Successful Trip
To
Ray River Spring
Party Returns with Trophies from the
Little-known Country to the North
ward— Brief Mention of a Near-by
Section where White Men Have Not
Frequented.
Last Thursday night Ur. J. H.
Hudgin, Capt. A. D. Williams and
Clement Anderson returned from a
trip to the Ray River hot spring,
which was undertaken July 17.
The trip was highly successful and
satisfactory in every particular.
It is believed that this spring
was never visited b/ a white man
till shortly before the disappearance
of the snow last spring, when Mr.
Auderson reached the place and
confirmed the stories of natives as!
to the existence of the spring and j
the characteristics of the surround
ings. A previous expedition over
the snow failed on account of in
sufficient knowledge of the country,
and a later one which tried to
ascend Ray river in poling boats
was baffled by the rapids encoun
tered in the canyon.
Or. the latest and successful trip
a light canvas boat was taken along
and it and the supplies were port
aged around the canyon and thence
conveyed the balance of the was
hy water without difficulty.
The distance from Rampart to
the mouth of Ray river is 55 miles;
to the canyon 45 or 50 miles; the
can} on is a mile and a half long,
and from the upper end of the
canyon to the spring is about ten
miles—making the distance to the
spring via Yukon and Ray rivers!
between 110 and 117 miles. The j
spring is a little west of north from j
Rampart.
Twocreeksou the right limit and
one creek and a big fork on the left
limit come into Ray river below the
canyon. The fork is about thirty
miles from the mouth Two creeks
come in a mile and hall a mile re
spectively below the sp ring, one on
either side of the river, and one
comes in on the left limit eight
miles above the -priug. Nothing
was encountered to indicate that
white men had ever been above the
canyon.
The water < f the spring is hot
almost to the boiling point. An
vgg kit in it eight minutts was
cooked on the outside hut taw in
the middle It is highly mineral
ised. sulphur taring very evident.
The water foils up through a bar
of clean gravel and runs off in suffi
cient quantity for a sluicebead or
two. V egetation shove# tb* intlu
ence of the warm water over an
area of several acres. The spring
is surrounded by a beautiful glass
country. Timber near the spring
is mostly dry, fire having swept the
country some years ago. It is big
enough for saw logs. There is
green saw timber along the river.
Grayling were abundant, but no
trout were seen.
Caribou and moose tracks were
there in plenty, but no big game
was sighted. Plenty of young geese
and ducks were taken, and two
young lynxes were captured and
have been added to Dr. Hudgin’s
zoological collection, which was
depleted by a w holesale desertion
during his absence up Ray river
last spring.
The trip was made because Dr.
Hudgtn desired to pass judgment
on the vicinity of the spring as a
site for a farm. It looks good to
him, and he has staked a home
stead there. Supplies will be sled
ded in after snow flies.
Prospect for Gold.
The members of the party are
enthusiastic over the fine appear
ance of the country as a gold- j
bearing section. The formation is
tnica schist and white wash is
plentiful. Colors were found in
every instance where panning was
done.
Mr. Anderson proposes to pros-!
pect there this winter. He will j
soon boat his winter outfit to the
mouth of the canyon, where it will
be cached and sledded to the spring
after snow falls. Meantfme he will
build a cabin at the spring and
make that his headquarters camp
Olson and Green, two prospectors
who worked on Heaver last winter,!
are boating 1 winter outfit to the [
forks. It is probable they will,
prospect on the righthand fork next j
winter. They were up that fork j
eight miles this summer.
The Ray River country embraces
a large territory that has never been
touched by a prospector's pick,and
it is an inviting field in which to
take a long shot at fortune.
While prehistoric remains may
not b«“ taken as an indication ot
gold, it is a noteworthy tact that
bores ci mastodons and other ex
tinct beasts are often found in the
paying creeks; and specimens of
this nature were secured near the
spring. A large shoulder blade
was brought in and is now in front
of the p< stoftiee. and a molar of
atmut seven pounds weight is on
exhibition at the Reception bar.
YOU MAY PAY
a higher price, but don’t flatter yourself that
you can buy better tea than
$£te/
Try the red label.
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL COMPANY, Agents.
Big Minook Manager
To Winter in the East
S. P. Robbins arrived in Rampart
from the east last week and will be
in charge of the Big Minook hy
draulic works dining the absence of
Manager M. K. Koonce, who will
spend the winter with his family in
Pennsylvania.
Common report is that the big
plant has not run very successfully
during the short time since its in
stallation. Frequent shutdowns and
i iterrupiions, caused by incompe
tent overseeing in setting up the
plant, have reduced the amount of
work to a minimum. Some misun
derstanding which left the company
without a competent engineer at a
critical period thus resulted in the
loss of valuable time, where the
season is short at best.
Meantime enough has been ac
complished to disclose much better
pay than had been expected, and it
is predicted that the past bother
will be rendered insignificant by
the results which will be had when
the big concern gets properly down |
to business.
Hoosier Hydraulics
May Be Increased
. . i
A proposition is being considered
to increase the working strength of
the Hoosier hydraulic company by
the addition of about $10,000 worth
of material, including a genorous
supply of pipe and other things
essential to the efficient and eco
nomical operation of the company’s
works. The people at interest have
not fully decideil on the step, but it
is not unlikely that they will do so
soon, in order that the improve
ments may he of use next summer.
It is understood that the compa
ny’s pro|«erty has shown up well
enough to fully justify the increased
outlay.
L\ A.
I ».\ VII »*< >N.
HttCCfMMor to
Cl ms. A.'rrf ieurcr.
I Inis, Clothing
nnd Kurmshinjjs
MINERS STORE
(In the Postoffice Building)
General Merchandise
Outfitting
California
Kitchen
strictly First Class— Best Meal in Town
MEATS, FISH AND GAME.
Bakery—Bread, Pies and Cakes
GALLIUM & LeCLAIRE, Propr’s
C. P. KALNING,
Blacksmith
and
Wood Worker
Oeneral Repair Shop
DENTISTRY.
I)r. C. H. WHARTON
will remain in Ram
part until Aujpjsst J5.
Office at Hal Ion Cnhin
Money Orders
Not Obtainable
Money orders can not be obtained
at Rampart because the office is not
supplied with the necessary blanks.
This condition is likely to prevail
for two weeks.
The blame rests on the postoffice
department. The jmstmaster sent
in a requisition for blanks, and
when the consignment arrived the
numbers on a former lot were
foam! to have been duplicated and
the new blanks thus rendered non
usable