The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 19, 1897, Page 2

SDAY, AUGUST 19 1897. 10 drive her to the creek, and there she is. | Up to this week the smell population | along the rinity has been quiet, peace- | ful, prosperous and good. Now the doors of taverns and their offices are keeping open ali night. The new population is a motley one, and one can feel the big rush in the distance. When the stage started jor French Gulch at 7 o’clock the boys gave the driver a “fill"” about new finds to have a Dttle innocent amusement. A story about someboay finding a $75 pocket had made its presence known from mo- where, and 1t was given to the driver as $7500. It will likely be $75000 when it gets to Redding. As the morning sun got over the moun- tains and lightened the blue haze tbat wraps Trinity County with its peculiar charm, prospectors en route began pop- ping out of the brush and ferns along the road from where they bad sweetly slept. | They washed in cold sprin cooked their | breakfasts and shouldered their packs. | Soon the pack out and the buggies piled with supplies were seen moving, and the day's advance was on along filty miles of road. There are old prospectors and there are greenhorns. One of the Lalf-dozen loafers gave the greenhorns an object | at3 a3 Taking a gold pan be went out into the middle of the stre: and, filling it with dirt, went to the water- h and wizgled. Vhen the dirt was out thers werea hun- ed microscopic coiors and some nuggets If as big as a pin-head. One can ao where a2long the Trinity, | t paralyzed the greenhorns who did not know how much of that dirt woulad have 10 be washed to get a dollar. The | washer explained to one prospector that | ed faster with a rocker. { a rocker i1ke?"” he asked. espie was on hand. “Aun, that rich at balf that.”’ she observed. 1d retort that. I wish I had all | I’ve retorted in a frying-pan.” to Postmaster P. McDonald, ne of the two stores here, are | r ires of the rush. The writers | ve more faith in McDonald than in the One lady, undoubtedly younz es about the show a bake: would have here in this town of thirty people and several good cooks. A San Fran- cisco physician is contempiating a | change, for reasons not specified, and wauts to know the chances for a cood doc- | and especially since the gold dis- ,and where the nearest doctor doctor is fifty miles away and om get | ) a visit. Peo and the do s cailed only in | of dent. When he is calied | up Coffee Creek he pays $25 to be hurried- | Iy driven to its mouth,with a saddle-mule ged behfnd. He rides the mule up | | and the driver waits for nim until writes: “Will you | about that strike | r section. Please let me hear | some one that does not exag- | please let m made in you. it from nother San Fra isco man wanis the nown Postmaster’s views of the coun- as a field for investment. He asks what wouid warrant the grubstaking | of several es with a reasonable show f Two writers ask the Post-! master to be so kind as to locate mining | bem, the writers promising to | k al expe A San Francisco | man who wapts ciaims to be located for | himself and son writes: “I don’t imagine that it iz an easy mat- find a mine, but as it seems the | cla ter | bound for the goldfields of Trinity. | at good prices. The Steam Schooner North Fok, With the Ferry - Boat Mare Island in Tow, Starting for St. Michael Yesterday. The North Fork Was Loaded to the Guards, and the Ferry-Boat Made Very Heavy Weather of It Crossing the Bar. fill two good from the overland train sized freighcars, ware followed this evening by alightea I was a general *'ch” from the spectators as this morning | their eyes fell on the contents. They | about | ing yellow nuggets and gold dust, and the The can was full to the brim with shin- twenty-five more, equally as well-equipped | jar in opening caused a few small pieces as regards baggage, and to-night nearly | to fall to the floor. 200 men are at work arranging pack trains, | stooned preparing for an | whon Davis said: ‘These new are | buying supplies awd early start to-morrow. rivals are principally from Sen Francisco, but a number are registered from outside States, and one gentleman hails from far- away Maine. Opposite his name on the hotel register are the words, *“Coffee Creek or bust.” Mules, donkeys, horses—anything that can be used fer pack-train purposes—are | being pressed into service tc-pight, and farmers irom outside districts are Lring- ing in theiranimals and disposing of them W. W. Davis, one of the owners of the Morrison Gulch mine on Morrison Gulch, adjoining the Graves Bros.” property, ar- rived to-night 4irect from his property. Davis registered at the Depot Hotel and was interviewed there by THE CALL corre- spondent. In the presence of a large number of prospectors bound for his part | of the country he quietly drew from his | inside coat pocket a small package, which | with its paper wrapper much resembled a can ot yeast powder. Knowing that he came from the goldfields the spectators were anxious toget a look at ihat can, ana crowded over one another in their esger desire 10 catch a glimpse of its con- tents. Unwrapping the parcel Davis took the lid off a small powder can, and there Head of Pear Creek, in the Sierras of Fresno County, Where a Rich Strike in Gold Was Mad: Recently. country in your section is a rich one you may find a bonanza.” Here is a letter from St. Helena: Dear Sir: 1 hear of a discovery of a rich gold mine in Coffes Creek, and if there is any chance of & good claim for me take it and I will recompense you for it, and let me know s 5000 &s you have the claim and I will come upatonce. I had made up my mind t0 go to laska, but I like Trinity County better, be- cause I know the people are honest. Please do this us s00n as possible, and I will pay ex- penses for the claim. This afternoon Henry Gable, the old California miner who led the race back from Chilcoot Pass, and his partner, Dr. E. V. Wingard, arrived on a special stags | which brought an early load. At Red- ding they got a fina outfit and bought a | pack-horse. The seller assured them that he was as gentle as a lamb and willing to work. When they got a pack on his back he bucked like a Texas broncho, sent fry- ingpans flying and nearly kicked a hole | in the depot. Thus the most experienced make their way to Coffee Creek. | No new stories of strikes are reported | to-day, but Landiord William Volimer | here received a letter from Storekeeper ! Mcliwain of Nash mine, near Hickory Gulch, saying that new indications weré being found daily. Jaues O. DENNY. g BRINGS A CAN OF GOLD. Owner of Morrison Gulch Mine Increases the Excitement at Redding. | One of the bystanders to pick up the fallen particles |+ “Ob, never mind that. We have plenty | of it and thelo:s of afew ounces doesn’t matter.”’ At that remark the eyes of some of | those prospectors stuck out until one | could have knocked them off with a lead pencil, and if they had before been en- | thusiastic over this trip to Trinity they | were now wild and could scarcely stand | the suspense of awaiting an cutgoing stage. “This,” said Davis, “is but the cJean-up of a small batch of tailings. We haven't | made our yearly clean-up, but will in a | few days, and then you will hear of more | gold. “Our mine,” he continued, “is adjoin- | ing the Graves boys’ claim, and I think it | is the richer property of -the two. We | have seventy-six acres and within the past two years we have worked only two and a half acres, and out of that ground have taken out some $273,000. We have, therefore, seventy-three and a half acres of unworked ground and there is plenty of gold left.” When asked if the reports of the late findsin the country had been exaggerated he replied: “No, they have not been greatly ex- | i aggerated. Of course, you can hear ail | sorts of wild rumors, but as a whole the | papers have given the facts pretty straight.” cisco, had struck it rich on Canyon Creex and were taking out large quantities of gold were verified by a man named Jack- son, coming direct from the scene of the new find. He states that this claim shows all indications of being exceecdingly rich and that they are averaging about $45 to the pan. From Callahans comes the news that a steady growing stream of mining men from Siskiyou County is passing through that town over the rugged Scotts Moun- tain, all bound for Coffee Creek. The men are all well equipped for prospect- ing. Over 100 have gone from the neighbor- hood of Yreka, in Siskiyou County, and the cumber has been adaed to by recraits from ¥ort Jones, Etna Mills and other towns on the line. Every town and camp for a radius of twenty miles around Trinity Center is packed with prospectors. Farmhouses bave been converted into hotels, and the farmers and miners are reaping a golden harvest outside of min. ing by affording accommodations to the newcomers. Tnis morning two prospeclors, ‘‘green- horns’’ all over, started out on bicycles, expecting to reach Trinity Center on theiwr wheels. The roads between here and the Center were not built for bicycles, and it is just possible that these two individuals will be compelled to walk into Trinity from the Shasta divide. LOUIS RABORDORE, the Lucky Miner, on His Way With His REDDING, CAL, Aug. 18.—One hundred and ten men, with baggage scfficient to Pack Horse to the Bear Creek Miniug District, Fresno County. This afternoon reports to the effect that | | three new-comers, bailing from San Fran- (0L FINDS IN FRESNO'S ~ KLONDIKE Reports of Pine Ridge Discoveries Not Ex- aggerated. MINING CAMP SOON™ TO BE ESTABLISHED. Many Locations Filed Slnce the Rabordore Ledge Was Found. STORY OF AN EARLY STRIKE RECALLED. | | Lost Placers In the High Sterra for Which Miners Have Vainly Searched. FRESNO, Cav., Aug. 18.—W. Wakefield | came down from Pine Ridge to-day with detzils of the recent rich strikes ot gold- bearing quartz in that locality. They in- dicate that tormer reports have been con- servative. Wakefield Towns placer digzings on Laurel Creek, which is in the vicinity of Bear Creek. He has been compelied to stop work for want of water, but will re- sume in the fall. He is but a short dis- tance from ti:e great sirike made by Louis Rabordore, on Bear Creek, and says that this ledge is remarkably rich, and that the | report brought down early in the week by | H. C. B, Gill was a modest statement of | the facts. In his opinion Rabordore’s mine is far more valuable than tbe esti- mates that have been put upon it. In fact Rabordore has a great fortune in sight. Since the discovery of this ledge a num- | ber of extensive locations have been filed and many miners have gone and others are going up to prospect on Dinkey, Lau- rel and Bear creeks. It isexpected thata lively and rich mining camp will soon be established. Wakefield is in parinership with Sam | Jennings, who runs the store at Kenyon station, and they think tbey have some fine prospvecis in sight. They are await- ing the result of assays on ore which they have taken out. 1t cannot be doubted that Fresno County has rich mineral wealth, and that with proper and systematic prospecting it can be aeveloped. Rabordore's good for- tune is attracting a great deal of attention, | and has stimulated mining in the moun- } tains very much. ———— ANDY’S LOST PLACERS. | A Rich Strike In the High Slerra, Found Years Ago and Lost Again. FRESNO, Car., Aug. 18.—The recent discovery of gold 1n the high Sierra recalls the story of the lost placers, well remem- bered by the people of this city. About twelve or fourteen years ago two Frenc - men arrived here, and it wae not long be- ! fore it was known that ihey possessed gold nuggets and dust to the value of some- thing like $10,000 or $11,000. At first they were extremely reticent as to where they had found the treasure, but after a while, | under the influence of the warm vintage | of Fresno, they made pnblic their secret. Inshort it was this: They had started on a prespecting tour through the coun- | try, and by accident more than intention found themselves In the high Sierra about | [ | s1xty or seventy miles northwest of this city. While wandering around, none too sure of where they were, they discovered | arich placer.in one of the innumerable | small ravines that lead away from the long backbone or ridgs of the mountain. | They were beside themselves with joy, for they saw that the golden treasure could be obtained for the mere work of gather- mg it. One thing stood in the way of their re- maining there very long, and that was that they were short of provisions. By the strictest cconomy with their scant store and the addition thereto of a half- grown bear, which one killed with a shot- gun, they managed to pan out nuggets and gold aust to the amount stated. | The story of the journey back to civiliza- % tion almost bordered upon the horrible. Several-times the men lost their way, and often after a hard day’s tramp they found themselves aimost at the same place frora | which they started in the morning or the day before. Such is the nature of the country in these high mountains that even those familiar with the lay of the | fand are at times puzzled to know where they are. At last, when almost ready to lie down and ‘“‘give up the ghost,” the men met a prospector who was searching throughout the foothills for the precious metal and | from him they obtained food and were di- rected to the path thut led them back to civilization, where they divided tbeir treasure. One had all of California gold- hunting that be wanted and hastened | away to sunny France, where thera ars no wild ravines infested with ferocious animalis and hunger to threaten him with death. But the fever for gold haa found its way into the blood of the other, who was known by the name of Andre or “Andy.”” He succeeded in interesting several men of means and on the follow- | ing spring the party started out for the new El Dorado of the high Sierra. No mining or prospecting work can be done during the winter time, for the snow falls well down te the foothills. “Andy" and his friends went to where | he thought the rich placer had been found on the previous year, and then began a long and weary searck. Up one gulch and down another the men hunted, but to no purpose, for, #s stated, one raxine looks about the same as another there. | The summer passed and the food eave out. The weary prospectors were obliged to rive up thesearch and return to Fresno. “Andy’’ was not discouraged, for the next year he went back to the hills again and nothing was heard of him until late in the fall. One day a wild-looking man, with long hair and whiskers sprinkled with gray, appeared at one of the farmhouses in the foothbills in an almost famished condition. He was muttering to himself in the French language most of the time, and when he did speak ic Engish the people realized that their guest was hopelessly insane. The stranger was finally recognized as “Andy,” the French prospector, and although he was well cared for his mind was a blank—shattered by hardship, hunger and the disappoint- ment of not being able to find the lost placer mine that onca made him rich. It was the inteation to bring him to Fresno and have him committed to an asylum, but the wild fellow evidently learned of | this and one morning was missing from the farmhouse. He was nowhere to be found. Months passed, and one day prospect- ors found the skeleton of a man in one of the gulches away back in the foothills of the Sierra, and the clotking clearly indi- cated that the unfortunate man was none other than “*‘Andy,” who found and lost a fortune in a placer mine. Many have searched the hills in the hopes of finding the lost placers, but none have been suc- | cessful. BLOCKED AT THE YOKON CATEWAY Continued from First Page. morrow, to be followed on Sunday by the Queen, which arrived from Alaska to- night. The passengers on the Al-Ki vari- ously estimate an innumerable host of people encamped at Dyea and Skaguay, some placing the number as high as 2500 at Skaguay, where the blockade is the worst. ‘When the Al-Ki left Skaguay the White Pass trail had not vet been opened, but at that time there were 400 miners working on it and it is believed it 18 open by this time. The price of packing over the sum- mit by the Indians averages 25 cents a pound, exclusive of lumber. At Dyes, where the bmggage is dumped on the rocks, the Indians charge a cent and a balf a pound for removing it to the shore. Itis estimated that the crowd at Dyea will number 11C0 persons. Many of the miners encamped at Dyea haye given up hope of crossing the sum- | mit this sgason and it issaid that many of them are only waiting for an oppor- tunity to sell their outfits and return to Seattle. Others are not disheartened at the prospects and are bravely awaiting their opportunity to hire several husky Indians to do their packing. It is sa:d that the good order which prevzils at both places 1s remarkable. Thievery is un. e ——————————— known and only an occasional fight dis- turbs the peace of the camp. Captain Patterson of the AlKi isau- thority for the statement that the hard- ships of the Chilcoot trail in particular are not <o great as have been represented. The horses, he says, have no difficnlty in packing an ordinary load along tbe trail and the miners have no harder work than the backwo:cd:men of any country. As stated heretofore the White Pass trail is in & very bad condition, however, and the people of Skaguay shrink from trying it after it is opened. J. Weiley Young, formerly city _ticket agent of the Great Northern Railroad, writes a short but encouraging letter to General Western Passenger Agent R C. Stevens of this city. Young dates his lete | ter from Skaguay, August 6, and says: There are & zreat many Seattle boys on this, the Skaguay, trail. We have not yet been able to procure horses. They seil at thigtime for $150 to $200 a horse, and are hard to zet atany price. We figure that in thiriy days they will be giving them away, as there is not sufficient feed to keep them over winter, and there will be mo use for them thirty days later. One can make a jortune in pecking justnow, but it cannot last more than four | weeks. One man owns three wagons—the only ones on the trail—and they net him about $75 to $100 each day. The road grows harder as we advance, but are still hopeful. We have three horses or- dered, which will be here in about three weeks. We cut down our outfits slightly, but still have more provisions per man than 75 per ceut of the crowd. We are now engaged in crossing aswift river, which 1s about four feet deep. Itislow in the morning and high in the evening, on account of melting snow. Partofthe river | we wade, using rubber-boots. We will be at | | least twenty-five to thirty days in crossing over to the lakes, a distance of thirty-five | miles. Sam Archer writes from Skacuay that the exorbitant charze of a firm of packers for carrying the corpse of Dwight Fow-| ler of Seattle a few miles has resulted in the organization of a law committee. Twenty-five men who intend to remain at Skaguay during the winter were selected to act as vigilanies and euforce the orders of the miners’ meetings. D. K. McKin- | ney of Seattle was made permanent chair- | man. G. E. Howe, who isone of the party that includes Josiah Collins, Launcelot Pelly | and other prominent Seattleites, writes to his brother, Attorney I. B. Howe, from | Sheep Camp, under date of August 4, as | follows: Sheep Camp is about thirteen miles from We expect to lcave here to-morrow for | Lindeman, where we have the rest of our | outfit and a hoat which we bought, for we | found that it was better to geta boat there | than to have ours packed over the trail. We expect to start from the lake for the Klondike, if no mishaps befall, on August9,and in ten or twelve days will be in the gold fields of | Alaska with a month or more to begin work | in before the winter sets in, | T suppose you will hear that many of the | miners have become dizcouraged and will re- turn home. We have heard these reports. I thick some of them are true, but these reports | do not apply to us. Seeiug the difficulties and hardships that every one has to contend with we are very much elated atour rapid progress. | 1think we are ahead of every one who has ax | large an outfit as we have and who started at | | the same time. From whatI can find out about | | the trip I think that we will be over tne worst | when we arrive at Lake Lindeman, and tbeé trip by water from there, which is about 600 | miles, will be a very pleasant one, | H. L. Miller of Seatile is meeting with | | success in the somawhat novel expeaition | | of transporting 700 head of sheep to the | Klondike. He left this clty with the sheep on the Al-Ki in July last. In land- ! ing them at Dyea thirty were lost. Since that time nothing had been heard of man or sheep until this morning, when a let- ter came down on the Al-Ki causing all | interested in the project to rejoice beyond their most sanguine expectations. It was written at Lake Bennett under date of August 8 and addressed to F. D. Black. It stated: We are getting alonz fine with our sheep. We have not lost any since landing from the Ki. We expect to make Cariboo crossing in | two days. The sheep will be carried down the Yukon Riverto Dawson City on barzes. | After several vexatious delays the big | steamer Humboldt steamed out ol the bay | this afternoon shortly after 3 o’clock. The libel suits brought by passengers | 1| were dismissed to-day. e EXTORTION AT SKAGUAY. Gold-Seekers Must Pay Dearly for the Privilege of Getting to Land. | TACOMA, Wasn., Aug. 18.—The steamer Queen, which arrived to-night from | Alaska, landed 250 prospectors at Dvea | and Skaguay. Most of them got off at Skaguay. The company owning the | wharf there would not allow freight to be | landed on1t. Miners and their outfits were accord- ingly landed on a flat rock, about two acres in extent, sitnated a mile and a half jout from the high tide line. At low tide there is a trail leading from this rock to the s ore, aond outiits must bs carried to the town of Skaguay fifty to seventy-five pounds at a time. _This is very slow work, | and a prospector having a ton of outfit will be at least a week in reaching town. | The manager of the company claiming tho land at Skaguay received orders by | the last mail to collect these tolis: For every horse swimming ashore, $2 50; for every ton of freight landed, §$2; 25 cents a day for each horse feeding on the flats and 2 cents 2 pound for all supplies going over the trail. The miners are de- termined not to pay these tolls and ques- tion the company’s right to collect tham. Ten days ago the company’s employes attempted to tear down a restaurant tent | erected by an old man. The Klondikers | came to bis rescue and made them desist. Many of those iniending to remain at Skaguay are now locating lots for them- selves and holding them. e TO DAWSON BY WATER. i Canadlans Prepiring to Open a River and Lake Route to the Klondlke. TACOMA, WasH., Aug. 18—The Cana- dians are now quieily preparing to open a new and practically ail-water route to the | ndik~ gold fields. It will pass through | ;itish :0 | and except for a number of portazes the entire trjp can be made by boat. The starting point is Edmonton, at the north end of the Canadian Pacific | branch line starting at Calgary. Calgary | is 642 miles east of Vancouver, and the | distance from Calgary to Edmonton is 181 | miles. From Edmonton this route follows the Athabasca and Slave rivers, Gieat Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River. Furtherq on a portage is made to Porcupine River, a tributary of the Yukon, which is then ascended 309 miles to the Klondike, | This route is the old Hudson Bay trunk | line to the north that has been in use for nearly a century. Along it are located nearly a dozen great trading posts, where the Hudson Bay Company exchanges products of civilization for the gold and furs of the Indians. 1 | The fac-simile signature of ot s is on every wrapper VAT OR 1 ROEEY S0 FELDS Thousands Cheer the North Fork as She Starts for St. Michael. FEDERAL OFFICERS LET HER GO. No Truth in the Many Rumors That She Was Un- seaworthy, NOT ALARMED ABOUT YUKON ICE. The Oaptain and COrew Expect to Be in Dawson Fully a Month Ahead of the Heavy Freeze. The much-advertised and long-delayed North Fork started for St. Michael yester- day at 1:30 o’clock with a large load of passengers and freight. There were thou- sands of spectators along the wharf and it | required the efforts of many police to keep back the throng of curiosity-seekers. When the vessel at last putoutcheers rent the air for some minutes, there were many touching fareweils and handker- chiefs were waived in the air. When the ship was finally loaded she sank in the water to the guards, but the Government officers and others who in- spected her said that she was safe and that with reasonable weather there would be no troubie whatever in towing the Mare Island. Though there were fourteen women among those who sailed for the north, Miss King, who advertised that she was going, was absent, as was also Mrs. Carey Dimond, who had concluded that the weather of the Klondike would be too cold for her, Captain Bascom, an old miner from the regions of Colorado and Mon- tana, was one of the principal passengers, as was also Olaf Winniogstad, a well- known mining engineer. When everything was ready to sail Surveyor English and lnspector Bolles made a thorough examination of the ship and said without hesitation that thero would be no trouble in the way of an over- load. It was not long then until all the Federal papers were properly signed and the vessel was off. Those who saw the Mare Isfand towed said she behaved elegantly and thas there would be little doubt that she would make the trip in good shape. Tue Novarro arrived from San Diego yesterday. Bhe is discharging her cargo of wheat at the seawall and will go north as goon as ready. Her passenger-list is almost completely made up. All who went up on the North Fork yes- terday felt confident they would get to the mouth of the Yukon before it freezes. They said they bad talked to old Alaska travelers whosaid the stream never freezes uutil the middle of October. Go On! Go On! Go On! F YOU HAVE MADE UP YOUR mind to lose all of your grip, thers is no power on earth tkat can prevent you. But have you got a mind to make up? You plan to do this to-day, and yon drop the whole thing as soon as you wake up to-morrow. You think of it at night; you are sure that you will do it the next twenty-four hours—and then you find that morning does not bring you energy enough to siart. Have you lived long enougn to know what that meens? Man alive! It means energy gone for notbing. Your body and your mind are being wasted, too! And vet in your inmost heart you would like to pose before the worid as a man! Take some sensible ad- vice. Don’t try to pose for what you are not. In the whole world there is no one who knows as well as you do as to how fast your vitality is being drained away. And it is going pretty fast too, is it not? Will you allow the doctors of the great Hudsonian Institute to show you how you can stop this fearful menace ‘o your strength? One call or one postage stamp will show you how countless men have been saved from despair. Why not get | the help you need this very day? If you do nota depleted system is sure to follow, and then Nature Calls The Halt. The ‘* HUDY, ’’ remedio-treatment will cure you. You peed entertain no foars about that. And If you have any other disease you mty be very certalu that relief will come at once. Write or call, and when you do, tell the §ruth avd the whole truth. Live again, ‘nn 1 HUDSOY NEDICAL IVSTITOYE, Stockton, Elis and”N 4 KLONDYKE BOAYS! of CASTORIA. LkDS AND BURROS, READY FORMRHIN pine. Boats 22 feet long wili carry 2JKgns o GOLD and & men: the lightest ana stro tha can be made; fastened with screws. G W. ENEASS, 718 B