Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-21
BARON SAURMA
DE JELTSCEt.
Germany

frozen gravel in the winter. During the
summer, until the snow is all melted the
surface is covered by muddy torrents.
NneA the snow Is all melted ana the
springs begin TO freeze. the streams dry up.
At the approach OF winter. in order 10 get
az the gold. the miners find il necessary 10
| dig INTO the gravel formation.
Formerly they stripped the gravel off
until tIleN came 10 the gold. Now they SINK
| a shatt 10 the bottom of the gravel ana
tunnel along underneath, in the EOld-bedr-
ing layer The way in which this Is done
/ Is interesting, as II has TO he carried on
N cold weather when everything is frozen.
Inc miners build fires over the area OF
Mnere they wish to work and keep these
llghted over that territory for the space Of
about twenty-four hours. Then. at the
expiration of this period. the gravel will
De melted and SOftened to a depth Of per-
maps six inches. This is then taken of and
other fires built until the collaborating lay
er IS reached. When the shaft is down
that far, fires are built at the bottom.
against the sides Of the layer and tunnels
mace IN TINS manner. Blasting would do no
good, on account Of the hard nature of the
material. and would blow out just as out
OF gun. The matter taken out containing
the gold Is piled up until spring, when the
torrents come down. and is then panned
and Graded. 1t is certainly very hard labor.
Il see many reasons why the gold helds
should be particularly hard to reach. The
streams which cut through the mountains
have probably done so for centuries. wear
ing them down several hundred feet. and
washing out the gold into the beds and
gravel.
1t is country in which it IS very hard
to ind food. as there Is practically no game.
Before the whites went into the region,
there were not more than go natives. They
have hard work 20 support themselves on
account OF the scarcity Of game
Ch!caG9. july 2o.-ln contemplation of
greatly increased traffic 10 Alaska on ac-
count Of the recent gold discoveries and the
interest that prevails on account of them.
the North American Transportation and
Trading Company. with Headquarters in
the Old Colony building. has been reincor-
poTdIed, with al increase Of capital stock
from $4,000 to $50 co The incorporation
was licensed to-day by the secretary of
state, Charles \. Weare, of Chicago, is
president OF the company.
p b Ware. vice president Of the North
American Trading Company. IS receiving
garding the Alaskan gold fields. He said
to-day:
The boats which sail from Seattle this
month are full-every passage taken. Tha
means that anyone who wants 10 go to
klondyke must wait for the August boats |
And the journey is 700 miles. People talk
about ii as if It were walking across the
street. They don't realize what Alaska is /
what the Yukon Is. They will need a |
map TO convince them Of the truth that the |
country Of the Yukon and its tributa rieS
in Alaska and British America Is as large
as the whole United States east of the
TO Europe before they reach the Behriny ]
sea and the mouth of Yukon; that by the |
time they strike the Yukon the Alaskan /
Arctic winter will be upon them.
BY September % the winter settles /
down, and the Yukon country is frozen \
sClid TIL next MAY. The expense Of get
ting from Chicago TO Seattle is SO and /
from Seattle to the Behring sea is $50
There will be thousands of Eastern men
who will go. but OF course the coast peoule
have everything in their favor. One thing
must be remembered that the klOndvke
,oUntry is in British domain, and will be
governed accordingly.