CREDIT TO WHOM CREDIT B DUE
[Contributed.]
Tea, Mr. Wingate, editor of the Forum,
took a very active part In the organisation
of the mlnera union. In fnet, ha came far
ahort of telling all the interest he took In the
organisation of the said union. This might
he attributed to modesty If It were not for
the feet that he fails to state the deep inter
est taken by Donald McLean in perfecting
said organisation. In order that my readers
may understand fully the situation, It is
necessary to go back to the spring of 1903.
Chamber of Commerce.
During the spring of Mr. Haven con
ceived the idea that the next congress would
make some large appropriations to build
roads and trails in Alaska, and that a large
sum of that money would be expended in
building trails In the Rampart district; that
If four or five persons would associate them
selves together, and represent that they were
the representatives of the precinct, they
could get the handling of those funds, con
trol the letting of contracts and get a large
rakeog from the contractors. He also con
ceived the Idea of corresponding with differ
ent manufacturing firms with a view’ of
getting the agency for handling their goods.
This, It was thought, would give them a
better standing and make it doubly sure
that they would get the handling of the road
fund, and if the agency was a success, all
well and good; but it it was not a financial
success, all the promoters could get a good
thing in the shape of large salaries.
After the four seuators visited Rampart
that summer, Mr. Haven claimed that Sena
tor Nelson assured him that such a bill would
be introduced and he felt sure it would pass.
During the winter of 1903 and 1904 it was no
ticed that secret meetings were being held
in the back room of Haven's saloon. The
Forum w as also published in the back room
of the same saloon. Ou one or two occasions
the Forum contained a notice of a meeting
of the chamber of commerce. No one seemed
to know who the personnel of the chamber
of commerce were, or what its aims and ob
jects were.
Some tiiM durine the progree .of sirairs,
Mr. Havra had a Mr. Strdnf, who k now at
Chene, make a tin box. Thin box wae ft lied
with some heavy material, locked and placed
In the safe of the N. C. Co. at Rampart. The
box being very heavy, the presumption was
that it contained golddust. In March, 1904,
Mr. Haven died, and after his death the box
was withdrawn, and it was found that the
heavy material contained therein consisted
of nails done up in packages. It was also
found that there had been letters written to
forty senators in the interest of said cham
ber of commerce by members of that body;
also, a great number of letters to different
manufacturing firms in different parts of
the United States. They also conceived the
Idea of procuring a seal, and one was pro
cured. This seal came into the possession of
Mrs. Haven, and the chamber of commerce
wanted It. Mrs. Haven claimed that Mr.
Haven had paid for the seal, and refused to
turn it over. At the death of Mr. Haven it
was supposed he had several hundred dol
lars in money and golddust in some of the
pockets of blselothing, which, if there, has
never been accounted for. Mr. Wingate was
the only person that was ever alone with Mr.
Haven Immediately preceding his death, and
aa unfriendly feeling existed between Mrs.
Haven and Mr. Wingate. During the strife
over the seal It developed that Donald Mc
Lean was a member of said chamber of com
merce; also, Mr. Wingate. Later It was
learned that Charles Khrhorn wae also a
member. He had spent the previous winter
ia the States, and It is not know n w hether he
joined before he went to the States or after
he returned.
The manufacturing firms corresponded
with by the said chamber of commerce re
fused to furnish goods without a substantial
cash payment. Cash was what the chamber
lacked. Poor Wingate and McLean were
then facing failure—their leader gone, no
cash, and no goods could he procured with
out cash. It was hard to see their lofty
castle crumble to dust. It happened about
this tiam that the price of golddust esc re
duced from lift per ounce to |IS.M per ounce.
There ees considerable dissatisfaction
among the miners. They were looking fur
e Moses to lead them out of Egypt. Here
was the opportunity fur the chamber of
commerce. Organise the miners. Get them
•o dig up their moaey; place It la a mmaoa
fund;, send it ootslds and hay gauds. Don
ald McLean was a miner; Wingate had a
paper; they were both members of the
chamber mi sommccsc. They both went to
work with an energy te orgeatse the miners.
and Htrongl; advocated that the mlnera
raiae every dollar they oould, place It In a
common fund and act id out and get a atoek
of good a, and atart a atore here In Rampart.
Apparently Donald McLean and iamea B.
Wingate had no aelfiah motive la the matter.
They acre working, they claimed, aolely for
the good of the poor miner. But after they
had put forth all their hard e*orta In per
fecting the organixatlon, Wingate being
prevent at the organimatlne (although no
one bat minora ahould be membeie), Why
ahonld the mlnera do otherwiae than place
the money they railed in the hande of the
two great champlona of their cauae? The
miners, ever unauapectlng, knew nothing
aDUUi me srvrri uihucuivi ■ w* »u® vnauiwi
of oommcrM, or Ihtt Janm B. Wingate and
Donald McLean were member*, much lew
the w hole thing in the chamber of commerce.
The miner** organisation was perfected and
an attempt made to raise the money; but
sufDcieut funds could not be raised, so the
only thing accomplished was, a few of the
miners sent out for their outfits. So It is not
known whether Wingate and McLean would
have got the handling of the funds had they
been raised; but there can be no eoubt but
what that was their idea. If the chamber of
commerce was a laudable enterprise, why
was It that the members were so careful and
vigilant in preventing the public from
knowing what its alms and objects were, as
well as to prevent it being known whom the
members were? People are not generally
ashamed of a laudable enterprise. Whether
A. H. Monroe, commonly known as the
“Yellow Mystery,** was a member of the
chamber of commerce Is not known; but it
is know n that he always trained with that
clique; and the next time their secret hand
is seen In the shadows Monroe is playing his
part on the outside. Surely their conduct
has been such as to at least cause a man of
ordinary Intelligence to look upon them
with grave suspicion. They thought they
were conducting affairs in Rampart with
such skill they could not be discovered, and
in order to distract attention from them
selves and hold the confidence of the people
the Forum has been used as a blackmailing
sheet to blacken the character of honorable
men w ho would not be parties to their ne
farious schemes.
FROM ACROSS
THE DIVIDE
G. W. Spicer and company are shov
eling in and hoisting and dumping into
the boxes at the same time. They have
a large dump out, and from prospects
they have had during the winter they
should have a large cleanup. The new
hoist is working fine, and is capable of
hoisting a yard of dirt at a time; so it is
expected they will make one of the
largest cleanups that will be made in
the camp this coming summer.
M. S. Gill has started to ground
sluicing in good shape and is doing big
work.
Lucky Frank Stevens and James Law
rence made the best buy on Gold Kun
that has been made in this camp in
many a day. They have already cleaned
up $.1,000 and the dumps are not half
in. They were only about two months
taking out the dumps.
It is understood that Hehb A Gaetx
and (.'aullmck’s first cleanup, made last
Thursday, amounted to tlO.000.
Sluicing on all the claims on Omega,
Chicago and Thanksgiving is well under
way, but there have been no cleanups
yet that we have heard of. A big out
put from that side is looked for.
Thirty thousand feet of lumber Itaa
been sawed by d. K. Ileeter’s mill on
Kuraka, and moat all oi it has been eoM
and delivered Mr. Ureter also has JIM)
more logs to saw yet. They are newt I y
building logs ami run from 16 to tO feet
long. He will saw the small ones on
lour sales for building purposes The
logs Boa id make a fine telegraph station.
GENERAL
MERCHANDISE.
OUTFITTING _
MINERS STORE
(In the Poetofflee Building)
Cigars by the Box a Specialty
MO BETTER COFFEE AT ANY PRICE
Best value
for
the money
ever offered
in
|
:
the North
\-SUUUULXJUUUUVUULS 11 VJCjUUUUUUUUUUIJUL/
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL COMPANY, Sole Agents for Alaska
Chas. A. Traeger,
Hats, Clothing
and Furnishings.
SAMPLES OF SUITINGS
All the Latest Styles for Spring.
Summer and winter War.
Leave your measure and have
made-to-order suits sent in.
Coats little more than ready made.
and Mr. Heeter had that in mind when
lie got out the building logs.
Water is running in the What Cheer
Bar ditch and groundsluicing is under
way in good shape.
Johnson & Jordan are tearing up the
ground on Seattle bar.
Henry Papin has hired some help and
is busy washing up on Seattle creek.
NEWSY NOTES
FROM CIRCLE CITY
H. Z. Bielenberg, who not long ago
arrived from Circle in company with
Dan Maroney and Thomas Hogan, says
times will be pretty lively in that camp
this spring.
Berry Bros, are preparing to install a
large electric dredge on Eagle creek.
They bought Syd Wilson's three claims
for $10,000; Short Bros.' two claims,
$8,000; Stahl & Griffith’s two claims,
$4,000; from Oscar Boulett, one claim,
$2,000, and Pat Lynch’s ground, $1,800.
They were also negotiating for Ktlinger’s
ground, adjoining Lynch’s, but the deal
was not marie and the gronnri will con*
tinue to be worked by open cut. Berry
Bros, also bought from Sutter, on Mas
todon fork, four or five claims, for
$15,000; from Stickney, four claims for
$6,000, and from Pete Boxer, one claim I
for $2,000. The terms of all these pur-j
chases were 10 per cent down and the
balance July I.
There has been more winter work on
Eagle creek than for several seasons.
On Mastodon there will be more!
money come from this winter’s work
than for any winter in the past three'
years.
On Mammoth, l.amb A Berry are
getting ready to install a dredge. They
have three miles ol ground.
On Dradwund, water has prevented
winter work to any extent.
Switch creek, tributary to IVadwoml,
has four boilers, ami they are working
POUND.—Lanre plain cold rinjr, with ini
1 tials. Inquira Yukon Talley Newa.
the benches very extensively.
On Portage creek, tributary to Birch,
a new strike was made the past winter
by Frank Hoffman and BiH Peterson.
Four claims have been working on that
creek.
Jack Dodson, an old-time miner, has
opened an individual store in Circle.
Nets Rasmonson transferred his
freighting and packing business to Fair
banks. Dad Johnson and Johnny Gas
kett are the remaining freighters.
Manual Gularte, who spent some
weeks in Rampart last fall, has bought
out DuPayne's saloon.
Billy Clarke is still running the well
known “Turf” saloon.
Moose have been more plentiful
around Circle this winter than in any
winter heretofore known.
Mr. Bielenberg says no prospector in
the Circle country would respect stakes
put up around large tracts of ground on
the "group” pretext. He also says that
the miners there see to it that repre
sentation work is honestly done.
CIRGLE-FAIRBANKS
MAIL CONTRACT
Jules Marion, the X. C. Co.’s mail
superintendent, has received a message
stating that his company has been
awaided the contract for carrying the
mail between Circle and Fairbanks next
winter.
The contract calls for a twice-a-month
service, the same as that rendered last
winter, with the weight limit increased
front mo pounds to 300 pounds for each
trip.
JOHN WILSON IMnOVMG.
Friends of John Wilson, who has been
so seriously ill for the past ten days,
will be glad to know that his tondiUou
is greatly improved this afternoon. His
recovery is now assured.