. S. Lippy who had staked No. 81
on the same creek, and it was thus
that Mr. Lippy came to be possessed
of the wealth of one of the most pro-
ductive pieces of ground in the Yukon
Van Alsteine, it was recalled by Mr.
Sloan, sold No. 81 for a good figure
Going to New York he lost his money
in a matrimonial venture, his bride,
to whom he had entrusted his roll
steamer which was to take them to
Europe on honeymoon.
Reminiscent Hour.
A human interest touch is given this
story Of the Yukon by the fact that
the four Nanaimo men, when they
separated after their success, agreed
that on the twenty fifth anniversary
of the Eldorado strike they would meet
again, all being alive to celebrate and
to live again in Renaissance the days
of their pioneering. The pact provided
that they would come together on that
date, no matter how far any one of
the four might have to travel Mr.
Scouse's death makes the first break
in the partnership.
"The last time i Saw Scouse he re-
ferred to our reunion" observed Mr.
Sloan. Now he is gone. He was a
man of the utmost integrity a genial
companion and a thorough gentleman
in every respect. We four worked
tremendously together for some years,
there was never a scratch of a pen in
our dealings together and when we
finally dissolved the partnership and
there remained an endur-
ing friendship which has continued
through the years. ] know the other
members Of the partnership which has
through the years. | know the 9TH
er members of the partnership.
Messrs. Flack and wilkinson, will feel
keenly, as / do, the untimely and sad
fate Of our old friend, William
Scouse."
Mr.. Wilkinson Is now retired and