TELLS OF
FAR NORTH
Man Spent Five Years in a
Little-Known Country.
On the steamer Hannah on her last
trip up was G. W. Williams, a prospec
tor who has had his full share of experi
ence in the farthest north and least
known portion of Alaska for more than
live years past. He left the Hannah at
Tanana for Fairbanks, and part of his
interesting story was made known by
Captain Newcomb, of the steamer, to
friends who accompanied him from
Tanana.
In the summer of 1001 Mr. Williams
was one of a party of six who left Nome
to prospect the headwaters of the Noatuk
river, which has its outlet in Kotzebue
sound. When about 400 miles up the
Noatuk one after another of the party
became homesick and deserted the outfit
until only Mr. Williams remained. He
was not disheartened, and continued his
work of exploration and prosj)ecting.
The country abounds with caribou and
the streams are alive with trout and
grevling. The game and fish added to
the supplies taken in by the party fur
nished him sustenance up to the present
summer. He had four horses, which
he pastured during the short summer
and cut hay for in the fall.
Besides prospecting on the head
waters of the Noatuk, Mr. Williams
crossed the divide and worked exten
sively in the Franklin mountains on the
Arctic side. So remote was some of the
country visited by him that he met sev
eral bands of Eskimo who had never
before seen a white man. They were
timorous, but soon became friendly. At
first they were in deadly fear of the
horses.
Mr. Williams came out by way of
Nome and boarded the Hannah at St.
Michael. He told Captain Newcomb
that he had found gold and will return
there next summer with a brother who
is now in Fairbanks. He declined to
state the extent or location of his find.
He had plenty of money, however, and
Captain Newcomb evidently believes he
took out considerable gold during his
long sojourn in the far north.
WORK OF ROAD
COMMISSION
Kngineer John Bernard tinI the
work of surveying the creeks mud to
J4«», 4 Kureka and came into town last
Saturday. He will remain here aiel in
spect the work now in progress on the
road under the supervision • »f S. K.
Ileeter.
The wagon mod is completed to the
vicinity of No. h Hig Nlimskk. Tlo- con
struction camp was moved to the Stan
ley cahin last Satunlny.
Wrlahr Itrown had computed the
survey of live I'airlssnks-Sonw line from
The Kapols to t'.ureka last "atunlay.
CHRISTIAN
RIVER TRIP
Fork of the Chandlar Fol
lowed a Long Way.
Fred Stalk, a prospector well known
in Circle and other interior camps, came
in last Thursday from Christian river,
an east fork of the Chamllar, where he
spent most of the summer. While the
Chandlar hears to the westward, Chris
tian river extends well to the north,
and Mr. Stalk estimates that he was 150
miles within the Arctic circle.
The country did not impress him fa
vorably as a place to look for gold. In
other respects it has considerable to
recommend it as a place for a summer
outing. There was plenty of game and
very few mosquitoes. He had two
horses with him, and their immunity
from the itests made them contented so
they diil not attempt to stray away.
While in the country Mr. Stalk was
told by an Indian that there was a good
pass at the head of Christian river lead
ing through the Kmlieott range, which
divides the Yukon watershed from the
Arctic slojie. The pass was said to lie
but two or three days’ travel from his
most northerly camp, and Mr. Stalk
believes it will afford a sharter route to
points on the Arctic ocean than the one
traversed by Captain Amundsen, the
noted explorer, on his way from and to
the coast last spring.
For most part the summit of the
range is said to lie covered by immense
glaciers, and it is jiossible to cross only
through certain favored passes.
There are no white men in the region
visited, and the country is so totally un
known that the river is not represented
on the maps.
NINE BOATS
ON KUSKOKWIM
Captain Newcomb, of the Hannah,
on his way to Dawson from St. Michael
last week, rejmrted great interest exist
ing in the Kuskokwini among people in
the h>wer country.
He said seven boats were already run
ning to the Kuskokwim and two others
were to lie put on.
It is ladieved, he said, that the whole
length of the river, including all its irn
|s>rtant branches, will lie prospected.
News bad come out of gissl prospects
being found, but no pay had ls-en re
ported. ___________
Iii a leeently inientol blowpipe o«y
Hen ii imi| with aeetylenr, wiving very
liilflt temperature* l>y rinwm the
nhm-neeof inert nitr'itfi'ii from thi* tiame.
It 14 1-luino-l thill with thi* hloW|>i|* a
n»l of pure iron wivm a* a aoMrrintf
«ti< It, ami the heat i< m> itreat that a
little of tile rarlion in the Haute unite*
with the iron, ronvertinn it into luibl
ateel. Thi* Mil* |il|« i* eitfellent i»«e
re|*tiring iron ami »leel in any ah*|iw.
WINTER
MAIL ROUTE
Stock and Provisions For
the Valdez Trail.
Preparations are already under way
for the winter mail service.
Ed. S. Orr, who will have the super*
■ intendence of the service between
] Tanana town and Valdez, is distributing
; men and stock along the line and get
j ting the stations established and pro
visioned. Ed Bishop and Oscar Tack
stron went down from Dawson last
week and had with them several of their
old White Pass men, who will stay with
them on the Valdez run the coming
, winter. Their experience in running
stages in the north is a guarantee of
good service between the coast and the
Yukon.
The Alaska road commission has done
a good work in shortening the route.
On the upper Tanana a saving of some
sixty miles has been made by going up
the Little Delta instead of the Big Delta,
as heretofore. Between Fairbanks and
Tanana the distance has not only been
materially lessened, but the condition of
travel has been greatly improved by
running the trail off from the river
nearly all the way. From Baker the
trail goes to Fish creek and comes out
at Tanana mission.
It is the intention of Major Richard
son to go over the trail from Fairbanks
to Valdez on horseback this fall.
The mail trail lietween Rampart and
Tanana will also be shortened three or
four miles by leaving the river at Mar
shall creek, five miles below Ramj>art
and-coming in at Eighteen-mile Island.
OLD TRADERS
WILL RETURN
Private information has l>een received
from Seattle that Messrs. Hendricks &
Belt, the pioneer traders of the Tanana,
have organized a company to do a mer
cantile business in the Tanana.
It is stated that the company will
have at least $200,000 capital and will
establish stores at different points in the
Tanana country as developments war
rant such a step. One i»>st may be
o) S'lied the present season.
Where Is D. A. Shannon.
It. Wool* Jewell, chairman of the
finance committee ■>! the Woralincn of
the Worlil, Omaha, Neh., *cck* informa
tion of It. A. Shannon. Foe particulars,
apply to patBMtrr, Uaiu|«irt, Alaska
Itoiitfla* l*laml News: A lartte part of
Mr. tirnmller* fine ictfvtahle tfarilen ha*
U-en iWalroyetl hjr worms, t'ahhase,
rale, caulifiower ami turnip* fall a vic
tim of tlie peat*, which liet{in ami eml
operation* at tlie root of the plant. Mr.
tirumller ha* foiiml that roal oil will
kill them, tail that also kill* the plant*,
..General Merchandise..
.... OUTFITTING ....
MINERSSTORE
In the Postofflce Building:
Mike Engels
(Sourdough Mike)
FREIGHTING
and PACKING
To all the Creeks
DAVE FANGHER
WRITES FROM NOME
A private letter received by a friend
states that D. L. Fancher and J. L.
Stanton, who left Rampart last month,
arrived at Nome the 28th.
“We have been running over the
country since,” wrote >Ir. Fancher Aug.
7. “There are lots of idle men here, on
account of no water. This has been a
very dry summer here, but it has l>egun
to rrin now. 1 believe I will like the
country fine.”
Change in N. C. Office Force.
As contemplated for some time, G. II.
Wand has resigned his position as book
keeper for the Northern Commercial
Company and will devote his entire at
tention to his mining interests. If his
business affairs can t>e satisfactorily ar
ranged Mr. Wand will spend the winter
in southern California.
R. Donaldson, a young gentleman
direct from New York city, has accepted
the position held by Mr. Wand with the
comi>any. _
Mr. Rader Raised Beans.
Fred K. Kader, of the agricultural
ex|ft*riment station, haw thin year lieen
successful in raising string bean*. He
planted two varieties. One kind did not
War, hut the vine* of the oilier kind are
literally loaded.
This in the first time t>enn culture ha*
lieen successful here. A (food many
l*-o|>le have contended that they can
not I*- raided in thi* climate.
A. II \V*»»I* ia over from aero** the
divbte. __________
.1. y Newsom, the California mining
man who ha* been in thi* district for a
few week*. «tarled for Fairhank* hy way
of t den and Itaki r la*t Thur**lay.