The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-15

about forty miles above Circle. OF
course 1 kept pretty we'll in touch with
what was going on down at Circle and
at other camps, and, when I came out
two years ago, had made up my mind
that there was going to be big de-
velopment in gold mining, for the coun-
try was swarming with prospectors,
and gold was certainly there. When
went in a year ago in the spring, there
were reports Of new strikes, and the
men were spreading out from Circle
and Forty Mile. I was at Forty Mile
when the report came that George Cor
mack was shovelling out gold on Bo-
nanza creek, near the Klondike river.
[ was in the front of the rush that
followed, and I had the better Of most
Of the men, for I had a fresh stock of
goods, and it was in demand. If l
could have grub+staked every one that
asked me-but what's the use? I've
got enough.
.'And you never prospected in the
Klondike?"
mot day. I sold the men the grub,
and, when a fellow made up his mind
he had enough and wanted to get back
to the states, why [ bought his claim, II
there was any development and q
showing of pay. 1 bought and paid for
thirteen claims-got them now and am
not the least alarmed about the hOodoO
How much gold do you suppose has
been taken out in the Klondike dis
trict?"
'I can't tell. I left there June %, and
the only cleanup 1 know anything
about is that of last spring. That I
have figures for, and those figures
prove to me that there is more wealth
in that district than was ever taken
out of placers in the worlds history.
Last winter work was done on forty
claims. About a months work-aVer-
aging it all-was done on each claim.
When the dirt was panned, $4,000, 900
were cleaned up. That's an average of
100000 apiece for a months work on
each claim, and that satisfied me. And,
in the case of most of the claims the
merest trifie of the pay dirt was taken
out. I could mention a single claim
on Bonanza creek which was stripped
for about 300 feet along the pay dirt.
1t showed about 81 to the pan wherever
it was tested, and the deposit is about
four feet wide and as many deep. If
you can figure how many Shovels of
dirt there are in that strip, you can
tell the number of dollars there are in
it,
Il have store at Dawson, and know
about what amount Of grub there is
there. If they use the provisions spar
lngly, there is enough to carry 1,500
| men through the winter. 1t is possible
that 1000 might live on what there is.
Now, there must be more, a good many
| more, than that number of people
, there, and [ am very much afraid that
there Will be great deal of suffering.
Some Of the people will starve-it can t
| be helped now, and it could not have
| been helped at any time, for there was
| no possible way to keep the people out
and no way of getting more supplies in.
| If they get past this coming winter
without any very serious loss of life
| it will be surprising"
| Are the people all prospecting the
| KlCndike and those streams running
| into it?''
mot at all. They are scattered over
| a very considerable area, and all of the
streams originating in the height of
land from which the Klondike takes
its rise will be prospected. and there
| will be strikes equalling that on Bonan-
"a and Eldorado creeks, I believe.
There is not a bar on the creeks run
ming into the Klondike and the Stewart
that has not shown pay dirt when pros
pected, and some big strikes are in
evitable. The rush of the past year
was unavoidable, but it was senseless.
There will be thousands go in there in
the spring, and there will be country
enough to prospect and finds enough
for the lucky ones, while those who are
not lucky-weIl it don't much matter
whether they try in Alaska"
''Will there be any great attempt at
organized development in the spring,
aside from the plans made by the big
ccmpanies?''
'Well, companies big enough for Or
gapized development will not be scarce.
The big concerns will build boats and
send in machinery at such a rate that
T ,01,
thoroughly washed out shortly. Things
will resolve themselves into the ordi-
nary conditions in a mining country
then. The claims that were paying
from 81 to $40 a day last year, and
which were abandoned when the Klon-
dixie strike was made, will become good
property with machinery to wash the
dirt. EldoTado creek, which did not
run enough water last year to permit
regular work, will be developed by wa
ter artifcially brought in, and the rich
est dirt in the Klondike will be washed.
There will be plenty Of boats to carry
in food, and too many people ready to
carry it in, and next winter will be
very much like any winter in a climate
that is rigorous. Bad weather? Not at
all. Suited me better than the wealth
er in the States does. There was no
humidity and no wind and when you
weather you can stand almost any de-
gree of cold. There were few days last
winter when a rugged man could not
wcrk during the few hours of daylight
That is the disagreeable feature of the
winter-lack of light. There is period
when the sun is only above the hori-
zon for couple of hours a day.
do you intend to go back yourself?''
me? Well, 1 should say I did.
| There's where I live-at Dawson, N. W.
T., and I want to be written down that
way. 1 am going back in March. I
shall go in over the ice and by way of
Chilkoot pass. I havn't any idea that
| they will get the tramway that they
talk about built this winter. If they
| did get it finished by the first of the
year, of what use would it be? Some
thing will be accomplished by March,
though. and the terrors of the pass will
! be a thing of the past by the time the
| first load of fortune seekers arrives at
Skaguay. My company? Well, we will
| have everything in readiness in the
spring for very active summer. We
are building boats and getting machin-
| cry together, and all of our property
will be thoroughly developed before fall.
| My first business in the spring will be
| to conclude a conract / have on for
| about 1000 acres of timber near Selkirk,
| and when that is settled, I'm going to
! build me a residence at Dawson and
remain there. It's my country and I
don't want any more of life in the East
than L have to stand" He arrived at
| the Merchants as he concluded, and
registered JOS. Ladue, Dawson, n. W.
| T.
Mr. Ladue and Mr.. Bottsford left for
the East on the Wisconsin Central at
| 7:40 last evening.