The herald., 1895-05-19
MINING ON THE UPPER YUKON

10 tno gold 1eldS so per,l0uS.
The coast line of Alasksa runs in the
shape OF bow 1909 miles to the west and
then takes sharp turn to the north, the
Aleutian islands extending for miles fur
ther. The lower part of the bow is a mar
row strip running along the coast. giving
Alaska the appearance of an immense
| dipper with short handle at the bottom
The interior. partly in British Columbia
and partly in the Northwest territory.
belongs to Great Britain. as does all the
territory east OF Alaska on line drawn
north from the handle on the 10th de
gree of latitude. 1t is in this British ter
ritory, on the western slope OF the
Rockies and the eastern slope OF the coast
range. that the headwaters of the rivers
running into the Yukon are found.
Prospectors eptering the country outfit
at juneau in Southeast Alaska, 2000 u lies
southeast of the mouth of the Yukon.
and take steamer for the head of nayiga-
tion 100 miles up to the coast range.
Here the hardships of the journey begin.
Everything must be packed over the
mountains twenty-five miles through
Chilkoot pass to Lake Lindeman, the first
of the navigable waters tributary to the
Yukon. Here RATS are built of poles, and
when the fearful mountain wind SO COM
mon in this lake is quiet the trip must
be made to its lower end. From there is
rocky portage of three. quarters vf a
mile to Lake Bennett. where the boat or
raft on which the long trip on the Yukon
down to the gold diggings is to be made,
must be built. The trip los through sue
cession OF grassy banks and rolling hills.
interspersed with grand canyons. danger
Gus rapids and poitages. Many boats are
lost every year by the venturesome crews
who prefer to run the risk of the rapids
rather than make laborious portages
around them.
Eight hundred miles of this brings the
traveller to the digsings. Stewart River
is the first and one OF the oldest dig
gings. Seventy miles below this is Sixty
mile creek, and below this again are a
number of camps along the river until
Forty mile creek is reached, 100 miles
further down. Here Fort Cudahy is sit
uated in Northwest Territory. This is
the depot for supplies for the rich dig
gings of Poker, Davis, Glacier, Little
Gold and Miller creSks, which, until the
recent strikes of gold on Birch creek the
last year, had proved the richest of the
diggings. Three hundred thousand dol
lais were taken out last year. Thirty-tive
thousand were taken from one claim
alone in a place only 30xl0o feet. one
cleanup being made OF 100 ounces.
About l25 men WORK these claims. wages
being $40 per day. with whisky q dollar a
glass, butter ST. a pound, potatoes 81 a
pound, and other things in proportion.
payable iii gold dust. the current money
OF the region. Every one on the Yukon
carries buckskin bag ana pair of gold
scales. With $l7 an ounce as the stand
ard value, change is quickly made. Sup.
plies are carried IN on the backs of min
ers and Indians and even dogs are pressed
into service, good dog carrying fifty
pounds. One hundred and seventy miles
below Fort Cudahy Circle City was found
ed in 1884, and is distributing point for
the great Birch Creek diggings, discov-
cred in 1898, for which most of the new
aI A
laid out i'll which every one can have
lot by paying the recording fee OF $3.50
and agreeing to build. Already flour
ishing little town has sprung up where
many miners wintered the last two years.
There are saloons, stores, blacksmith
shops and other accompaniments of a
mining town. but no churches.
Here in 1894 the first dress ball ever
given by white people on the American
continent within the Arctic circle was
held. Invitations were extended by SIX
brave women-wives and daughters of
miners. who had dared all the terrors of
an Arctic winter to be with them. This
year dozen families will 60 up there,
and an Arctic sewing circle will then be
possible.
Three men took out 1858, 900 on Birch
creek last summer. which they took TO
the mint in San Francisco and received
credit for. When the Raetzler mountains.
in which Birch creek heads, are explored
great quartz leads will undoubtedly be
found. Owing to the dryness of the eli
mate hydraulic mining is impossible in
the gulches, and the mining has to be
done with a pan or cradle. the only
water available being the glacial drip.
In this respect the country is poor
mans paradise, for in the placer mines
machinery can never take the place OF
muscle. Arrived at the diggings. the
miner starts to prospect, with shovel and
found this in sufficient Quantity to indi-
cate that it will pay he strips off the
glacial drift which lies over almost all
this country to the depth of from four to
SIX feet. until he comes to the pay straek.
The first seasons work is usually spent
in clearing off tiie ground so that he can
get at the pay dirt and it is not until
the second year. and sometimes the third,
| that he makes stake Hundreds
have become tired out with the hardships
ard of the sowness with which they got
returns and lett the contry dlsguste.
AS the prospectofs get farther up the
river and nearer the mountains the
richer the deposits become. When the
lodes from which all this gold has beel
washed down by the action of the cle
Inents Tor centuries are found Alaska will
become the great gold,-producing country
of the world. Already a number of rich
| lodes have been located by the North
| American Trading and Transportation
! com pany and others. One of these stands
! boldly up fifty feet, the wall rock having
been disintegrated, with II million tons
in sight. The lowest assay yet made goes
81 ton. One great eastern and south
| ern coal mine syndicate. com posed of
we'll known eastern and western capital
! lists, who had IA man up there last year,
has sent party up there this spring TO
locate quartz leads. Machinery necessary
to work the quartz has not yet been car
ried out owing TO their recent discovery
and lack of transportation facilities but
with the mighty Yukon for a highway
| another year promises to see these greatly
| increased, and then mills will 20 in.
| The lodes already located are. however.
but the first discoveries in that line. That
from which the rich Birch creek diegings
| come has not yet been found. In all
the 800 square miles OF the gold region
color of gold can be found everywhere
| that miner would look for it. omething
never known in any other mining region.
This indicates innumerable rich quartz
VEINS. and when once these are discov-
cred ami opened up thinning will continue
all the year through. In the solid rock
! che miner can work undisturbed by frost.
though ths gold cahnot Je milled in win
ter owing to the lack Of water which is
all frozen up. The output of gold will
then be enormous.
Some winter placer mining has been
carried on for the last two years by
means of fire. Digging down through the
frozen ground until pay dirt is found, the