Yukon Valiev News
VOL. III.
RAMPART, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1!»0C
No. 5
HOOSIER WORKS
CLOSED DOWN
With the end of lust week the Homier
creek hydraulic works, the largest iii
the district, ceased active operations for
the season. Manager Wand and a few
men are still on the creek putting things
in order so that work may he resumed
next year with the least possible delay,
but there will be no further attempt at
taking out gold this fall.
It is generally believed that the splen
did plant of the Hoosier company has
not handled as much dirt as the condi
tions warranted. With a season’s expe
perience to guide them the results next
year should lx' much more satisfactory
—although, so far as the public is aware,
the company’s operations for the season
just closed have been profitable to a
degree. _
SCARCITY OF MEN
HERE AND ELSEWHERE
Like most other places in the north,
this district has exjierienced a shortage
of laborers for the past several weeks.
Steamboat men lately have had cause
foi complaint on account of induce
ments being offered their men to desert
and accept better-paying jobs.
Conditions, however, do not demand
many men. The road work here has
employed a few, and has been short
handed nearly ever since its commence
ment; and the extraordinary activity
of Frank G. Manley across the divide
has called for more in that section than
heretofore. Hut no serious inconve
nience will result, and the state of af
fairs is much more satisfactory than if
there were more men than work.
The large number of men who went
outside and the activity in pros']>ecting
account for the condition tem|>orarily
existing. _
GOLD VALUES SHOWN
BY ASSAY RETURNS
Of a large (lumber of annav certificate*
recently receivetl from the I’nitetl Staten
annay office at Seattle, the loweat value
on gnlJ from the other *i<lo wan ♦ I.YL'X
uiul tile highent |»r oilhee. The
aobl yicbling (lie loaent \ultle bail In-eh
taken in mint ellaiieoim tra*le ; that Jteltl
ing tbe liiabent aa» from Thank<giviiig
On thin tide. ("M from » ami in Little
Mii»fh gate tbe la-*t return at IlH.Se
ihinerllan*»«u* gobl arm |IK. 10
ICHANCE IN U.$.
SIGNAL OFFICE
Last Sunday afternoon the govern
ment steamer Jeff Davis arrived from
' Fort Gibbon with Sergt. Harry W.
Mustiu to relieve Sergeant Kyttle in
, charge of the signal station at ltampart.
Sergeant Mustin is well known and has
many friends here, and it was at his
own request that he was assigned to this
{station. He is an old-timer in this
| country, having laid the cable formerly
in use between Rampart and Gibbon
and strung the wire across the river at
The Rapids. He is is accompanied by
; his wife, who is also well versed in
' telegraphy.
When it became known here that
Sergeant Kyttle was to be relieved a
petition, signed by nearly everybody in
camp, was forwarded asking that he be
allowed to remain ; but Sergeant Mus
tin, who is the oldest in service and in
veari, had already asked for this assign
ment and it had been granted him.
Sergeant Kyttle expects to lx> assigned
to Richardson, on the upjier Tanana,
for the winter.
NEARLY DROWNED
IN BIG MINOOK
Mins Minnie Peek had a narrow escape
from drowning in Uig Mi nook creek last
Saturday morning.
In company with her brother Miss
Peek was going on horseback to No. 8
Little Mi nook, where they will reside
during the winter. In attempting to
ford Pig Mi nook at No. 8 her horse was
swept off its feet and carried several
hundred feet by the swift current. \\ ith
rare presence of mind the young lady,
after Is ing unseated, clung to the saddle
trappings till she drifted into a [ssd of
calm but deep water, from which she
watsrescued bv her brother.
The creek was swollen by the late
rains, ami those w ho know what a tor
rent it becomes under such circum
stances will readily understand that
Miss Peck had a very fortunate escape
STEAMER IDA MAY
TO BRING FRESH MEAT
The steamer Ida May, which leaves
l>uw*on today, will bring a large st.ck
of fresh meats ol all kinds for I Ik- ham
(■art market.
C. t. R. MEN
AFTER SHOUP
A Juneau dispatch in the Fairbanks
i Times sayti the G. A. R. men are after
the scalp of United States Marshal J.
| M. Slump of the First division. They
| have given vent to their feelings in a
letter to President Roosevelt on the
subject.
The letter has been sent to the na
tional capital, and after making the
rounds of the president’s private secre
taries, has been sent to the attorney ,
general’s department, and by that de
partment on to Juneau for any com
ment Marshal Slump may have to make
• ”
in regard to the matter.
The principal grievance of the old
veterans is that not only has the mar
shal refused to appoint any one from
their ranks to a position anywhere in
his jurisdiction, but he has even gone
further and bodily fired every one of
the defenders of the nation who have
l>een holding down positions as deputy
marshals, bailiffs and guards up to over
a month ago, and all this in spite of the
fact that Shoup is a G. A. K. man him
self and the further fact that the laws
.of the United States provide that the
preference shall be given to a Grand
Army veteran when his qualifications
are ar good as those of any other appli
cant for a position.
ARCTIC BROTHERHOOD
INITIATES THREE
Mike McGough, Nick Smith anil Ed.
11. Tower were initiated by Camp Ram
part No. In, Arctic Brotherhood, last
Friday night. Her iciness the Arctic
ijueen expressed pleasure at accepting
such worthy men as her loyal subject*.
The camp has been meeting each Fri
day night of late. The meeting next
Friday {will tie more important than
usual tiecause the election of officers
will take place at that time.
STEAMER LEAH SUNK
IN THE LOWER RIVER
The S. t.'. Co.'s steamer Leak, down
lion ml, struck a rok and sank in 7 feet
of water lietween N'ulato ami Kallag on
Monday of last week
She carried little or no cargo.
Officials of the company her* have not
learned whether or uul an effort w ill he
made to raise Iter.
STR. OREGON
A TOTAL LOSS
Seattle, Sept. 17.—The Northwestern
Steamship Company has decided not to
attempt to salvage the Oregon, which
went on the rocks off llinchinbrook at
midnight Thursday.
Ship and cargo are a total loss. The
boat is breaking up fast.
Tlie cause of the wreck is believed to
have been the heavy fogs which prevail
in that region. Arrangements are be
ing made to take care of the passengers
and crew, who were landed at different
points along the coast as far north as
Valdez.
ROAD TAX EVADERS
LAYING UP TROUBLE
Jim Hall, who was brought from the"
other side of the divide last week
charged with refusing to pay road tax,
was let go with a hill of $75 or $80 of
costs against him. Hall is a prospector,
and evidently intended to pay the tax
later on.
He was one of several men who were
working on the survey of the Hootla
nana-Pioneer ditch when Hoad Overseer
Ballou called on them for the tax. The
overseer was unmercifully “joshed” by
the men, several of whom gave fictitious
names and otherwise manifested an in
tention of evading the law. The over
seer complained against them; but
when Deputy Marshal Drake went over
to serve the papers he found that the
principal offenders had skipped out.
There is no disposition on the part of
Overseer Ballou to work an unnecessary
hardship on any one. At the same time,
those who wilfully refuee to comply with
the plain provisions of the law will find
that they are only laying up trouble for
themselves.
MUCH STAKING
ACROSS THE DIVIDE
Ax an indication of the activity in
proapecting across the divide, it is
mentioned that lifty-three notices of
location were received from tiiat <|iiarter
for record hy I'oiiimisxioncr J. Lindley
Green in one day last week.
Of these, twenty-nine were for mining
claim* and the Imlance for water rights.
Itaker fiats lead* in the number of
location*.
Tlie attention lietug paid to the Hoot
tanana i* said to partake of I la; nature
of a mild stampede