OFF FOR THE KLONDIKE GOLD FIELDS

 

Klondike Gold Rush, The Scales Stairway.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, July 19, 1897.

OFF FOR THE GOLD FIELDS.

Seattle In a Fever of Excitement Over Reports From Alaska.

   SEATTLE, July 19.—The excitement over the Klondyke mines is increasing and hundreds of people are preparing to sail for Alaska. The steamer Portland, which brought down more than $1,000,000 in gold, on her return trip will be crowded to her utmost capacity.

   Conservative men who have been in the country claim there is room for hundreds more in Alaska. They admit that all of the fields in the vicinity of Klondyke have been taken, but every river in Alaska is, in their judgment, filled with gold, which can be secured if the men are willing to risk the hardships.

   Inspector Strickland of the Canadian mounted police, who came down on the Portland, says:

   "When I left Dawson City a month ago there were about 800 claims staked out, and there were between 2,000 and 3,000 persons there. We can safely say that there was about $1,500,000 in gold mined last winter. The wages in the mines were $15 a day and the sawmill paid laborers $10 a day.

   "The claims now staked out will afford employment to about 5,000 men, I believe. If a man is strong, healthy and wants work he can find employment at good wages. Several men worked on an interest, or what is termed a 'lay,' and daring the winter released from $5,000 to $10,000 each. The mines are 35 to 100 miles from the Alaska boundary."

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

Klondike Goldfields.

   Never in modern history have tales so wonderful of rich gold discoveries been told as those appearing in recent news dispatches, and the mines whence the vast fortunes are to be dug are of all places in the world in Alaska. Very rich finds of gold and precious stones have been associated in our minds heretofore with warm countries, but it seems the rule is to be reversed in the Klondike goldfields.

   The new mines take their name from the river Klondike, a tributary of the great Yukon in British territory. It does not matter on which side of the line the gold is, however. Quite as many Americans as British are there to dig it out.

   Last summer when miners from the Klondike region went to the Alaskan towns of Forty Mile and Circle City for supplies they told other miners whom they met that they were getting occasionally as high as $100 from a single pan of "pay dirt." They were laughed to scorn. It was observed in time, however, that miners in the Klondike region never went prospecting in other directions for better diggings. They staid exactly where they were and dug dirt and said nothing.

   This set other miners to thinking and finally to following on to Klondike. They found the mines were twice as rich even as had been represented to them. The mining thus far is by the rude system of placer working, or washing out pans full of earth to get the gold at the bottom. But even this wasteful way has yielded in some cases $500 to the pan of dirt. No wonder the miners in Alaska are tumbling over one another to get to Klondike. May they all make a fortune and, what is more, may they all keep it after they have got it. Such great addition to the world's gold store is welcome just now.

NO END OF GOLD.

POLICE STOP GUARDING AND GO TO MINING.

Millions Waiting for Miners to Come and Take It Out—Arrangements Made for Furnishing Food—No One Has Time to Weigh the Gold.

   SEATTLE, Wash., July 19.—A detachment of the mounted police of the Northwest territory, which passed through Seattle on their way to the Klondyke gold region two years ago, struck it rich. Five of the twenty guards returned on the Portland with gold amounting to $200,000. The other fifteen remained in Alaska to engage in mining.

   Mrs. E. A. Gage, wife of the son of the secretary of the treasury Lyman Gage, came down on the Portland. She went north on it and was at St. Michael's. She said in an interview: "The country is enormously rich. The present gold diggings are only very small part of it and there is little doubt that there are millions only waiting for the miners to come and dig it out. The men from the Klondyke are not the men to exaggerate for I have talked with people whom I know to be truthful.''

   It is declared that there is no danger of food giving out. All reports to the contrary are n o t honest. The North American Transportation and Trading company will not allow a man to take any food north from Portland, but it will guarantee to furnish him food for a year at less than $400. He can secure such a guarantee before leaving this city, so that starvation will not be one of the difficulties to stare men in the face.

   A letter received from Dawson City, under date June 18, contains many interesting facts. The writer, Arthur Perry, a well known citizen of Seattle, says: "The first discovery of gold on the Klondyke was in the middle of August, 1896, by George H. Cormack, on a creek emptying into the Klondyke on the south, called by the Indians Bonanza. He found $1.60 to the pan on a high rim. After making the find known as "Forty-miles," he went back with two Indians and took out $1,400 in three weeks, with three sluice boxes. The creek was soon staked from one end to the other and all the small gulches were also staked and recorded. About Sept. 10 a man by the name of Whipple prospected a creek emptying into the Bonanza and named it Whipple creek. He shortly afterwards sold out and the miners renamed it Eldorado.

   Jimmy McLain took out $11,000 during the winter just in prospecting the dirt. Clarence Berry and his partner, Anton Stander, panned out about the same in the same manner. Mrs. Berry used to go down to the dumps every day to get dirt and carry to the shanty and pan it herself. She has over $6,000 taken out in that manner.

   Mr. Lippin from Seattle has a rich claim and his wife has a sack of nuggets worth $6,000 that she has picked upon the dumps. When the dumps were washed in the spring the dirt paid better than was expected. Four boys on a "lay" in Eldorado took out $49,000 in four months.

   Frank Phiscater, who owned The Grand, had some men hired and cleaned up $94,000 for the winter. Mr. Lippin, I am told, has cleared up $54,000.

   Louis Rhodes, No. 25 Bonanza, has cleaned up $130,000 last winter.

   This is probably the richest place ever known in the world. They took out gold so fast and so much of it that they did not have time to weigh it with gold scales. They took steelyards, and all the syrup cans were filled.

THE BOUNDARY LINE

Of Alaska May Cause Trouble With  Great Britain.

   NEW YORK, July 19.—A special to The World from Washington says: The possibility of serious international complications between the United States and Great Britain, as the result of the recent gold discoveries in Alaska has become apparent to the state department. Senator Davis of the senate foreign relations committee has been requested to secure the immediate ratification of a treaty for determining the boundary between Canada and Alaska, in order to lessen the probable difficulty. Chairman Davis has announced his intention of calling this treaty up for action at the next executive session of the senate. There is said to be no objection and prompt ratification is expected.

DISLOCATED HIS FINGER.

Friel Stopped a Hot Grounder With His Finger Tips.

   In the first game with Canandaigua at the fair grounds this afternoon Friel, the pitcher of the Cortland team, attempted to stop a hot grounder and dislocated the first joint of the third finger of the right hand, throwing the bone which forms the tip of the finger over backward and causing the joint end to tear through the flesh and protrude upon the inside of the finger. He was at once taken into a carriage and brought down to Dr. Dana's office where the doctor readjusted the bone and dressed the wound.

   When a STANDARD reporter looked in this afternoon, Friel lay in a dead faint upon the floor, and the doctor was proceeding with the dressing of the finger. The doctor said that as he was working he suddenly discovered that the young man was going to faint, and he let him down upon the floor and applied restoratives and that he was coming out of the faint all right. He also added that this wound would heal quickly and that Friel could soon play ball as usual.

VERY CLOSE-MOUTHED.

But He Walked Over the Roadbed of the E. & C. N. Y. R. R. Sunday.

   A stranger appeared at The Kremlin [hotel] yesterday morning, having arrived on the 6 o'clock train, and obtaining a lunch started out on foot, stating that he intended to walk over the roadbed of the Erie & Central New York railway. He was driven back last night and boarded the 11:20 train for New York, having walked over the entire route. He registered as A. H. Jacoby of New York, and was very close-mouthed as to his business, though it was learned that he was a railroad contractor, and it was surmised that he was here as a representative of the [Mellin] Construction company to look over the railroad.

MISS JENNIE H. BELL.

Died Sunday from Effects of Burns Received on April 29.

   Miss Jennie H. Bell died yesterday at about noon at the home of her mother, Mrs. Jennette Bell, one and a half miles from East Homer, as the result of burns sustained on April 29. It will be remembered that Miss Bell, who was employed at the home of Judge and Mrs. J. E. Eggleston at 144 Clinton-ave., was that day while in the midst of housecleaning burning up some old papers in a fire which she had kindled out of doors. Her clothing took fire and she was badly burned in the small of her back and on the back side of her thigh bones. Everything which medical skill could do for her was done, but the wounds obstinately refused to heal, the burns being so deep. On Saturday, July 10, she was moved in the ambulance from Judge Eggleston's to her home, she thinking and her friends thinking that the change would have a beneficial effect, and for two days this seemed to be true, and then she began to fall and did not rally again till the end came.

   Miss Bell was a young woman 29 years and 8 months old, a member of an excellent family, and was held in high esteem by all who knew her. The terrible accident and its fatal outcome seems very sad indeed. She is survived by her mother, one sister and one brother.

   The funeral will be held at her home to-morrow at 1 o'clock and at the East Homer church at 2 o'clock. Burial will follow in the East Homer cemetery.

A. O. H. Excursion Saturday, July 24.

   The application for tickets from towns and villages outside of Cortland are coming in rapidly and the indications point to an unusually large number of out of town people. It is to be distinctly understood that the excursion is for women as much as for men and that every accommodation will be provided for the ladies. In order that every one may know where to purchase tickets, the list is here given: From all members of the Hibernians; also at G. F. Beaudry's, Brown's, Graham's, Watson's, and City drug stores, Cortland; J. J. Reider's, Homer; Swift's and Chapman's drug stores, Marathon; Collins' drug store, Groton; M. Meara's, Tully; People's Cash Trading Co., Limited, McGrawville; Jerry O'Connor's, Truxton; C. A. Stout, McLean; J. T. Crofoot, Preble. Tickets for the entire trip [to Alexandria Bay] $2.75.

BREVITIES.

   —New awnings have to-day been put up over the two south entrances of the postoffice.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—F. Daehler, Just in Time, page 4; F. Brogden, Fly Paper, page 8.

   —The beautiful hose carriage of the Emerald Hose Co. was seat to Syracuse Saturday to be replated with silver, all excepting the wheels, which are to be renickeled.

   —Flora, the nine year-old daughter of M. C. Stark of Penn Yan, one day this week, swam across the west branch of Lake Keuka, where it was about three-fourths of a mile wide.—Ithaca Journal.

   —While Willis L. Greene, an engineer at the Cortland Carriage Goods company, was engaged in cleaning some exhaust steam pipes Saturday afternoon, escaping gas was ignited from a torch held in his hand. His hair, moustache and eyebrows were singed, and his face somewhat burned. He resides at 115 Port Watson-st.

   —The assessment rolls of Cortland village will be at Fireman's hall for fifteen days from July 19 between the hours of 9 A. M. and 4 P. M. for examination by any one interested, and the last day of the fifteen will be grievance day, when any one feeling aggrieved at the assessment of his property can appear before the full board and make his case.