The San Francisco call., 1897-10-03
LIGHT FOR KL0ND!KE
Next to the Food Problem Is That
of Illumination and
Heat.

In the face of all the familiar untoward
conditions prevailing In the Klondike
with the long severe winter months al
ready begun in that northern region, and
daily reports reaching US concerning the
misery and sickness occasioned by scarcity
OF food or by stale provisions, the prob
lem of comm unication between the Klon-
dixie and the outer world during the long
shut-in season is becoming more and more
serious. The question naturally arises
as to what Edison, Tesla and other wiz
ards of electricity can do to solve the prob
lens.
An old miner recently returned
from the Klondike stated that after the
food question, the next serious matter
would be that of light and warmth. Con-
sideration of this calls to mind at once the
reports OF many travellers in Alaska that
eviden of much coal have been seen in
all parts, and especially in the Klondike
region. The reason that these coal fields
have remained hitherto undeveIoped is
lack of transportation.
Now this resource suggests at once the
feasibility of changing the energy of the
coal into electricity by means of power
plants situated at the mines, the cleo
tricity to be transmitted to the different
mining camps and towns in the Klondike.
To open up these coal fields would be
diversion from gold-mining, yet would
surely prove a profitable undertaking.
All this Is merely by way of suggestion,
but without doubt it is only a matter of
time when electricity, with all its advan-
tages and conveniences of modern devel-
opment, will come 10 be regarded of the
very greatest i'm portance in this new min
ing district of the frozen north.
Every student of electricity understands
how the latter gives up lis energy in the
form OF heat when resistance is put in its
path. In fact the highest temperature
obtainable is produced by electricity in
the arc-iamp. In many homes in the
East already all the heating and cooking
is done by means of electricity. Could
this genie-llke power be transferred to the
Klondike, some scientists think, it's i'm
mense value would be at once demon
strated.
For instance, take the electric blanket,
which is one of the newest inventions.
This requires no more energy than that
consumed by from one to three lncandes-
cent lamps. according to the desired tenn
perature, which may be regulated at Will
by switch or rheostat. In appearance
this blanket would resem BILE the ordinary.
Two layers of asbestos insulate and in
close extremely fine wires laid back and
forth, SO that when the current flows and
these wires become heated the asbestos
serves to distribute the warmth evenly
and protects the blanket from being
scorched. The delivery cord connects one
corner with an incandescent light-soc1et.
Although the sum mers in the KlondIke
often register such high temperatures as
bove stated, the cold OF the winters is so
intense as to freeze the gravel beds where
the eold is sought to such a depth that
they are never thawed out. Even near
the surface of their claims the miners find
great difficulty in accomplishing the
latter. Their usual method is to fill the
shaft full of wood and set fire to it.
! This, however, is a waste of much time
and trouble, for the charred wood and
ashes have TO be removed before work can
be recommended. Moreover, this system
is further inefficient because most of the
heat rises up the shaft.
Now, as the gravel must be loosened we
can again turn to electricity for aid in ac-
omplishing this. All that would be
| needed would be simply device for heat
ing made of coils of resistant wire, which
| a proper protecting case would inclose,
attached TO a handle, so that the thawing
and working of claim could proceed
simultaneously. Besides all this, many of