The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-30

be unable to state more definitely by the end
of Septem Der next what these streams amount
to. Bonanza Creek joins the Triandike, COM
monty known as the klondike, two miles
above its mouth, Bear Creek six miles ABOVE,
Cold Bottom Greek twelve or fourteen miles
above, and ''Too Much Gold' thirty-five or
forty miles above. Bonanza is about twenty
miles in length, and Ell Dorado, one OF us
branches, joining about midway OF It's length,
is eight or nine miles in length. A claim is
300 feet in length, measured in the general
direction OF the stream. Bonanza thus fur-
nishes upward of 200 claims FL Dorado about
eighty, and the several tributaries of these
TWO viii give US nearly as many more, ana
should the hillside prove remuneratlye-and
some OF them have already done so, a good
many claims having been staked there-we
will have about 1900 claims on the above ex-
tent i'll the valley of the Bonanza Now we
may assume that 1000 or these at least will be
worked with profit
These 1000 claims will require 5000 men
directly and indirectly for their proper devel-
opment. Now we may safely assume that the
other creeks mentioned tributary to the
Troandike will furnish many more claims.
in all 2000 OF course much depends
upon whether the hillsides pan out as they
have heretofore. If they do not, we can esti-
male that at least 1900 claims will be worked
IN the Troandike Valley Adjacent 10 the
Troand1ke is the valley of the Indian Creek
SO convenient is the water systems TO eacn
other that 1t is only the labor OF an hour or
two to cross from one TO the other. India IL
Creek, close TO the head OF Bonanza and FL
Dorado two tributaries, has been prospected
with fair success. We may assume. then, that
considerable mining will be done on Indian
Creek. possibly as much as on the Troandike.
This will give US say $500 claims, combined
with Troandike diggings. Assuming the
same ratio per claim as before, we require
10000 men for the proper development OF this
area. The emporium for this Will no. DOUBT
be the town of Dawson, situate about half a
mile below the mouth OF the Iroandike. 1t
cannot in the nature OF things be seriously
doubted that good paving quartz Will be
found in the vicinity of these placer claims,
which will more than double the Importance
OF this district Several quartz claims have
already been recorded, but their value has
not yet been determined. 1t is a most difficult
country to do quartz prospecting in. Only at
few points along the creek is any rock ex-
posed
The tops of the higher hills and ridges are
void OF vegetation, except arctic moses and
lichens, but ali the rest of the country IS COW
cred with thick layer of moss, which again
supports scrub spruce, some scrub white birch
and a thick growth OF northern shrubbery.
This com pletely conceals the surface of the
rocks, and to owe it to a sufhcien. e xtent to
search Tor quartz prospects would entail a
vast mount of labor. much more than the or
binary everyday prospector can afford. The
cheapest and most expeditions methods of
quartz prospecting here would be by diamond
drill. A light portable machine OF that de-
scriptiDn, u compact light engine and boiler
sufficient to work il could be easily made and
set up at various points along the various
creeks. From the cores thus obtained experts
could readily determine what the probability
and prospects were. This requires capital, but
l have no doubt a company formed with this
object in view-prospecting in this way
would find it prohta Bile investment. All the
gold l have seen taken out OF FL Dorado and
Bonanza, for that maj tier, of other creeks TOO,
bears no evidence OF having Travelled any dis
lance. Maryland it might be said the ma
jority-of the nuggets found are just as regu-
lar and irregular in shape as ii they had been
hammered out of the mother lode, instead of
being washed out of gravel. l have seen no
evidence OF glac.a ton anywhere in that dis
trict, SO 1 cannot help coming TO the conclu-
sion that much OF the mother lode from
which this gold came will yet be found along
the valleys Whether it is concentrated
enough to pay for the expense OF quartz min
ing can only be determined by proper search.
l cannot help thinking but that much OF it
will.
Now, let US take glimpse of the country
south of this. Stewart River some sixty five
or seventy miles further up is about 400 miles
in length; its tributary is easily double this.
This gives us IN the neighborhood of 1000
miles of stream on which great deal of sur
face prospecting has been done and fine gold