P.1~4 Wright has a drug store in Santa Fe, Mo Section A -- Copies of newspaper articles from the MONROE COUNTY APPEAL, The Paris, Mo. library has microfilm of old APPEAL newspapers & the Moberly, Mo. library copy machine was used to copy articles pertaining to the Klondike gold rush and the Missouri-Alaska Gold Co. of Paris.
The hand written dates are the publication dates.
The check marks (v) indicate articles in the Robert Wright collection.
P.5 Organization of the Mo.-Alaska gold Co. of Paris.
Henry Wright is vice-president.
P.9 The dredger
P.14 Henry Wright might go overland.
P.16 Five men leave for Alaska. Fields, Fisher, Hecker,
Jones, & Thompson to go in overland, Dr. F. Ansler joined this
group in Dyes Aerial railway ??????
P.19. No tramway
P.20 Tramway operating at the scales.
P.21 Letter from E. Wright of Montgomery (relative ?????
) P.22 A list of 21 men that left Paris April 19, 1898. H.
White must have been Henry Wright. Henry Wright is on board ship with this
group,
P.35 Wright in St., Michaels.
P.44 Letter from Riley B. Wilkerson of Mexico (relative?????)
P.45 A nice tribute to H. Wright by Davis.
P.50 Letter from H. Wright.
P.54 Henry Wright finds gold
P.58 Mentions that Wright is to make a thawing machine.
P.59 Henry Wright returns after an absence of three years.
Section B Copies of newspaper articles saved by Robert Wright.
The originals are owned Sarah Francis also shared by his daughter--
Sarah Wright Zinn (Mrs. Joe Zinn). The originals are owned by Sarah Francis
also shared all of her Alaska information & photos. Copies of
these items have been combined with photos, letters, etc. originally owned
by Sallie Wright & Alaska Wright Howerton.
Florida, Victor
and Santa Fe.
An Appeal representative horsebacked it to Victor ????? last week ??????. We ??? our ??? friend. H??? dealing out general merchandise in his big new store house, J. W. English sells drugs. Wm. Stetson is the blacksmith, and Del bard at work at another Blacksmith and wagon shop that will be managed by himself and Wm. Fisher. He is in St. Louis this week buying tools. Mr. Calhoon's big collection of bees is in Victor. They made him about two tons of honey last season.
Victor has improved wonderfully in the last two years. Nearly every house in the town looks like it is new.
From Victor we went out to the home of T. B. Powers, where we spent as pleasant an evening as could well be imagined. Mr. Powers owns 680 acres of land that is as fine as any in Monroe county. Its improvements include every conviende any farmer could desire.
On Wednesday we went to Santa Fe. It was good to be there. Our list of readers at that place is about double that of any other paper, and it seems like a positive pleasure to pay for the Oracle. Several new subscribers were added to the list down there, a big number renewed, and a big lot of job work was gathered up.
Wright & Tanner and O. Lee Crigler have elegant drug stores at Santa Fe. Perry Davis does a big business at his Racket Store, and Charley Tanner, W. B. Myers and Jim Spears have stocks of general merchandise that are up-to-date and low-priced enough to draw trade from a long distance.
Santa Fe has a good school, good churches, nice residences, and fine people.
J. F. Chapel is now postmaster and is making a good one.
Dr. J. S. Drake and Dr. Chas. Backer, two of the best physicians in the land, live at Santa Fe, and enjoy a big practice.
From Santa Fe we rode out to B. F. Vaughn's and spent another very pleasant night. He has 800 acres in his home farm, every foot of which is as good as if made to order. Mr. Vaughn moved out there in 1871 and invested all his wealth in 160 acres at $8 an acre. From year to year he has added to it until it is about the largest farm in the county. The mule barn, sheep house, horse barn, scale house and everything else on the place are models of convenience.
In this part of the country the fine stock farms of Bob Smiley, Wash Sterrit, Grey Vaughn, Emmett Foree, Wm. Hanna, Philander Hickman, the 800-acre farm of Nath Rogers, the 480-acre farm of Jack Watterson, and half a score of other grand places are situated. A railroad survey has recently been run through this section. We hope the line will soon be built. It is badly needed.
Next day we went to Florida. Everybody takes the Appeal around that thriving town, and lots of them took advantage of our visit to subscribe, renew or order job printing. John Goss and the McCreary Hardware Co. do an immense general merchandise business at Florida; A. W. Vandeventer, X. P. Ball and Longacre Bros. sell drugs, A. L. Brickey does blacksmithing, and Drs. Heavenridge and Brown, the physicians enjoy a lucrative practice. The Florida Bank does a good business and enjoys the confidence of the people. R. G. McCreary is the ????ler and makes a hustling, accommodating official. Florida is several miles from a railroad, but manages to hold her own as a trading post. Miss Emma Dweardeebon now has charge of the post office and is a courteous, efficient, popular official.
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MONROE
COUNTY APPEAL.
---
OUR MOTTO: SOUND PRINCIPLES AND SOUND MEN.
Sept. 8, 1897
Facts Which will Dampen the ardor of the Tenderfeet,
----
Seattle, Wash., Aug. 30, -- John F. Miller. ex-district attorney of
Seattle, writes to a friend from Dawson City, as follows:
"There is an enormous amount of wealth in this country, gold by the thousands and millions, but it is just as hard to acquire it here as elsewhere. As elsewhere, it is in the hands of a few, while the many are hunting and searching--the same old story. El Dorado and Bonanza Creeks are the richest of all in this locality, and in fact are so far practically the only diggings of great value, and I can say that one might just as well try to 'get in' on Wall street in New York city. He could do so with no more money than here. Men on these creeks value their claims at enormous figures, from $100,000, $200,000 and $300,000 and even higher. The amount taken out last winter may justify such valuations, but of course, there are no purchasers. You can inform anybody and everybody intending to come here that if they expect to find gold scattered around at random or get something for nothing, they will be disappointed.
"While it is true that the gold deposits in the locality were found almost accidentally, it is not encouraging to note the fact that it is the first "accident" of the kind in thirty years' searching. New diggings will doubtless be discovered from time to time, but when and where the sages cannot tell. One in this country is quite a creature of circumstances; if he chances to be within reach of a discovery, he may stand a show of obtaining a claim, but should he be some distance away, he stands no chance whatever. I have been out on a 'stampede' or two and staked a claim, but the chances are there is nothing to it. Some have an idea that they 'will go out and find something.:" If they should stop to think that every creek, gulch and recess has been prospected years ago by experienced miners, their enthusiasm must lessen. The gold in the country is from 12 to 50 feet under ground, and frozen ground, too; so you see the 'free and wandering' avocation of the prospectors is not an easy task. It takes two or three weeks of the hardest labor to sink one or two holes on a creek. It is not like other countries where gold is on the surface. Here surface indications count for nothing and all prospectors' rules are worthless. One creek may be rich, while another in the immediate vicinity and much more inviting may be absolutely worthless. Of all creeks El Dorado and Bonanza are the must uninviting, low and marshy, covered with willows and all kinds of undergrowth, but there it was found lying like grains of corn awaiting they eyes of man.
"Indeed, I may be pardoned for again repeating that people who come
here should not expect too much. Where one has become rich a thousand remain
poor. My advice is, if any one comes bring at least a year's provisions
and enough money to pay passage back home. It is no place for a man to
attempt to play gentleman. Every one works hard, the hardest of his life.
Don't let the reports of the greatest amount of gold going out turn your
head; it all came from the creeks above named and the owners of the claims
realize their positions too well."
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--
--------
Paris, Missouri, Friday, October 8, 1897
---
Gold Bearing Water Ways
---
A Company Organized to Dredge the Yukon and its Tributaries in Alaska
---
Momberly Democrate
-----
Four gentleman from Monroe county arrived in this city Tuesday afternoon
and going to the Florence Hotel engaged a large room in which twenty or
twenty-five men could meet. and had chairs put in the room for that number.
These gentlemen were Obe H. Swelt of Middle Grove, G.P. Grimes of Madison,
and J. B. Davis of Paris[?four men?]. Immediatly upon this fact becoming
known, considerable curiosity and interest was manifested to know what
was the object of the meeting which was to be held. An investigation showed
it was for the purpose of organizing a company with a view to dredging
the rich gold bearing water ways of the Alaska gold fields, the Yukon and
its tributaries, and the movements of the men were watched closely to see
the result of the meeting.
Others soon began to arrive and before evening a goodly number of those expected were present. They were closeted in the room until late Tuesday night, again all day Wednesday and until after midnight Wednesday night, the result being the organization of the company with a capital stock of $50,000 with the determination to have built a combined transportation and dredge boat with which to go up the Yukon and its tributaries in Alaska and dredge the rivers for the gold deposited in the basin of these rivers. The company is to be known as the Missouri * Alaska Dredging Co., and is to consist of twenty-five men, the stock to be divided into 500 shares of $100 each.
Capt. D. C. Basey of Brunswick arrived Wednesday. Capt. Basey is the promoter of the scheme to dredge the gold bearing water ways of Alaska, and although six other companies to wit, two in Chicago, two in St. Louis and two in Seattle have been organized with the same object in view. Capt. Basey is the originator of the scheme and those companies have been organized since Capt. Basey first began to talk of his ideas and place them before the public., so that it may be truly said the other companies have stolen his thunder.
The company, which was organized in this city Wednesday night, conforming to the ideas promulgated by Capt. Basey, expects to have built especially for a steamer 100 foot long and with a 26 foot bean, with a capacity of 125 tons easily. This steamer will be built so as to be suitable for transportation of passengers and freight and provided with dredging machinery with which to dredge the Yukon and its tributaries. This boat will be built at Seattle, Wash., estimates on the cost of same already having been secured and the contract about ready to be let. The dredging machinery with which the vessel is to be equipped, will be built and furnished by the Missouri Dredging Machinery Co. of Kansas City. The company also expects to take a large quantity of provisions, etc., to sell and also to purchase and take with them to these fields, which are also inexhaustibly rich in timber as well as gold, a saw mill.
The organization affected is only temporary and to continue until the company is regularly incorporated, and was made so that business of the company can be begun at once. The capital stock $50,000 will be ample to have built and fitted up, and purchase the provisions, etc., to stock the boat and have some money left in the treasury ready for any emergency that may arise. The boat will be in Alaska and ready to go up the Yukon by the middle of May, 1898. The company as organized is composed of Obe. H. Snell, of Middle Grove who was made chairman; B. G. Webber of Kansas City, Secretary; Dr. J. T. Dewy, DeWitt; W. T. Uric, Kansas City; Abe Hill, Holliday; G. P. Grimes and Gus Hecker, Madision; T. G. Bassett, R. O. Osborn and J. B. Davis, Paris; Capt. D. C. Basey, the projector of the scheme, and James Laughlin, Trainmaster of the Wabash Railroad Co., both of Brunswick; Dr. G. O. Cuppaidge and G. P. McRoberts, of Moberly; H. K. Samuels, Chicago; Charles Thompecs, Tulip, and several conductiors on the Wabash railroad who do not wish their names made public at present.
J. A. Merchat, cashier of the the Chariton&Donaly Exchange bank
at Brunswick was selected as temporary treasurer or recaim and the subscribers
are called on to pay in to him at once ten per cent of the amount the have
respectively subscribed and signed for. The company expects to pay large
dividends and will have two different kinds of stock, one will be what
is to be known as treasury stock, which will be issued to those who wish
to take stock, which will be issued to those wo with to take stock, but
do not wish to make the trip, ant the other will be the active membership
stock taken by those who not only are willing subscribe but who are also
willing to go with the company, endure the hardships and privations of
the trip. The company promises to pay thirty-three and one-third percent
of the dividend declared to those holding the treasury stock, and sixty-six
and two-thirds percent of this dividend to the active membership stockholders.
Capt. Basey and his co-workers in this scheme are greatly encouraged in
the work of getting in readiness to reach the Yukon at the earliest possible
moment in the coming spring.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paris,
Missouri, Friday, October 15, 1897.
A. S. Holmes on the Yukon.
----
Hanabal Journal.
---
St. Michael, Alaska, Sep. 16 -- Dear Folks: I wrote you when I first
reached here, but as I only had a few minutes, did not have time to write
much. We have been here sixteen days and just launched our boat this morning.
We leave here about Friday. I wrote you about our boat, how it was built
in San Francisco, and put aboard the ship and brought here. It was put
together by twenty ship carpenters with the assistance of all the passengers.
All of us had to work.
In regard to our prospects, will say they are very bright. We will not reach Dawson City this winter, in fact, we do not wish to.
Now in regard to this country: It is the most barren place on earth, even worse than the Klondike district. There isn't a sign of a tree. The ground is wet on top; you strike ice 18 inches from the surface. We have been sleeping on the ground and are all well, in fact, I never felt better. Am getting used to it and gaining in weight every day. We are camped 50 yards from the sea where we can catch all the fish we want, in fact, we are sick of them.
There are two companies which have stores here with a world of supplies, but they ask enormous prices. $15 a hundred for flour, 85c a pound for bacon and other things equally high. Fortunately for us we have plenty of everything.
Provisions up the river are very scarce. People are starving at Dawson City, with no prospect of the situation improving this winter. It would not be wise to go there if we desired. Since we have been here it snowed two days, but we did not notice the cold. "'Tis nice and pleasant now.
There are a number of Masons here in our party. The other night we held a meeting in Mr. Shepard's office, the manager of the North American Trading Co., who is a Mason. There were 17 States, Canada, England and the Sandwich Islands, represented. You can see it was a great gathering. I never spent a more enjoyable evening in my life. There were about forty Masons present. We organized, and I think we will enjoy the lodge.
We entertained the correspondent of one of the San Francisco Papers yesterday in our tent for dinner. We had a large goose, and he enjoyed it very much. He took our pictures and wrote it up for his paper.
Remember me to all my friends. With my present good health, I think I shall return well paid for my trip. I am writing this letter on a rough boot jack ready made by myself.
I cannot advise anybody to make this trip. It is a matter about which
they should decide for themselves. The opportunities for making money are
great, but the hardships are also great. I am glad I came, and would not
sell out my chances for a good deal. You can tell the boys who are thinking
of making the trip that the hardships are great, but they are no worse
than we expected. I must close now as I want to get the letter off. Will
write again before leaving. Hoping all are well, I am, yours,
Albert Holmes.
P.S. -- We leave here on the 24th. Will go up the Yukon 1000 miles
to Minook. Address all letters to Mysook, Alaska, until you hear from me.
A.S.H.
---------
Another Letter.
Tim Connolly, a nephew of Joe McAlister, of Louisiana, Mo., writes to his parents as follows from Dawson City:
Dawson City, April 4,--My dear mother and father: At last I write a few lines to let you know where I am in the land of the midnight son. I left Juneau last winter and was one hundred days coming to this place with five dogs and 1000 pounds of grub. This is the best country in the world. Wages are $15 a day. I have a few thousand and would send them to you but there is no way of doing so. The man that takes this letter will take it 1000 miles to Juneau, Alaska, in his pocket. He starts tonight for the outer world.
Mother, gold in this place is no good. Grub is the thing. Bacon sells at $3 per pound and flour $60 per sack. I will come home in two years with enough money to keep us the rest of our lives, if I have health. There w????? In our party ???? but one of them died. We brought him 700 miles on a sled.
We work dogs here as you do horses. This is a wonderful country. Winter is cold, from 60 to 80 below zero and the short three months to work is, from June to last part of September. There is no night. Those three months winter, daylight is three hours, about Christmas. I have bought a claim for $9,000. I paid $2,000 down and $7,000 on bed rock. There are winter diggings; the ground is frozen 40 feet deep. We drift as we did in coal mines. We put a fire in at the face and let it thaw out. and in the summer time was it out with sluice boxes. This creek is the richest in the world. Two men shoveled in $18,000 in two hours. The place was struck last August by an Indian. The worst of this place is there is nothing to eat only bacon and flour. We use pine boughs for the scurvy. One third of the men are afflicted with it. To live here a year it would cost $1,000. There is a steamboat that comes up the river once every year but it hasn't come up for the last two years, and if it don't come up this will go out on the ice. There are about 700 men in this place, the Yukon country, and they will lots of them go out with a stake if the boat comes up. I gave the $200 for taking this to Juneau and he will post it there. It will be this time next year before I know what I will have to come home on. Three years is enough for a man to stay in this place. It will make a young man old to live on the grub that gold can't buy. I would like to hear from all the folks at home and when I come out you will think Count of Monte Cristo has struck town. There are no nights at this time of the year. The sun shines eight days straight. It is well named the Land of the Midnight Sun. You would laugh to see me now. My hair is as long as Wild Bill's.
This is the only place in the world where a man can make money, but
it takes a strong man to stand it. I think I could eat a bushel of fruit.
A man came here with eggs and sold them for $76 for one egg. So if mother
was here she could make money by the bushel with her hens.
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Published Oct. 15, 1897
Returned from Klondike.
---
Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 6 -- J. W. Phelps, of Lewis, Henry conty, Mo.,
arrived in Kansas City last night from the gold fields of the Klondike
River. He left Juneau two weeks ago, after fremaining in the Alaska contry
since March 1. Mr. Phelps did not hunt for gold, but he is well posted
on the country and intends to lecture this winter on conditions in the
gold fields.
"Whiskey sells at an ounce of gold or $17, for a quart bottle," said Mr. Phelps to day. "Eggs are $1 each at Dawson City, and they are not the latest editions at that. If people take my advice they will stay away from Alaska. All the good claims were taken before the news came out.
"You would be surprised to see the people who are there that are no more fit for mining than a child. Jewelrymen, clerks, merchants--everybody. A man should not attempt to go there unless he can pack his tent and outfit about all day on his back and stand the mosquitos and black flies. This is no time to go. I came over Chilkoot Pass on the Dyca trail from Dawson to Juneau on September 4, and it was snowing then. The trail is impassable until the snow packs and is frozen in the spring. At Dawson all who do not have a years provisions are being sent out. It takes about 1200 pounds of food to last a year. Yet between Junaeu and Seattle on the way down we passed three steamers with about 100 people each bound for the country. When we left Jeneau, on May 11, to go into the Klondike country. When we left Juneau, on May 11, to go into the Klondike country, everything was then taken. There were 200 rich claims on the El Dorado and Bonanza Rivers, tributary to the Klondike. The fellows who made fortunes without a cent of capital were those who were at Circle City when the strike was made. They reached up to Dawson and staked out claims and got rich, because the claims were rich. They got the cream of the claims, and what they left isn't worth much.
From
the Monroe County Appeal Oct. 22, 1897
The Yukon Dredges.
Important Meeting of the Monroe Conty Capitalists Interrested In Dredging the Yukon for Gold.
An enthusiastic meeting of the Monroe county members of the Missouri and Alaska Gold Mining, Trading and Transportation Co. was held in the office of Dr. Wm. Allen in Paris last Thursday afternoon. The company as at present constituted is composed of 25 gentlemen, each one of whom takes $1000 worth of stock. The $25,000 thus raised will be invested in a specially built steam ship capable of dredging and sifting 1000 cubic yards of sand per day, or which can be speedily converted into a freight transport capable of dredging and sifting 1000 cubic yards of sand per day, or which can be speedily converted into a freight transport capable of carrying 130 tons at a speed of ten miles an hour. Plans and drawings of the boat were examined at Thursdays meeting and by the time this reaches our readers a contract for its construction will probably have been let. She is to be built at Seattle and delivered to the company at St. Michaels early in the spring. The boat when loaded draws only three and a half feet of water. She will be able to make the trip to Dawson City when the Yukon is at its lowest stage and should the sands of the river fail to yield gold in paying quantities a few trips of the boat as a freighter would pay for it, as the freight rates up there are fearful high.
The company, however, does not propose to depend on dredging alone. A big stock of merchandise will be taken along, also a well equipped saw mill.
The boat the company is figuring on will cost about $12,000.
Among the monroe county men interested in the project are Phil Queenbury, Henry Wright, John D. Power and ---- McKinney, of South Fork; G. P. Grimes and Gus Hackert, Madison; O. H. Snell, Middle Grove; T. Guy Mitchell, D. M. Fields, T. G. Bassett, Dr. Wm. Allen. R. O. Osborn, W. A. Eubank. Jas B. Davis, Frank Ragdale, Chris Huark and Tom Murphey, Paris.
These men are in dead earnest. Unless something happens to discourage them the capital stock will have been all paid in and articles of incorporation filed with the Secretary of State within another week. According to the articles of agreement of each of the twenty-five stockholders contracts to either accompany the expedition in person or furnish a substitue. No salaries will be paid as the members prepose to furnish the capital the the muscle for the enterprise.
Later -- the company met at Meberly, Wednesday, and organized by electing Dr. Dewey president, Henry Wright vice-president, T. G. Bassett treasurer, Dr. Wm. Allen secretary. Nineteen men signed the articles of agreement and deposited 10 percent of the $1000 subscribed by each. Among those who signed were R. O. Osborn, Dr. Wm. Allen, T. G. Bassett, T. G. Michell, Thos, Murphy, Dennis Fields, O. H. Snell, Chris Buerk, Abe Hill, G. P. Grimes, Phil Quisenbury, John D. Power and Henry Wright. Each man agrees to go with the edxpedition or send a substitute. Henry Lee Soubee and John McClintic will go for Phil Quisenbury and John D. Power and Jim Fisher will go for T. Guy Michell.
Oct.
29, 1897
From Alaska
Albert B. Holmes, of Hannable, writes from the point of the Yukon river to his parents at Hannabel, under date of Sept. 23, as follows:
"We think we have fine chances for money making. It is impossible to reach Dawson this winter but we do not want to. All the passengers on our boat have plenty of provisions and good warm clothing. If any of the boys are thinking of coming in the spring, tell them to bring their old clothing, they can wear them during the summer. I could have traded them to the Indians and made big money. Other good things to trade the Indians is cheap jewelry, looking glasses and in fact any trinket. I bough five dozen bandana handkerchiefs in St. Joe for 85 cents a dozen and sold them to Indians for one dollar each. Tell them to get plenty of provisions before starting. Everything is high here. Tobacco sells for $1.50 per pound a poor quality at that.
A shot gun is a good thing to have, as there are plenty of geese and ducks; bring plenty of fishing tackle.
We hear from the people living in the country that gold can be found in almost any of the creeks. Of course some are much richer than others. I am satisfied if a man will stay in this country and have good health, he can make plenty of money.
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Nov. 12, 1897
Letter from Alaska,
Dr. F. M. Moss on Wednesday received a letter from Geo. Young, Congressman Bodina's law partner, who left Paris early in August for Dawson City, Alaska. It was the first news heard from him since early in September. Mr. Young kindly remembered the Paris papers, and requested Dr. Moss to let us have the letter for publication. It reads as follows:
Bennett's Lake, Sept. 19--It has been a long time time since I wrote you, as I have been here getting our boat. Our goods got here last night. that is the last of them. Our boat is ready and we will start for Dawson City in the morning. It will take us ten or twelve days to make the trip. I have been hanging on to the end of a whip saw for 18 days. Am feeling very well as my feet are well. They got pretty sore coming up here. The Skagway trail is the worst road I ever saw and the old mountaineers say it is the hardest proposition they every tackled. Many started back before starting from Skayway and many more before they got halfway through. Many are still plunging along and will never get through this winter.
We had four horses. Lost one and traded one for 50 pounds of flour and 50 pounds of beans.
Things are higher than a cat's back. Ordinary provisions 60c to 75c per lb, and hard to get at that. Beef steak is 50 c per lb.
The trail all along is strewn with dead horses. It costs $1 a pound to have goods packed straight through. Horse feed sells at 50c a pound.
Mrs. Kaiser and her niece got here Thursday. They will sail Tuesday. On the summit of the trail there is a foot of snow and it has frozen ice as thick as a dollar here.
We think we have plenty of time to get down the river. The trip is much more expensive than most people realize. I will not have as much money when I get through as I thought I would when I started. We do not know anything that is going on in the outside world, but have heard that war has been declared against the United States by both Spain and Japan, but guess that is a hoax.
An old man who had his goods as far as the summit of the pass went back to Skagway to get horse feed and died of heart disease. His wife was along, but she has turned back. This is the saddest thing that has occurred.
There are some children 11 or 12 years old going down the river. Our boat is 20 feet long. We will have to lay up at nights as it gets dark here now about 7 o'clock and rains almost every night in the valleys and snows on the mountain. Have not been out of sight of snow for four weeks. It is not very solid yet. I have only worn overalls and undercloths.
George Young.
------
To the Klondike" is the title of a fine piece of advertising matter
issued by the Burlington Route. It contains the finest map of Alaska we
have ever seen, showing the location of the gold fields and the routes
by which they are reached. Besides this, the folder contains a splendid
history of Alaska, the gold discoveries, the development of the mines,
the amount of gold taken out, and tell of the best roadbeds to take at
the different seasons of the year; also as remind one of the outfit needed
and the cost. Those who are interested in Alaska should write to L. W.
Wakely, Gen'l Passenger Agent of the Burlington, at St. Louis and get one
of these folders. Those who make the trip should by all means go to the....
Monroe
County Appeal Dec. 3, 1897
Kansas City Klondikers
--
Three Went to Northern Gold Fields and but One Returned.
--
Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 23, -- Two years ago last March three men left
this city for the Klondike, then known as the Alaska gold fields.
One of them carried with him $1,850, represeinting the savings of his life.
This man has just arrived in Kansas City penniless, and offers to work
the entire winter for his board.
One of his companions lies buried in a corner of their claim on Pearl creek, 750 miles from Dawson City; the other unable to bear a homeward journey, is still in the gold fields. The hardluck story that the returned Klondiker relates is the antithesis of easily acquired gold and wonderous riches and if the statements he makes are true, many a bold fortune hunter may well hesitate before rushing off to the gold fields next spring.
Charles Boschart is the returned Klondiker, and this is his story.
Three years ago this winter Boschart came to Kansas City from Louisiana where he had worked in the rice fields.
For about a month he was a rost-about at Armour's. Eight or ten years before this, his cousin, George Harson of Waterford, Wis., had had trouble of some kind at home and had fled the country. He went to Alaska and finally settled at Menor, a camp 112 miles from Circle City, where he owned a store and finally came into possession of nine claims. He grew rich and wrote several letters to Boscart advising him to come north and make his fortune. Influenced by these letters, Boshart determined to make the journey. He enlisted two of his friends to go with him. Joe Hults, who was working for Bink Mayer, a farmer who lives out in Kansas, and Charlie Brown. whose home was at Waterford, Wis. The three left Kansas City, March 3, 1895, and shipped from Seattle on a Gray line steamer for Circle City two weeks later. They found the cousin Harson, and following his advice, went to Dawson City. After prospecting in that neighborhood for two weeks, they journed on till they came to the end of the dog trail at Poland creek.
There they bought a skiff and went up the river as far as Pearl creek. Here they found one of the Capital King's camps and laid out a claim of six acres. After traveling fifty miles to another camp, they found the British Agent who gave them a deed to the claim on receiving $200 from each and a promise of further payment of $700 in the fall. They built a house by piling up four walls of rock ang began to work their cliams. Gold was found and their hopes of wealth and future happiness grew stronger. But as their supply of nuggets increased their ready money became less. After proving up their claim in the fall of '96 by paying the English Agents $700, they were soon complelled to pay for their provisions in gold. And they soon learned that the halcyon days which they had expected would never come.
As the days grew shorter with the coming of winter, provisions became more scarce and the supply of flour at $69 for fifty pound sack and potatoes at $1.60 a pound finally became exhausted. Fish were pentiful and for five months they could eat fish or starve. They ate fish and struggled on, hoarding up their gold for some future time when they should be among friends once more. More provisions arrived in the spring and Captain King's agents did a heavy business. The half starved men had only nuggets with which to buy food and the agents not only charged extortionale prices for their flour and potatoes, but took the gold on a basis that would be far below par.
Then came a time when the result of their supper. They breakfast on
fish and ate no dinner. The oil of the fish makes the food almost indigestable
and a larg share of it works out through the pores of the skin. It causes
a sort of blood poisoning which acts slowly, buty finally kills. In August,
1896, hardly a hear after the home was built, Joe Halls was taken ill from
eating fish. The nearest doctor lived at Dawson City, 750 miles away and
was having such a lucrative practice around home that nothing would tempt
him to go further north. The other t??? did all they could to help ???
com???, but their ??? of futile ???? he
died. He was buried on the claim and the two remaining ones began to
understand that fate was staring them in the face and fate in that country
means death.
The next winter was even worse if that could be possible. Death was common. It was impossible to travel more than a mile or two and funerals were not largely attended. No minister officiated. There was no ceremony. A simple clasping of a parner's hand, the "God bless you" from the feeble broath of the dying man's lips and all was over.
After living twenty-one months in such a country hope fast fades from a man and he becomes desperate. Boschart had lived in the country that length of time he lost all hope and became desperate. He realized that he could never live through another winter and that he might as well die trying to get out as to wait for death there. His partner was weak and unable to get away. The two men decided that Boschart was that man to get through if either could. He arrived there about 2 o'clock in the morning. He was half starved and desperate. To get out of the country was to live. Honesty was out of the question. It was life or death. Infront of a camp there stood a team of dogs harnessed to a sledge waiting to take some one to Dawson City. In the house the men were sleeping. Fish for the dogs and food for the driver were on the sledge. Boachart stole the outfit and stared for Dawson City. And as horse stealing used to be punishable by death on the frontier years ago, just so it is that penalty imposed on a dog thief in the Kondike to-day. But it was death to stay; it might be death to steal; he took the chances. The German dog trailer overtook him the next day as he was coming up from the river, where he had been watering the dogs. The dog trailer had the drop on him and he was unarmed. He began talking German to him and tried to get nearer but the owner of the dogs recognized his property and opened fire without preliminary conversation. He shot twice. One bullet imbeded itself in Boshart's right knee, the other struck fair in the sholder and his right arm dropped helpless. It was life or death and he was desparate. Boschart walked boldly up before the enraged German and before he could shoot again and knocked him down. He kicked him into insensibility and drove off with the dogs. His wounds pained him excruciatingly and, as there were no surgions in that neigborhood, he dug the bullets out of his arm and leg with his jack-knife. A few miles out of Dawson City he left the dogs and sledge to go on alone. He had fed the dogs his own food and he left a good share of the fish on the sledge, in order to create the impression that they had run away from their master tand to give him more time in which to leave. At Dawson City he got on a boat and arrived in Seattle in September. He had a few nuggets left. His wounds had never received proper care and he made his way to Chicago as fast as possible in order to look up his friends. He went to St. Mary's hospital, where he remained six weeks. While there, detectives who were interested in the Novak case heard of his story and he was subpoined to appear at the trial. His information reguarding the case was very meager however and his teastimony amounted to little. He reached Kansas City Monday night and tried to find work. He was without money and finally offered to work for his board. Tuesday morning the produce commission firm of Ward Bros. gave him a job and he is in their employ now.
This story of Boechar's wanderings and hardhips is as he told it to a reporter yesterday. It is corroborated by statements he has made to the men with whom he works. He shows with pride the bullet wounds he received and when asked for further proof of being a returned Klondiker he unbuttons his shirt and shows his breast all covered with that sort of rash that actually looks scaly. "That's from eating nothing but those oily fish," he said. "Doctors tell me that it could appear from no other causes."
