Yukon Valiev News
VOL. III.
RAMPART, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 1907
No. 41
FROM FURTHER NORTH
Men Return After a Long Period Spent on Firth
River and Other Streams of the Arctic Slope
Kinney McLeod and Archie M. Camp
bell are back in Rampart after a long
prospecting trip extending well over on
the Arctic coast and into regions seldom
visited by white men.
They left here on a steamer July 26 ol
last year. They changed to small boat
at Fort Yukon and poled up the Porcu
pine to the month of Old Crow river, 70
miles above Rampart House, and thence
270 miles to the headwaters of Old Crow,
where they established headquarters.
After snowfall they sledded over the
divide into Firth river. A portage of
probably not to exceed 25 miles sepa
rates the waters of the Old Crow from
those of the Firth.
On the upper portion of the Firth
there is a wide belt of limestone, with
no indications of gold. Lower down the
formation changes to slate and still
lower is slate and schist. In the latter,
pretty well down toward the canyon,
gold was found and holes were put down
in a'number of creeks. They got fair
prospects in shotty gold, but nothing like
pay. The ground there is shallow, and
it is a good looking country; but it is
jioorlv timbered. Sometimes the men
had to camp by willow patches to get
fuel to cook with.
Returning to their camp on Old Crow,
the men reprovisioned and crossed ovei
to a stream that heads up against the
Old Crow and Hows eastward toward the
Mackenzie. It is a good-sized river—
supposed to la- Dense river. It show?
the same limestone formation near the
hea 1 that is so pronounced on the up]a-i
Firth. Lower down the country look.
bette-r and there is some gold. Several
holes were put down, but the pros|a-vti
were not as gmal as on the Firth. Tht
ground is deeper. This river was better
tiinlared than the the Firth. A month
was sjient in that section.
As a w hole Messrs. Mclasal andCnnip
1*11 are not enthusiastic over the north
ern sloja- as a Held for pros|acting. All
prospecting should la- con tilled to sum
mer, for after snow falls all work h
necessarily done at random. Siuumei
is short, it takes a long time to get in
supplies, ami it will probably la- yean
la-h-re tile country is thoroughly ex
plorcd.
On the Porcupine aide the condition
are cousalered unfavorable for gold.
Gam*. Fish and Fur.
I'ariUrtl srrr ws in bawl* lik«* grral
hcr<l» ttl rattlr on tlw »> »t.rn |>lain*
In >unmrt thry go ax lar K>rtli«iM«
tit* Arrtlr <Ih>«*, and al thr a|>|>roorh
aiutrr ttwry drill away watth awl nnl
Nallsv* turntali Boat lo a tutU-r* al
[ Herschel Island at 5 cents a pound, de
livered, or 3 cents killed and cached.
There are not many, if any, moose on
; the Arctic slope.
Both slo}>es are good for fur, but last
winter all kinds were scarce except lynx.
Messrs. McLeod and Campbell made
little pretense at trapping, but they got
some skins at odd times, including five
gray wolves, two white foxes, a cross
fox and a couple of dozen marten. The
wolves were so bold that they repeatedly
nibbed the men’s caches.
The streams abound in fish. On a
tributary of Old Crow warm springs
caused two miles of water to remain
open all winter, and it was full of blue
fish and greyling which could be taken
at will.
Isolated a Long Time.
Messrs. McLeod and Campbell went
from August 20 to March 14 without
meeting a living soul. On the last
named day they saw a party of fifteen
families of Huskies from the coast who
were hunting caribou up near the divide.
The natives were well-dressed, intelli
gent, friendly, and some of them knew
considerable English. They said the
whaler Norway was at Herschel Island.
They had nothing hut meat to eat and
coveted the white men's grub, for which
reason the prospectors were glad to part
company with them.
At Rampart House.
Cadzoe, the trailer at Rampart House
made the prospectors welcome on theit
way out. Me >;ave them the first news
they had heard of the t'hamllar stain
[H‘de, hut he himself had heard hut few
[larticulars of it.
Cadzoe has renewal and fitted up tlu
old Hudson’s Ray buildings and has a
neat post. He is enterprising and seems
to Is* prns|wring. His trathe is almost
exclusively with natives.
Jim Healey represents the Cnited
States customs department itt R.ilu|>art
House.
Kred Smith, a prospector, will stay at
Rampart House this summer. It war
•aid he had found indications of mineral
on a trihutarv of Rapid river. Rapid
river Hows northwestward and empties
into the I’orenpine near Kampurt House'
Its whole lenath is on the Canadian side
At Raiu|sirt House was heard the
story of areal suffering endured hy three
sweetest on ttell river last winter. He'll
river How* iuto the Kishing branch <>l
the Ron opine a long way east ami mm
a tag mountain spur from Kamparl
House The nasties, whose name* were
not tear net I, went in last summer. They
were short *>f provisions ami eeatkl gel
THE STRIKE STILL ON
Injunction Proceedings and Henry's Case to
Gome Up Monday-Men Flocking to the Innoko
FAIRBANKS, June 5.—
No settlement of the miners’
I
i strike is in sight. The union
would accept eight hours and
$o, but the operators will
; not entertain such a propo
sition. Next Monday is the
dav set by Judge Gunnison
on which to decide whether
or not the injunction lately
issued against the union will
be made permanent. Henry
Roden Avill appear for the
union.
The ease against G. H.
Henrv, charged with crimi
nal libel, will come up next
Monday on demurrer and
motion to quash.
Over a thousand people
have left here for the Jnnoko.
NO MORE INVESTIGATIONS
Washington, May 22.—The contest
lietween Judge Wickershani and the
hostile United States senators today
assumed a new phase. The president
announced that he has decided he has
already given the hostile senators all
j the opportunity needed to show any
thing wrong with the judge if they
j could. He has directed two investiga
tions into the charges brought against
Wickershani, and the results have been
such a vindication of the judge that the
president has decided to have no more
of it. He therefore recalls the new Al
fred Cooley investigation order, which
was issued with the idea that the hos
tility could be allayed by demonstration
of the honesty of the judge’s course.
The president further causes it to be
known that from this time forward he
will stand behind Wickersham. Those
hostile to the appointment will have to
base their hostility on the record being
made by the judge in the conduct of his
court, and the record of the investiga
tions already given in response to the
said hostility.
no other meat except rabbits, which
were (airly plentiful for awhile. Final
ly, however, no more rabbits were to he
hail ami the men hail to pick up anil
eat the heads which they had formerly
thrown away. For fifty days their only
final was a little sugar, a yeast cake or
two, and a rabbit head apiece a day.
They finally killed a mis we, which saved
them from most serious cotisei|Uences.
They floated down the Porcupine and
intended to go to Ihiwnon.
Disliked the Hoax.
Messrs. Md.eisl and famplsdl were
sorry to hear «>f the hoax that connected
them with a mythical strike on Firth
river last winter. Ttiey hail no op|*ir
tunitv to semi out a letter amt did not
even know the young man who was
supposed to have received word from
Firth river, Frm-st Mcla-ud, bad gum
to t'hamllar until they were told so at
Fort llamhii the other day.
Men with much money scoff at Ita
I vatu*—but keep the monry.
TWO SHIFTS
FOR HOOSIER
(>. H. Wand, of the llnonicr hydraulic
company, was in town a few days a>ro
and was jubilant over the behavior of
the iciant.
With the pressure front the double
pips1 line behind it, the lift docs its work
admirably and everything looks favora
ble t« a Iona season's successful run.
It was intended to commence working
two shifts this week.
K. H. Hill luis planted a V - -1 -St/e. 1
garden, whieh is intended to supply the
mm with fresh vegetables.
A great {fold strike is repirlel on the
Omrnw-a river in Itritish I'dumhia The
district has Iona been looked upon with
bn* by prospector*.
Semi your friends the Valley News.