The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-29

r., Persons Contemplating Seeking
Their Fortunes IN the Yukon Region,
Allurlng Prospectusss Of Stock Com
panies
To the Editor OF the inIelliseneer'
slR.-ln view jf the fact that large
number of stock companies have been
orsanlzed to operate in Alaska, and are
nav indusulously circulating their al
nrpg "prospectuses' broadcast over
,srIsnd. and In view OF the further fact
,bgr many OF these companies confess
sd.y do not own a single foot Of mining
rropery. but are simply prospecting
COMPANIES who hope 10 secure locations
An the future that may be equally as
,,r,ductlye as the recently discovered
Klondlka placers, 1t may be of interest
=, parsofts contemplating investments
On surh companies to he informed OF
"artaln deductions arrived al by compe-
,opI MINING experts, based on the re-
ror.s W the Canadian Geological sur
yay of the Yukon region, made ten
yeaTs ago
these reports have an important
b,,ring On the probable productive ca
rarity Of the Alaskan fields, and having
been prepared by men OF acknowledged
srieurRC ability, they are, Of course,
wholly dlrested OF the visionary and
sensational character that usually dis
anguish the reports OF nOn-prOles'
sIo1aI newspaper correspondents ana
other prrsous Interested in transporta-
ZION ana supply companies, who are
prrparlng to reap rich harvest next
spripr from a multitude Of gold-seekers
who are expected to rally to the new cry
of "Klondike, or bust The reports OF
Inc biologists who accompanied the eN-
pedtion referred to, establish three
things that conservative Investors will
40 wei to remember They are as fol-
lows;
l. The collaborating strata which
have been SO productive all along the
western coast of America extend with
on, essential change into the upper
Yukon valley as far as the Arctic cir
Gle. Throughout the whole extent OF
The mountain ranges which race The
Pacific ocean the same forces have
been at work, Along y wide belt
throughout nearly the entire length of
the continent n belt Of paieozoic schfs,
lose rocks have been fractured and
filled with network Of quartz veins
bearing more or less gold. Mcconnell
reported essentially the same forma-
tons where the Yukon crosses the Arc
lie circle that he had been familiar
with west of the Rocky mountains, the
entire distance south ~ the United
States boundary,
The Yukon river occupies very
old line Of drainage, Its drainage ba-
sin has been elevated so long above the
sea that the river has had time 10 cut
long and deep cduuns across rocks OF
different geological ages, and to estab-
tablish a pretty uniform gradient for Il
distance of nearly 1000 miles. SChwat-
ka built his raft at the head of Lake
lindcman, twenty-three miles from the
summit Of the ChilkOOt pass, and was
transported on II 800 miles. with only
Two on three short portagcs above Mile
canon. ahuu lrO mile from the place of
Us construction, The same raft was
usei the entire journey, From Miles
CuuuH The r'Ner Is navigable for a dis
tauru Of nearly 1000 miles,
The gnihcance Of this is that II indl
Gates an enormous period during which
,ru.,,e agencies have been acting in
nsr.llry All young rivers crossing
sg,a diverse geological formations are
uosfflrlcd by waterfalls or rapids i'm
uasmhlr to navigation. The gold,
Therefore, which is found In the placer
minr3 of the Yukon Is the accumula-
ton from an immense amount of disln-
tegratad rock If the veins near the
surar. have been very rich an enor-
nous amount may be expected from the
puuags But from the amount of ero-
s'uu considerable accumulation may
have arisen from veins OF very low
grade ore. The biologists. therefore,
were not able Ia make any prophecies
as tn he amount of gold to be expected
Nor rs there IS any certain basis to go
uron even after the present disCovc-
cries. There is little probability that
ans thing but rich placer mines can
ever be worked there with profit, and It
is altogether likely that the placer min
ing win always be of the most hazard
Gus kind.
The effect OF glacial erosion, to
which reference is occasionally made in
the papers must be limited to the upper
part Of the Yukon valley. considerably
above the region Of the richest discov-
cries Russell. Dawson and Hayes all
agree ut. while glaciers formerly en-
vcloped all the island along the Pacific
shore Of southeastern Alaska, they were
~ very limited extent on the northern
side Of the mountains, which form the
southern border OF the mainland. In
deed. the glaciers on the northern
flank Of these mountains scarcely pass
the slxty-secord parallel, not reaching
even TO old Fort Sclkirk Hence, there
IS not much probability that any large
amount OF gold has been carried by ice
action from one drainage basin to an
other The. gold of the placers
in the ElOudike region Is probl-
bly, all of local origin. arising from the
dIsintegration of the rocks through
which the stream and its tributaries
nave lowed
The conditions Of that life in that re-
GiOn are almost inconceivable TO those
Who have not paid especial attention 10
tnenL Russell reported at repeated
places along the middle Yukon that ice
took the place Of ordinary rock. Bluffs
along the river on whose surface for
csts were growing you'd appear on
close approach to be piecp!tous walls
Of stagnant ice covered with n small
amount Of soil and a deep carpet Of
moss Anywhere on the surface one
Ind To liP down but few inches 10
find solid ice. Indeed. the ground never
tnaws there to q depth OF more than a
i.M Inches The placer mining VIII al
ways have to he In frozen soil, except
on the margin Of large streams. But