Weekly: Itampart, Alaska, Thursday, January 17. HMH.
mm
&
The Pioneer Coal Magnate A Napoleon
Of Finance-- History of The
Pione *r >! ine.
In view of the promised litigation
over the Pioneer Coal Mine, a brief
history of it might be of interest.
No man in camp is in the position
to i. row the facts better than Tom
Crawford, who has been advancing
money to Drew for the past three
years. When called upon by the
Forum man, and questioned by him
ns to the varied phases of this finan
cial checkerboard; Crawford spoke
a follows:
The Pioneer Coal Mine was lo
cated by O.C. Miller sometime in
’95, as the Black Diamond, and
who was staked by Rev Prevost
and A1 Mavo to work it: each own
ing one third. In the spring of’97
Miller quit working there, notify
ing a number of his friends to go
and re-locate the mine. Drew ar
rived in August ’97, and said lie
had re-located it as the Pioneer;
b it has never recorded it. ,
That fall J. P. Bouscarren bought
Miller’s improvements for $500.
cash, he and Drew beiug equal ow
ners. In August ’98, the year fol
. lowing, I purchased Bouscarren’s
interest for Drew, paying $300. for
it; Drew has never repaid me .At
various times I have furnished cash
amounting to over $2,000. Drew
never furnished anything to the
mine, as regards to wages, tools,
provisions etc. that he -Drew ever
paid for. He owes the A. C. Co. :
for supplies furnished the mine,!
somewhere in the neighborhood of'
$5,000. A large amount, running
into the thousands, for steamboat I
fares travelling up and down river,
covering nearly three years.
The chattel mortgage of the A.
C.Co. is for$5,000 money advanced
Drew to buy machinery, and to im
prove the mine. He spent about
$3,000 paying off back wages to the
men and h id a good time with the
ha anee. It is estimated that fully
ooo more is due for labor among
J. I'.Judsins. F.Shade,Mike Dwyer
J.Spence,J.Smith,VY.Smou.se, Buck
Moore, A.C ockrati. W.Coaklev and
others. As fast as any money was
taken in for coal, Drew cashed the
checks and spent the proceeds with
a lavish hand on his creature com
forts, from Dawson to St. Michael.
He owes personal borrow.-* to near
ly every one he came in contact,
and whisker bids —ad nauseam.
I bought the boiler and hoist
from Esse in ’yy, paying $200. on
account; Drew owes the balance,
$300. to Iysse, and the rest to me.
In ’yy he gave me a check for $400
this represents all I ever received
from Drew for money, provisions,
stoves,tools,machinery etc. furnish
ed by me. I advanced all the cash
required, until he began to sell a
little coal and when he blew that, I
furnished more; in fact all 1 ever
made in Alaska, is in that hole at
the Pioneer mine. He was offered
$50,000 cash for the mine in Seattle
refused it, and swelled up like a 1
multi-millionaire. I paid his ex
penses out to Seattle, in the fall of
yy and Billy Porter paid them in
last spring. $25,000 would not pay j
off the debts contracted bv Drew I
I
against the mine.
i
Local Temperature.
The weather report for the week
ending Jan. 17 as submitted by Met-;
eorologieal Observer Liebes:
Maximum.Jail. //
Minimum. . . Jan. r6.
Mean.
-jo
Osborn a partner of OBrien.is in
from Fureka, he reports consider
able work on Rhode Island creek,
and that some good prospects have
been found there.
Sam Heater leaves town tomorrow
for Tanana to bid on one half mil
lion feet of sawlogs for the mill at
Ft. Gibbon.
Tin
I cm lie
Hig Fo.ses Foilow Tin* Track of
Tornado •** 1 ,"*500,00 0 Fir«*
Manx Uvf»s Fust.
Memphis, Teun.Nov. 21. Toma •
do causes more than fifty deaths in
Tennessee, as many more missing.
Storm doing much damage in Lhdo
rado, California and other states.
Losses in this city over $100,000.
San Francisco,Nov.2i. City cut
off from telegiaph several horns.
Railroad tracks flooded, and tiaflic
suspended. Oidv minor damage to
( - •*
buildings.
Colorado Springs, Nov. at. Citv
in total darkness; electric light plant
badly damaged. Estimated losses,
$100,000, and storm not over.
Nashville, Nov. 21. All wires
down; news by courier gives list of
twelve towns. Total ki.led 64, in
jured 52.
Denver. Nov. 21. Worst storm
that ever visited Colorado: wires
down: railroads blocked.
Vancouver,Nov.20. Sir Charles
Tupper interviews colonists. A se
lection of leader for conservative
party may be made soon. Laurier
government will not remain long
in power. The deleat of the Liber
als certain.
New York,Nov.20. A large lire
cecured m the business portion of
the city. Over 30 lives lost; cause
under investigation. Tarran & Co.
wholesale druggists, totally destroy
ed. Losses over $1,500,000.
Marseilles, Nov. 20. Str. Cable’
land, with Oom Paul Kruger aboa rd
entering harbor; over 30,000 peo
ple waiting.
St. Paul, Nov. 21. No hope for Sen
ator Davis’ recovery.
The Forum Changes Quarter*.
The Forum office and press rooms
will remove to the recorders old
office on this date.