Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-07-29
\ Butler Boy on Klondyke.

! country, as follows:
Il returned last fall from a three
I years stay at the Yukon river mines.
! The last two years We're spent at the
| Circle City district, which Is situated
only few miles south OF the Arctic
| circle in Alaska | was at the. mouth
Of the Klondyke river where the new
| strikes have been made, in 1894 two
years before the discovery was made.
| The location of the new strikes Is
| twelve miles mp the Klondyke which
! is a small river. coming into the Yukon
on the east side. 1t is in the Northwest
territory, Canada, and is about 20 miles
! from the Alaska boundary. The creeks
| on the KlOndyke were discovered last
! August. but created very little excit-
meut until prospecting began during
| the winter.
! The strikes are without doubt the
greatest ever made in the Yukon coun-
| try. but | think that the reports that
I we are getting from there now are
/ greatly exaggerated. What news
have had from friends there is that
! there are . few very rich claims. The
! reports we are getting through the
| press tell only of the rich claims, but
| do not mention the dozens of claims
| that only pay wages. The news Of
| the strikes has been over a month get
| ting here There are over 1000 men
on the Yukon now Every claim in
the Klondyke district that color of gold
can be found on will be taken long be
| fore the news of the strikes reached
here Men starting from here now will
| not get there before the mines close
down for the season. l understand
| that these new strikes are winter dig
| gings. Even if they are there are men
enough there now to work all the pay
ing claims in the Klondyke district, so
there viii be very little chance for the
| large crowds going there now to get a
Job working for wages During the
three years that l was in the country
there were less than .. 200 men on the
whole Yukon river, and the two trans
portatien companies could not get in
| provisions enough TO supply that many
men What will it be if several thous-
and more people arrive there late this
| fall?
There are only five large steamboats,
| operating on the Yukon. The river is
only open for transportation a little
over four months in the year, aud the
| new strikes are located almost 100
miles from the mouth of the river.
| The companies cannot possibly get sup
| plies enough to the mines this summer
to last the great crowds that are going
there now over winter.
a man can take in a years supplies
with him via the Chilcoot pass and
down the Lewis river to the Yukon,
but there is a 26mile portage to be
made over a range of mountains which
rise to an elevation of between 1900
and 1, 600 feet in the first IA miles trav-
el from the sea level The provisions
| have to be packed over this range of
mountains by horses or Indians, and
will cost not less than 80 per hundred
for the 26 miles AT the end of the 26
mile portage, which is the headwaters
to the Lewis river, boat will have to
be built to carry the provisions to the
Klondyke mines, distance of over 500
miles down the river and there is great
danger of losing them in some of the
rapids Of that swift stream If the
boats going in via the mouth of the
Yukon are loaded down with men, as
reported, and each man is taking a
winters supply with him, | don't see
how the transportation companies are
going to supply the several thousand
men that are already in the country.
The Yukon is great gold country.
Fine gold can be found in the wash
gravel of nearly all its tributaries
showing that there must be deposits of
coarse gold nearer their headwaters.
There are hundreds of gulches that
there has never been a prospector in,
but it is the most difficult country to
prospect that has ever been known
There is no way to get your provisions
to where you want to prospect but to
pack them on your back, which has
been done for a distance of 80 miles. In
that country the snow is only off the
ground for about four months in the
year The mining season lasts about
three months. The country is covered
with moss and in most places the
ground is frozen under this moss the
year round The cold in the wint.r is
intense. At Circle City where | was
the winter of 1886, the thermometer
touched - degrees below zero, and in
the summer the millions of mosquitoes
make man wish that the Yukon coun-
try had never been discovered
! wonld advise all men who are
thinking Of going to the Klondyke now
on the latest reports from there to care
fully consider these few facts before
ruSnlrH 0DU miles INTO tne Interior OF
that country At this time of the year
they win be almost sure to have to en-
dure a great many hardships, and will
stand no show whatever of getting a
rich claim, as every gulch for miles
around the Klondyke strike has been
located long before the news of the
strike reached here.
To be caught on the Klondyke with
ont ayisinpG and an aicrbf mon thG'
winter coming on will involve jour
ey up the river to Juneau, a distance
of over 500 miles, and only one or two
settlements in the entire distance
WE are snrnrised TO hear of onr old