Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-07-21
UaI6er Lake. Bulletin.
Official Paper of Esmeralda County.
"WEDNESDAY .s...",.....JULY e. 1887


celsior. which arrived in San Fran
cisco OF Wednesday, will, no doubt,
have a tendency to excite the i'm
questionable in the community, aud
it may he the means of creating
something in the nature CT STAN
pede fer the new mining camp. There
is nothing, however, ia the evidences
of wealth bought down from the
iClondyke that really ought to unduly
excite any one Briefly summed up,
the first chapter in the Clondyke his
tory is that fifteen men and a trading
corporation have brought down from
there an amount of gold dust equal
to nearly $685. 900. Not quite one
hali of this sum is the property of
the trading company, and represents,
beyond question, the gross proceeds
of It's sales OF the neccssaries of life
aud mining supplies since last sum
mer. This sum, big as it is in the
aggregate, dwindes into compare
tive insigniicance when it is remem-
bered that it represents part OF the
cost of supporting community of
from 1000 to 5000 persons and that
on tue cheapest and plainest fare
chiefly bacon, beans and flour.
The fifteen miners who have come
out of the Clondyke bring with them
an aggregate of $3.50, 900 One Of
the fifteen has 800 900 to his credit;
but that represents the proceeds of
the sale of his mine, pot what he
actually took out of the ground.
There are many mines in California
to-day which it would take many
millions to buy. A little reflection
will convince any one that claim
panning out, as is alleged in the Wild
reports brought down by this north
ern contingent from So to $50 to
the pan, would be worth to any one
many times 800, 900, because it would
not require the reduction of many
cubic yards Of such gravel to return
the purchase price, and miners who
sell out their placer claims are usual
ly as shrewd in the trade as the buy
er.
Successful gold miners always look
on the bright side of the conditions
surrounding them There is no oc-
eupation which excites the magma
tion SO much as that of gold mining,
and the tendency in all mining dis
coveries is to exaggerate the value
and extent Of the wealth revealed.
1t is, no doubt, so in the case of the
Clondyke. Because few rich spots
have been uncovered, does not imply
that all the country is equally rich.
Men have mined there for ten years
and not struck anything yet. which
proves that there is q pronounced
Limitation to the area Of good ground.
OF the fifteen Clondyke miners who
have come down here with their gold
dust, eight of them were content to
leave it with the moderate sum of
$4,000 each.
The Clondyke is, moreover, the
most ihhos pitable mining region yet
invaded by the seeker for gold. It's
open season is extremely short-not
more than three months duration
The ground is frost-boprd to the bed
rock Mining must be prosecuted by
extraordinary methods. The aurif-
erous gravel in the frozen deposits
can be released only by the use of
fire, and mining can be conducted ia
the winter only. The short open sea
son is all taken up in washing the
gold bearing material taken from the
ground during the long winter. Such
was the statement made by the Alas
kan press last spring such is The
testimony of-the late arrivals from
there.
Before any one contracts the Yu.
kon gold fever he should take into
consideration the large number of
unsuccessful prospeetors who return
from the Northern El Dora 10 and the
cost of reaching the Clondyke gold
fields. Nothing less than $500 is
needed for outfit and travelling ex.
penses. The man who has only this
must be content to work as a day la
oorer, for he cannot hope TO mine or
his own account, as all the good loca.
tions within reach OF Dawson CITY
have been taken up. To prospect
sew ground 10 the Yukon requires
time, capital and hard work, for it