Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-08-10
GOLD Seekers Warned.
Starvation Awaits Those Who Start
for Alaska Now.
IS NO WAY TO GET THROUGH.
Experienced Miner Warns People to
Wait Until Spring Be-
tween the Klondyke Country and

New York, Aug. 3.-The World pub
fishes the following letter from j. r.
de Lamar, who is probably ,he great
est gold mine operator in the United
States, and who understands every
principle of placer mining. He says:
II have just arrived in New York
from Nevada and the Mercur mines
surprised at the wonderful interest
that the Klondyke placer mines have
excited everywhere. | never saw any
thing like it.
The mines are wonderful, but prof.
ably not so wonderful as represented.
| have seen experienced men from the
Klondyke region-men | know-and l
have thoroughly probed the facts
about the country
at is absolutely foolish TO start for
Alaska now. Men who have spent
several years there tell me that the
Yukon river is now closed closed not
by ice, but by drought. No steamers
can go up to Klondyke after the mid
die of July. The only other way to go
is afoot over Chilcoot Pass.
Now, if you start that way, you will
have TO walk $500 miles, and each
man has to carry all his own provi-
sions for a year, his belongings and
traps. There is no well-defined trail.
You have to walk over moss on an
average three to four feet deep, through
,,,l; nh ;,,ly civ 4 N
several feet every time he steps.
There are billiards. which last sew
eral days. Then it is nee assary TO dig
holes in the snow and moss and stay
there until the blizzard is over. This
moss has the same malarial effect as
new dirt has in dugout.
THE Klondyke can never be COM
pared with California, because living
there is so different. After the rich
diggings in California were worked out
the miners took the next rich placer
dirt, and finally the quartz mines.
Only the richest klondyke ground can
be worked, Alvin Pierce, who is just
from there, tells me, because wages
are SIS to $40 day, and sometimes
much higher.
THE miners are now paying $40
day for board. He tells me also that
provisions are sure to be short there
this winter on account of the great
rush of people and the utter lack of
supplies. Board will be higher than
the wages. l have given this subject
NY idor ole 81
much information, and / believe it is
like throwing money away to send
parties and expeditions there now"
Joseph Ladue, the owner of Circle
City, on the Yukon, writes from Schuy-
Ter Falls. N. Y:
Il read in the World an article writ
tin by Joaquin Miller saying that there
would be no starvation in the Yukon
Valley this season, and that the steam
ers Alice and Belle would make five
trips up the Yukon, taking $50 tons
each trip. Mr. Miller does not know
what he is talking about. 1t is posi-
tive fact that the Alice and Belle will
not make more than three trips up
the Yukon and will not take more
than $50 tons to each trip, and out of
that $50 tons the food will not aver
age over $50 tons. That am positive
Of. People will starve like rats if this
is allowed to so on. | beg of you to
contradict that statement and warn all
against going this season. There is
one thing which you must remember.
Gold you cannot eat, neither will it
buy you food when there is none in
the country"