The Irish standard., 1897-07-31
The KLONDYKE GOLD FIELDS.


There is no doubt whatever OF the
truth OF the reports concerning ;he
richness of the Alaskan $old fields. The
director of the United States m!nts. IL.
Il. Preston. believes that the stories Of
the rich finds in the newly discovered
klondyke region are not exaggerated.
II learn from the san Francisco mint"
he says. that one million dollars o..
gold have been received in that city
from the klcndyke district, and from
Helena. Mont. that $1,000 from the
same source has been deposited at the
United States assay office in that city"
john W. Markay. the bonanza king,
who is an expert in gold mining says
he has no reason to d!sGrelit the re-
ports Cf the marvellous richness of ne
gold fields just discovered but ne thiniis
that thu majority of those who 20 on a
eold-hrn:irG expedition to Alaska will
Numerically fail. AT best" he says,
while one nan may succeed in min
ing and strike very rich findings. a score
OF others who work just as hard toll on
with empty pcckets." Asked what ad-
vice h" would OFFER to those going to
the klondyke district. Mr.. Mackay sai,l:'
No one should go who is not pro-
Vlded against arctic weather and
asains, starvation. nor without ready
cash. The we'll and strong will nat
urally fare better THAN the weak. \
dozen young men have asked me al
ready about going there. told them
that ii Il man had SI 900 Il good con-
sHtution, and no wife and children he
could go there, or anywhere"
Miss Fulenmcr. OF Chicago, an ad-
vcnturous young woman of Morse lie
scent, has been teaching an Indian gov
eminent school out there, and in IL let
ter to friends says that those leaving
Tor klondykc at this season OF the year
are going to suffer hardship. privation
and suffering. She says there are only
four mining months thrre-May June,
July and August and for the rest of tho
year the soil is like solid rock.
though the temperature last winter
was mild--only 90 degrees below Zrro-
1t Is no unusual thing for the ;hcrmom-
eter to indicate 30 or % degrees below
zero Such intensely cold air as is H.
hailed Into human lungs at that low
temperature the unnitia,c,l have no
adequate conception of. The lowest
temperature experienced during the
ayes polar expedition was G9la de-
grces below zero; rne lowest in Mime
sofa during The pa:.;S7 twenty years VA,
aS; ana the lowest in Minneapolis at
the same time was iG. Those who
were out in this city on that cold Law
when tn" thermometer registered rs be-
low zero may be able to form n fai,f
idea of the extremely cold climate of
Alaska. Persons who have not expert
cnced such degree of frigidty cannot
realize except by actual exposure how
cold il is lin Alaska at 90 below zero
especially If a storm is bloyInl, furious
~ through the mountains, as is often
the case.
No person should start for Klondyke
without being sufficiently equipped in
money. clothing and provisions, and no
one should attempt the journey from
Seattle later than the month of August
II is Il good country to keep away frcm
this year. The man who gees now will
arrive only in time to build a shack
W herein to hibernate like the bear for
SIN long dreary months of arctic VIM
ter. He cannot go prospecting bcfor.
May or after August. as the grounl s
Solldly frozen. He will hardly have
any light or heat Of the SIN. h,,t must
depend chiefly on the moonlight to
guide his footsteps in that inhospit,blc
region Anybody possessing common
sense should forrgo the trip until pext
spring. and then he should think twice
before undertaking the Journey if u.
values his life more than gold.