Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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m TRUE STORY ' OF THE KLONDIKE. Told by Joseph Ladue, a Returned Miner. A LONS BATTLE FOE GOLD. How the Hardships Hare Been Magnified. PT.ATff TALE OP A FBOSPEOTOB. THE LU?KY MINERS. Meas Who Got Lar?e Amounts of Gold Kusi, The Exaggerations. I first heard of vue big discovery in Augui?t, 1896. It was made by Bo bert Henderson. He got it ont by bis gold pan. in Gold Bottom creek, about 20 miles from Dawson. That discovery was in the form of rather flaky gold float gold-that is, the lighter gold, j which is carried along by the water and does not settle to the bottom of the creeks;. Wa^er will keep working the lighter gold down the creek, while the heavier nuggets will hang back and be found near the bead. I saw this discovery of Heiaderson's-what he struck first He had i? in a bottle, about $12 in nug? gets, I should think. That was merely from larospecting. It was probably three days siter the And that I saw it. That was really the first find which led to the discovery of the district. Have ? realiy seen gold taken out of this Klondike district? Well, I guess I have, I panned gold on my own dump past siring. I took ont of nine pans on claim Na 22, Hunker creek, $17 in nugge: gold. I saw two pans panned ont by a fellow named Mercier an 3 bis partner which paid $620. They took about 20 minutes to pan ont the twa I saw .Mr. Lippey when he probably had $850 in one pan. I did sot see it weighed. 828,000 In Four Hours. I guess McDonald turned out tba big? gest work for a day. With three men shoveling in for about four hours he took out 86 pounds, which was worth between $27,000 and $28,000. I heard of other big discoveries which I know to be correct. I know that Phisicatter cleaned np $92, OOO as he claimed. A claim on Bonanza creek t'y the hand labor of four men in three months cleaned np $65,000. The claim belonged to Louis Rhodes. Another one cleaned np $100,000 in three months. A claim in the EL Dorado district cleaned np $125,000 in the same tima Three men in the months of March and April pan? ned ont of 24 feet of dirt $62,000. That mine was owned by Leggett, Gates and Schutes. A fourth interest in each of two other claims cleaned np $40,000 apiece. I'll tell you where they get all wrong on these things. These diggings have sot bees exaggerated and cannot be ex aggexated. You meet a man, and he will tell yon he has brought oat $50, 000. Another man will tell yon he brought out $125,000. Then the steam era comedown to Seattle and give an? other edition of the same thing: It ix a pretty hard matter to get at exact amount of gold produced is Klondike region and brought to this -7 by the steamships which brought the first reports cf the big dis* coveriea. Some of tise men have undoubtedly ited reports as to their own dis? coveries, but it is imponible to go into and tell wherein they have fabri \ lam ?confident that every man who came dewn os the steamer Portland brought some gold, and some of them large gran ti ties-how large only they themselves know. I don't know Moss of Montana, who said there were 2,000 graves up there. He was never in Daw 80S. I would not like to say that anyone of the men has lied about the amount of gold that he brought out, but I have so personal knowledge that many of the men brought out what they said did. Our steamers brought down about $2,000,000. There was $4,000,000 taken out, as near as we could get at it, is the district ; ast winter. It was taken out, as you might say, in two months' time, by hand labor with pick and shovel I don't think there were over 400 mes employed is doing this. McDonald got a good lot pf that gold. Berry was benefited as much as any. Phisicatter, Mercier, Stanton and son, George Mul? ligan, Warden brothers, Louis Howe and several others got large amounts. I guess I got my shara GAME AND FISH. Both Abound In Great Variety and Are or Large Size. There are lots of animals and fish in the Yukon and Klondike districts. The moss and brush country is overrun bj mica They are not rats. There are 40 different &inds of mica They cause lots of damage in the stores of the settle? ments. The fur bearing animals there are marten; silver, black and arctic or white loxes; lynx, otter, land otter, beaver, mink, muskrat There are no buffalo now, but we find buffalo horus, ilbowing that they have existed there. We shoot moose and caribou for meat Caribou are plentiful; moose are not There are lots of bears, black, brown, grizzly and white. There are no deer ex? cept the Siberian deer, which are do? mestic and from whose fur the "par kies' ' we wear are made. We have a lit? tle ground bird, and swallows are thick. Geese and wild ducks, which breed ca the rocks and rivers in the summer time, are very plentiful. The geesd a^e so thick sometimes that you can't hear yourself talk. Daring the month of Angnst they come south as the sum? mer ends. The fishing is good in the Yukon and Klondike rivers. "We catch king salm? on there that weigh from 80 to 100 pounds, grayling that weigh 1% pounds, whitefish from 1 tc 20 pounds, lake trout from o to 48 pounds and ling, a sort of eel without scales, looking a good deal like a snake. Some of these weigh 25 or 30 pounds. We catch most of these by trolling, except the salmon, which we spear and net. In the winter I we fish through the ice for whitefish, grayling, pike and ling. Plenty of Building Timber. We have spruce, cottonwood and birch timber, all of which is good for build? ing purposes. The hills are quite thick? ly covered with large trees. The valleys have really the best timber. There are lots of wild flowers in the summer months. The wild roses are most com? mon. They are similar to our single leaf roses here. About the only thing we have there in the line of medical herbs are wild tansy, white sage and juniper. Strawberries, raspberries and cranberries are abundant I don't believe there is much outlook for manufacturing, although there is coal enough up there to support a great many factories at once, if there was anything to manufacture. The nearest ^smelter is at Tacoma, 2,000 miles away. I believe there will be a smelter at Daw? son ultimately to treat the silver and copper ores. There is plenty of silver in that coun? try, out it is of low grade and would not pay for transportation to be smelt? ed. In addition to silver, there is lots of copper.. ? have picked up chunks of copper weighing..eight pounds. It is found in the beds of the streams. The Indians use copper to make bul? lets of. Other minerals found in the hills are cinnabar and galena ore. The formation of the rock is limestone, slate and granite. THE PAY STREAK. " Miners Must Build Fires to Thaw the Frozen Earth. The first indication of the existence of gold is to be found in the bed of the streams. The way they go at it? Aman who ha3 a claim there digs a hole where he thinks it will pay to locate it He sinks a shaft, as they do inside line and apex mines in the western country. He sinks this shaft to bedrock, which varies from 5 to 17 or 20 feet below the surface of the ground. The ground is frozen to bedrock in the winter and in the summer also. It never thaws out. If he does not strike pay dirt in that hole, he goes in a straight line across his claim and sinks another hole 30 feet or so from the first until he reaches bedrock. He does this until he locates the pay streak. Then he starts in and drifts. Drifting is, after yon get to your bed? rock and get your pay streak located, building a firs along this pay streak and thawing it out, then hoisting the dirt out with a windlass and bucket The space is small that you have to start OB, but after yon work around awhile tfou nuke a larger circle, 30 or 40 feet across, which yon work around. Yon fire it every night and then hoist the dirt out The wood is split up very fine spruce wood-and is laid around close up to the gravel along the pay streak. Then it is fired in three or four different places. Gravel heats through very quickly. With one fire yon can loosen np and hoist as high as 125 buckets of earth, about 125 pounds to the bucket Six Fans Ia a Bucket. A bucket usually holds six pans of dirt, 20 pounds to the pan. This is hoisted out with the windlass. It is piled np around the shaft on the dump. A man has to keep raising his shaft He will build his abaft first about four feet above the snfrace and raise the dirt until it is level with that Then he will add more to his curbing, and so on until the shaft is sometimes $0 or 40 feet in depth. The stuff that is dumped is left until spring opens and there is running water in the creek. Then he sets up bis boxes and sluices to wash ont the gold. The operation of sluicing out a ton of this takes about 20 minutes, just as rapidly as four or five men can shovel it in, all in a clatter. That is washed through the sluices. !Fhe boxes have ripples made out of 2 by 8 inch slabs laid about half au inch apart, leaving a crack between for the gold to settle into. The rock, gravel and other waste wash away. The refuse goes down the creek and is left to take care of itself. Gold and the black sand remain. Black sand is usually rich in gold, fusty gold. We usually strike the pay streak near the bedrock, and it varies in thickness, be? ing sometimes 6 or 8 feet wide. There is.no gold in the beds of muck and vegetation on top. You strike the pay streak when you strike the gravel, and the gravel is the last-one to eight feet above the bedrock. The gravel runs down in the crevices of the bedrock sometimes. This gold sinks down to bedrock level from disintegrated quartz veins, string? ers, deposits, lodes, veins, etc., all lo? cal, and is found in nuggets varying from 1 cent up to $680. They call nug? gets dust. Gold In All the Streams. All of these tributary streams of the Yukon and Klondike contain gold, al? though not in paying quantities in some. Have there been any conspicuous fail? ures to find gold in these streams? Yes. There are a whole lot. Ten Mile creek, a tributary of Sixty Mile creek, is a failure, although practically the same kind of a stream as the others. That is 40 miles from Dawson. You don't nat? urally hear so much of the failures as you do of the successes. Boulder creek, a tributary of Sixty ? Mile, was also a failure; Little Gold creek, another tributary of Sixty Mile, and several others; Indian creek, a trib? utary of the Yukon, and Quartz creek, a tributary of Indian creek. Dominion creek, a tributary of Indian river, is the latest rich discovery, ac? cording to reports. I see no reason why that should not be as rich relatively as the tributaries of the Yukon. ' TOUGH WORK. And ]Sb 0=o Should Cia "Who Is Not Pre? pared For lt. Claims have been located, and they have found good prospects, but bed? rock has never been reached, as mining up in that country is hard werk, for the j reason that everything has to be packed ! to the mines on your back and every? thing has to be worked in the crudest way-no improved machinery or any? thing of the kind. Your wood for thaw? ing has to be packed on your back. Everything connected with mining is np hill business. It is no boy's play. A young man who does not want to work harder than he ever did before in his life does not want to leave a comfort? able home to go out there. Any man who has a good home here and a good occupation should not be carried away with the idea that he can pick gold off the bushes in that country. Gold mining in Alaska and North? west Territories, aside from the natural hardships of the severe winter, is the toughest kind of work. It compels great personal sacrifices of comfort and con? stant attention to business. It is no child's play. There are numerous fortunes still to be made there, but it will take capital and experience to get them out. We have no machinery to work with as yet except cf the crudest sort. Machinery will probably be introduced . after awhile. I shall take my own machinery in nest spring.' It will be the kind best adapted to that sort of mining. That is one cf the principal things I came out for-that and to get a little rest. Since I have been here my mail has steadily increased until it is impos? sible for me to give it proper attention. I have a number of the most valua? ble mining claims in the Klondike re? gion, all of which I secured by purchase. Before I left there I made arrangements with my partner to secure options cn any new discoveries which might prove valuable. Will Form a Company. When I came out here, I had no in? tention cf organizing a stock company to operate my mines, but since my ar? rival among my old friends and associ? ates I find that there are so many peo? ple who desire to invest, rather than to brave the dangers and bear the expense of a trip to the Klondike region them? selves, that I am about to place my mining property in a corporation of which I am president and general man? ager, and which I confidently believe will prove the richest gold mining com? pany in the world. About the ownership of the Yukon and Klondike districts, I read in the papers that this man Arkell claims to have been the man who fitted out Lieu? tenant Glave, John Dalton and a whole parry of Chilkat Indians-I would not say how many-that he was the man who located these mines, discovered them, in 1891. Now, the truth of that is that Glave and his parry went up the Chilkat river, across the Chilkat pass, and ex? plored the head of the White and Alsack rivers, which empty into Dry bay, a part of tho Pacific ocean, a little south of Yakutat. They were probably 500 miles from the mouth of the Thron Diu ck, where the gold diggings are, and on the west side of the Yukon river, while the Thron Diuck river is on the east of it I don't know what they did. They explored and ran around through that country. They had four horses-that is, three horses and a mule. There was no mining or prospecting done by that party. They were hun ting for a place to locate a trading post Jack Dalton did locate a trading post in 1893 on the headwaters of the Al? sack river, which he is still running and B Which is supplied by pack animals around by way of Chilkat pass. Mr. Arkell states that Lieutenant Glave died on his way back to his rich gold mines, which he had discovered on the Thron Diuck. It is a well known fact that Lieutenant Glave died in Australia about 1893 or 1894. No Gold In That Region. In the region explored by the Arkell expedition no gold has ever been dis? covered. It is certain that this party did not penetrate the Klondike* Yukon region or go anywhere near the Yukon river. The nearest point was probably Fort Selkirk, which was at a distance of about 300 miles. No expedition that went there ever reached the Klondike district or discovered the existence of gold there. There was not a claim staked out on it until Aug. 24 of last year, and that was located by George Mccormack. At the time of the discovery, in the whole of Alaska I would say there were prob? ably 2,500 men scattered over a range of territory of 1,000 miles at least The ten years I was there previous to the discovery of the Bonanza and Gold Bottom diggings no great discovery had been made. At least none has ever been recorded, with the exception of those at Circle City, where a few men made from $5,000 to $45,000. No great fortune was ever made there. HIGH PRICED CLAIMS. And Small Chance For Investors In the Klondike. I think the future of the Klondike country is bright, provided m inery is got in there and we can obtain sup? plies and ? proper way of mining. I think it shows well for numerous for? tunes to be made in there without mod? ern machinery and skilled labor. What we need the most of anything is to get companies to take supplies there, so that we cab get our machinery there and handle this property. Under the present conditions the country will nor support a very large population. Men who go in there now and think they are going to buy a claim for $1,000 or $2,000 or even $5,000 or $10,000 will be disappointed. The men who have already filed on claims fully ap? preciate the value of their holdings quite as much as any one who gees in for speculation can possibly do. They have better means cf knowing tbat a claim will make them rich thar the speculators have who are willing to po? of the value of the property, .mere are several reen of means there now who have tried to buy claims for the purpose of incorporating companies, but miners would not sell to them un? less they could get their price, j I don't think that any of the com ' panies organized to go there and. invest in claims or for the purpose of explora? tion will make any money out of it, be? cause the men who own the property now know they can get all the money they want to work with. The cry is that these men are speculators and want their claims for a song, and they are holding the claims pretty high in con? sequence. L Claims are held there all the way, for an unprospected claim, from $10, 000 to $200,000 and the prospected claims much higher. Very few if any of the claims have been incorporated. My idea is that men who go in there with $40,000 or $50,000 or $100,000 to buy up claims for the purpose of sp?cu? lation are going to get left. I am sure that many of the companies that are advertising that they have agents in that country purchasing valuable claims will never be able to buy any that will be profitable. They may be able to buy them on French creek and Skookum creek, where there is no water to work them in the proper time of the year. The only time there is water there is in the spring, when the snow thaws. I don't believe I would put any of my own money into a scheme organized for the purpose of taking a chance of buy? ing for a song unprospected property which is expected to yield millions. The owners of prospected property whose value has been demonstrated will certainly not dispose of their .holdings unless they are fully paid fer them. Unprospected property is what we call "wild cat," Old Companies. I think I have told you about all I know about the Klondike-Yukon dis? trict, its history, its people and its fu? ture. About the men who went in there with me? Well, William Moore, who left Arizona with me to go there, is now in Spokane Falls, Wash., as a min? ing expert. He is geing back in the spring. I guess he is doing fairly well. He has written me since I have been here that he is going hack with me next spring. John McGraw, who also went with me from Arizona in 1882, is driving a stage in Montana. I guess he is doing fairly well. He has married since. John Bogers, another member of the party, I have lost track of. I heard he was dead. H. H. Pitts, who was in the party, is running a trading post for Harper and myself at Fort Selkirk, 187 miles from Dawson. He is the manager of the post I guess Fitts is well fixed. I think he has made money right along. Robert Adams is working in the Treadwell mill at Juneau. I think he is one of the rock breakers and has been for years. The six cf us remained together for just about a year. We broke up after making one prospecting trip in the spring around to the head of Forty Mile creek and down Sixty Mile creek to the Yukon. Four of them went out of the country. I stopped there. I broke away from them at Fort Reliance. I staid there waiting for the steamer until she was past due. I had no supplies, so I went down the river and found she had broken down at St Michaers. I have worked independently and am working independently now. I am not in any position to control the mines of the Klondike region or any other place. I guess that is all there is to say. Take JOHNSON'S CHILL & FEVER TONIC. Free Fill?. Send year ad drei s to 13. E. Bu ck len k Co Chicago, and get a freo sample box of Dr i King's New Life Pills. A trial will convince you of their merits. These pills are easy in action and are particularly effective in the cure of Constipation and Sick Headache. For Mai laria and Liver troubles they have been proved invaluable. They are guaranteed to be per? fectly free from every deleterious substance and to be purely vegetable. They do not weaken by their action, but by giving tone to the stomach and bowels greatlv invigorate th? system. Regular size 25c. per box. Sold by J. F. W. DeLorm Druggist. 4 Th?re is no word so full of meaning and a^out which such tender and holy recollections cluster' as that of7'" MOTHER "-she who watched ovv?r our helpless infancy and guid? ed our first tottering step. Yet the life of every Expectant Moth? er is beset with danger and all ef? fort should be made to avoid it. H ti i so assists nature MfltnPr Q in the change tak IflUlL'Oi V-ing place that 'mm -' m i ^e Expectant L I* i ft Tl fl Mother is ena f ! IK ?I H bled to lookfor B I I Villi Ward without dread, ' suffering or gloomy fore? bodings, to the hour when she experiences the joy of Motherhood. Its use insures safety to the lives of both Mother and Child, and she is found stronger after than before confinement-^-in short, it "makes Childbirth natural and easy/' as so many have said. Don't be persuaded to use anything but " My wife suffered more in ten min? utes with either of her other two chil? dren than she did altogether with her last, having previously used four bot? tles of 'Mother's Friend.' It is blessing to any one expecting to be? come a MOTHERsays a customer. HENDERSON DALE, Carmi, Illinois. Of Dru^gi^ts at $1.00, or sent by mail on receipt of price. Write for book containing testimoni?is and valuable information for all Mothers, free. Tho Bradfield Regulator Co., Atlanta, 6a. Tte Lamest aid lost Complete EstalMut M. Geo. S. Hacker & Son, co -MANUFACTURERS OF DOORS, SASH. BLINDS, Moulding & Building Material. office and Warerooms, King, opposite Can? non Street, CHARLESTON, S. C, Parchas* our make, which we gu?rante 8operior to any sold South, and thereby pave money. Window and Fancy Glass a Specialty October 16-o STANl ON HOUSE. D. J. JONES, Poprietor. Rates $2.00 Per Day. SPECIAL TEEMS TO FAMILIES Two Minutes Vails From Central Depot. Chattanooga, Tenn. July 29. THE CHEROKEE INN, 1,000 Feet Above the Sea. A Perfect Summer Home. Cool Rooms. 800 feet of Wide Porches. Extensive Well-shaded Groaode. Tennis Coorts, Dancing, Children's Play Grounds, Good Drives, Reasonable Livery Charg?e, Cool Nights, Pore Air, Litbia Springs. Coolest and sweetest water in the State. Fre-b Fruits and Vegetables, Cnisioe and service the best. Easy of ac? cess, rates reasonable, 8 mails daily. JNO. F. JONES, June 9- BLACKSBURG, S. C. Tie Stflier FiiMs Tte, resilient, light, durable and guaranteed against puncture. No leather, steel or wire. STODDER PUNCT?RELE3S TIRE CO., 58 Warren St., N. T. City. Also STANDARD BICYCLES, are high grade in every particular, price $100. Special inducements to clubs. Reliable agents wanted in all unoccupied territories. Address Tie Geo. Mroiicfc Co, 7tb Ave., 28 & 29th St., X. T. City. March 24. DRUGS AND Soda Water* Toilet Articles, Drugs and Patent Medicines? PERFUMERY, EXTRACTS TOOTH BRUSHES, HAIR BRUSHES, COMBS., TOILET SOAPS IN GREAT VARIETY. Prescriptions Careful? ly filled day and night -AT J.WHS0N & GO., DRUGGISTS, MONAGHAN BLOCS SUMTER. S. C. Lamp shades when artistically made cf crepe tissue are things of beauty. If yee want to make shades to beautify jour homes H. G. Osteeo & Co. can supply the materials A large stock of crepe tissue in ten foot rolla just received. Don't you want a good Mower and Rake ? There is money in saving your Hay, and it can be done at a very small cost. The McCormick new No. 4 Steel Mower is the best all around ma? chine on the market to-day. It has all the latest improvements. The gear of the McCormick is wonderfully improved this year. We certainly have the finest, most durable, simplest, and the lightest draft machine on the market, and will run where others stop dead still. The cutter bar is furnished witli steel bearings. One knife in a McCormick Mower will last longer than two in most any other mower made. Write our agent, Geo. F. Epperson, Sumter, S. C., for descriptive catalogue and price list, which will be mailed you free. Remember, we keep on hand a full and complete line of repairs at Epperson's Stables, Sumter, S. C. i