Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-09-30
HOW THE GOLD is EXTRACTED.
An Expert Talks About the Wonderful
KIondiIIe Gold Fields.

An Expert Talks About the Wonderful
KIondiIie Gold Fields.
DR.. William H. Dali, one of the cur.
ators of the National Museum at Wash-
ington, is familiar with the region OF
country in which the Klondike gold
fields are situated through having been
on several geological expeditions to
tie region in Alaska adjourning the
gold district, and says that in his
opinion the reports from there prob
ably are not exaggerated. He said:
"When I was there L did not 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 I was in that
country, my last trip having been
made two years ago, the first party OF
prospectors who made the mining a
profit started out. The gold is found
on the various tributaries of the Yu.
kon, and L have been within com.
paratively short distance of the Klon.
dixie fields. L made one trip to Circle
City, just over the boundary of Can
ada.
''The gold-bearing belt of North
western America contains all the gold
fields extending into British Columbia,
what is known as the Northwestern
Territory and Alaska. The Yukon
really runs along in that belt for 500
or coo miles. The bed of the main
river is in the lowland of the valley.
''The yellow metal is not found in
paying quantity in the main river. but
in the small streams which cut through
the mountains on both sides. These
practically wash out the gold The
mud and mineral matter are carried
into the main river, while the gold is
left on the rough bottoms of these side
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 sur
face is covered by muddy torrents.
When the snow is melted, and the
springs begin to freeze, the streams
dry up. At the approach of winter, in
order to get at the gold, the miners
find it necessary to dig into the gravel
formation.
Formerly they stripped the gravel
off until they came to the gold. Now
they sink shaft to the bottom of the
gravel, and tunnel along underneath,
in the gold-bearing layer The miners
build fires over the area where they
wish to work, and keep them lighted
over that territory for the space of
twentyfour hours. Then, at the ex-
piration of this period, the gravel will
be melted and softened to a depth of
perhaps six inches. This is 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 man
ner Blasting would do no good, on
account of the hard nature of the
material, and would blow ont, just as
out of n gun. The matter taken out
containing the gold is piled up until
spring, when the torrents come down.
1t is certainly very hard labor.
81 see many reasons why the gold
fields should be particularly rich The
streams which cut through the noun
tains have probably done so for CEN
turies, wearing them down several
feet and washing out the gold
into the beds and gravel.
'It is country in which it is very
hard to find food, as there lis practically
no game. Before the whites went iuto
the region there were not more than
800 natives. They hare hard work
to support themselves. New York
Times.