The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1929-02-02

tant prospect which had once held
great promise for them; quartz
vein in the White River country,
which they referred to as the Old
Judith claim. They had found it
to be heavily mineralized with
some sort of grey metallic crystal
line sulphide mineral The vein
had been well explored and some
development work done, but the
claim had been abandoned because
it had yielded few gold colors in
the PAN
Larry, as usual, was doing the
talking. Jack, do you know !
can't help thinking we somehow
missed a bet when we left the Old
Judith"
Lets forget it, Larry. That
claim is dead horse. Don't dig
it up again." broke in Jack with
a vigorous wave of the keen edged
butcher knife, as he cut some
large iuick steaks from a quarter
of caribou.
Rotten Break
Larry went on without paying
any attention to his partners dis
approval: st was the rottenest
break we ever had, the end of our
biggest hopes. Do you remember,
Jack, when we made our final
sampling and as soon as we got
into the fresh sulphide with four
shaft the ore stopped panning." He
paused a moment and then added.
II saved out tobacco can full of.
the grey crystals. That can of.
samples came out with us when
we left the Old Judith"
81 remember our sampllng and
how we got barely a smell in the
pan, but have forgotten about any
can of grey crystals" said Jack,
with a steak Oh a fork just ready.
to place in a pan of sizzling suet
well, Jack, the other day 1
found the rusty can and sample in
the bottom of our old pack that
the grizzly tore up and scattered
around when he looted our camp
soon after we arrived here. The
crystals had been weathered some.
and were darker in color" Out
of curiosity, tied up the weather
ed sample and sent it to the AS
say office, along with a dollar
bill. Intended to write a letter
asking for the name of the min
eral, but you know how it is, we
have been so busy with our new
compressor and our steel sharpeng
ing that | never got around to
the letter. The assay office ran
it for gold and silver and here's
what they reported. | got the
returns the last time | mushed in
for the mail" With this Larry
paused and held up a printed form
which he took from a pocket-worn
envelope.
Caribou Steak
Jack glanced over that way, but
decided that caribou steak was
more important for the moment.
He did not again think of the re-
port until the steak was done and
they were slowing away large
mouthfulls of the same, along with
numerous sour-dough biscuits and
huge tins of coffee. Then he saw
it lying en- the table where Larry
had placed it, reached over and
picking it up began to read it,
careiessly at first, and then with
increasing interest. Quickly he
paused, in the act of transferring
an enormous steak to his plate.
Then he dropped the steak, fork
and all, into the platter and jump
ed to his feet. twenty-five hun
dred dollars in gold and fifty-one
ounces of silver to the ton. l
don't believe ito he yelled. This
was pretty quick work for Jack
for he: was generally quite deliber-
ate in his movements.
"The assay office must be right,
quickly put in Larry. 1.-THE as
sayer is a man of experience, and
| don't see how anyone could salt
the sample. / sealed it in a new
canvas bag after wrapping it in
paper, and mailed it myself"
Jack sat down, but did not at
once resume his attack on the neg
lected piece of steak. 81 know
that" he said. but you know as
well as that we didn't get more
than a color or two when we pan
ned it at the cabin ON the Old Ju-
dith. The report is impossible
and the sample must have been
sailed somehow when the bear
spilled things in the cabin here"
misunderstanding
No. said Larry, Il crushed it
and tried panninig 1t again, but did
not get anything. Saved the con
centrates and that is what I sent
to the assay Office. The concen-
trates all seemed to be some heavy
sulphide mineral"
Jack said something under his
breath, then turned to the table
again and they finished the meal
in silence. After the few dishes
were cleaned up and turned upside