The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1897-08-06

occur quartz veins which carry gold,
b 1t SO far as yet found out, the ore is
o. low grade, and a large proportion
of the veins have been SO broken by
m )vements in the rocks that they can
n 1t be followed. For this reason. the
mines in the bedrock cannot be
worked except on large scale with
improved machinery. and even such
operations are impossible until the
general conditions of the country, in
reference to transportation and sup
plies, are improved.
Through the gold-bearing rocks the
streams have cut deep gnllies and can
yons, and i'll their beds the gold which
was contained in the rocks which
have been worn away, is concentrated,
so that from large amount of very
low grade rock there may be formed in
places gravel sufficiently rich in gold
to pay washing. All the mining
which is done in this country, there.
fore, consists in the washing out of
these graves.
In. each gnlch prospectors are at lib
erty to stake out claims not already
taken, the size of the claims being de-
tarmined by vote of all the miners in
each gulch, according to the richness
Of the gravel. The usual length of a
claim is about five hundred feet along
the stream, and the total width Of the
gulch bed which is ordinarily mar
row. When a prospector has thus
staked out his claim, it is recorded by
one of the miners. who is elected by
his fellows in each gulch for that pur-
pose and this secures his sufficient
title. The miners laws are practical
ly the entire government in these dis
tritcs. for the remoteness prevents any
systematic communication being car
ried on with the United States All
questions and disputes are settled by
miners meetings, and the question in
dispute is put to popular vote.
tn prospecting, the elementary meth
cd of panring is used to discover the
presence Of gold in gravel. but after a
claim is staked and systematic work
begun, long sluicc boxes are built of
boards, the miners being obliged to
fell tine trees themselves and saw ont
the lumber with WHIP a very Ia
borious kind of work The depth OF
gravel in the bottom of the culches va
ries from foot up to twenty or thirty
feet. and when it is deeper than the
latter figure it cannot be worked
The upper part of the gravels is bar
ren. and the pay dirt lies directly upon
the rock beneath, and is generally very
thin. To get at this pay dirt all the
upper gravels must be shoveled off
and this preliminary work often re.
quires an entire season, even in very
small claim. When the gravel is
deeper than certain amount--say ter
feet-the task of removing it become:
formidable. In this case the pay-dirt
can sometimes he got at in the winter
season when the gravels are frozel
hard by sinking shafts through these
gravels and drifting along the pay
dirt.
The pay-dirt thus removed is take1
to the surfaces and washed ont il
sluices when che warm weather be gins
This underground working is done
by burning instead of blasting an(
picking. A fire is built close to the
frozen gravel, and when it is suffi
ciently thawed, it is shoveled out ant
removed. The stripping off of the up
per gravels, which has been mentioned
can be done only in the comparatively
short summer season when the surface
thaws.
The ordinary method of getting int
the Yukon country is by crossing th'
Chilcat pass from juneau, down tn
Lewis and Yukon rivers to the golt
districts. The usual time for starting
is in April, and large part of th'
journey is made over ice which fill
the lakes and rivers at this time O
year. By this early starting, larg'
part of the season available for work
ing is obtained. Not every conner cal
find new diggings which are profit
able. and many of them are glad t.
work for wages.
The ordinary wages in summer ar
$40 per day, but sixty days is consid
cred about the average number TO
summer work, so that the total earn
ings are not so great as will appear a
first sight and the prospects for worl
during the remainder of the year ar
slight. The journey over the pass ant
wn the Yukon is one OF great diff
Guilty and hardship, especially as a.
supplies have to be carried along. Th
pass itself is difficult to cross, the lake
are subject to violent gales, and thel
are number of very dangerous rap
. ids Once in the country the neWCOn