The Corvallis gazette., April 18, 1895, Image 4

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THB FIRST EASTER.
From behind those ancient hilltops,
Leps the sun in glory grand,
Lighting up the Jewish city
And the Holy Land.
To the east lies river Jordan,
And its muddy waters flow
To the Sea of Death beyond it,
Lying low.
But a land beside it stretches,
Where poor Moses wandered years,
And the children oft' repining,
Oft' have bathed the land in tears.
To the west lies better country
And a range of purple hills,
Where in springtime bloomed flowers,
There beside the rushing rills.
Then, perhaps in walking distance,
From the busy careless throng,
Stands the Mount or ..itvfx.
That is famed in book and sung.
On the west slope of the mountain
Is a garden, square and neat,
And amongst its vines and olives,
Turned our Savior's weary feet.
Kneeling there in awful suffering,
For the coming trial to bear,
Lifted up his voice to Heaven,
In a short, impassioned prayer.
And he went a little farther,
And fell on his face and prayed:
"Oh my Father, if it may be,
Let this bitter cup be stayed."
Then he cometh to his brethren,
And he findeth them asleep,
And he sayeth unto Peter,
"Could ye not one hour keep?"
And asrain he went to praying,
"Oh! my Father, if this cup be for
thy son.
And if mete that I should drink it,
Oh! my God, thy will, not mine be
. done."
And a third time spent in praying,
With the blood upon his brow,
Then the Jews lay hands upon him,
They will crucify Him now.
He has borne his cross to Calvary,
Jeered and taunted by the throng,
And His tender flesh been beaten
By the cruel scourger's thong.
' To the tree they firmly nailed Him,
And their hellish work applaud,
When the sun sinks low at midday,
As a warning sign from God.
And the graves of death were opened,
And the saints that slept, arose,
And they worshipped in the temple,
In their spiced and burial clothes.
Then they placed our Savior's body
In a tomb hewn out of stone,
And a little bird above him,
Then was seen to deeply mourn.
On a Sabbath, bright and early,
Came an angel to the grave,
And an awful earthquake.
For God's angel came to save.
And the angel told the watchers,
That their Savior arose.
That the grave should never hold him,
He had triumphed o'er his foes.
Then the bird sang songs of mirth,
And the Savior doubly blest it,
More than' other fowls of earth.
And he caused its eggs to take on
colors,
As the rainbow arid the flowers,
So we keep that day as Easter,
In this Christian land of ours.-
ELLA McMUXN.
Priscilla's Triumph.
N the long road winding
fmm tha littlo villfifo there
stood a house as neat as
wax and as bright as
new pin, but vigorously
pure, unadulterated coun
try; from the green blinds
that folded so peacefully
back " upon its fresh white
painted front, to the blue barn and
' sheds done in that intense mazarSm
that steals the tint from the summer
skv in the violence of its contrast.
rriscilla Tartridge lived here. She
was an only daughter with proclivi
ties . toward art. Thus, when her
father came home from a horse-trad
ing mcnodition in the adjoining town
and told her that) a young aritalt had
engaged board of himl for the suinlmer,
she built an air castle on the spnt
The artist would discover and admire
her. talent for painting, give her les
sons, together they wmiW put won
ders and miracles onto canvas .ana in
the end marry. It was no wonder
then that she increased, if that were
possible, the intense greenness and
blueroess of her next landscape and in
a srilt frame of extra width, had
awaiting him in all its fresh elegance
upon the wall of the room assigned
to him.
The artisft came, and if it can be
designated as conquered where every-
thins is laid out for victory, he con
auered. His good looks, city finish
and a certain savior faire completed
his charms in Priscilla's estimation
As her fancy had pictured to her, he
helped her in her landscapes, gave
her a hint or two in, perspective, and
aided the summer in fleetly passing-
till one morning1. Upon this one morn
ing Priscilla overheard the conversa
tion between her artist and a friend
who had come down from the city to
see him. They were back of the
vines on the front "stoop," she was
watering the geraniums in the angle
. which the stoop made with: the house.
"Rather a pretty girl here, Preston?"
the visitor remarked.
"Yes."
"Seems very much taken with you.
"Dare say. I've helped her a bit
with painting. She fancies the work,
you know, but such green and blue
absurdities as she does and frames
and hangs up all over the bouse is
enough to give one the jaundice! She
has no moire notion of art than an
elephant, but of course I don't tell
her. What would be the use? That
retnjinids me, there's a choice study in
brook scenery about a male from here.
We have just time for it before din
ner; come on," and the two men
strolled off. while Priscilla, her ears
tingling as if they had been cuffed,
fled to her room and shed such scald
ing tears ttHait her seared, red eyes and
cheeks were not cool enough to be seen
until the next morning, when the art
ist asked for her to say good-bye to
her, as he had decided to return to
the city with Ms friend.
"Pon my vcrd. Miss Partridge," he
aid. advancing upon her with- out-
streamed nanus, tnoug'nt i wosn t 10
see you again before I go. I'm off
with George; ssenis the family want
me with thm ait the seashore. Much
obliged for yoar kindness since I've
been here. Keep straight with your
art work and you'll get there some
time. Goodby; goodiby, Mr. Partridge.
Let me know when you're in the city."
And he was gone. Priscilla's air cas
tle, as gliititering ami prismatic as a
sop.p bubble a few hours before, was
nortfhinig now.
. But Pniscilliaj possessed a backbone
to her character that stood her in ffood
stead. SIki pu both of her foot upon
her "disappointment, determined to
pursue her art in a legitimate if less
ihigh-flowo manner, and then, when
success came to her, if It did, this
despicable artist should know and
feel it That would be her triumph.
Two months artier she , was estab
lished In an art school, whose classes
she attended day and night, early and
late, till prizes for correct modeling,
for dnaiwing, for coloring, began to
adorn her room and she wrote them
at home to destroy the blue and green
landscapes, as she was collecting
something better to take their place.
Three years had gone by. There was
an announcement 'that, the largest ait
school in the United States was to
arwaird a larse prize for the best
study nUiWte from the model, "An Old
Fisher Woman." The competitors
must all work from the same model
and in the studio of the school which
offered the prize. Twenty artists
and many stidents hold aireailj'
entered the lists, and the first name
given among the corapetfitors was
iliat of Preston Howard, Prisciila's
summer artist.
FnieKJilla crumpled in her hand the
paper that made this announcement.
and then she straightened out the
wrinkles and carried it to her paint
ing master.
"Miv I go and try it?" she sakl.
"Certainly." be answered, "if you
don't mind the extra expense and the
time it takes from your course neve.
"I don't mind anything if I can win
it. she said.
"Very veil, then go and do us all
the credit you can." and he smiled
encouragingly, for ho saw a deter
mined expression in her face that
promised well.
Half an hour lat.T Priscilla was
steaming toward her new- work.
Three hours later she had reached the
huge, hustling city, and before ng'it
she had been entered among the com
petitors. Her place opposite the mod
el was chosen, and her easel and chair
fixed. Near the cliair there was one
initialed like a steamer chair, and the
other art in-plements going with it.
The palettes find paint boxes were
also decorated with "P. H." She was,
therefore, so well prepared the next
morning for her summer artist's ap
pearance that not the slightest change
in expression, nor the tiniest move
ment of her eye betrayed her know
ledge of his presence. He started
looked at her in a puzzled way, and
finally took Ms chair with a creak and
jar that caused many of the competit
ors to look up ana frown at him
Priscilla iwent placidly on with her
drawing, aimarenitly lost to every
thing but her task. So they worked.
side by side, neck to neck, as it were,
no model more sile.it than they.
A month went by; thtn oa-uie the
final day the day of fate, of failure,
or success! On a lme were hung the
twenty-five competing canvases The
committee started hard and wisely at
them, stepped forward, reduced the
number to 15, 10, 5, 2, and these two
were Priscilla s and Preston's.
There was considerable readjusting
of eyeglasses now and a shifting of
the light; then the verdict was an
nounced:
"Miss Patridge's 'Fisher Woman'
for accuracy of drawing, correctness
of perspective and exactness of color
ing is awarded the prize." Already
a purchaser had signified a desire to
buy it. Preston Howard sent a serv
ant for his "Fisher Woman" and took
her humbly home.
The artists and students held an af
ter-meeting in which they congratu
lated Priscilla sincerely. All the com
petitors were present but Preston
Howard; he was conspicuously absent.
This was the one little thorn in Pris
cilla's triumph. She would have liked
to have had him there, not to thrust
her success in his face, but because
she had still a lurking fondness for
the first air castle she had ever built,
The following morning she went to
the studio for the last time before
her return to her own art school. She
gathered up her paints, set the easel
against the wall, and was half-way
downstairs on her way to the station
when face to face she met her artist,
He raised his hat, and stopped her
determinedly, his keen eyes upon her
handbag.
"Are you leaving us,. Miss Pat
ridge?" he said.
les, it is quite time, .she an
swered, turning pink and white, "if
I wish to catch my train."
"Never mind the train. There will
be another, and I would like to show
you, if you will yet me, why you de
feated me in the competition for the
prize.
This remark did not quite please
her. To her sensitive ear it seemed
to say that even yet he doubted her
ability; looked upon her as a harmless
art interloper; yet she followed him.
He led her to a private studio, where
on the easel was the portrait of a
fresh country girl, her eyes blue and
shining with determination and her
yellow hair -in a Psyche knot hard
twisted; her features regular, but
nxed.
"Oh dear!" she exclaimed. "Is
that I?"
"Yes; and it is the way you have
looked ever since you began your
t isher V oman.' Your face haunted
me; I could not get It 'out of my
mind till I painted it with might and
mam." Then he stopped and flushed.
"Mr. Howard," and now she put out
her hand to him. "I'm sorry I looked
that way. You must be glad I'm go
ing."
But was he? It couldn't have been
so, for a few months later Priscilla's
pictures were signed Mrs. Preston
Howard. Chicago News.
Enormous business has been done
lately at French fairs by a man who
proressed to sell a rat powder that
was perfectly harmless, and that
struck lats dead on the spot. In order
to convince the . skeptical, the man
first of all powdered a slice of bread
with the stuff, and ate a piece of it
himself. Then he put the remainder
under a glass case, in which a rat
was kept in captivity. The rat went
to eat the bread and instantly fell
dead. At ten cents a box the powder
went on line not rolls, and the luckv
proprietor or tne specific was in a
fair way to make a fortune. But the
police, who In France are very active
in protecting the people from fraud.
looked into the matter, and found
that the powder was ordinary sugar.
They also discovered that the cape
was connected with a powerful elec
tric battery, and that the moment the
rat touched the bread the current was
turned on, and it was thus his death
was brought about. The man was
arrested at the fair of Albi, and he
has been sentenced to fifteen days'
imprisonment.
The only young gorilla captive is in
a dime musee at Boston. It is 2
years old and has all the actions of a
young- child of two; is mild and pleas
ant, takes great delight in dolls and
other little children.
The prairies of South America con
sist of two million square miles, di
vided into three regions, the Selvas,
the Pampas and the Llanos, pro-
uouuecu iiKe our Illinois.
A woman voter in Colorado burst a
blood vessel while preparing her bal
lot at the polls. Colorado politics s
bloody einoe the reign of Walto,
iLLIONS IN SIGHT.
$7,000,000 in Alaskan
Gold Nuggets.
Found by a Propector in
the North.
Bushels of tbe Yellow Treasure Lying
Around and Waiting for Some
body to Come to Pick it Up.
Probably the most extraordinary
gold mine in this country is the bar
of shining gold nuggets discovered by
the writer in Alaska, and known since
then the world over as the "Lost
Rocker."
Those nuggets are still there, I am
confident, and many more besides in
the immediate neighborhood, awaiting
discovery at the hands of some ven
turesome prospectors who shall brave
the perils of the wilderness and make
the richest strike in the history of the
yellow metal. -
Several days ago there appeared in
the New York papers an account of
the attempts of a Dr. Mulcahy, of
Juneau City, Alaska, to rediscover the
"Lost Rocker." The story had been
published in a San Francisco paper
and was telegraphed from that city.
My attention was called to the article
by the only person in New York who
was cognizant of the interest I had
in it.
The tale as related was substantial
ly correct, with the exception that
three men instead of two were togetli
ed when the discovery was made of
the wonderful "Lake of the Golden
Bar."
These three men were Charles TJ1
rich, Walter Olsen Stanford (general
ly called "Ole" by us), and the writer,
who now gives the first authentic ac
count of this vast deposit of precious
metal.
Almost fabulous will seem this nar
rative and past belief. Yet on this
bar, in this small lake, which was
about three miles long and about
three-quarters to a mile wide, we saw
millions in nuggets and coarse and
fine yellow grains of gold.
Two hundred miles from any civ
ilization, we worked like madmen for
over forty days, gathering from this
glittering, seemingly inexhaustible
store fully $50,000, which we put in a
cache as fast as we could "pan" it.
That the stored stake we secured, as
well as the far greater tore on the
bar, is there today, I do not doubt. I
should be willing, with a proper equip
ment, to go and recover it. I am
quite certain that I could lead a party,
properly fitted out, and make the lake
and the bar without much difficulty,
as far as locating it is concerned.
$7,000,000 IN PLAIN SIGHT.
Once there, I am sure we could find
the gold intact $7,000,000 of it in
sight. That was the estimate made
by "Ole" Stanford, an old prospector,
and one of the best judges of a "pay
spot" that I ever knew.
The mining camp Wrangel lies some
400 miles south of Juneau, over an
indescribably rough country, and
communication between these two
points is difficult. The "Lake of the
Golden Bar" lies about equi-distant
from the three points Sitka, Juneau
and Wrangel and at about the centre
of a triangle formed by these places.
RICH IN PRECIOUS METALS.
The great Yukon river country,
which is the central zone of this great
unknown area, is a region where the
richest minerals abound in lavish pro
fusion. Gold, silver, eoppor and veins
of lignite coal are found everywhere
throughout the northern and central
districts. Further south are found
vast deposits of the purest, yellowest
gold. On the slope of the mountains,
in the valleys, along the innumerable
water courses, among the bunched
hills and mountains, in whose valleys
many small lakes clear crystal, shal
low basins of water are hidden, lies
untold, undreamed-of wealth, in nug
get and grain gold, waiting to be gath
ered. There is more gold in this reg
ion of Alaska than ever has been tak
en from all the mines of the world
for two centuries past.
The Yukon is not only the largest
river in Alaska, but it is the largest
American river flowing into the Pa
cific ocean. Its source is in the North
ern Rocky mountains, on the north
western slope of what is known as
the MacMillan range, and in the
"Upper Ramparts."
Here is that vast and wonderful
"granary of gold" whence came the
nuggets and "yellow dust" gathered
from the placers of Washington, Ida
ho, Montana, Nevada, Colorado and
California for fifty years past. And
when we struck this "treasury of the
gods" we knew from the infallible
signs that nature in which the prec
ious metal was transmuted from the
baser elements.
PURSUING THE YELLOW PHAN
TOM. In August of 18S4 I was knocking
about the West, first in one spot and
then another. Newspaper work, of
any kind, from "comp." to editor, was
my trade. I turned my hand to any
thing to make a "bread and butter
living." ,
I had two chums or companions
with me at the time I dropped into
Butte City, Mont., on Aug. 5, 1884. As
there was not much going in Butte,
uinen suggested that we. that is. the
three of us, move north to Spokane.
At s.poKane we loafed for several
days. "We had some few hundred
dollars and found places to spend it.
When our pile was reduced to less
than "half a century" we began seri
ously to consider the ways of raising
more. Spokane was lively, on the
boom, but there was nothincr. appar
ently, for us. At last we decided to
go on a prospecting ramble once more.
We left Spokane on the moraine ox
Aug. 12, 1884, moving north eighty
miles to Lake Kootenai. "Bonner's
Ferry" was our object point, and after
nine days of leisurely tramping and
prospecting we reached this camp.
Mining camps are all about this
region, and if we had cared to work
hard, we might have secured renumer-
ative employment, or we could have
gone to work on our own joint ac
count. But $30 or $40 a day did not
appeal very strongly to our avarice.
We had got into the outskirts of a
region where gold was said to be
"thicker than quartz pebbles in gran- j
Ite sand." We dreamed of finding a '
"bonanza," and we knew, or at least I
we thought we knew, the direction in
which to look for it.
We crossed the lake from' "Bon
ner's" and moved northwest towards
tho "Miner's Range," skirting the
western shores of Teslin or Aklene
lake. As we progressed, prospecting,
we found gold hi small quantities.
At almost every lift of the shovel we
found the "pay-dirt color." For seven
weeks we prospected, pressing stead
fastly northwest in the direction of
Juneau. Our belts were becoming
heavy. The several "strikes" we had
made buoyed up our spirits and gave
us hopes of striking something "great"
before long. We suffered from hun
ger at times, but found plenty of
water. Our gold altogether must nave
amounted to quite $10,000.
THE BAR OF TURE GOLD.
The eighth week of our tramp found
us in the St. Elias range, on the east
ern slope, in well-watered valleys,
where game was In abundance, and
gold was everywhere, ou the bars and
shores of the streams in small quan
tities. Bad Indians were about also,
north of Teslin or Aklene lake, they
range all through British Columbia.
Thev have strongholds in tne isimpsou
and Casstan mountains, and they are
treacherous devils. We kept out of
their sisht. as we thought, and on
Saturday of the elghtu weeK mat we
had been out. we discovered the "Lake
of the Golden Bar." "Ole" Stanford
irood old prospector that he was saw
it first. It was about 9 o'clock in the
morninir.
The eun was shining away to tne
southeast. But a few days later in
that region it would not have been
there to point out the resplendent
treasure for us. But now its rays
struck with a slanting flood upon tlie
bar and scintillated in a thousand
irolden slivers directly across the
water into our dazzled eyes.
"Olo" shouted like a drunken Vik
ing carousing on shore after a long
vovace. Ulrich simply blfnked his
eves and srazed stupefied at the sight.
He was drunk, as usual, or rather
just "getting over the night before.
I uttojed not a word, but, for once,
hit heart beat quickly. I am rather
Dhletrmatic and not easily moved. But
mv natural aplomb failed me here,
don't know what made me do it, but
I reverentlv said. "Thank God!" It
lias beenjnany years since I had ex-
periencetr any religious feeling, but
that "Thank God!" was indeed a
prayerful expression of gratitude,
straight from a full heart.
As I have said, bad Indians were all
about us. Any minute we might have
been discovered, captured and tor
tured, to be finally slaughtered, or we
might have been shot from ambusn,
But the fact of the Indians' presence
did not recur to us now. What cared
we for Indians before the sight of
this priceless deposit of wealth?
There was the gold, the "yellow
stuff," glittering, flashing stars, splint-
erins the sun-lit atmosphere witn in
numerable golden lances of light. It
was all ours! "Hurrah!"
THE FIRST BIG NUGGET.
Simultaneously we all yelled. Even
iquor-befogged 1 lrich came in, with
a deep baritone, in good time. Then
we dropped our rifles and, all together,
plunged into the water, making for
the "golden bar." About thirty feet
separated it from the bank. The
water was over our heads and quite
cold. But little we cared for the cold
drenching. We were all swimmers,
and it was a race to see Who would
first plant foot on the golden strand.
I was the lightest man in the party
and the least clothed. Then, too, my
shoes were moccasins, a kind of foot
wear I always adopt when rambling
in the wilderness. I struck the shal
low water at least ten feet before
"Ole," who was ahead of Ulrich sev
eral feet, or almost his body's length.
With a shout, I scrambled through
the shallows and raced for a nugget
some three feet away from the wa
ter's edge. I picked it up. It was
heavy, weighing perhaps six pounds.
As I felt of the heft and noted the
color I could see that it was almost
pure gold. I estimated it to be worth
at least $15 an ounce.
While I was examining this , find
under my glass "Ole" had got ashore.
He began to gather up nuggets and
scoop up "dust" as fast as he could
transfer the stuff from the ground to
his pockets. But it remained for Ul
rich to make the big strike of all our
discoveries. He had landed about a
rod below where "Ole" and I had left
the water. In walking through the
shallows towards shore he struck his
foot against a sharp rock, as he
thought. But as he lifted at out of
the water there was disclosed a nug
get of almost pure gold! I estimated
its weight at fifty . pounds, or not
much less than that figure. "Ole"
concurred with me in this estimate.
Well, there is not much more to tell.
The rest is now public property. The
sequel of our discovery has been told.
and is known from Maine to Califor
nia doubtless by this time.
A GOLDEN HARVEST.
For forty days we worked like mad
men, and cached about $50,000 in
gold, besides the two large nuggets
Ulrich and I had found. Great dif
ficulty was experienced in ferrying it
across the water between the bar and
the shore, and this occupied much of
the time, otherwise we should have
gathered more gold. Besides we need
ed food, and hunting claimed a goodly
part of our time. We took turns at
providing grub for the tramp. We
might have bridged the channel be
tween the bar and the shore, but gave
this up after a consultation, during
which we took in consideration the
fact that we were without axes or
hatchets, and that no small timber
was nearer than ten or twelve miles.
We trusted to gathering enough gold
in the cache to make us all rich, be
fore the actual cold weather set in.
and then to start south, carrying about
$10,000 apiece with us.
On the 23d of October we had de
cided to stop further work for the
season. It was agreed to start south
for Wrangel. It was quite early in
the morning. "Ole" and Ulrich had
gone off early to look for a bear,
whose tracks we had noted near the
camp. The fellow had been fooling
about the camp for a week. We had
tried for him, but had not succeeded
in getting a sight of him. Bear's
hams would have been a welcome
change from our regular diet of fish
and bumt-nut flour bread or patties.
The supplies we had brought from
uonner's had long been exhausted.
ATTACKED BY INDIANS.
Along about 9 o'clock I took the
"rocker," an amateur affair made by
uie, and swam across to the bar.
I stumbled over the "rocker" and
went head over the bank into deep
water. As I plunged in I heard plain
ly a rattling fusillade of shots. I
came up under a bluff at the north end
of the bar, bht immediately went down
again, for I knew the shooting had
come from enemies and not from
friends.
I dove for a niche-In the cliff, at a
high part of the shore, about forty
rods north of the low bank on which
we had pitched our camp. Fortunate
ly I was a regular water duck. I was ,
in my natural element, so to speak.
1 went deep down towards the bot
tom of the lake.
e. It was partly cold 'given the retrocession has been com- -5.07. Number of families, 63,731, be
... Very -coM springs paratlvely much, greater, TMs being log 4.92 to family, ; -
water X'was in,
were the sources of the water supply, !
and in reaching my place of refuge I
was chilled through and through. But
I set my heart to it, and determined
to get out of the fix with a whole
skin if Providence permitted. xne
thought of leaving all that gold was
sickening, but I knew if I got off free
and could reach Wrangel or some
other settled point, the return might
be possible.
It took me little time to reacn tne
niche in the cliff, and once there,
crouching against the sides, standing
partly In and partly out of the water,
waited for over six minutes Derore
made another move. Finally' I be
came stiff, cold and hungry.- That
last state of distress decided me to
make an attempt to better my condi
tion. Indians or no Indians, to be
killed or to escape in any event, I
was coins: to get out of that. Better,
I thouirht. to die with my boots on
than to perish miserably with cold and
hunger.
HIS COMRADES GONE.
So I sl:d Into the water, and care
fully keeping beneath the surface, ex
posing as little of my body as I dared,
or must perforce to keep afloat,
reached the bank in front of our camp.
Not a vestige of it remained. I saw
only the smoking embers of the hut
we had built and in wnicn we naa
lived for forty days "Ole," Ulrich
and I. Where were the other two
now? Dead or carried off captives?
Nothinff about the place could tell me,
I felt miserable, forsaken, sick of life.
I -was alone in a wild country. To
turn and plunge to the bottom of the
water and return no more to the sur
face was something like a half-conceived
idea.
The appearance of things indicated
that the Indians had been gone some
time. I shouted the names of "Ole"
and "Ulrich." Only echoes came back
from the hills and canyons. 1 wan
dered about-for days, searching every
where for them. No trace of their
presence was visible anywhere God
knows how many miles I struck our
camp once more.' There was the banK,
the heap of charred wood that had
been our dwelling-place and that'
cursed "Golden Bar."
It was evening. The sky was aglow
with a rosy aurora. To my imagina
tion it spangled clots of blood upon
that mockiug stretch of sand and peb
bles, where the gold lay in nuggets
and flakes and dust. I lifted up my
hands -and cursed the place, for I was
sure now that "Ole" and Ulrich were
dead slain by those damnable red
skins.
A TERRIBLE WINTER"S TRAMP
I was hungry, ragged, wretched.
had eaten little, subsisting in my wan
derings on nuts and roots. My
search of the ground was thorough,
but no sign could I find of the lost
ones. I spent another dreary day
there, and then I turned from it, set
ting my face towards the southeast,
in the direction, I thought, that must
be towards Wrangel. But I overrated
my knowledge of woodcraft. There
was no sun to point me right The
long winter nights had commenced,
It became colder and colder. The
thermometer ranged far below zero.
Snow came in masses and blinding
blizzards.
I wandered on and on, always with
the instinct of self-preservation strong
within me. I never thought of giv
ins up. Hunger, cold, snow, ice, fever,
delirium, nothing mattered; but life-
sweet life.
Paralyzed, bleeding from wounds
on the body, head and face, frozen, the
sight of one eye nearly gone, attenu
ated to the mere shadow of a man,
still. "Life! Life! Life!" I cried in
mv heart, forever and ever. "I want
to live forever!"
I went on this way for weeks.
Through that terrible winter of 1884
I wandered in that awful wilderness.
It was on March 27, 1885, that final
ly I found one of my own kind, with
in twenty-five miles of Bonner's ferry.
"Jim" Edwards was the man, God
bless him!
When I plunged from the "bar"
had my belt full of gold. All the time
this had remained strapped around
my waist. I never thought of remov
ing it. And so it came with me to
"Jim" Edward's lonely cabin, between
lake Teslin and lake Kootnai. It was
May before I stirred from the thresh
old of his door. When l left I gave
him all the gold but $2,000 worth.
There must have been at least $2,000
worth left with him. That was about
what we estimated it.
"I said .nothing to him about the
"Lake of the Golden Bar." I loathed
the place. Not thrice its wealth would
have tempted me back to it And I
determined that no other lives should
be sacrificed for its glittering treasure
bar. I made my way to Spokane,
from there . to Chicago, and after a
stay of three days there, to New
York. I remained here a short time
only. Then I shipped on a cattle
steamer for London.
ULRICH TOLD THE SECRET.
I have kept myself posted about the
discoveries in Alaska, and since I re
turned to this country, some months
ago, the desire to once more try my
luck has been strong. But I have
crushed this longing down. And now
it appears that this Dr. Mulcahy at
tended Ulrich, who escaped to Wran
gel, and he got the secret of the lake
from my ill-fated friend.
Well, if it is so, and there is strong
evidence of its truth, I should like to
go for it. myself. It is mine by right
of first discovery, and I know that I
covld lead a party on - the shortest
route to it.
Poor "Ole!" God rest his soul! He
must have been the victim of those
red devils. Hamilton Gait ("The
KaniDier").
THE EARTH IS DRYING UP.
This heading will not startle resi
dents of the Willamette valley, for the
process may go on some time several
thousand years without seriouslv in
terfering with the beauty of our cli
mate and the certainty of our crops.
That this theory is tenable there can
be no doubt, because it has been ad
vocated, believed in and discussed by
some of. the most brilliant thinkers of
the past three centuries, including
such men as Newton, Hamilton, Hum
boldt and De Verne. We are well
aware- that man is prone to expres
sions of dissatisfaction.
In European countries, in Asia and
Australia, as well as in the greater
portion of the United, States, all of the
smaller streams have disappeared
and the larger ones are rapidly dwin
dling to mere rivulets. The waters of
the Great Lakes of America as well
as of the so-called "seas" of Europe
and Asia, are fast receding from the
banks which formerly circumscribed I
their boundaries. , Between the years
1889 and 1891, according to the report
of government inspectors, the water
level of lakes Michigan, Huron and
Erie was reduced two feet causing
the marginal line to recede hundreds
of feet along some of the shelving
banks. - During the three years which
have elapsed since the date last above
the case we" hay e no reason to doubt
the report which was lately made to
the effect that there are dozens of
piers and warehouses which were used
fifty years ago in loading shallow
draught lake vessels which have long
since been abandoned because tney
now stand high-and dry far from the
water's edge.
There is abundant proof that the
oceans as well as the rivers and lakes
are suffering. Their areas have been
steadily diminishing for thousands of
years, as is proven by a careful sur
vey of tne beds they formerly occu
pied., The report of the British hy
drographers for 1893 says: "Harbors
everywhere are rapidly growing shal
lower, despite the fact that many of
them were long since dredged to the
solid rock." The same report for
1894 mentions the discovery or remov
al of 200 rocks and other obstacles
which were formerly not considered
dangerous because lying below and out
of reach of the same vessels they now
menace. But why multiply proofs
The very fact that we see dry land at
all, or even exist, is proof, that the
waters of the globe are vanishing.
Why? Because, if we are to believe
the astronomers and geologists, our
world, in the days when it was young
("without form and void") was en
tirely covered with water.
The marked diminution in tne
world's water supply was never par-
lcularly noted until within the last
twenty-five years, although the noted
philosophers of two and three centur-
es ago gave it as their opinion that
he earth would, in the ages to come.
be as arid as the moon is now believed
to be. What is becoming of the
water? is a question that has never
been satisfactorily answered. Some
authorities believe that it has gone to
help form hydrated mineral. The late
R. A. Proctor believed that as the
eaith cools, its interior opens into
enormous fissures which suck in im
mense quantities of water. One au
thority is of the opinion that it is ac
cumulating at the poles in the form
of ice and perpetual snow, while an
other, somewhat visionary, thinks
that "in all probability it is being dis
sipated into space through the medi
um of our atmosphere."
.There is only one thing that us cer
tain in regard to the matter: It is ob
vious that it is disappearing and that
as a result arid regions are rapidly en
larging wherever they are not held
in check by artificial means.
WILDEST PART OF THE UNITED
STATES.
Assistant Chief Goode, of the United
States Geological survey, who visited
Oregon last summer, says that the
wildest region of the entire United
States is in an area of 1,000 square
miles lying in the mountains between
Roseburg and Coquille, in Douglass
and Coos counties. He describes
as a mysterious, undiscovered country,
in which wild game roams undis
turned, and wnose brooks and rivers
are filled with wild fowl. It is nearly
all covered with . a dense growth of
pine, fir, hemlock, and other trees.
Many of the trees are of enormous
size, and stand so closely that it is
difficult for men to make their way
between them. Where the trees ar
not so thick the heavy growth of
bushes of various kinds takes thei
place. It is a country that is fille
with all kinds of wild game, including,
as reported to him, elk, different kind
of bear, mountain lions, deer, and
other animals, including lynxes. The
streams also have an abundance
trout and other kinds of fish. He pen
etrated into the wilds a dozen miles
and saw things that filled Mm with
wonder at the vastness of the forest,
and that anyone should attempt to
live in it Northwest Magazine.
STUDY THE STAMP.
The great money monopoly doesn'
admire the stamp system. The i
enue law called stamp act was soon
abolished with the income tax. Both
are disliked by those who live off the
needs of the nation. The postoffice of
Uncle Sam is a big concern. It
larger than all the business of some
nations. It requires a large army of
men to conduct its affairs. Formerly
government hired these men for cash
direct, but depended on them to col
lect a large part of their salaries di
reet off the people. Later, about 1852,
it fell on the splendid labor savin,
device known to us as the stamp,
What is the stamp in reality? It is
an order. on any postmaster to collect
so much off any person who employs
him to transmit a letter or paper, or
any otner mailable article, lou pay
your two cents, for example, re
ceive the stamp and attach it to your
letter, delivering it to the postmaster,
wno does his part. This postoffic
business is one of many things Uncle
Sam is supposed to be doing daily for
you and you are daily paying him
more or less for doing said services.
Uncle Sam is paying out to a great
old army of pensioners nearly a half-
million dollars per day orders on you
to do your part towards subsisting
them. Why then should he not give
his orders direct to them on you as lie
does to his army of postmasters? He
doesn't do it, but instead he goes to the
jewelers, Jews, money brokers and
hires of them at great expense all this
money making you really pay several
millions . more every year than nec
essary. He also hires a large army of
soldiers and sailors and others and
gives them orders on you for all, but
m the same roundabout way. So he
pays the Indians and all his officers,
In fact his expense for interest must
be twenty-five or thirty millions and
it could all be saved In the same wav,
Now why do you allow him to do so?
Can you think? Have you anysense?
or are you so green as to let those
Jews and jewelers mock you out of
your water
INTERESTING STATISTICS.
An abstract of the 31th census just
received shows the following Oretron
statistics for 1890. There were 256,
4o0 native born and C7,317 foreign
born residents; colored people. 1.1SG:
9,540 Chinese; 25 Japanese; civilized
Indians, l,2o8. Of the foreign resi
dents, 6,460 came from Canada and
Newfoundland, 49 from Mexico; 69
from Central and South America: 31
from West Indies; 5,679 from Eng
land; z,Z4Z irom Scotland; 374 from
Wales; 4,891 from Ireland; 12,475 from
Germany; 664 from Austria: 244 from
Holland; 265 from Belgium and 2,083
from Switzerland, 3,774 from Sweden.
2,583 from Russia and from others
in small numbers. The number with
foreign parentage was 106,275. There
were 118,827 single males and 56,262
married males; 4.853 widowed. 752
divorced; 73,129 single females, 52,
312 married females, 5.874 widowed,
537 divorced. The number of illiterate
was 10,103, being 4.1 per cent, being
surpassed by only 3 states, Wyoming.
Nebraska and Iowa. Number of
Buenos Ayers has nearly completed:
the largest opera house in the world.
Box holders can have their carriages
driven to their tiers, and lifts carry
gallery occupants to their floors. The
pit seats can be removed quickly and.
a circus performance had.
ITCHING SKIN
DISEASES
Are
Instantly
Relieved
And
Speedily
Cured.
By
Cuticura Remedies)
A warm bath with CUTICURA.
SOAP, and a single application of
CUTICURA, the great skin cure.
win anora instant icno, ycmui. icou
and sleep, and point to a speedy, ,
economical, and permanent cure of
the most distressing of itching, burn
ing, bleeding, scaly, and crusted skin
and scalp diseases, after physicians,
hospitals, and all other methods fail.
Cuticura Works Wonders, and
its cures of torturing, disfiguring,
humiliating humors are the most
wonderful ever recorded in this or
any age.
ConetntA Rkmkdihs are told throughout the worltT
Price, CimcuKA, 50c: Soap, sc: Resolvent, $i
Potter Drug and Chem. Corp., Sole Props., Bost -m.
"All about the Blood, Skin, Scalp, and Hair," free.
DIMPLES, blackheads, red and oily skin pre
II ill vented and cured by Cuticura Soap.
Tr- MUSCULAR STRAINS, PAINS
and weakness, back ache, weak kidneys,
rheumatism, and chest pains relieved in
one minute by tha CuUconk Auti
Pain Plaster.
Mexican
Mustang
Liniment
for
Burns,
Caked & fosfUuntvJ Udders,
Piles,
Rheumatic Pains,
Bruises and Strains,;
Running Sores,
Inflammations,
Stiff joints,
Harness & Saddle Sores,
Sciatica,
Lumbago,
Scalds,
Blisters,
Insect Bites,
All Cattle Ailments,
All Horse Ailments,
All Sheep Ailments,
sslsssssssssssssHMisssssssssn
Penetrates Muscle,
Membrane and Tissue
Quickly to the Very
Seat of Pain and
Ousts it in a Jiffy.
Rub in Vigorously.
Mustang Liniment conquers
Pain,
Makes flan c Beast well
Thfg extra
ordinary Ee
juren&tor is
the most
wonderful
Discovery of
the age. It
has been en-do-sea
by the
leadtngscien
tific men of
urone unit
nudvan ia
EST TCse-
Hudvan Rtnna
Kervousness,
Kmissions,
and deve lopes
and restores
weak rrgans.
Pains in the
back, losses
b v A a v at
PrematurenBss
Of tha ri i o-
charge in so
days. Cures
10ST
MANHOOD
nithtstopped
quickly. Over 2,000 private endorsements.
Prematurenesg means imnotencv in the first
stoge. It is a symptom o strain nl weakness
and barrenness. It can be stopped in 80 days
by the use o f Hndyan.
The new digcoverv was tdrSa hv the StipM al.
Ists of the old famous Hudson Medical Institute.
It is the strongest vital izer made. It is very
powerful, but harmless. Sold for 31.00 a pack
age or6 packages for 85.00 (plain sealed boxes).
Written euaran tee eiven for a cure. Ifvonbnv
Biz boxes and are not entirely cured, six more
will be sent to you free of all charges.
eenaror circulars ana testimonium. Adores
HUDSON MKDIOAt. INSTITUTE. .
Junction Stockton, market & au, Sgfc
Constipation,
Dizzlnees,
Falling Sen
sation, Nc ir
ons twitching
of the eyes
and other
Strengthens,
invigorates
and tones the
entire system.
Iludtran cure
DebilltT.
illfll