GOOD OPINION OF GHANDLAR
Mike Laboski Says the New District ilas Shown Up Well
I’nder the Circumstances.
Mike Laboski trot into camp Sumluy fore
noon, chuck full of news from the Cliandlar.
He left Fort Yukon April 1, ami would have
been here sooner if Slim Helm had not !
drafted him into the mail service for one j
run up from Foit Hamlin.
Mike has by no means ■‘weakened” on the :
Chandlur. On the contrary, he believes the!
new district has a bright future, and consid
ers that the showing already made is re
markably good when all the circumstances
are remembered. Enough is now in sight,
he says, to assure a camp of no mean pro
port ions.
Oh Big creek, from - above to •"> below
u, per discovery, the pay lias been located
and is known to be good. The creek has
been crosscut at upper discovery, where the
pay streak is 2a feet wide. Above that the
pay has been found to gradually grow nar
rower, with a corresponding increase in
\ id.th in the claims below. On discovery
dump it is seldom that a pan is taken that
goes less than cents, and some pans g.i as
high tis $5. From below upi er there is a
stretch of ten miles down the creek w here
no ho.es have been put down. At -17 below
lower, owned by Gilbert Voting of Dawson,
two holes were put down 10) feet apart on
the rim. IS and ■! feet deep respectively. The
ground was thawed and it was impossible to
get down in the eret k proj er. B> rim Allen
had staked 40 and l.ahnski '»(). und they weni
to work w ith Young on 41 to see w hat the
ground looked iike. in each of the two holes
about 1 feet of gravel was found which aver
aged 2r2 or cents a pan. Mr. Laboski said
it is remarkable how uniform the pannings ’
were: one might pan from Uie dump for j
hours with each pan giving practically the
same result. The bedrock is course and
hard, big creek is wide. From upper to
lower discovery the claims were staked l,K2o
feet ui‘ro»s l»y titi'j teet up and down the creek,
with the lines conforming to the general
course of the creek rcgardless of the short
hernls. Even under this arrangement there
was sometimes room enough for two creek
claims side by side.
On Big Squaw creek. Mr. I.aboski said, no
holes have been put down.
On Little Squaw in holes on It and 4 above
as high ns 4 cents a pan w us found on bed
rock. The gravel extends from the surface
to bedrock. 22 feet in the holes on these
claims, and curries go Id all the way. esti
mated to run from 1 cent to 1? cents to the
On McClellan creek no holes are down;
Imt three men from Tanana tow n. Hill Las
key and partners, will shovel in from the
surface. Prom the top to as deep down as
♦ hey have gone the gravel carries gold, and
i is evident Mr. I.ahoski hekeves tin ground
w ill pay to shove! in.
On Dictator creek, a tributary of Middle
Fork. Mr. I.ahoski h: d heard that Charley
Sellinger. from Tan na tow n. h.d got pay on
No. 7.
On Funcheon creek, which .Inn Puncheon
is crosscutting. »* to s feet of muck rover*
I edrock. Mr. Lulioski has no personal
know ledge of this ereek. hut from hearsay
is led to believe that the hundred feet or
more of gr»\el through which Funcheon
hod gone carries little or no gold.
The District as a Whole.
“I have been on pretty well all the stam
pedes that have taken place in this part of
Alaska,” Mr. La bosk i said to the Valley
News, “and I have yet to see the district that
could show tm equal amount of gold with no
more development work than has been done
on the Chandlar.
“People in there have been up against
conditions that are not fully comprehended
by those who ha\e not actually experienced
them. The lack of timber on the upper
parts of all the creeks heading; against the
big dome has made thorough prospecting on
the upper limits impossible; and deep, wet
ground has made the situation lower down
almost as bad. A good many of the prospect
ors were broke, or nearly so. and hud to pull
in such meager supplies as the> could hustle
at a loss of valuable time which should have
been devoted to prospecting.'
“The heavy snowfall and the high winds
have been another drawback. Tents would
not stand against tin* storms, and it took
time to build camps.
“Scarcity of timber on the higher ground
has been the hardest obstacle to overcome.
“Kleven miles of the upper end of Big
creek is w ithout timber. From Sto 23 below
lower is the only good timber on the* cret k.
Martin Jusephson and two partners have
taken a lay on .1 below upper, w ith the stipu
lation that they are to put on forty boxes.
"As 1 said, there has not been much accom
plished in the w ay of development, but w hen
everything is considered the w onder is that
there has been so much.”
Mr. Maboski expects to return after the
opening of navigation and pole an outfit up
from the mouth of the Chandlar.
He estimated that about three people are
going in to every one coming out. Six more
boilers were on the way in as he cume out.
Game and Fish.
One thing that has been of great help to
the projectors is the* game and fish. Mr.
Luhoski said he bought moose hams from
the natives at ?l!.50 each. They brought in
so ns.iny that the market was overstocked.
However, rabbits the meek und lowly little
bunnies that have so long hern relied on by
prospectors for subsistence in emergency
are now very scarce. Ptarmigan are not
very plentiful and were harried by the wind:
so that it v\ a» at in> time safe to depend on
the gun for immediate needs.
Those w hi were in the ('handlnr before
ti e freezeup had no trouble to eatcli fish*
After the weather had turned cold numbers
of flog salmon were throw n out on the bank
ml frozen. They made first-class dog feed,
but i f course dried fish are preferred l»e
rnuse the> are lighter to carr> .
( handin' l.ake is twelve miles long. It is
well stocked with whitefish and pickerel,
w hich r in I c I'Utight under the ire through
out the w inter.
Deep Snow !n Koyukuk.
Just Iw'fnrp Mr. l.nlnisUi started down,
word was received fr« in Freighter Olemi at
Coldfoot that the mow was so deep he hml
not been able to get his hor»ni out of the
stable for six weeks.
Copper Used In Buildings.
Thf making of liriuue titt ups for l.uilil
myr-* ><• an liMluntrv u hu ll hu« t|mtl»[«*«l « ilhin
tlirr** »fnr«. ami i* iiH*rfa*iiif it » ratio ^r
hn|*M greater th in th.it of otbrr liruiu hn of
the eo|»l»er«eon»t»iitiiig ii9«hi»trv. Thl* h»iI»i«*
•o the riHiriiHUu hid* nut- of lirttiur triar
»| wiHril hy iirflitfit* in ihe form of
•I* vumlh# loir n<>r a « ik.
Thr w*» Mali of Kroirik. in Nra York rH)
hgn 4f <* 0 |*>m»mI« of copper tn it* ilunir The
botUltng rontain* er in ull form* to th**
amount of |>o»imt~. fbro> oH»» Imilil*
ing* nii'lrr o n«ti in»n-n in th*> Hum nn.it ilm
tr»rt a til require to fhr ajgrrgatr | IfkMMt
l» ninih of a ith.n a )»«r. in the form*
of *ir*» «heatking ting kcwkn
• ml hu nt** -»..| hea*-« titling*
In the* HOI tin «•!« of the I•* •»» are. I. rk »*
a ana amt Wentero rt»iir>Mnl m htvh are feeing
bnili in >k« • fork anal IM».bo. **»» t er a
tmr«l ulrounf rnt»r#|y f.tr tlif «»tit»i«l# wit I In
nii'l fiifini.'. l.ikiiitf fli*- pi.nr of nit ••tour.
fcxclutiurr. __ __
Richest Ore Ever Shipped.
About th»* Hr*t «>f In* i Jumiiiry u «*url«ut*t
of or# Hu* *#*ut fr**m th#* ll.iw>» M«iii>itc
I#«*m* Ml <ioMH**UI Nn.. In th#* *«■()»* *m#lt#r
Ml Shi* friim Urn, Th# •*mrtt#r’« rrmpt
•ho** th# or# it#tt#*«l th** mm of
Th# %hipm**tit r<>ti«i«tr*l of "It.IV* of
til* ami Itsmliir ih *f*.UI »h« «l.’ ,'j rrnt* to
th«* p*'»»imI 4mI Iirurl) Iiitiiro of *fcU#r to
•b# toft. It »* oitirolml to Imir #*«••»■* th**
ri#h#«t raHimit of or** #«#r «hipp#«l front .*»»*
IbiMiHtf tsiNtp it* th# Horltl
A ft#* |»r**rr kmik r#r#ft«tv pr#pir**l *t
th# »ft-t »I4* of th# hllltf of KktflHMi 4« ft*
>ft> u *lp»ft r«.i»t*M*« th# t»r*«#r f*»r th# l*r*#
»4#ftt «f th# I i*»t#*l 14th#m from th#
%n #rtr in |m> |»r*y#r booh
S. E. HEETER,
Freighter and Packer
Good Equipments and
Service Unexcelled
NATURAL GAS
ON DEADWOOD
Hilly Graham and Jim Cummings, who
came into rump Thursday afternoon, report
striking a How of gas in a shuft on Dead
wood creek.
Mr. Graham was in the shaft and tapped
the bus with his pick. He heard it hissing
as it escaped through the vent made hy the*
pick point and the scent of the stuff was
verj pronounced. He called to Cummings
to haul him up, quick.
On top. the men taiked the matter over
arul concluded to lower a lighted bundle of
straw. The straw was dungled around in
the hole till it was all burned up. but the
gas did not ignite. Then Graham was low
ered into the foul-smelling shaft again. He
struch a match and held it to the jet of
escaping gas, when flash! a flatm' shot up.
Cummings fairly made tin* windlass hum till
his partner was in the open air again.
After the first Hareup the flame burned
steadily and maintained a length of two or
three feet for about three hours. Then the
dirt slumped in and smothered it.
It has been suggested to Messrs. Graham
and Cummings that further investigation
might possibly result in a supply of fuel gas
of great value in the doelopment of the
SHORTAGE OF FUR
LAID TO THE LYNX
Tanana Minors’ Record. March 2't: Expert
trappers and hunters who are coming into
Fairbanks declare that it is at the door of
old Mr. Lyux that the Tanana must lay the
blame for the poorest fur season in its his
tory. The lynx this year have stampeded
into the choicest fur sections of the district.
Where there was one of the kind last season,
this year there are from twenty to thirty,
and they have all but exterminated both
mink and marten. Of all the enemies that
beset the little fur bearers, the lynx is most
vicious. He kills out of a cussed love of
killing, and having indulged his murder hist
he tosses aside the* carcass. He has no use
for it even as food. That this has been a
poor fur year means that next .'ear will be
another, and that the one following u ill also
be u short one: for it takes not less than
three years for the mink and marten to
bleed Imck to their normal numbers. They
throw only five or six to a litter and even
the babies are in danger during seasons
when the feeding is scarce, for the old male
w ill eat them if they can find them.
F. M. A. L.
SMITH & COLLINS,
Proprietors
FIRST-CLASS
Wines, Liquors and
Cigars.
CASE GOODS
A Specialty
JULIUS RAHMSTORF,
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE
FULL LINE
Tin, Granite and Crockeryware
Two «!•>/.«• n pjrir* in onpil«> last week «us
the rettiiH from Mr*. Heeter’n **r
poultry vjiril.
Northern Commercial Co.
OUTFITTING A SPECIALTY
ORANGES, POTATOES AND ONIONS
NOBBY SPRING SUITS
Northern Commercial Co.