Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-02
COLD BY DANGER GUARDED.
The Difficulties Which Beset Mining
In Alaska Territory.
ONE MAN TELLS HIS EXPERIENCE.
To Paddle Your own Canoe I'm the
Swift, Deep and Treacherous
Waters There is No Sim
pie Undertaking.
Gold Fields of Alaska.

from Port Townsend, b. c., on May L,
with fifty-eight cabin and seventy-four
steerage passengers. Every inch Of
room in the hold was stored With sup
plies of every character for Alaskan
ports. The last point touched before
reaching Alaskan water was Victoria,
b. c., and then only for the purpose of
taking aboard freight and passengers.
Among the cabin passengers are eleven
ladies, two of whom are tourists, and
four are residents Of Alaska. Among
the passengers are Miss Grace Ashley,
late OF Baltimore, Md, who goes to
Sitka under three years. contract to
teach the natives at the Indian mission,
and Miss Jennie Dunlap, Of Nell, Kan,
who is under like contract at juneau.
A brother of Ex-Governor Swineford,
who has just been succeeded by Hon.
Lyman Knapp, is aboard with men and
machinery for Sitka where the COVER
nor is interested in quartz mine, and
this season will see a ten stamp mill in
full operation. Among the cabin pas
sengers, probably forty have never be-
fore been in Alaska, and go there Tor
the purpose of prospecting for gold.
The steerage passengers are nearly all
ON PROSPECTING EXPEDITIONS,
most of whom are bound for the Yukon
river country. Whether they all reach
there, will probably depend upon their
stamina, and that most important re-
quisite to all miners. good luck"
There are on board four men who
have been into the Yukon river coun-
try. Whether three of them will re-
turn this season, depends upon their be-
ing able TO secure steady employment
at Juneau, in which event they will not
go. The fourth man will probably re-
turn to the diggings to look for the
bonanza he failed to bring out last fall.
Through the courtesy of a Mr.. God
dard, Of Boston, who is interested in
quartz mine on Douglas Island, upon
which is erected stamp mill costing
$500, 900, and who has large mining in
terests in other parts of the territory,
have been permitted to interview one
of the four miners who have prospected
for
GOLD IN THE YUKON COUNTRY.
He has seen service in several of our
western states ana territories, and has
spent the greater part of thirty years at
mining. He is a man whose face is an
index of character that seems to stamp
his utterances with truth. AS it is my
purpose to explore the Yukon this sum
mer, and as that country seems to be
the Eldorado of Alaska, whittier all the
pilgrims in search of gold are directing
their footsteps, | have deemed it best to
give you the benefit of such facts as
have been able to gather from this gen.
tleman which may be. think, regarded
: rs trustworthy, at least until | can send
you the result of my
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS.
"How long have you resided in
Alaska?n
II have been here three seasons.
go to California in the fall and return
to Alaska in the spring."
"Do you regard the mineral resources
OF Alaska as possessing much extent?'
''There is no earthly doubt of the vast
wealth of gold in Alaska, botn in placer
and quartz mines"
''How about the Yukon country? Do
you believe gold exists there in great
quantities?"
~ know from personal experience
and from information gathered from re-
sponsible parties who have spent two
seasons in the Yukon country, that
there is no end to promising gold bear
ing placer diggings. So far as 1 can
apCCttulll. nO VI any
has ever been found. | travelled over
seven hundred miles of the Yukon last
summer and prospected in many places,
and never made pan without finding
color"
Did you bring out any gold with
you?'
81 brought out $34l as the result of
twenty-five days. actual work. Here is
my certificate from the United States
mint. That is
ABOUT $3.50 PER DAY.
81 left Juneau on June I'd and trav-
eled about nine hundred miles before l
reached the diggings. My expenses
including fare from San Francisco to
Juneau, provisions for six months, and
Indian hire for packing my outfit over
the mountain range, including my eX-
penses back from the Yukon to Juneau
and San Francisco about covered what
] brought out. Therefore | got nothing
for my summers work."
why did you not put IN more than
twenty-five days work at the Dig
gings?"
II did not reach the placer mines
until the 18th day of July?"
''Did il take you from June 2 to July
Is to go from Juneau to the diggings?''
''Yes, but we wore detained at Chill
coot, an Indian settlement 120 miles
from Juneau, about ten days on ac-
count of
TROUBLE WITH THE INDIANS
among themselves. They would not
pack our goods over the range until
they had settled their ditficulties.n
''How long did it take you to make
the return trip?"
"a little over six weeks of constant
travel"
''At the time you left Juneau was not
spring fairly opened, and did not the
pleasant weather of fall hold out until
you returnedy"
"The weather for the most part was
delightful, except on the return trip,
and then only in the early morning
were we troubled by the water which
had frozen on our bonts and oars during
the night"
''Is not the journey from Juneau to
the gold 'diggings pleasant one, aside
from the tediousness of the trip"
"Were the length of the trip the
onfy objection, / would not remain at
Juneau for $3.50 per day. The journey
from the time We reach this side of the
mountain range, 100 miles from Juneau,