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Show VALDEZ GOES WILD OVER GOLD FIND3 Copper Country Forgets Red Metal In Search for Yellow Metal. Valdez. Alaska, Oct. 2fi. Valdez is gold mad. The citizens, young and old, have turned prospector, leaving the town for days at ft time In a partially par-tially deserted condition. Daily specimens speci-mens of rich rock can be seen In the hands of some newly returned Individual, Indi-vidual, who has made his "flnJ," and who thenceforth classes himself among the embryonic millionaires. The old story of the newly discovered discov-ered gold camp is being repeated and excitement prevails on every side. Stock companies are being formed and development of the properties In a number of instances Is progressing at a rapid stage. This activity is in sharp contrast to the air of general apathy which has prevailed In this community for the past ten years, when nothing seemed to Interest the prospector but copper. The red metal was all the vogue, and the rich gold bearing quartz ledges were passed over with seeming Indifference. This condition obtained until last summer, when tho Cliff mine was placed in operation, op-eration, and since which time has paid 'big dividends to the stockholders, returning re-turning to them their original investment invest-ment in the first dividend. The latter's mill, with but three stamps, is saving $12,000 weekly, and the owners have several hundred thousand dollars blocked out, which will run them for the coming fiscal year. The mill was placed In operation opera-tion on the 26th of last April, and has produced slnco that tlmo the sum of 13G.957.04. The dividends (including October) have amounted to $80,000. The company has in reserve $15,000, in the shape of bullion and concentrates. concen-trates. The remarkable success of the property has naturally excited the jK-ople of this city, until there is hardly hard-ly an unlocated piece of ground within with-in a radius of ten miles. II. E. Ellis, or "Red," as he is familiarly known, Is the original locator of the Cliff mine, and his eccentricities make him a figure of more than ordinary interest inter-est to the visitor in Valdez. Ellis Is adorned with a crop of hair that falls profusely over his shoulders, its brilliant bril-liant hue being discernible for several blocks. It is said that he at one time j located a mine in tho states and sold It for a paltry few hundred dollars, and tho purchase later realized SCO - OlIO. Ellia U-3Q n.. ...I vi' them mere boys, scarcely of legal age, are encountered placing their monu ments on ledges which aro fondly hoped will prove bonanzas. Early In the morning long lines of pack trains can be seen leaving the business section, bound for the outlying out-lying cnnips. Pack animals arc at a premium, and almost any old skate will bring double his value The spirit of optimism can be more readily understood un-derstood when it is stated that every company organized up to the present time has boon able to subscribe Its treasury flotations in Valdez, not a j share of its stock having as yet been I sold to outsiders. An Instance of tho readiness In which money can bo . raised here Js that of a mining com- I pany which notified the public that I 100000 shares would be placed for sub- I scriptlon in the morning at 25 cents j per share. By 6 o'clock that cvcnlnff 1 you. juiis was co chagrined over his ill-fortuno that he swore he would never cut his hair until he had found another mine which would return him the sum he had lost He now stands in a fair way to realize his wbh several sev-eral times. At the present time most of the public interest is centered In Mineral gulch, about seven miles north of Valdez. Val-dez. Along Mineral creek a number of rich ledges have been located the quartz being alho with free pold. Some of the assays run into the thousands thou-sands of dollars per ton. A piece of quartz was brought into camp this morning weighing about thirty pounds, which It Is estimated will run Jl per pound. In the windows of the business houses can .be seen specimens speci-mens of gold quartz with the vcllow metal prominently exposed. In the hills hundreds of prospectors, some of every share had been sold nnd people clamored for another allotment Tbe readiness on the part of the puWU here to part with its hard earned ca-a would make a "wildcatter" gnaw bis r.ails with impatience were be informed in-formed of his opportunities wasted- Vuldez is a town thirteen years o'J and at the present time mincers about 1,500 people. It is the ocean terminus of tho Valdez-Fairbio's trail and the headquarters of tb Alaska Road commission. The r3 roll of the commission amounts to nearly $75O0 this year, and ns lb money is distributed here each fil' tho lltth' camp Is extremely nci1 during the winter. With the iniretllS given it by the gold strikes this fall, it is safe 'to say that Valdez will ,:e j the liveliest town in all Alaska tills winter. j |