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In The News
The Klondike Nugget.
Dawson, Y. T.
Vol. 1, No. 29
Wednesday, September 28, 1898
Page 1.
WHO DISCOVERED THE KLONDIKE?
George W. Carmack Was Not the First to Stake or Find Gold.
Taken up into the Gold Belt he Forgets to Acquaint the Man who had
Befriended Him With his own Greater Discovery.
How many people in Dawson outside of the old timers are aware of who was
the original discoverer of gold in the Klondike country and to whom we
owe our presence in this land of gold. Naturally enough the discoverer
is obscure and unknown compared with the men who afterwards came in and
staked the rich claims of Bonanza and Eldorado creeks. But the first
location was not made there by any means.
John Henderson leaves for the outside on Wednesday and it is but right
that some of the misapprehensions regarding the discoverers of Klondike
should be cleared away. For years Mr. Henderson had had implicit faith
in Indian river and its tributaries. He urged his fellow prospectors to
leave the light float gold of the lower river and prospect deeply at
higher points where the surface showed nothing. In the spring of 1896 he
followed the Indian river and its tributaries until he crossed what is
now called the "dome." On Quartz creek he panned out $600 and staked out
discovery claims on that stream, on Gold Bottom, or what is now Hunker
creek but then called All Gold creek and on Bear creek. At the
Forty-mile
recording office he was advised that under the mining regulations he
could only record one claim in the district and so he elected to hold
the one on Gold Bottom. On his way back in July he met George Carmack
and his Indian relatives near the mouth of the Klondike engaged in
fishing for salmon. He remarked to his companion: "There's a poor devil.
I guess we ought to take him and show him what we have got." Carmack was
accordingly invited to go along to Gold Bottom which he did. He staked
and stayed around for a while and then started for Forty-mile to record.
On Rabbit creek - now Bonanza - he lay down to rest and went to sleep.
"Skookum Jim," and Indian relative, proceeded to
prospect a little. A part from the creek showed nothing very promising.
Climbing up the hill he got a pan of dirt and proceeded to wash it in
the river. That pan=full was rich in gold and that spot is not discovery
claim on Bonanza creek. Proceeding to Fort7y-mile to record, Carmack got
drunk and spread the news and was accompanied back by a procession of
stampeders. Bonanza was staked and Eldorado also as far as No. 24, and
all this time Henderson was quietly getting out sluice boxes on Gold
Bottom and knew nothing of the great strike made by the man whom he had
befriended in the first place by taking him up to the country he himself
had found to be gold bearing.
And now Carmack has money to throw at the birds - at least to throw into
the streets of Seattle to be scrambled for, as witness the late papers,
while Henderson owes practically nothing but a townsite at the mouth of
McQuestin creek and which was granted him but a few days ago by
Commissioner Ogilvie and Crown's Land Agent Willison.
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POLICE COURT ITEMS.
The past four days have been quiet.
H. Barnes, P. Thompson, J. Cunningham, and M. J. McNamara contributed
$20 and costs, under compulsion for being bowled up.
G. Buckley was sentenced to pay a fine of $15 and costs, and ordered to
pay a damage of $20 to John Rae for injuring his property. He paid both.
Mr. Mencie was another gentleman who shot off a rifle within the city
limits and then reported himself at police headquarters for doing it. He
was cautioned and went away rejoicing.
Charles Williamson got six months hard labor for playing a naughty game
on the Northern. He tried to blow in a sack of clay, pretending it was
gold. The trick was discovered and Charles now languishes in jail.
Ernest Wagner was followed down the Yukon by a man whose fish-net he had
brought with him, all of which is contrary to statutes in such cases
made and provided. Ernest claimed the man owned him for work on the net,
so upon payment of $5 to the wage earner the sleuth was allowed to take
his property.
Frank Morrison had to pay a fine of $25 and costs, to which was added a
reward of $50 to the man who had informed on him. It appears that
Morrison had started a timber fire on Henderson creek and had then gone
off and left it to the destruction of much timber and the endangering of
numerous cabins and caches of provisions. It is an offense about which
all have the interests of the country at heart. The justice spoke
strongly and advised the culprit that a
term of imprisonment would be the portion of the next man who so
wantonly destroyed the timber of the country and with such selfish
carelessness endangered their neighbors' property.
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DIED OF FEVER.
The body of Perl T. Brown was laid away with appropriate services on
Sunday afternoon in the city cemetery. Perl Brown was a young man, 21
years old, from Grass Valley, Cal., and a recent arrival. Typhoid fever
claimed him for victim last Friday, and he was buried from his cabin on
the Klondike river.
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LOCAL BREVITIES.
Last last evening Jake Kline's cigar stand was robbed of about
seventy-five dollars in gold dust. No clue to the thief has thus far
been discovered.
Sam Schwartz was chagrined on Tuesday morning to discover that during
the night someone had abstracted a pair of boots from the front of his
store.
The friends of Col. Davis will be pleased to learn of his convalescence.
He was taken across the Yukon to the well drained flat opposite Dawson
and has been nursed back to health by Mrs. Crane. He finds himself very
weak from his sickness, but is confident now of speedy recovery.
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Page 4.
LAID TO REST BY BROTHER ELKS.
The Remains of William Cobleigh Interred on Sunday Last.
An Impressive Service Under the Auspices of the Local Fraternal Order -
The Body Will be Sent Home in the Spring
William Cobleigh, formerly assistant postmaster at Skagway, who came to
Dawson in July last and recently died at St. Mary's hospital, was buried
Sunday afternoon in the Dawson cemetery, under the auspices of the
Benevolent and Portective Order of Elks, attended also by members of the
Masonic Fraternity and Knights of Pythias. Bro. Cobleigh was a member of
these orders, his Elks lodge being located in Peoria, Ill., and in which
order the deceased had always manifested a lively interest. In life, he
was a magnificent specimen of physical manhood being over six feet in
height, and in good health, weighing 225 pounds. Contracting typhoid
fever, despite the most diligent attention medically and otherwise, he
succumbed to the dreaded disease. The B.P.O. Elks immediately had the
body embalmed and under their auspices as stated, the deceased was
interred. A committee was appointed to take charge of all the details of
the funeral consisting of Brothers J. D. Jourdan, chairman, Wm.
Chenoweth, Wm. Wilson, R.C. Gardner, and Geo. E. Noble. About one
hundred members assembled at Hart and Cate's undertaking establishment
and conveyed the remains to the place of interment, with Bro. D.W.
Semple, of Portland Lodge No. 142, acting as Exalted Ruler and Brother
James Donaldson of Cripple Creek Lodge No. 316 as Esquire. The pall
bearers were M.J. Sullivan of Cripple Creek Lodge No. 316 B.P.O.E., E.
L. Cole, of Denver Lodge B.P.O.E., W. R. Johnson of Mesa Lodge No. 55,
and G. H. McPherren, of Minto Lodge No. 17 F.&A.M., Samuel Yarde of
Cripple Creek Lodge No. 316 B.P.O.E. and F. J. Couch of St. Paul Lodge K
of P., St. Paul, Minn.
At the grave a simple but beautiful service was rendered, the Rev. R. J.
Bowen, rector of St. Paul's church, officiating. Bro. Captain Jack
Crawford, the famous poet scout, making some most feeling remarks,
followed briefly by Bro. Semple, Bro. George Noble of Seattle Lodge
B.P.O. Elks sand "Nearer My God to Thee," his magnificent voice and the
beautiful rendition of this hymn touching the hearts of all. It is
expected to forward the remains to his former home at the opening of
navigation next spring. The deceased leaves a wife, but no children.
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