The Post-Intelligencer chartered a tug at Port Townsend on Friday night to enable a staff correspondent to meet the incoming steamship Portland from St. Michaels, loaded with her treasure ef $700,000 from the Klondike. The steamship was boarded at 2 o'clock abreast of Port Angeles and the Post-Intelligencer correspondent was aboard long enough to get the thrilling story that follows. But the Portland is a slow-going boat. The Post-Intelligencer wanted to get the news to its readers at the earliest possible moment, so the tug was ordered sent to Seattle with the correspondent on board. The Sea Lion, Capt. Sprague, made the trip down in record-breaking time, arriving at 6 o'clock, at least two hours ahead of the Portland. The Portland has on board 68 miners with $700,000 in gold - not a man who has less than $5,000. Some of them have over $100,000. Some of them are Seattle men, and they come back happy and rich. This story, obtained under considerable
difficulty, but which is thought to be full and reliable in detail will be read with intense interest. It follows:
ON BOARD STEAMER PORTLAND, 3 a.m. - At 3 o'clock this morning the
steamship Portland, from St. Michaels for Seattle, passed up Sound with more than a ton of solid gold on board and 68 passengers. In the captain's cabin are three chests and a large safe filled with the precious nuggets. The metal is worth nearly $700,000 and the most of it was taken out of the ground in less than three months of last winter. In size the nuggets range from the size of a pea to a guinea egg. Of the 68 miners aboard hardly a man has less than $7,000 and one or two have more than $100,000 in yellow nuggets.
One peculiar feature to be noticed is that the big strikes were made by tenderfeet, while the old and experienced miners of many years' experience are suffering indescribable hardship and privation in Alaska and the Northwest Territory, and have only a few thousand dollars to show for their labor. Fortune seemed to smile on the inexperienced men who went into the mining districts late last year, as nearly all of them were the most fortunate. The stories they tell seem too incredulous and far beyond belief. Instances are noted where single individuals have taken out, in two and one-half months, gold to the value of $150,000.
Clarence Berry, of Fresno, Cal., went to the Yukon in 1890 and prospected several years without success. He returned home last autumn, was married and took his bride to the Klondike last November. He is now on the Portland with $135,000, the result of a winter's work and fortune's smile.
Frank Phiscator, of Baroda, Mich., is another lucky miner. He went to the Klondike last autumn and is now returning with $96,027, having worked two claims with nine men, three months, and he still owns the claims. He was one of the original discoverers of the El Dorada district.
Although most of the passengers are returning home with plenty of gold, they all advise and urge people who contemplate going to the Yukon not to think of
taking in less than one ton of grub, and plenty of clothes. While it is a poor man's country, yet the hardships and privations to be encountered by inexperienced persons unused to frontier life is certain to result in much suffering during the winters. They should go prepared with at least a year's supplies.
The rush to the Klondike region commenced late last year and the claims
were staked out and worked all winter. Labor was $15 a day last winter. Flour sold for $60 a sack and other provisions were proportionately high. Some of the mine owners attempted to lower the wages to $10 without success. By burning the ground to thaw the gravel, which
was hoisted up about twelve feet to the dumps, where it was sluiced and washed in the spring, miners were able to work during the entire winter. In the early part of last month the thermometer ran up to 85 degrees in the shade and in January it was 58 degrees below zero.
The steamer Portland was reported passing Cape Flattery at 4:30 o'clock
yesterday afternoon. The news dispatches from San Francisco announcing the arrival of the Excelsior at that port with many miners and a large quantity of gold has created a public demand for the latest and most authentic news from the gold fields of Alaska.
Realizing the impossibility of the Portland arriving in Seattle before 8 or 9 o'clock this morning, the Post-Intelligencer telegraphed to Manager Libby, of the Puget Sound Tugboat Co., at Port Townsend and chartered the tug Sea Lion, Capt. C. W. Sprague, to intercept the Portland in the Straits so that this paper's representative could interview the reterning miners and lay their stories before the public at the earliest moment.
At 2 o'clock this morning the Portland was stopped in the middle of the
straits abreast of Port Angeles by the Sea Lion. As the reporter went over the steamer's side and was met by Capt. Kidston, a crowd of miners gathered about, eager to hear the latest local news. Entering the captain's cabin, the skipper pointed to a corner in which
was piled three boxes and a large safe.
"There, you see those boxes and that safe; well, they contain in round figures over $700,000 in gold, and that metal weighs nearly a ton and a half," was the captain's response to the reporter's question as to the amount of gold that was on board. He continued:
"Out of the 68 passengers there is hardly a man on board who has less
than $5,000, and one or two have over $100,000.
The captain then went below and awakened one or two of his passengers, who came to the cabin and chatted a few moments about the Klondike and its mines.
CLARENCE BERRY.
Clarence Berry is regarded as the luckiest man in the Klondike. With a miner it is all luck, nothing else. Ten months ago Mr. Berry was a poor miner and today he is in Seattle on his way to his home in Fresno, Cal., with $130,000 in gold nuggets. He said rather modestly:
"Yes, I've been rather fortunate. Last winter I took out $130,000 in 30 box lengths, and in one length I found $10,000. Another time, the second largest nugget ever found in the Yukon was taken out of my claim; it weighed 13 ounces and was worth $231.
"I have known men to take out $1,000 a day from a drift claim. Of course, the gold was found in pockets, and those finds, you can rest assured, were very scarce.
"I would not advise a man to take in an outfit that would cost less than
$500. He must expect to be disappointed and the chances are that he may prospect for years without finding a paying claim, and again he may be lucky enough to strike it rich.
"The country is wild, rough and full of hardships for those unused to the
rigors of Arctic winters. If a man makes a fortune he is liable to earn it by severe
hardship and sufferings. But, then, grit, perseverance and luck will probably reward a hard worker with a comfortable income for life."
INSPECTOR STRICKLAND.
Inspector Strickland, of the Canadian mounted police, is en route to Ottawa on official business. His statements were guarded and conservative. He said there
were only two mining districts in what is known as the Klondyke section and
they are called the Hunker and Bonanza districts. He added:
"When I left Dawson City a month ago there were about 800 claims staked
out and there were between 2,000 and 3,000 people in 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 saw mill paid laborers $10 a day.
"The claims now staked out will afford employment for about 5,000 men,
I believe. If a man is strong, healthy and wants to work he can find employment at good wages. Several men worked on an interest or what is termed a "lay" and during the winter realized from $5,000 to $10,000 apiece. The mines are from 35 to 100 miles from the
Alaska boundary."
William Stanley, of Seattle, is among the passengers. He left his son in
charge of his interests in a couple of claims. He went to the Klondike last year and is now returning with nearly $90,000 in gold.
Henry Anderson, a native of Sweden and well-known on the Sound, sold a
one-half interest in his claim on El Dorado creek and is coming back to Seattle with $45,000 spot cash, the proceeds of the sale.
T. J. Kelly and son, of Tacoma, went in last year and made $10,000. The son is in charge of the claim, and the father is among the Portland's passengers.
Richard Blake, of Dungeness, has been successful, and is coming back to the place where he was born and raised with a big sackful of nuggets.
William Sloan, formerly a dry goods merchant of Nanaimo, B.C., sold his
claim for $52,000, and with the gold he took from the mine has come back to civilization.
Another man by the name of Wilkenson, of the same city, sold his claim for $40,000, and is back to stay.
Bob Strong, of Port Townsend, has a good claim, and is in a fair way to make a fortune; but his brother, William G. Strong, is not so fortunate. They are both working on the El Dorado river.
Jack Horne, of Tacoma, formerly a well-known lightweight pugilist of Puget Sound, went to the Klondike last fall and worked on a "lay." He is returning with something over $6,000, which is probably more than he could have realized in the "ring."
Frank Kellar, of Los Angeles, is on board the Portland with $35,000. He
went in iast year, mined during the winter and last month sold the claim for that sum.
Briefly, such is the story of nearly every miner on board. They all have
gold, and it is piled about the staterooms like so much valueless hand baggage. They attribute their success to "lucky strikes," and aver that thousands of people will rush to the Yukon valley in the next year or two, and after undergoing great hardships and privations will probably return broken in health and finances. All of the miners lay great stress on the necessity of taking in plenty of supplies, and say that the proper outfit
will cost not less than $500 to each man.
THE PORTLAND'S PASSENGERS.
There can be no doubt that the late strikes in the Yukon valley are the richest ever known. Instances are common where pans of gravel have yielded over $100, and occasionally much more. It is generally conceded, though, that all of the territory where the rich strikes were made has been staked, and that so far as those districts are concerned it is useless for any one to think of making locations.
But, then, there are other streams, all of which are known to have gold-bearing bars, but it is extremely doubtful as to whether their richness will equal the famed Eldorado and Bonanza creeks of the Klondike.
Following is a list of the Portland's passengers: Mrs. E. Gage, C. Berry and wife, Miss E. Nellor, F. Phiscator, F. Keller, A. McKenzie, C. Anderson and wife, C. A. Branan, O. Finstead, H. Anderson, W. Sloane, J. Johnson, C. E. Neyer, A. Gray, G. Worden, R. H. Blake, W. Stanley, W. Sims, R. McNulty, J. Halterman, J. Anderson, J.
Desroche, T. J. Kelly, V. Lord, F. Bellinger, J. E. Poucher, N. Mercer, F. Moran, J. Clements, H. Olsen, A. Proteau, H. Dore, M. Kelly, H. Granthier, M. Hall, B. F. Purcell, C. Silverlock, P. Coteland, J. Bergwin, F. Fabhr, J. Moffett, C. H. Loveland, Inspector
Strickland and wife, Sergeant Hayne, Sergeant Engel, Corporal Newbrook, Constable Jenkins, Constable Telford, C. Encher, C. Anderson, J. E. Fairburn, Miss P. Block, Miss E. Sedick and five steerage.
THE SUPPLIES NECESSARY.
What supplies are necessary for a man to take to the Yukon? is a question
asked every minute in the day. Miners returning from the Klondike on the Portland have furnished this list to the Post-Intelligencer:
Provisions.- Bacon, 200 pounds; flour, 800 pounds; assorted dried fruits, 150 pounds; corn meal, 200 pounds; rice, 50 pounds; coffee, parched, 75 pounds; tea, 46 pounds ; sugar, 75 pounds; beans, 150 pounds; condensed milk, 1 case; assortment of evaported vegetables and meats.
Clothing. - Two suits of corduroy; 3 pairs rubber boots; 3 pairs heavy shoes; 2dozen heavy woollen sox; ½ dozen woollen mits; 3 pair woollen gloves; 3
suits heavy underwear; 2 suits mackinaw; 2 hats; 4 heavy woollen shirts; 1 heavy coat; 3 pairs of heavy woollen blankets.
The outfit will cost about $175. Transportation via steamer to Klondike,
$150, or via Juneau and Dyea, $40. If by the latter route the carriage from salt water to Lake Linderman, a distance of thirty-one miles, say one and one-half tons, at 15 cents per pound, $450. Boat at Lake Linderman, $60. Miscellaneous, $25. Total, $750. Conservatively, that is a fair estimate of the requirements of a man who expects to remain in the Yukon for eighteen months. There are several other incidental expenses which might be incurred, or the amount of supplies might be curtailed to a slight extent.
"When are you going?" was the question everybody addressed to everybody else whom he met on the street yesterday. The city is wild with excitement over the rich strikes of gold made in that country, and, hearing men talk, one would suppose that the whole population was about to arise and, with one consent, go to the Yukon. Policemen,
firemen, street car men, clerks, bookkeepers, lawyers, are cutting loose from their business in a hurry and swarming to the outfitting stores and the steamer offices. Some doubters suggest that only the lucky ones are heard of, and that there must be many unlucky, but they are answered with the statement that $15 a day in wages is paid throughout the camp, and that men are scarce at that rate. That settles it, and all hands scatter to organize a syndicate which will grubstake them, or to buy their outfit if they have sufficient capital of their own.
The rush extends to men high in business and social life. Ex-Governor John H. McGraw and his son, Tom, are going. So are Ex-Brig. Gen. E. M. Carr; John
Mather, formerly manager of the Seattle Gas and Electric Light Company; Jess Brinker, son of the United States district attorney; Robert Webb, son of C. L. Webb, wholesale merchant; Josiah Collins, the well-known young lawyer; George B. Kittinger, a leader of the Republicans in the legislature; A. J. Balliet, lawyer and athlete; George F. Folsom, of the Novelty Mill Company; W. B. Goodwin; A. Sidney Hansard, of the First National Bank; Charles Wurtele, of the Great Northern railroad office; Col. Joseph Green; R. Abernethy, the Pike street shoe merchant; J. R. Hayden, Jr., mining broker; D. G. McTavish, painter; H. A. Frederick and Leroy M. Tozier.
Several members of the police force have resigned to take part in the exodus. Officer John F. Burkman and two others have been grubstaked by a syndicate of
sixteen of the force. Officer James Burns will also go to join his partner, who has
already made a stake.
The fever has spread throughout the fire department. F. B. Smith, Jack
Farr and E. D. Corfee have resigned and bought their tickets.
There is no telling how long the street car men will remain at their posts. W. B. Goodrich, secretary of the Madison street company, and conductor Wilson have bought tickets for the Al-Ki. A party of five, including L. C. Dabbett, are going with H. A. Frederick. C. G. Carr and J. N. Tyler have deserted the Green lake line.
Among others are I. J. Greenwood, the Western Union telegraph operator;
H. Willis Carr, William Jolley, Thomas McElwain, Richard Wood, J. H. Young, John H. Hughes, B. A. Burton, N. Peppern, E. Chevrette, D. R. Holden, P. I. Burseth, E. von Dietz, R. J. Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Nelson, who have already taken passage on the Al-Ki;
Thomas Keenan, H. C. Ludvigson, H. H. Homan, W. L. Shanks and Lester Marmot, both employes of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, and R. L. Warson, who is forming a party of three
or four men.
Perhaps the fever struck no locality harder than the water front. Among
others, Capt. Ed. Barrington, of the steamer Fairhaven, and Purser George Noonan, of the steamer State of Washington, having resigned to go. They will cross the summit. Already all the berths of the steamer Portland save two or three have been filled and beds will be made on the floor to accommodate the crowd.
Peter Sutherland, of Ballard, has received a letter from his partner,
George Guy at Circle City, who had just returned from Dawson City for his wife and
child and household furniture. He urged Mr. Sutherland to lease or dispose of his business at Ballard and go to the Klondike with a large stock of goods adapted to that country.
SCHOONER OUTFITTING.
The schooner Fischer Brothers is being loaded as rapidly as possible with
stores of general merchandise for the Yukon. P.C. Richardson superintending the arrangement of the cargo, said that he intended to go north himself in the spring, taking the inland trail across the summit to the Klondike. "Discoveries in the Yukon have but begun," he said, "and in five years from now the opportunities will be better fourfold because of the increased facilities for transportation. There are creeke that have not been touched. There is a large ground floor to the Yukon. In going there now I should not seek to get in on the Klondike, but would wait for reports of new strikes,and then start off to stake out a claim on the new discovery." The Fischer Brothers will sail Sunday or
Monday.
The hazardous enterprise of herding live stock into the Yukon by the inland trail has been tried several times this season, with what success remains yet to be learned. On the steamer Al-Ki, sailing July 18, will be 700 sheep in charge of herders employed by George L. Miller.
The experience of the Thorp party has proven the feasibility of getting cattle across the long stretch of bleak country, and with a reasonable measure of success. Miller will take in enough sheep to greatly lessen the possibilities of a shortage in food this winter.
TACOMA, July 14. - The news of the fabulously rich finds in the Klondike
has caused the greatest excitement to prevail in Tacoma, nearly every other question of public interest being side-tracked by the reports from the gold fields. Nearly everyone of speculative nature is talking of going in this fall or next spring, as the reports brought out by succeesful miners show that there are hundreds of streams that have never been prospected at all, nearly every one of which should contain gold.
There are a number of people in this city who have contemplated taking a
trip into that country for some time, but have delayed in order that something definite might be learned in regard to the richness of the district. Now that this has come, the bee has again begun to buzz, with the result that there will be considerable hustling, studying of routes and other arrangements incident to a trip to that far-off country. People generally seem to realize that it is a hazardous undertaking and one that requires much thought and means to make.
Several Tacoma people went in this year well provided for a long campaign. Letters from these parties will be eagerly watched for, now that the report has
been brought out that everyone up there is getting rich.
