The times., 1897-08-08
Expert Spur, of the Geological
Survey, Makes Report.
HUNDREDS OF MILES OF GOLD
An Accurate Description OF the
Rivers and Greeks which Have
shown Good Indications The
Great Rush Since Angus. ia,
Has Lett Many Rich Fields.

Ter cont aimed in this report has already
found its way into print, as Geologist
Spur prepared an abstract OF tlI.s report
In Obedience TO a resolution OF the Senate
adopted February / last, calling for re
porr OF the results OF the work of the Geo
logical survey In Alaska during the season
OF 1896.
The fall report is v0luminous docu-
ment anG viii be transmitted to.the Pub
lie Printer in a few days. LII sets forth
that the --latest excitement IA the Yukon
country occurred during the latter part OF
August, 1886, when it was reported at
Forty Mile Greek that rich placers had
been discovered on the klondike River.
..Klondike" - a miners corruption of the
Iudiaa name, ~Clrondlnk,' which means
water ruli of fish" This river enters
the Yukon fifteen miles above old Fort
Reliance. on tie Coast Survey chart this
uverfis called tie Kunder, but no one eA-
cent Sch watka. who ch ristened il in 1883,
has ever known il by that name on
bar at its mouth was located an ihaiah
fishing village OF about one hundred dur-
ing the salmon season.
With the announcement OF The discovery
of gold there was a stampede TO TINS
region, 50 that. bile in the winter or
1S96-1s9- Forty Mile was almost deserted,
il is estimated that $50 men spent the
winter on the kl0ndke, in the gulches
and at the new town Of Dawson which
was established on the bank of the YUKON
at It's mouth Messrs. Harper and Joe
La Due, traders at Forty-Mile are the
founders of the new camp. TINS distrlct
proDerIy includes KIondike, with Its main
branch. the Bonanza. which is twenty-roui
miles long, and enters the KlondIke Three
miles from its mouth.
Geolonist Spur goes at length into the
Geography OF the Klondike region
Tie more important parts of the gold
district are at present upon Bonanza ana
Hunker Creeks. Upon the former the DIS
covery was made, and $1,000 was taken
ont in August and September OF / Ss'5. Since
that time. according to information, 4Oo
claims had leen located up to January,
1897. and about half as many upon Hunker
Creek. ard the Indications at the time OF
writing are that there viii be a great In
crease in population in 897-9S- But there
snnears to be plenty OF roOm for many
more prOspectors and miners, for although
n is uiffjcult 10 stale the area OF the
rich field from data at hand, ii is not
far wrong to say that glJches and creeks
which have shown good prospects are
spread over an area OF 700 square miles
During the investigation OF the gold
bearing region, all the creeks and gulches
which are known to he actually productive
of gold were visited. although the reaching
e Cd a
of several hundred miles on foot. The
area reconnoitered comprises upward Of
10000 square miles. The examination
OF such a large extent OF territory was
necessarily Of the nature OF a rapid recon
naissance. but the general character and
the prohj.bie economic value OF the dis
tricts were fairly well ascertained.
OF the geology OF the Yukon gold belt.
Mr.. Spur says:
THE locks constituting this belt are
mostly crystalline schists associated with
marbles and sheared qusrtzites. indicating
a sedimentary origin for a large part OF
the series. In the upper part few plant
remains were found, which suggest that
this portion is probably OF Devonian age.
These altered sedimentary rocks have been
shattered ty volcanic action. and they are
pierced bv many dikes Of eruptive rock.
Throughout these altered rocks here are
found veins CT quartz often carrying py-
rite ana gold 1t appears thai these quartz
veins were formed during the distur bance
attending the uplift and alteration OF the
beds Many of the veins have been cut.
sheared anc torn into fragments by the
force that has transformed the sedimentary
rocks into crystalline schist; but there are
others, containing gold, silver and COP
per, that have not been very much dis
turbed or broken. These more continuous
ore-beanng zones have not the character
OF ordinary quartz veins, although they
contain much silica. Instead OF the usual
white quartz veins. the ore occurs in n
Eheared aud altered zone OF rock and grad
naIly runs out on both sides SO far as
vet known. these continuous zones OF ore
are OF relatively low grade. Concerning
the veins OF white quartz first mentioned.
il is certain that most of them which COR
tain gold carry it only in small quantity V,
and yet some few are known TO be very
rich in places. and IL is extremely probable
that there are many in which the whole OF
the ore is Of comparatively high grade
"Resdes the gold found in the rocks of
pect pa ying quantities of other minerals
Deposits OF silver-bearing lead have been
found in q number of localities, and cop
per is also a Constituent OF many OF the
ores"
on the subject of gold pIacers, Mr
Spoor says:
'SiDce the formation of the veins and
other deposits of the rocks of the gold
F,s.F.
During that tine the forces of erosion
have stripped Off the overlying rocks and
exposed the metalliferous veins er the
surface for long periods, and the rocks OF
the gold belt. with the veins which the '
include. have crurubled and been carried
away 10y the streams, 10 be deposited In
widely different places as gravels, or
sancs, or muds- As gold is the heaviest ol
all materials found in rock, it is concen
trated In defritus which has been worked
over by stream action; and the richness oi
the placer depends upon the available gold
supply, the amount of available detrltIIs
andthecharactcrof OF the streams which carr
this debritus away IL Alaska the streams
have heea carrying away the gold from the
meiallferoue belt for a very long period
10 that particles OF the precious metal are
found In nearly au parts OF the Territory
il is only in the Immediate vicinity of ths
Fold-hearing belt, however, that the parti
cies of gold are large and plentiful enough
20 repay working, under present conditions
Where a stream heads in the gold belt, the
richest digEings are likely TO be near itt
extreme upper part
The rich guIches of the Forty Mile
district and Of the Birch Creek district
ss well AZ other fields of less Importance
all head in the gold bearing formation