Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-03-27
All Is Not Gold That Glitters,

district, the promised colorado OF
which all eyes are now focused, i
rough and at times di>heartenine
Still the rush continues, as it Away
does when the chance in th0usan,
prospect Of attainment of wealth j
presented.
AS everything OF interest with re
gard to the new mines is eagerly read
we subjoin few expressions from
divers sources regarding the situation
OF affairs at the Northwest Corner.
l.. n. McQueston, storekeeper a
Circle City, writes to friend at Sno
homish. and the letter finds it's way
to the Tribune. In it he says:
This is great mining country
Gold is found in small quantities fol-
1000 miles on the river, and in many
places it is very rich. The country i,
not half prospected as yet. 1t is very
difficult To prospect as the ground i.
frozen hard all summer, and one hat
to thaw out the ground with fire
which makes very slow work. This il
the largest camp on the river. 1t was
struck one year ago last June. There
are 6OO men wintering here, and the
outlook is favorable of it being double
that next year.
"There are about 500 men at Forty
Mile. That is about 240 miles from
this place. i am doing business at
both places. Any one coming to this
place ought to have $500 to winter on
as he is liable not to make anything
the first year.
1.-THE wage rate is $40 a day in the
mines when you can get work. The
mining season is about three months.
"The climate is good. At this time
the thermometer stands 70 deg. below
zero. 1t feels little cold, but then
we don't have it this way long. The
trip is long and dangerous one, and
it took our party about three months
to make it,"
A. l.. Smith has written to his
brother at Marysville, Cal, and the
Globe prints the letter. Mr.. Smith
went to the Yukon q year ago, taking
with him $4,000. He says: This
country is not what it is cracked up to
be by the press, l assure you. The
mines have not turned ont as well as
was expected, even by the miners.
"Glacier creek, which was supposed
TO be very rich creek, is looking very
poor. With but few exceptions, none
of the other claims have paid wages.
l bought 200 feet of ground on this
creek, and it was supposed to be very
rich, as the ground adjoining it above
paid $lOO % to the man last summer.
| might have sold out several times
and made a thousand dollars without
doing any work. but / thought / had
my fortune in sight, and held on to it.
l built two houses. 1SxlS, to accom-
modate men, cut 100 cords OF wood,
and have been prospecting for the last
two months and cannot find anything.
The mode of prospecting is slow and
tedious here the ground is frozen, and
the only way is to build fires on the
ground and thaw it, then shovel it out.
sinking foot per day. / have sunk
about 100 feet of holes 80 far and am
about discouraged. | am liable to
drop on to it any day, however, but
it is now too late to make any money
this winter.
at has been very pleasant winter,
not very cold; the coolest day
was only 70 degrees below zero /;
it is &c degrees below to-day. Yet one
does not mind it very much, My noze
freezes very easily; aside from that
can stand lots Of cold. The days are
about four hours long-from 10 a. m.
to 2 p. m. have not seen the sun
for two months, yet there is not q
cloud in the sky.
1t is a hard country to he in; shut
out from the world without any enjoy
ment whatever. The condition of a
culprit awaiting the day of execution,
or OF an exile to Siberia. is preferable to
living in this God-forsaken hole.
don't want my writing this way to
cause you to to think | am broke and
cannot get out. / may be broke, but
if had money l wouldn't 60 out, as
am going to make some money here il
l can. may 60 out next fall, as
credit is thing of the past, and it will
cost 5000 for provisions to last year.
Yet the chances are that luck may
come my way enough to buy provis-
IONS"
J. C. Farnsworth, who spent nine
years in Alaska, and is just down from
that Territory, saws:
"There will be woeful suffering
among the people who, attracted by
the cheap steamship rates. are joining
in this Alaskan stampede. To man
with good outfit, costing not less
than $500, and with $500 additional in
hard coin in his pockets, say, go to
Alaska; but q man with barely enough
money to land him at Juneau. Dveu
or Cooks Inlet, or with even 800 to
spare after he has struck either of the
first two places, will regret the trip
providing he stays in the country until
his money is spent and has no &C.
qusintance from whom to borrow
money with which to pay his return
passage.
"There will be hundreds upon hun.
dreds OF idle men focking to Alaska
from every quarter of the Union, and
the further removed they are from
authentic sources Of information the
more inflamed will be their imagina
ton as to the prospects ahead.
"TLe accounts daily being sent forth
OF man who made $4,000 in three
years on Cooks inlet, throwing hand.
fuls of money to the boys on the
wharf at Tacoma, of a party of fifty
each member of which cleaned up 49,.
600 last year. starting back with their
sleds and dogs; of the demand for
labor at Sc or SIS per day. coupled with
the cheap rates OF transportation, will
lead hundreds to spend their last cent
to get aboard the steamer and land at
Juneau or Dvea.
"There is absolutely no work for
them in the Silver Bow Basin mines
above Juneau nor at the Treadwell
mine on Douglass Island. across the
channel. Forty per cent. of the men
now in ALASKA lOOkipv for Gold oro