The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-12
THE YrxoS PLACER MINES


great number OF peopse-prooao4y more
than ron may think From the general
tone of this news one Is apt to drav bright
visions OF the future possibilities OF Alaska,
especially the Yukon country, and those
20 whom the wish 10 father TO the thought.
as well as those who do no: stop to think.
naturally suppose that there Is plenty OF
god In that country, although, of course.
| cannot say any one has been guilty OF
saying so IN so many words. am no
phiIsnthropist, and do not care cent
how many people 60 to Alaska. yet, for
the sake Of those who contemplate
such 8 step and who honestly wish
20 know . few facts concerning that
country. will give them
In the frs. place, know what I am
talking about, having spent year in that
country, and / can assure you that Is
sufficient time to find out thing or TWO.
The country 10 easy enough to get into II
you have $500 10 start with, and the hard
ships attending the trip are q summers
picnic. But coming out Is an altogether
different kind of picnic, and il attended
with much hard work and il likely TO
seriously curtail your chances of heaven.
Aside from the physical difficulties is the
mental depression that will follow your
=
hopes of future riches are not rudeiy
shaken before you get to Forty-M Mile creek.
then you are second Mark TapIey. Idon'r
think that more than one person in ten
knows what be intends to do when he
arrives at Forty-Mile. No doubt you say:
eco to the diggings." What diggings?
reached. and analyzs them, and you can
take your choice.
The first you come to are those on Lewis
river. and as there 10 nothing there you
will not stop there, for only three men out
OF 80 that went in last year had the nerve
to stay with those, and that was because
they wished TO earn enough money to get
out with. At the Hooialinqua you may
be tempted to 60 up that stream, but as
nobody has ever done anything there but
spread rumors. | don't think it will pay
you to go. The next stream of any ac-
count is the Stewart river. That was the
first that produced gold in this region, but
as it is all float gold il was thoroughly
sniped in two or three years. in 1855 and
1ss6. These above named rivers can only
be worked during very low water. which
Is but very short part of an extremely
short season. The next you come to is
most Disappointing of the lot, as so much
was expected OF it, heading as it does close
to the head of Forty-Mile creek. Possibly
some one may strike tributary gulch or
creek that may pay big, but as yet it has
not been found, and a good many have
tried, among whom was your humble SER
want. That creek is positively no good,
not even for sniping. Shipping consists Of
hat hen Of
gravel that forms on the heads of bars.
The seam may not be more than two
inches thick, and it don't take long to
work out bar. The gold is fine and fiaky,
and so light that it floats and is difficult to
save. 1t takes about 100 colors to make q
cent The next and most important place
you come to is Forty-Mile creek, and here
his course the miner stays, and here his
hopes get their final blasting. If he has any
lett to blast. For what have you before
your Forty-Miie creek, which has been
thoroughly prospected and worked from
one end to the other, and there is no place
on it man can earn S. per day for any
length of time. As for its tributaries,
Davis creek and Franklin and Nugget
gulches, they have been staked and worked
at all places where pay was found, and
they were precious few, and they have been
we'll prospected.
Now the only thing left, aud tho whole
hope and dependency Of the Yukon min
ing country. il Miller creek, about eighty
miles from the post and which ha. been
staked from one end to the other far above
and below where any one ever hopes to
strike gold. True, company of four did
take out of their claims, aggregating 1000
feet along the creek. a sum should esti-
mate al $50, 900 altogether, but they man.
aged TO work nearly the whole thing and
under the most favorable circumstances
having the easiest ground on the creek TO
strip and having worked eighteen men.
The claim above them did not pay wages,
and the one below paid very little more.
Allowing the creek TO be good how will
that benefit you, for unless you go pre-
pared TO buy claim you cannot get one,
and as for working for wages. you will
find great many more applicants than
JOBS, and when Mr.. Healey, asked
Tor help to work on the new post
building for the North American Trading
and Transportation Company at s.. 50 and
board per day, the applications came so
thick he had to refuse some. know this
for | worked there.
Probably you think to prospect for your
self. Well that sounds pretty we'll on
paper. but few who go 10 the Yukon have
money enough TO afford to miss season
or who have the nerve to sink prospect
holes through from six 20 fifteen feet of
frozen earth or gravel, and many hole
you may have to sink and then get moth
ing, and each hole means a weeks work.
IL is little mite the hardest country to
prospect in | ever saw.
Lower down the Yukon and flowing into
1t just above the lower ramparts is what is
called Birch creek. Ii is reported that two
haif6reeds took out s. 600 IN a week. and
coarse gold at that. The trader at Nukla-
kayet seemed to believe the story. but
from all the verlfication We could get 10
the story, don't believe II 20 be true. and
neither do any Of the other miners who
descended the river
And lastly the kioukuk, q large river
flowing in from the north. Even the
traders who own the little steamer Cora
have given up hopes of that stream. Early
in the summer they were willing 10 grub
STAKE miners, bat alter the summer had
| proved the poverty of the stream they
! nave refused to he so accommodating
lhere - q man now in sea tie who enei-
neered the Cora and who will verify this
statement
Generally speaking. the traders in a
country. having 10 q certain extent the
welfare Of the country 81 heart, ana Being
! pretty we'll posted, are those who will
speak well Of it, bat If you ind one who
"h'' tAen he Is very recent importation,