Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-20
Dr.. Dali Talks About the Land of
Sudden Riches.
RECENT REPORTS TRUE
The Yellow Metal Found in Alaska
Thirty Years Ago.
METHOD OF ENCHANTING

there two years ago, and while not having
been directly at the Klondike gold fields.
has been near there and is thoroughly con-
versant with the region of country in which
they are located. Speaking of the recent
large amount of gold reported to have been
taken out and the richness of the field. he
said to a Star reporter today:
II have no doubt that the facts as told
by the press are, in the main. strictly cor
rect. The Klondike gold fields, however,
are not in Alaskan territory. They are In
the British possessions. what is known as
the Northwestern Territory. The klondike
river. which has been on the map for about
twenty years, branches from the Yukon
river, not far from the boundary between
Canada and Alaska The Canadian terri
tory has lately been divided into districts,
a name being given to each, but l do not
recall the name of this particular one. The
Northwestern Territory, however, en-
braces them all.
The nearest way to reach the Klondike
river, which is very small one, and the
gold fields is from Chilkoot inlet. Steamers
run frop Sitka there and from Seattle and
Tacoma. The distance from Chilkoot inlet,
or rather the head of. to the klondii:e
is about 800 miles. To reach there ii is
necessary to cross the Coast mountains and
then the chain of lakes and short streams
which form the headquarters of the Yukon
river. 1t Is on these streams that the gold
is found. The country is rolling one, COW
cred with grass.
The Seasons.
There is q short hot summer of about
four months with practically no spring or
autumn. The ice begins to break up in the
rivers about May -. and navigation COM
mences the Yukon river about the first
week in June. 1t begins to get very cool
by the latter part of September, and is al
most winter weather by the LIST of October.
The winter is very cold and dry, with not
more than three feet of snow. There is
only about three inches of rainfall during
the winter and not more than a foot or
fifteen inches the whole year round.
1t is country in which ii is very hard
to find food there is practically
game. Before the whites went into the
region there were not more than 800
tives They have hard work to support
themselves, on account of the scarcity of
game
The thermometer sometimes goes down
to Is degrees below zero in January and
February. While l was there | slept or
attempted to sleep. out in a tent one night
when the mercury Registered this but il
was jast little too frigid for us. The
cold, however. is not so intense as NAV be
imagined. and is degrees there could not
be compared with the here. The
dress is mostly of furs in the winter that
USED by the natives. and unless there is
a sharp wind blowing one may keep fairly
comfortable.
Gold Discovered in 1866.
when l was there l did MT find gold.
but knew of it being taken out in profitable
quantities for fifteen years or more. 1t
was first discovered there in 1866 In 1880.
when 1 was up in that country, my last
trip having been made two years ago the
frst party of prospectors who make the
INNING INNING profit. started out The gold is
i iouhd on the various tributaries of the Yu-
koh ana have been within a comuara-
lively short distance of the Klondike fields
MADE one trip to Circle City lust over
the boundary of Canada
Inc gold-bearing belt of Northwestern
america contains all the gold fields extend
ing INTO British Columbia what is known
as the Northwestern Territory and Alaska
me ukon really runs along in that belt
III ~" OF U" miles The bed of the main
river Is IN the lowland of thes valley
Found in the Small Streams.
The yellow metal is not found in paving
quantities in the main river but in the
small streams which cut through the noun
talhs on either side These practically wash
out the gold. The mud and mineral matter
Is carried into the main river, while the
gold is left on the rough bottoms of these
sue streams. In most cases the gold lies
at the bottom of thick gravel deposits The
gold Is covered by frozen gravel in the
winter During the summer, until the snow
is all melted, the surface is covered nv
muddy torrents. When the snow is all
melted, and the springs begin to freeze the
streams dry up. At the approach of Win
ter, In order to get at the gold, the miners
hnd 1t necessary to dig into the gravel for
nation.
Digging the Gold.
Formerly they stripped the gravel off.
until they came to the gold. Now they sink
a shaft to the bottom Of the gravel, and
tunnel along underneath, in the gold-bear-
ing layer. The way in which this is done is
interesting,as 1t has to be carried on In cold
weather, when everything is frozen. The
miners build fires over the area of where
they wish to work, and keep these lighted
over that territory for the space of about
twenty-four hours Then at the expiration
of this period the gravel will be melted,
and softened to a depth of perhaps six
inches. This is then taken off, and other
fires built until the gold-bearing layer is
reached. When the shaft is down that far
fires are built at the bottom, against the
sides of the layer, and tunnels made in
this manner. Blasting would do no good,
on account of the hard nature of the ma
terial, and would blow out just as out of a
gun The matter taken out containing the
gold is piled up until spring. when the tor
rents come down. and is panned and
Graded by these. 1t is certainly very hard
labor.
should be particularly rich. The streams
which cut through the mountains have
probably done SO for centuries, wearing
them down several hundred feet ana wash
ing out the gold into the beds and gravel.
Up the Yukon River.
"There are two routes by which the fields
may be reached, one of which have men,
toned before, from Chilkoot inlet over the
mountains. This is about 800 miles. The
other is up the Yukon river. from st. Mi
chael's on the west coast of Alaska, which
Is about 800 miles In length, or three
times as far as the other Flat-bottomed
steamers run from St. Michaers. The re-
turn trip from the fields Is much easier and
has been taken by the miners who have
made their piles and recently returned to
the United States with them, by way of
Seattle. The Pacific Coast Steamship Com
pany runs steamers every five days from
Seattle. The only manner in which supplies
may be transported over the mountains the
other way Is on mules. taking time and eX-
pense. AS l remarked before, it is a coun-
try in which there is practically no susie
nance. and food must be taken to the gold
fields.''
DR.. Dali stated that the natives are
peaceable. He is sanguine as to the out
come of the gold discovery, from what he
knows of the country and does not assert.
as do many others, that the reDorts froy,,