VOL. III.
RAMPART, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1007
No. 48
INNOKO NEWS IS BAD
All Accounts Indicate That the District Is
Not Making Good.
When Janies Langford arrived from
Tanana and lower river points Monday
morning he was asked about the Innoko.
“It is generally considered a frost,’’
he said.
The little steamer Tana arrived at
Tanana last week from the Innoko and
Captain Langley gave a very gloomy
account of conditions in the country.
Mr. Langford could see no reason why a
steamboat man would knock the coun
try unless the facts warranted it. He
said the people of Tanana generally took
the same view of the matter.
However, Commissioner W. 15. Ballou,
who came up from Tanana last Friday,
had heard that work was bciXg carried
on from 12 below to 20 above, Gaines
creek. According to what the commis
sioner heard, the men were trying to
get water onto the bars, and some
money was being taken out.
The Fairbanks Times of July 20 states
* that many of those now leaving the
Innoko doubt if the district will ever
make good. They say there is no mica
schist formation, that nothing has been
found worth while, and that even the
quartz found is likely to prove a blow
out. The Tuna arrived at Fairbanks
last Saturday and the Times asked Cap
tain Langley to explain a previous tele
gram about the Innoko being no good.
The steamboat • man said the telegiam
was only sent after he had talked to
dozens of prospeetors, and he thought
it would be a kindness to keep others
■from going there. lie met boat loads of
people, most of them headed for Nome,
who are leaving the country for good.
The Times learned that there is but
one man in the country working for
wages, and he is employed on discovery,
Gainas creek. A little gold is being
taken from IK ladow, on the same creek.
Some of the other miners are working
the rimrock in the hopes of securing
enough to pay their passage out of the
country. One man from Nome located
83 claims and after prospecting some of
the most likely left the country dis
gusted. Folger creek is a frost. The
steamer Tana met boat after boat load
returning down the river, and they all
shouted to those struggling upstream to
go back.
There is no town at Simel City. Sena
tor Charley Hill and Pete McDonald
have located a townsite at the forks of
the Ditna and Innoko rivers and call
the patch of trees Grand Forks City.
Visitors Find Gold
That Looks Pretty Good
Mr. anil Mr*. Frederick Durnias, of
Illinois, riiiue in on the Sarali last Kri
•lay anil are the guest* of Mr. anil Mrs.
Ileeter. The visitors were in Kantpurt
ami niaile many friemls last summer.
Mr. ami Mrs. Dowlas hail an interest
ing experience last Satnnlay, anil one
tliat may result in great financial liene
tlt. They went ll|i to the high Muff on
the Yukon above the lmlinn village.
Mr. Dumla* climlssl u|i the stee|> bluff
to the place where the |irominent ilark
streak shows in the fate of the hill, lie
lunl heart that the streak contains golil,
ami with a sharp stone he gougetl tail a
ilouble liamtful of ilirt. When he re
turneil to the heueh he fouml that Mrs.
iHtmlas liail rakeil up some sitml ami
gravel ami put it in her hamlkvrchief.
Ilea*lile>l lo- liamlful t*> it awl tin i
eomlmleil to bring it in ami |«tn it to
see if it w * mill jicbl a iolor.
To their great surprise the small
amount of dirt panned out between ft
ami 10 rent".
An association claim lias lieen staked
ami the proposition will lie prns|*rted.
It is thought all of the gobl punned by
Mr. and Mrs. Ihim las came front the
handful of dirt taken from the face of
the hill. The streak from w hich it was
gouged has for a long time been known
to contain gold ami it has tieen lielieved
by wine that an old channel extends
through the big ridge from the Yukon
to Hunter creek.
It is at least lievond <|Uc»tion that tlie
outcrop of golddiearing gravel on the
Yukon has shown enough of the yellow
metal to justify a thorough prospecting
Two men have 1«tu put to work.
The work at present being carried on is
merely of a »U|« rlii ial nature. It can
not at present I* staled whether a boiler
will la- |«tt on ami work lie la^un
in earnest or not.
WILL PROSECUTE JAPS
District Attorney En Route to Valdez for
That Purpose.
District Attorney N. V. Harlan passed up river on the
Seattle No. 3 Monday forenoon, on his way to Valdez to
attend the session of the district court to be opened at
that place by Judge Wickersham July 27.
It had not been the purpose of Judge Harlan to attend
court at Valdez; but the news of the seizure of two Japa
nese vessels off the Alaska coast appeared so important to
him that he determined to give the matter his personal
attention. He had telegraphed instructions for the vessels
and the sixty-five men to be taken to Valdez direct and be
held there till the convening of court. Particulars of the
seizures are not known, but it is believed the sealing laws
were being violated.
Judge Harlan said it is the expectation that Judge
Wickersham will finish the business at Valdez in time to
come in and open court at Fairbanks early in September.
TANANA DEPUTY MARSHAL
IS HANDY WITH HIS GUN
Private J. M. Ujichurcb, of the mili-1
tary (Mist at Fort Gibbon, was shot ami j
seriously wounded by Deputy Marshal I
Vautier July 15.
According to Commissioner Ballou,
who returned from Tanana last Friday,
the deputy marshal heard a disturbance
and on investigation found that the
soldier with a nun had got the drop on
the civil guard and was telling the pris
oners to go alsmt their business. The
soltlier was under the influence of liquor,
and the guard was completely at his
mercy, with his hands in the air.
When the deputy marshal approached
the soldier “ducked” behind a building
and emerged frein the other side, with
the evident intention of getting the drop
on the deputy also.
Vautier was on the lookout for this
move and shot Upchurch through the
left side. The wound is painful, but
not dangerous.
UNUSUAL MINERAL SPECIMENS
FOUND ON THE LOWER RIVER
Jamc* U»|{fiir>l i* allowing wune of
tins moat singular mineral specimen*
that have fottnil hv any prospector
in thin part of the country.
The *|*cimen* were obtaiucil in a
creek about 125 luikm <lown the Yukon.
They are iinhgo blue, al*>ut the consist
ency of chalk, anil make mark* rimitur
t» thi w a hlne |ieni'il w hen ilrawn
arrow a Inmnl. Small glistening white
|«irtivle» may le aeeli it|m>n clone eiam
ination No one who ha* *een the
upecimcn* ha* venturol an opinion a* to
what they are. It i* Mr Liiit(i.al'« in
tentiotl to hate hi* tiintnial rtn*l rr|»rt«l
on bv an e*|>ert.
.Mr. (.angford lias bren prospecting
down tin- river fur several weeks and
returned on the Seattle No. 3 Monday
forenoon. During his absence he packed
•cross from the Yukon to the Mt-lozi
and also prin|o'lel on Oliver streams
entering the Yukon. Me likes the ap
pearance of the lower country so well
that lie will return ami do further proa*
peeling.
John Minouk, who went down with
Mr Langford, i* on his way Isvek. Mr.
Iktrk. a third uiemlier of the party,
went to tlie Inmiko.