Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-09-02
THE NEW Ell DORADO.
First LETTER ABOUT 1T FROM A
TRAINED WRITER.
PLENTY CT GOLD In SIGHT,
Every Prospect of an Immense o"'-
mt of the yellow MetaI-Much sur
fcring, Though, in store ior inc
Miners.

SAN FRANCISCO, September lime
Bulletin has received letter from
Charles Haines. dated Dawson City,
July 18th. Mr.. Haines Is a weii-kho"h
newspaper writer. and his letter Is 'he
first written by a trained newspaper
man TO come out Of the klondiKe so'u-
regions. He says:
1.-THE rich diggings have become pretty
lively during the sumner. Inc output
from FL Dorado and Bonanza creeks was
famous. and there is plenty OF soid III
sight There is every prospect OF an
immense output of gold from TINS as
trict in the spring. The total output
this season is. as nearly as / can judge,
about 100000. but very little srouho
has been worked, and the dumps VIII,
like some of the tailings Of the Old
California placers, pay thousands VI
dollars when worked with improved ma
chinery. The placers are the most pu|-
cling and deceiving / have ever seen.
Imagine a man finding the ground worth
only few dollars per day, ana theh
turning to a waste OF mud ana hnOSS'
with no surface indications, ana UNI
earthing a bonanza. That Is the sltud-
ton here and all over Alaska. Inc man
who comes here TO mine does so at the
expense of health and happiness, and
Il is with him a question Of making
fortune quickly, or chances with death.
About me are scores OF men who can
weigh their gold by the bucketful, ana
who value their claims at millions.
-Four hundred valuable diggings are
stretched along creeks, and every cls-
cling is a fabulous mine of gold, yet
there are weary men who have gone
out and returned to Dawson, after
searching the great country hereaDouts,
and never a nugget do they show Tor
their toll, for their long tramp over
broken ground, and into country
whose disadvantages are exceeded by no
other place on earth. This Alasha-
Northwest Territory is an odd prize
drawing proposition, that 1 can liken to
nothing that admits Of a better COM
parison than lottery.
"a number of spots are selected on
the creeks and rivers and for one year
the miner labors. The year closes, the
water runs in, and the season output
barely pays expenses. Not two miles
away from the unfortunate one works
a man who has taken from an uninvitng
bit of earth a sackful of gold. The lucky
one did not strike the pocket because
of his ability as a miner. Chance Ia
vored him. and that was all. In short,
the miner guesses at II. and locates any
and everywhere. In nineteen cases out
of twenty, he misses 1t. and has TO wait
another year for a new trial.
INTENSE SUFFERING AHEAD.
Dawson is merely a collection OF log
huts, saloons, and a mass Of tents, about
600 in number. When the long nights
come. and the glass goes down to s. de-
grees below zero. there will be intense
suffering here, and / shudder to think
OF the results. Provisions are going TO
be very scarce, and there 10 little reason
TO doubt that the entire town viii be
on short rations during the winter, and
that scurvy will be rampant. The gold
that will go down the river for San
Francisco and Seattle will amount 10
about 100000. There is lot of gold
that will remain in camp for it is used
as an equivalent of money, and Is legal
tender at $17 per ounce. OF the 5000 or
900 inhabitants. only a couple Of hun
dred. at the most, have made paying
strikes. There is plenty Of work at from
s15 TO $40 per day, and many men have
paid $3.50 or less for living, and saved
the balance. Reports of other strikes
are constantly received here, and many
are authentic, so far as Stewart and
Polly rivers are concerned. but nothing
like so rich as the Klondike has been
reported. Quite a number OF people are
preparing to leave here for Juneau, in
case the steamers cannot get through
with provisions, and the outlook for
good grub supply is not encouraging.
"In conclusion, the Alaska and North
west Territory gold-felds will be de-
veloped slowly. Ten thousand men may
come here. but they will be lost in the
vast country when they spread out to
prospect Not more than 500 of them
will strike a mine. When they do strike
paw gravel, their fortunes will be made.
In years to come. when. at the sacrifice
of human life and energy, the treasures
of this great land are located. the wealth
Of the North will be something beyond
comprehension"