The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1896-11-04
THE FIELDS ARE REMARKABLY
RICH, BUT ALMOST mac
CESSlBLE.
Experiences Of a Denver Man
Perils of Mining IN the Land
of the Midnight Sun
The Gold Seeker Is Surrounded by
Many Dangers and In
COnveniences.


Drawing the perils of trip to the gold
fields of Alaska, AYERS that he does not
care for any more Alaskan gold if he
has to go there and dig for it. This per-
sonage is John 7. Con!tin, who, with
his wife, has just returned from the
Yukon river district, to which there has
been such a mad race by gold seekers
for the past two years. The fact that
Mrs. Conklin accompanied him on his
trip adds interest to the story which he
has to tell of his experiences in the land
of the midnight sun.
Mr. and Mrs. Conkln went TO Alaska
last spring via Juneau There are two
routes to the goldfelds--that via Juneau,
and via the mouth of the Yukon to st.
Michaels. The former is the shorter.
From Juneau the route is by pack over
the coast range to the headwaters of the
Yukon, "a miles from the Pacific coast.
Singularly, though the stream has its
origin so close TO the sea, it is 1000
miles to the mouth of the river, which
in volume is mightior than the Missis-
sippi.
After the headwaters are reached
there is still 80 mile tramp to take
the prospectOr on the 1000 mile trip to
the gold diggings. When deep water is
reached, the miner must chop down q
few trees, saw out some planks, build
boat and launch it in the stream. He
must have with him enough provisions
g.. q -. 81, ,Nf
meat. for he can find plenty of game if
he is good enough shot TO kill it.
When the boat is finished, the real
perils of the trip have just commenced.
First he comes 10 Miles canyon, which
takes a skillful navigator, then the
White Horse rapids are likely to make
trouble, as we'll as Five Finger rapids,
and when he comes to Thirty Mile Bad
river there is current six to ten miles
strong in a river filled with rocks which
seem to lure the boats to destruction.
Mr. Conklin says that they found no
one to bury at this point during the past
season, but an array Of wrecked boats
told of disaster and i'll previous years
scores of bodies have been found below
this point and along the rocky shores,
1t takes a good river man to make the
trip without mishap
But if the fortune hunter is lucky
and gets down to Circle City, which is
the largest and best of the camps, he has
distanced the man who Travelled by
steamer up the river some time, for the
trip takes a month by steamer. But the
trip is not ended at Circle City, SO named
because it is on the arctic circle. The
diggings are all 20 to 40 miles off the
river, along the streams which flow into
it.
Gold was first discovered ON Stewart
river, which is destined some day to be
the great camp of the region. When
first discovered the gold was found ON
the river bars. 1t began to play out, and
when gold was discovered at Thirty Mile
and later at Circle City the men left
Stewart river. 1t has since been learned
that there is more gold in the smaller
gulches than in the river bars, and now
the miners are turning back to Stewart
river to investigate the gulches Of its
tributaries.
The most productive gold diggings
are in the gravel banks along the smaller
streams which branch out in every di-
rection, frozen in winter, but filed with
melted snow and ice when the az
months of summer set in. The miner
digs down through the frozen gravel,
solid even when the sun is beating
down fiercely, and when he strikes pay
dirt he shoyels it out, builds fire
around it to thaw il out or spreads it
out in the sun. This gold is coarse, as
it is called-that is, it is in nuggets,
sometimes as large as the thumb nail.
1t has been found lately that mining
can be carried on in winter in many
places, for the frost does not go beyond
acertain depth. They dig down through,
drift around under the frozen gravel,
and, when they find pay dirt, they build
a fire and sit outside the mine until the
fire is out. Then they shovel out the
dirt, pile il up and let it lay until
spring to wash out the gold. This
method will not do in the summer, for
the smoke hangs in the drifts.
These hardships are but few which
the miner has to deal with. In the win
ter the cold is 80 intense that it can be
borne only by the hardest. In the sum
mer the sun beats steadily for "a
months. never setting. but swinging
around in circle. During this time
the heat becomes intense. The first
warm rays which melt the snow from
the hillsides bring the flora peculiar to
that region in all the glory of its mag
nifcence In the wake of the flowers
come the hummiug birds to sip their
fragrance. Mr.. Conklin thought the re-
porter had best leave out about the
humming birds. for fear the readers
would accuse him of preyarioation, but
asserted il was true. He also said no
used to wonder where all the geese and
ducks went ON their trip north, but he
is now ready TO swear that each indi-
vidual one goes to the Yukon river
country.
Mr. Conklin is Of the opinion that
the region Is destined to be the most ia.
ins u 5. Gov'f Reports