The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1897-12-18
HOMRsICK KLoNDIKERS.
All the Richest Claims Have Beon
Taken Up,

Ian the Richest Claims. Have Bean
Taken Up
NEWCOMERS LEFT OUT n THE COLD.
John D. McGillivray, now in the
Klondike gold region, who il =
mining expert, writes to the York
Herald telling Of the conditions with
which goldseekers are confronted
in the new El Dorado.
Mr.. McGillivray had been study
ling the situation in Dawson City
and the mines two weeks or more
| when the letter was written. He
calls particular attention to the fact
that all the claims on the richest OF
the gold creeks have been taken,
and that newcomers must prospect
for themselves or work as laborers
in the mines already opened.
The situation as to the number OF
men the mines will support, the
quantity of food and the chances
Of making living wages by hard
work are stated. Mr.. McGillivray
says:
Nine out of ten of the men who
have come to the Yukon in the rush
now wish they were back home.
They have learned that there are no
mines for them, and that wages at
$15 day IS a myth. 1t should be
borne in mind by all who think of
coming here that, with all the pros
pecting that has been done by hum
dreds of experienced men during
the last ten years, only one discov-
cry has been made of ground that
will, under present conditions. pay
large profits, and that is on Bonanza
and its tributary, Eldorado creek.
None who come here now may
hope to obtain mines ia these creeks,
except at exorbitant prices. There
have been many stamredes of late,
but there have been stampedes for
years along the Yukon upon the re-
ports of rich discoveries, and all
who have joined in these rushes
have been disappointed, with the
exception of those who came to the
Klondike.
There has been a rush to Muncok
creek and locations are selling there
for as much as $1,000 each. This is
all based on the fact that one man
found good prospect at the bot
tom of a shaft last spring, and the
further fact that food is more &C.
cessible there than elsewhere. 1t is
possible that Munook will turn out
to be another FL Dorado, but no
more probable than that Coal creek,
Mission creek, American, Nation,
Henderson or a dozen others will
turn out rich. The chances of find
ing another creek as rich as Edo
RADIO are very small.
Prospecting itself when on the
ground involves much more labor
for the results than in any other
mining district in the world. It is
seldom that the pay dirt is to be
found uncovered, and shafts must
be sunk to bedrock by thawing the
ground with fires and digging out.
The pay channel, as it is called,
generally is from Is to SO or 60 feet
wide. In order to locate it, pros
pect shafts must be sunk at short
distances across the valley of the
creek, which may be from 100 to
l 900 feet wide. A season may be
lost in prospecting in one or two
rows of holes.
There are here, or near here,
and to come as soon as the roads
open, 1000 men, and there are
mines in the district for 900. The
5000 others can only hope to work
for wages or go long distances from
here TO prospect.
Of all the mines located, not more
than $50 have proved to be of value
under present conditions, and of
these many will not be worked full
handed until wages are still further
reduced. So far as can be learned
rom the mine owners themselves,
about l 900 men will be employed
n the mines if wages are 81 an
1our. Then as many more will
work on lays.
The mine owners held a meeting
,wo weeks ago, at which it was de-
,ided to pay only dollar an hour
wages from October 1st to June LIST,
1898. Wage earners have held sew
,ral meetings, at which they have
agreed to stand out for 81 SO an
lour, and in two cases have COM
oelled men who were working for 81
IN hour to quit. A meeting was
1eld by them later and it was de-
ermined to stand out. Neither side
Up to the present time could tell its
strength. The mine owners are bet
er organized and many of them are
a position to let their mines lie
die rather than pay the higher
ates. Very few of the minee, and
l. - IN