THE DOUGLAS MINER
Volume I, )
Number 6. f
DOUGLAS, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 30, 1896.
f $3.00 per year, in advance
1 10 cents per single copy
BACK FROfl THE INLET
WHAT SIWNEHART SAYS ABOU 1
THE COUNTRY
Carpenter Not Going Back—Howard
Says Silver Tip is All Right—
Other Notes
The steamer Willapa returned from
Sitka last Thursday morning having on
board 118 passengers, nearly all of whom
were gold hunters who had spent a part of
the season in the Cook inlet country and
who were returning to their homes in
Douglas, Juneau, or cities on the Sound.
Among the Inlet prospectors who re
tured to Juneau were four who are widely
known. They are G. A. Carpenter, G
B. Swinehart, and Frank and Arthur
Howard. Mr. Swinehart was one of the
first of the Juneau coterie seen last evening
by THE MINER representative, and in
answer to many questions he gave the fol
lowing information: 4iOur party was
among the earliest arrivals of the season
at the Inlet. When we reached Sunrise
City there was still about three feet of
snow upon the ground. As soon as prac
tical we started out to prospect the sur
rounding*country and tinally Howard and 1
locatedatwo claims upon Silver Tip, and we
have every reason to be satisfied with our
prospects on that creek. Never for a mo
ment did we think of abandoning it. We
were employed most of the time in dig
ging a ditch but still we have pretty nearly
managed to make wages for the season. I
am firm in my belief that next season will
find many more miners and prospectors
upon the Inlet than were there this year.
The rumor of starving and stranded miners
at the Inlet is so absurd that, to me, it seems
quite rediculous. I never heard of one
man there this season who was compelled
to miss a single meal, unless it was some
one who had wandered too far away from
camp to get back in time for his meal
There is notan able bodied man up there,
unless it is some lazy, indolent, fellow, who
is unable to leave the country. Any one
who so desires can easily “snipe” ten days
and then with the proceeds be able to get
out of the country. I never heard of a pe
tition being passed around among the Inlet
miners requesting the United States gov
ernment to send a relief ship to the coun
try to take away the strandard and starv
ing miners. I don’t think that any propsi
tion of the kind was ever thought of.
There are many miners now on the Inlet
who are making good wages working upon
their own claims. I know of one claim
from which the total amount of gold taken
out in a day would average $100 to each
man employed. That is upon the Felly
Mining Company’s claim at the mouth of
Mills creek. The climate up where I have
been during the past season is very much
like it is in Juneau. If anything there is
less fog there than there in this vicinity.
We had several months of the most de
lighful weather I have ever seen. I do
not want to be quoted as having anything
to say about Carpenter, I understand he is
not going back next season and that he is
not favorably impressed with the country.”
When questioned in regard to an inter
view which Mr. W. B. Van Wart claims
to have had with Mr. Swinehart which
was published in a late issue of this jour
nal and in which Swnehart is reported
assaying that lie would not spend another
season in the country for the best claim in
it tlie gentleman replied: “I have no reco
lection of ever having met Mr. Van Wart.
It is just possible that I might have said
something of the kind to the gentleman
in a joking way and that the latter might
have accepted my words as having been
uttered in all seriousness.”
Frank Howard when seen said : 1 lie
Inlet is all right. I do not think,
however, that it is as good as the Yukon.
We have no intention of throwing up our
claims on Silver Tip and either myself or
Mr. Swinehart will return to it next sea
son.”
Mr. Carpenter was seen for a few min
utes just before leaving on the outgoing
Al-Ki for the Sound. The register in the
Occidental hotel told the tale that Mr.
Carpenter had but lately arrived from Pov
erty Flat, Cook Inlet. The sum and sub
stance of Mr. Carpenter’s replies were: “I
have no uss for the Inlet country and 1 am
not going back there next year. I have
not yet heard of anyone returning from
that section of the country who was
loaded down with more gold than he could
conveniently carry.”
Salmon Cateli at Pyramid Harbor
Forty-seven thousand five hundred cases
of salmon were shipped on the 18th of this
month by the Alaska Packers’ association
from the cannery at Pyramid harbor. The
salmon was shipped to San Francisco on
the ship Two Brothers. The catch is the
largest ever made by this company in
Alaska and is an increase of 10,000 cases
over the amount of last season’s shipment.
Captain Murray of the steam schooner
Elsie, who is also a member of the Alaska
Packers’, association, departed on the last
Al-Ki en route for San Francisco on Thurs
day evening. He was seen before going on
board of the vessel by the representative
of I HE MINER and during a short conver
sation said :
“The salmon catch at Pyramid harbor
for the season that has just closed has re
sulted in a highly satisfactory manner and
is an increase of 10,000 cases over our
catch for last season. The salmon run last
-year was fully as large as the one during
the present year, but on account of a strike
among some of our employees the catch
did not result as successfully as was looked
for. This year we have employed a force
of the same number of men as was engaged
by us last year, but we experienced no
trouble wtih them.
We employ native fishermen and pay
them five cents a tish. 1 have known of
one man catching six or seven hundred
fish in a single day. The fish are all
caught with spears, as the government does
not permit of the use here of the seine or
trap—fishing that is so successfully carried
on by the fishermen on the Columbia river.
There are about 200 men employed by
the Pyramid Harbor company during the
salmon season, mostly native and china
men.”
Leadville, Col., Sept. 16.—The striking
miners are every hour becoming more dem
onstrative. Threats of firing and wrecking
mining properties are of frequent occur
rence. At the city council meeting to
night resolutions were adopted instructing
the mayor to employ an unlimited number
of police and if he finds that they cannot
preserve the peace, then to call upon the
governor for troops.
There is a rumor to the effect that a
larger boat will soon take the place of the
Willapa.