Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-04-29
RICH ALASKA GOLD MINES.
frospcctors Elocking TO the Country In
Largo Number.

News has Just reached here that Great
Britain not content. with raising bound.
portion OF the most valuable part of Alaska,
including Juneau. the chief city. has begun
active steps looking to the opening OF
hlshway from the coast toward the rich
and ALMOST undeveloped gold field of the
Yukon. The first step in this direction has
been accomplished by surveying party,
william Ogilve. who was sent out by the
Dominion government from Ottawa last
claimed by the British in order to ascer-
tain the feasibility of opening an English
Yukon route across the coast mountain
range. came down from Alaska OH the last
steamer, and is now on his way to Ottawa
with his report 1t Is certain that the Do
trail this year for the Yukon travel, and
Mr.. Ogilvie will recommend the building of
narrow-gauge railroad as the best means
TO connect the seahoard terminus with Nu-
kou river NAVIGATION. The provincial at-
thorities of British Columbia are also urg-
Ing that this be done at once
The Ogilvie surveying party consisted of
I'VE men besides himself. 1t was an unusu-
al thing to take such Venturesome trip in
December q. until their return two weeks
ago, the men experienced extraordinary
hardships. They made a preliminary sur
yey along 'Takou pass to the inland lakes:
1t T. said that from 5000 TO 5000 miners and
prospectorrs will go to the Yukon this
money. some OF them in large amounts;
whether the prospectors who know nothing
largely on their luck The rate-cutting by
three steamer lines to Alaskan points, to-
gethgr wi,h the hard times mes prevailing IN
sending miners toward the Yukon by the
hundreds
Yukon mining district is over 5000 miles by by
derman he4nett Takog Mud and Marsh,
and stewart rivers With good road,
built where practieable this journey would
Yukon region
There is water navigation by the rivers
and lakes for so large a part of the dis
United States. should it ever take hold Of
the matter would not be so great a piece
of work as might at first be supposed >,
earlier than usual. Already over 200 miners.
fully eqnipPpsd for for the season, season, have left
iimpor9nt supply station beyond juneau;
the advance guard was surprised TO find
tne e up in the ayo ab n b
lakes beyond Colder weather has since
prevailed at Juneau; and has probably
can be used on the lakes. Above Wilson'S
Post tramway is building to facilitate
good weather continues the prospectors will
reach Yukon II month earlier than last
year year , and mining can be begun in May.
from the middle of June to about Septem-
ber
Just before the last steamer left Juneau
several prospectors arrived from the Yu
kon to secure supplies William LigGett.
one of them, has been in that country six
years. The new prospectors, he says, must
find new creek bottoms and uncover them
to bedrock The depth of the pay streak
next to bedrock varies in different cases,
but gold is always found. Last year Miller.
Forty-Mile and SiXty-Nile creeks
pretty thoroughly worked. Gold amount
ing to $50 900 was taken from Miller creek
alone, most of it coming from eight claims.
on these claims twelve feet of surface
dirt had to be washed off the bedrock by
hydraulic process. In most cases bedrock
Is twenty feet deep. For weeks the miners
are engaged in getting off the surface dirt
Their success depends upon the size of the
pay streak. After reaching 1t the men
work day and night while the ground re-
mains unfroZen Birch creek Is a new dis
trict. 1t contains numerous gulCheS which
will be prospected this year. Further
down the river are other creeks yet wholly
unpr6s peCte
For the benefit of the thousands of miners
who are penetrating the wilds of Alaska
In their search for gold, attempt is
making to have the postoffice department
establish a, regular mail route TO Yukon.
Five hundred citizens of Juneau and sew
eral thousand on Puget Sound have petit
him to establish a monthly mail for at
least six months in the year from Juneau
or Chilkat, Alaska, 10 FortyAlile on the
Yukon, the mail to be carried overland by
the most practicable route, The petition
recites that the last opportunity the miners
had OF receiving mail was about September
! last and that the next opportunity will
be about the middle of the coming July
Tacoma Correspondence New York Times.