Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 July 1898 — GOLD HUNTERS FACE PERIL. [ARTICLE]

GOLD HUNTERS FACE PERIL.

B tor ms, Starvation and Indifferent Success in the North. The schooner Samoa has arrived in Seattle from St. Michaels, Alaska, with thirty-six Klondikers, who brought with them from $300,000 to $400,000 in gold dust. The Samoa left St. Michaels July 8. Among her passengers was Thomas C. Austoh of New Whatcom, Wash. He says that the clean-up on Eldorado, Bonanza and Hunker creeks in the Klondike district this season will not be more than $10,000,000. This, together with about $5,000,000 of last season’s output will all be shipped out this year. He confirms previous reports that no important new discoveries have been made. Several passengers were from Minook creek, where they worked all winter with but little-suc-cess. Ex-Gov. McGraw of Seattle and E. M. Carr have the best claim in the district. . This yielded about $20,000. When the Samoa left St. Michaels there were many people there who had decided not to go on to Dawson and were awaiting an opportunity to come back. The steamer Roanoke was to sail for Seattle July 9, with many passengers and a large amount of gold, estimated by the Samoa passengers at all the way from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000. One misfortune after another seems to have befallen the craft which started in tow for St. Michaels and up to the time of departure of the Samoa not one of the numerous river boats had arrived except those taken by the steamer New England. The steamer Conemaugh, which left Seattle early in June with a river steamer and a barge In tow, when more than half way on her voyage encountered 1 heavy gale and lost both the river steamer and barge and came near going to the bottom herself. She was thrown on her beam ends and in this condition she wallowed in the heavy sea for forty-eight hours. Her crew and passengers had about given up in despair, but when the storm abated she righted and succeeded in reaching port in a battered and dilapidated condition. An official letter from Capt. Abercrombie, U. S. A., now at Copper river, Alaska, contains the statement that there are 200 destitute men now there.