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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1898)
on TTTR mrATTA TATTjV ) BEE : STTTSTDAV. OCTOB.EH 2 , 189S. IDEAL COUNTRY FOR HISINC Ihtnlln Garland's ' Acojunt of tha New Atlin Gold Field , VERY RICH , BUT HARD TO REA Loi-nlnl In nn Unczplnrril wltli n IMcniiniit CllmiUr llrnch mill UmirU I'linl * , nn \Vell nn 1'Jnccrni SKAOWAV , Sept. 16 , 1808. The course of Yukon travel appears to bo glutting. Tbo source of this greaj river , and not Us mouth , seems likely soon to bo the principal port of entry. Dennett lake , Taginh and Atlln arc all connected and form ono Irregular body of water much rnoro extensive than any printed map shows. These lakes spread among the mountains like giant bands. They lay hold of scores of creeks and touch the most promising gold fields. Once on this scries of lakes the prospector has In com mand the whole upper valley of the Yukon. Foreseeing this , the Pacific & Arctic rail way Is chiselling and blasting Its determined way over the grim , blood-stained White 1'ass and on down to the head of the Windy Arm of Taglsb lake. A few months more and travel to the Yukon will be easy and rapid and a new town will rise at the rail way's end. The land boomer will have an other chance. This the Bennett City people clearly percclvo and all building there Is Impermanent because of this feeling. It Is Btlll n town of shanties , tents and boats. It Ib , notwithstanding , a busy place. Down over the cruel rocks trains of heavily laden pack animals : crawl to discharge their freight. Boats of all sorts are constantly building on the beach. Steamboats of the size of mudturtlcs toot to and fro , and pros pectors of all ages and conditions bustle about ; even whllo lh steamboats arc In motion carpenters on board go on cleaning nnd hammering uninterruptedly. Soon it will bo easy mid cheap to rldo to any part1 of the new diggings. Himlu * Itiinli I The spring rush to Bennett had fallen off glaciers and over unexplored swamps. Kvery conceivable folly was manifested. Scarcely ono man In ten of nil this host could nropcrly pan a shovelful of dirt , and not a few of them were the nc'r-do-wells of the country. The experienced mnn was In less haste , Ho took three months' grub , together with proper tools and clothing , and went In for a careful study of the country. Bennett lake was the shipping point for most of these men who had precaution and means enough to properly provide for themselves. Many of the hasty-pudding prospectors , however , tried other ways , and met with disaster. iloro than two hundred who tried the overland trail failed to cross the stern barriers of Ice and granlto which Ho between the coast and the head of Atlln ' water and were forced to return ragged , snow blind , lank and dejected. Locution of ( lie Neir Field * . The strike was In a region little known to the boatmen of the lakes. Pine creek lies far cast of the Yukon travel. No one knew how extensive Taglsh water was and Atlln lay In a Btlll more completely unex plored region to the cast. Toward this land the mob cheerily voyaged , mainly by small boats from Bennett. After packing over the forty-four miles of trail , four or five of these weary nnd footsore adventur ers would spread sail In n boat and ga swooping down the long , sparkling pea- green drift of the lake , their caps ex ultantly In the air. But when Taglsh water was reached the songs lost something of their resonant major. The wind forever roars down Taglsh lake and Its Windy Arm as It docs through the granlto groove In which lies Bennett lake. There was no more sailing , then work began. It was an Inch by Inch struggle with the strong and lusty waves against a head wind. It was the work of days to drive the boat up the seventy or eighty miles of water between Caribou Crossing and the Toku arm of Taglsh , From there the way was easier , with a little sailing , maybe , to the landing of Taku City. From Taku City n short and easy portage of two miles leads to Atlln lake. AH this sailing and rowing was on one of ho most superb and splendid Inland waters In America. Far to the south the lofty glaciers of the savage coast range shone like MAP OF ATLIN GOLD FIELD. to a quiet and sleepy trade , when , one Au gust morning , the news of a strike near by tilled the town again with floods of gold peckers from Juncaii , Skagway and Talyo. The cause was simple. Placer gold had been discovered on the shore of Atlln lake , less thnn fifty miles away. As early as 1892 a man by the name of Miller had discovered good colors on an un known stream running Into Atlln lake from the southeast. Ho returned to Jun'eau after making a visit to the lower Yukon , but did nothing further with the Atlln prospect , except to talk about It to his friends. In a number of Instances ho drew rough dia grams of the country as ho remembered It , and allowed them to remain In the hands of his friends. Knrly In the present year a party of young men came Into possession of ono of these maps and set forth In the determination to llnd the creek and the placer. They crossed Atlln lake and began to prospect the stream , which Is.now celled Pine creek. As they mndo their way up the valley they came upon Miller at work. After some years of ventures ho had returned to his early dis covery and was busily sluicing. He believed himself to bo In the Northwest territory , nnd to avoid royalty and for other reasons had kept his mining quiet. The newcomers readily agreed to bo silent also , and they too net to work. After some weeks , how ever , It was considered safer to record , and a man was sent to Taglsh House for that purpose. Tlio 31o < l T C'riMvil of I'roniicctnrii. Major Strickland , the commissioner of the upper Yukon , also believed the mines to bo In Northwest Territory and made record of the claims. He afterwards visited Pine creek and the claimants staked In ac cordance with Northwest Territory laws , reserving ten claims for the queen and claiming 250 feet each. When this visit of Major Strickland became known rumors of Miller's rich mine began to sift about. Soon the facts of his location became known and the rush bccan from Bennett , Skagway and other towns down the coast. The news moved out serially like circles on the water. The crowds of men which this wave touched melted away from the ptrcot corners like heaps or sand on the beach. In parties of threes nnd fours they "hit the trail" nnd In a couple of days these nearby towns are well nlch empty of men. Barbers , merchants , mechanics , professional men every man who eould get nway. pulled out for the gold fields , or tent some ono to represent him , The hands on the steamboats leaped ashore. The rail way praders deserted In hundreds , and nlong every trail these two-legged beasts of burden poured as If some vast plague of stranco beetles had set In from the coast. Some went In with ten days' provisions ; fnme with more , but the larger part ot these "tenderfoot miners" wcut "with cl- earctto and a sandwich. " They covered the hillsides of Bennett lake with tents ; they set rude masts Inrail boats , and at the risk of life crowded Into clumsy barges , others sought short cuts across the Onpt. \ \ II. Dunlap , Ohatta- noogBTonn.sfty9 : "Severalyears ago bolls nnd carbuncles Appeared upon mo to an alarming extent , causing me great troubln and pain. Physicians' treatment did not seem to avail , and finally I decided to give 8. S. 8. n trial. I improved at once , and after taking six bottles , thoboiUandcarbunclesdisappeared entirely. " ( Swift * * "ipoi'ific ) IB the only blood rem edy guaranteed purely vegetable ; It forces out every truce of Impure blood , and cures cases that no other remedy can touch. Valuable books mailed free bv Swift Speciiio Co. , Atlanta , Ga. glass and the bases of the peaks were pur ple with distance. Near at hand pleasant grassy slopes with fine streams and meadows reached to the water's edge. The first great rush was joyous , but as the gold fields neared the gold grow more elusive. The locations near discovery were already staked and those who came after wore driven to less inviting ground were , Indeed , forced to prospect for themselves. This they had not planned to do. Their hope had been to profit by the skill nnd toll of some other man , and after to sell at a high price as. the excitement grow. Being shut out of Pine creek , on which the discovery lay , they waited sullenly , swearIng - Ing at every soul but themselves , until Borne other actual miner made n strike , then they rushed after. Ono such rush had already taken place , a mad midnight frantic scram ble took place about August 10 , a rush which resulted In very little to most of those who took part. For whllo they staked claims for themselves and others they never returned to look upon their stakes again. They only succeeded in confusing the actual miner and blocking the game. Ultimately their meager store of grub vanished and then profane , sullen and vituperative they started for home , loudly proclaiming the Inlquitv of the officials nnd the utter worthlessness - lessness of the gold fields. The boundaries ot Atlln lake are even yet untroced upon the map. For nearly 100 miles Its position among the mountains can bo traced from the hills nhove the clump of tents celled "Taku City. " It reaches from the coast range just back of Juncau to the range of mountains which walls Tcs- lln lake on the south. Its shores are low hills , with alluvial terraces reaching to the water , with immense peaks In the back ground at the south , west and north. A powerful stream , which takes Its rise In the glaciers of the coast range , enters at the southern end and a smaller stream called Pine creek , which takes Its source In another and superb lake , flows In at the southeast some thirty miles from the south ern end. This creek Is the ono on which the first discovery was made. Other creeks enter along the shore on both sides , whllo far to the north a big dome-like mountain seems to divide the northern lake into two diverging arms. Pine creek rising In Lake Surprise ( which Is said to bo nearly sixty miles In length ) , flows down through a series of wooded terraces Into the lake and Is about eighteen miles long. Some two or three miles from the mouth of Pine creek a small creek which has been named Spruce enters from the southeast and Birch creek comes down from the hills and enters Pine not far from ten miles above the lake. The entire region shows That it Is shot with gold throughout all Its wash is pretty well determined , but whether In paying quantities or not remains to be seen. Not IIUc Klondike Conntrj- . This thing Is certain , the whole region Is utterly different In contour and formation from the coast range. It opoears dryer nnd much moro alluvial. Its peaks resemble those of Montana and Colorado. There Is scarcely a trace of the cold , gray granite of the coast range. They all 1 I are Iron stained , "rotten , " as the miners say , and covered with "slides. " Small I fissures still In volcanic action are re ported from the valleys. On Its face It Is an ideal mining country. Should tbo camp develop It wilt bo a city served by boats. Even now , twenty days 1 after 'tho first rush , boats come and go In 1 shoals. The beach before "Atlln City" is 1 fringed with water craft like the wharf of a New England fishing village. It Is neces sary to bo n sailor or at least a boatman as well as a prospector If one wishes to bo successful In < ho Atlln lake gold country. When I arrived trails were already beaten , i sluiceways were being dug , lumber was being t ripsawed by most awkward but determined t men. The feeling was buoyant. A permaj j nent camp was being established. "The c gold Is here , " said those be t Informed , "but In what quantities no one can tell. " During my stay pans yielding as high as $3 In 1 coarse gold were taken from the bench I claims , which only u few days before had I been considered of no account. c The best results came from the dry I benches high above rlrle creek. ThU would seem to Indicate that the placers were due to quite other causes than the , flow of this meager stream. If this should . turn out to be true then an Immense placer field requiring extensive systems of hy- draullc mining will be opened next year. The country Is not only most beautiful , It Is fairly accessible. It may be entered by way of the White Pass or Chllkoot routes , thence by water Sown Bennett lake and through the Taku arm of Taglsh to the Atlln portage. There Is a second route already ( called "tho Brooks trail" ) which runs overland In a short cut to Taglsh water , thence by boat to Atlln portage. This route , as soon as the lakes freeze nnd snow falls , will undoubtedly be the shortest and easiest. A third route IB reported whereby Lake Surprise may bo reached from the Tcslln lake trail by boat to Wrangle , thence up the Stlckccn river to Glenoro by river boats. From Olenora the Tcslln lake trial can be followed for 100 miles. From a point at the head of Long ake , or near there , the divide way bo crossed without much trouble , probably with pack animals. This , however , Is only re4 lorted to be practicable. No one has yet actually gone In by that way. TrnIN nml Water The routw likely to bo most traveled , how ever , Is by way of Bcnnott and Tnglsh , for t Is possible < to line a boat through Atlln river , a strong swift river which connects Atln lake with the Taku arm of Taglsh lake. Thus the Argonauts who reach this spread of water with a good boat will be n command of at least 300 miles ot lake shore , with wide areas of good prospecting round on which 'to ' land. A trail leads up Spruce creek as well as the fuir length ot Pine creek to Lake Sur- irlse , and on these two trails men are rnck- , ng to and fro with tents , stoves , sacks of flour , picks nnd shovels , boots and boxes on their backs , walking swiftly and in trains ike some new variety of pack animal. The camp on the lake was swarming with men in. h'ot discussion on the evening that [ pitched my tent among them. The ma- lorHy believed the camp to bo a failure and their loud cursings resounded among : he trees. Boats were setting off on the return trip filled with sour nnd sullen voy agers. Wo who were Incoming were greeted with Jeers , "What In h 1 do you Chink you arc doing here ; come to hunt or flsh ? " In the face ot such universal dejection late comers made very llttlo statement of their pur poses In reply. The town slto men were nervous. The camp was decreasing In popu lation and the general feeling was one of foreboding. At night In the camps men sat grumbling , and swearing about their camp fires. Almost every party was In division. There was al ways some enthusiastic Individual who had made a "flnd" or had seen some one else who had. This man was set upon , ridiculed , abused or upheld according to the tempera mental difference of his hearers. The noise of the discussion reached other groups and out of the dark , hulking figures loomed to listen or throw a hot missile of profanity. Phrases multiplied , mingling Inextricably , Bench claims , 30 cents to the pan. " "A good creek claim. " "His sluice is about ready. " "Cleaned up last night. " "Oh , I don't believe it ; I wouldn't give $100 for the whole d n moose pasture. " "Well , It's good enough for me. " "It is rotten , the whole d n cheese. " "You have got to stand in with the authorities or you can't get a thing" and so on and on endlessly and without sequence. Gradually the camp thinned out. The faint-hearted ones who had not the courage or the skill to go dig and sweat for gold sailed away. Others went out upon their claims to build cabins and lay sluice boxes. Others still busied themselves with packing their goods up tbo trail or scoured the coun try for now Indications. Slowly the voices of the men who meant business began to predominate. They were cheerful and confident ; moving about quietly they began to buy more tools and provisions. To their friends they showed gold not much , but enough to demonstrate that there was a real basts for their hope. Thereafter each day the news grew more encouraging. Each noon ut Discovery and each night at the lake men came In swarms to exchange reports of finds on this or that creek , and at last came the- surprising richness ot the bench high above the creek. Ilciich nml Quartz Kind * . An old man was digging on a ridge just above Discovery. The passerby had his jests j , "Hello , uncle , what are y.ou doing up there , dlgglu' your grave ? " The old man remained studiously quiet and continued to sack the dry dirt and "pack" It down to the creek , where he washed It out In a , pan. The Jester began to stare. Strange to say , gold came out of , this loam. The old man panned dollars , from his ridge. Everybody began to "rub . berneck. " The old man was embarrassed to flnd a pathway to his place of washing. Then the rush for bench claims becan. The possibilities of the camp widened. In stead of being a "creek proposition , " it be came a big "hydraulic proposition. " Nug gets appeared from some mysterious source and ' passed from hand to hand. The faces of claim holders broadened. The voice of the doubter was whelmed In the rush of confident boasting. And then on the last day of August came the news of the discovery of the quartz beds , for which the experienced minors had been searching from the moment of land ing. Of these discoveries little can be said ns yet. There was a quiet passing of the word among friends on this last night In August , and on the following morning both camps were nearly deserted. It was said that fine pieces of quartz containing lumps and seams of gold had been found , and the townslte boomers were as Jubilant as the miners. The returning boat carried men whose certainty of tone Indicated their conviction that ; the country was rich and that they were "In It. " Some of them felt their need of getting drunk over the glorious prospect. Others were hastening homo with samples of gold In llttlo boxes nnd bottles. They were not prepared to develop their claims this year ; they were satisfied merely with a test of their ground. Others had men at work taking out paying quantities of gold nnd would therefore remain until the closing J ing ! of winter. The character of those com ing In had also changed. They came on private "tips , " bringing rockers , pieces of "grizzly" and plenty of nrovlslons. Tinllcniitlfx of Atlln. The weather was very beautiful , llko mid die September In northern Iowa. The vividly blue sky was filled with soaring masses of fleecy clouds , and over the hills and athwart the mountains long clouds of smoke streamed like graceful drapery. The climate utterly different from that ot the coast. As wo sailed down Taglsh water and up Bennett and came into that remorseless blast which ceaselessly sweeps over the Whlto Pass and Chllkoot Summit as It from some sunless and dreary Inferno we shivered with cold. No words can exaggerate the beauty of Atlln lake and Its shores , The water , so clear one seems on wing rather than afloat ; the gleam of enormous glaciers , the gold and purple of the high slopes covered with grass and shrubs , the copper stained cliffs jutting forth Into the water , the sweeping lines of forest fires climbing the mountain sides at night , the wondrous pathway of the setting nun , the windless sheen of the lake at morning these form a picture that once &een can never bo forgotten. Terror * of theTroll. . To return from this country to the Chll koot pass Is like entering upon a landscape In hell delineated by Dore , All day 'J ' ' faced the roaring wind filled with rain , all day I climbed , slipping , balancing , descend Inc. wadlne streams , climbing Iocs , bur J v H / ( { " , This Week at'the Exposition ; j Omaha > v MV , < List of Special Events 4 , / v 4. . Tuesday , Oct. 4 , Michigan Day. * * * ' Ak-Sar-Ben Parade 4 / ( evening ) - - Wednesday , Oct. 5 Pennsylvania Day * Ohio Day. Thursday , Oct. 6 , So. Dakota Day. 6t Electrical Parade ( evening ) vt-/ Vrv /S-N / - Special Musical Program Daily The Renowned Junes Band Unique Attractions on the Midway Streets 4 Hundreds of Indians People , Primitive Village on North Tract. " * Santiago War Balloon Ascension Daily Gorgeous Illumination of the Grand Court Daily Drills of the U. S. Life Saving Crew Sham Battle and War Dances by Indians Trophies Won by American Arms Before Santiago War and Navy Exhibits in the Government Building Admission 25c Sunday Afternoons and Monday and Thursday evenings. Reduced Rates on All Railroads rying by the rotting carcasses of murdered . horses. Mud was everywhere , greasy , treacherous , slimy. About mo was a wclrrt half-light , walled by formless gray clouds , out of which the rain fell In slashes. The mist set the Imagination free. The pinnacles were llko those which top the enormous walls of the Black canyon of the Gunnlson. t . We scorned each moment about to plunge ' Into canyons , ladderless and abyssmnl. Noth ing In Doro could bo moro singular and demoniacal than this summit under such ft light in such darkness. It would servo as ' the scene for nn exiled devil. The picture of Beelzebub , perched upon one of these dripping crags , with dimly seen and gapIng - Ing culfs of space below and around his menacing form , silhouetted on the mist , , would shako the heart. I thought of "Peer Gynt" wandering in the high home of the Trolls. All was crags , descending walls dimly seen , nnd wild waters roaring In oh- scure deeps. There was no sky , no levet place , no growing thing , no bird or beast , only crates of bones to show where some heartless driver had sent a faithful horse to his death. This Is a fair Impression of the Chllkoot pass on a rainy day. Ot the White pass It remains merely to say that when one has taken the Chllkoot pasi ho wishes ho had taken the Whlto pass , and when ho has walked the Whlto pass with Its thousands of rottinc bodies ot horses. Its poisonous water and its dreary miles , he resolves never again to take either. They are grim and devious ways , but they possess a certain value in that they throw Into fadeless and powerful re lief the calm , the golden warmth and the proud beauty of Atlln lake. Chronic Ularrliorn UureA. This Is to certify that I have had chronlo diarrhoea over since the war. I got so weak I could'hardly walk or do anything. Ono bottle of Chamberlain's Colic , Cholera and Diarrhoea Itemedy cured me sound an-1 well. J. ft. Glbbs. Flncastle. Va. STOIUI2S AHOUT NOTAIJMSS. William Smith O'Brien , the leader of the National party of Ireland , who was trans ported In 1S49 , had none of the gifts which attract the multitude , relates Youth's Com panion. Ho was not an orator , his manners were not winning , and he made few Intlma- oleg. oleg.But But hlj character and his well-poised head put him at the head ot the Nationalists , whose purpose was to secure the Independ ence ot Ireland. An anecdote related In Sir Charles Gavan Duffy's book of remi niscences , "My Life In Two Hemispheres , " shows the chivalry of the man. Ho had a duel , In the days when that savage method ot settling disputes was the custom , nnd the two men were placed oppo site to each other. Just as the signal , One , two , three fire ! " was about to be given , O'Brien cried ; "Stop ! No signal , 1 pray. " His opponent's second stepped forward and said wUh asperity , "This Is very Ir regular , sir. What do you wish to say ? " "I wish , " answered O'Brien , "to call your attention to the fact that the gentleman op posite mo has let the cap fall oft his pistol. " Congressman Lcntz removed his coat in the midst of a political speech , reports the I Ohio State Journal. He had warmed up i with his subject. "Fellow slaves , " he yelled , "how much moro Depression will you en- dura before you rise as ono man and de- rnand your rights under the constitution and laws of your country ? Your country , ! did I say ? It Isn't your country any more ! It belongs to the plutocrats ! They own it ! ! They control it ! They have their fat fin gers ID everything ! They rule the pulpit , the press , the courts of injustice , the pri maries , the conventions , the city councils , 1 the legislature , the governors ! Every bite [ 1 you cat. oveiy drop you drink , every stitch i of clothin : 'ou wear on your back , every 1 foot ot ground you walk on , every square > ' Inch of leather you wear on your feet , ever * I < Hfc H S Have Hit > 1 the J 4 ; ' of Public | ; I Favor ; 7 T S The Best S - ifi / * * JL v S Pictures Out $ Forty-eight c f Very low rates enlarge large quantities At the Business Office of The Omaha Bee. & & t tfS N. B-BY MAIL 3 CENTS EXTRA FOR POSTAGE. $ - - - - T 9 & spark of electricity that flashes over the wires , everything , In fact , but the air you breathe , pays tribute to some monopolist ! And the latest thing is that the air Itself is' about to bo bottled up and sold to swell ths colossal fortunes that " At that moment the gas that had lit up the street In 'Marlon grew suddenly dim , flickered feebly and went out , leaving the audience nlono under the light of the moon. The opposing pressure was too strong and It gave It up. Ex-Governor Proctor Knott and a dis tinguished professional genMcman of Dan ville were discussing the claims ot Samp son and Schley to the credit of smashing Ccrvora at Santiago , relates the Loulsvlllo Times. The professional gentleirmu took the ground ( that nil the honor of that memorable conflict , belonged to Admiral Sampbou , and was Inclined to Ignore entirely Commodore Schley's part In the affair. T'ie ' governor listened | until his companion had finished and then with that characteristic twinkle In bis eye said : "My dear Blr , It Is exceedingly giatlfylng to me to hear you take the position you have In this matter. It Is like a balm to my conscience and settles a point that has worried me many n day. "I was walking through the woods with n boy friend of mlno when wo saw a rabbit run Into a sinkhole. We stood around the bole awhile ; then I told the boy to keep watch whllo I went to ijct nome fire to smoke the rabbit out. When I retained. Friday , Oct. 7 , New Jersey Day. ' P. E. O. Society Day : " Knox College Day. Friday Evening Ak-Sar-Ben Ball. Saturday , Oct. 8 , New York Day. " Twin City Day " Good Roads Day. Our pare- ent assort- in out is the most complete line over assem bled.Ve have just received three carloads of Book Cases they are now in design and low in price. 1ST Book In Designs Library Ciiscs $5-50 $ - $125 $ Now Styles In Combination Book Cases $7to $ Dewey & Stone furniture Co. 1115-1117 rarnam Street. the boy bail tliu rabbit. I promptly took It away from him , claiming that It be longed to mo because I had told him to catch him If be came out , "That was over fifty years ago , and you nro Uio Oral man ho boa over acrced vita mo that the rabbit was mine. I feel now that I was right In taking it and my con science Is at rest. " The gentleman looked solsmn for a feir moments , then smiled a feeble imllo and cianjrt-d tba uhjecU