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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1889)
WKST SHORE. ITS PROSPECTING IN ALASKA. A XV OXK having conceived the ila that the inte H r'mr of Alaska rutituiiin gold or other metal to he picked up ly tin- HK-k-t fill, may profitably read the following account of ft prosecting trip to that region ; then, if hi? him about fl.tHKI to invest in an outfit and run find another fool to go with him, there in nothing to prevent him from trying it. Says the Astoria I'itmtrr : I.hI Saturday evening tlie Pacific whaling steamer JraniV, which arrived here from Alaska, bnmght two Alaska miner that had been pirkeil up at I lie mouth of('oper river, near I'rinee William' pound. They were around the city Sunday afternoon, one of them heing roU-d in fancy buckskin attire, trimmed in bead and fringe, such a in worn hy thealMirigineH of Alaska. They have Ixen in that wild and desolate country for dome three yearn, prelecting for ore, and in all that time wen1 Ink k in civilization hut onre.alxmt eighteen month) ago. They exhibited some tine gold nuggets, nine itiarU they represented to contain i r cent. nper, and about a couple of ounces of gold dust that wkji exceedingly fine, und wait equally in coarse ax Judnon jNiwder. The name of the miner are J. (!. Iavie and John Maloney. In Lieutenant Allen and a party explored the Copper river from it mouth to it extreme headwater in arch of a ropcr Uiirt lelge that had Ix-cn dis covered hy a trilw of Indian, known a the Maui kie, hut failed to locate the desired place, It i not on the Cdpn r river, a it tranpire, hut lie between jKiint '.'.'! mile southwest from a place conniionlv known a Forty-mile cm k, situated at or near the mouth of Stewart river, a tributary to the Yukon, and the extreme headwater of the Tamilian river, also tributary to the Yukon, which find it outlet in the latter river at Tuklukyet. Mr. havic and hi partner started frm 1 1 Juneau about nix month ago with an as saying outfit and provision that were valued at II, 'Jim, and endeavored to fiml their way to Forty-mile creek, hen about 1 1'" miner are located. The distance in klmit s' mile, und In-fore they reached their destina tion ixty-oiie day had paMt away. The route se looted w over the mountain from Jinicuu to Chilkat Pm, and tin nee hy a rowlmat down taken l.inderman, Tohk and Marh. Just It fore reaching Uke . barge, nml t a Hint alxiut twenty-eight mile southeast of Like b barge, in what i called Mile canyon, the boat usct, fmni the swiftness of the water, and the entire plant and pmiion and men. were thrown into the teething of water and floating ice, where gigantic wall stood Up majestically on either tide and Uttered defiance to their hanoe for life. Chilled to the U.iie from the ex treme cold of the water, they battled in the tortiunn current until the cargo had sunk from the boat and it had come to the surface, when fortune allowed them to grapple the boat. In this condition they drifted on down through the canyon for nearly half an hour, and then managed to reach shore, almost helpless from their exericnce. Without food, dry clothing or a match to kindle a fire, all expectation of being rescued wa abandoned, but to their great surprise and good fortune, other members of the party who were travel ing to Forty-mile creek, via the mountain range, over heard their cries of misery and saved their live. They reached Forty-mile creek in about fourteen days, and made their headi'uarters there for about two months. Still determined to prospect for the famous quart ledge that Lieutenant Allen had failed to find, and that two men who had left Forty-mile creek to pros nrt for two years ago, and never have Urn heard of since, they started with provisions on their hacks, such a it was, and crossed the iee-covcred Alaska moun tains and struck the headwaters of the Tananah river. They were forty days making the trip of 2"it) mile, sutlcring untold agony from cold and hunger, having la-en seven days without food. (!ame was pretty plen tiful, the only source for getting meat, but lost as they were, with death staring them in the face, they became so bewildered that ambition to hunt had departed from their thought. After wandering around for a day or so, they met an Indian, named Nicolai, a member of the Miniskie trilie, who furnished them with some fish and meat, and they recuperated sufficiently to resume their search for the famous ledge. They found it, and the ore exhibited to a V'wwtr rejHirter was the outcome of their untiring efforts. Here they started, together with the Indian and his suaw, to Tokai river, toward the summit of the mountains, crossed the divide and struck the source of the CopjKT river, ami continued down that stream for mnny days until C'hittyxtone was reached. They then resumed n prospect for gold ipiarti with but little satisfaction. Taking the Copper river again, they traveled on down and over a portion of this river (which they termed "had water," for rea son of its swiftness anil dangerous meanderings), where no white man has ever traversed, and landed at the mouth. m m A gn at cause of rejoicing in Seattle and Tacoina, i the joint division of the n'gistrar and receiver of the land otlice in the former city to accept scrip filing on tide hind within city boundaries. Tho land shark were thniwn into consternation by this unexpected de cision, and the n-sult i that they will lie compelled to fight from the outside instead of inside, as they had exerted. No doubt they will make a hard' light through all the departments to the supn-nie court lie fore giving up o rich a prize.