Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-08-02
THE KLONDIRE GOLD FIELDS.

The discovery of great quantities Of
gold in Alaska is calling the attention
of the world in that that direction ano
already thousands of adventurers and
| fortune seekers are on their way, OF
preparing to start, on the long and
perilous Journey. The undertaking is
one which will involve the areatest
hardships and will result in untold
suffering and in the death to thou
sands. Alaska is far distant arctic
country. 1t is several thousand miles
from the Pacific ports, San Francisco,
Seattle, Vancouver, etc., from which
the American must set out. The
voyage in steamers is of considerable
length The mines are several hun
dred miles inland on some of the
branches and head waters of the Yu-
kon river. They must be reached,
either by long voyage up the river
in boats, or by crossing high range
of mountains the path there being
| 1000 feet above sea level, several
hundred feet higher than the Mt.
Washington, and it is extremely diff
ficult to make the ascent when the
| weather is warm and favorable. The
Yukon river is one of the greatest
rivers in the world, which draines the
frozen regions of the northwestern
section of the American continent,
flows into the Behring sea at a very
high latitude. The mouth of the river
is long ways from the mines. The
a wide, and, for the most part, frozen
plain. The navigable channels of the
stream are variable and treacherous.
The river is open only few months
in the year and at that time the whole
region is infected with mosquitoes
and biting flies which are said to be
almost unbearable Whatever is
transported into the mines must eth
er be carried several hundred miles
on the back of men or come around
in some sort of boats to point as
near the mining region as possible.
During the last months flour has been
sold at more than 5000 barrel, with
prices of other food commodities at
corresponding rates.
The climate is terribly cold, winter
setting in long in September and hold
ing on till about June. The ground
in many sections does not entirely
thaw out during the year. Vegeta-
ton or tree growth is scant and fec
BILE. Nothing in the line of vegetation
or fruit is grown there. Game and
fish are scarce, so that the inhabitant
Indian or uncivilized, must depend
almost entirely on such as can be ship
ped in or carried in from other re-
gions. The good sections are sup
posed to be wonderfully rich, the
mining being done as placer digging
or gravel digging, gold having been
washed out and down from higher
or other regions and left in the val
leys and along the streams. The
mining is simple and comparatively
inexpensive, and where there is gold
it can be washed out by a common
pan.
dII WOrk O0 oOuO
in the three warm months, when the
miners must den up for the nine dark
and cold months which follow. For
tunate would it be for him if he could
habitate like the bear, suck his paws,
and wake out of his sleep when the
sun returned to warm the skies.
If the mines really prove to be all
that is expected there will, doubtless,
be so me way, either by rail or other
conveyance, whereby they can be
reached and supplies can be forward
ed. Until then the enterprise will be
fraught with greatest hardships and
peril Meanwhile the attention of
the gold seekers might be turned to
some of the very promising mines
which are being discovered and de-
veloped in the United States and
Mexico, where mining conditions are ]
more favorable and where life is more
certain.
The president and Secretary Alger |
have decided to detail an army officer
and a company of soldiers from the