St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-10-09
Klondike Exaggerations.

Klondike Exaggerations.
Globe Democrat.
Fort townsend, Wn. Aug. 81
In talking over the Klondike situa-
ton with the miners coming in from
Dawson City by the schooners SAM
der mad Colnan, it IS f0nnd by
those who wish to get the unvar-
nished truth that what il said up
there BY miners frequently gets
woefuliy distorted in the public
prints.
For instance, the statement Of
b. z. James: ''rhere are about
twenty mines now being worked in
the Klondike district, although it is
not unusual for mines 70 be worked
dnring tie summer season. These
mines will pay $l,,0O the shovel,
and each man passes up couple OF
hundred shovels per day, that's
5000, 900 to the man, and twenty
men would make -, 900, 900. That's
astounding, but the plain truth IL
that the Klnndike, as the other dis
tricts, "a slovel'' signifies the work
Of the man using . shovel industri-
ouslv ten hours d.y. HIS work
or shovel would net the owner of
the mine or himself &lNlO per day,
and in that way the twenty miners
would turn out $50, 900 . day or
$500, 900 a year. Even that sounds
fabulous, and SD it is, but it needs
qualification.
Charles II. Metcalf, Of Detroit,
Mich. knows how it should be quail
fed. He 10 an intelligent man, and
although he don't beast Of having
anything, he brought out SIS. 900
in nuggets this trip. One 0f his
nuggets from the Hunter district, =
part OF tie Klondike, which he
exhibited was half as big as =
hens egg, although Metcalf
said it was one 0f the SMALL size.
I'm getting down to paw dirt" he
explains, "an immense amount Of
work must &c dUne--t0ns aud tons
II earth must be removed. Fires
must be kept burning over the frozen
ground for long time. Each fire,
say . cord Of wood, will loosen
only six or eight inches of ground.
Then another Ere must be built.
lh,s will take you down another six
or eight inches. and tinslly you
come to what is called rich pay dirt
for one and half or two or three
feet above bedrock. Then you
reap your harvest. For months
YOU have been getting nothing, but
now you have . chance to make
several fortunes.
But, again, the golden fascina-
ton story mus: he qualified. After
all these great hardsllips in prepar-
ing for the harvest, the industrious
Klondikers simply draw = blank.
The element Of the chances of the
lottery enters into all mining camps.
and Klon.like is no exception. OF
course. in the rich sections there
are NO BLANKS to be drawn. In the
words OF the Kiond,ker Bonan.
"a King James McNamee, in his
signed statement for the Globe
Democrat, he would not know which
CLAIM to pick among dozens on
some of the creeks. These creeks
are limited in number, and all have
been located on. But new strikes
are being made, and it is very eig-
nificant and very encouraging to
those who have great expectations
for the Klondike, that these new
strikes promise we'll, but where
ore new strike pans out. ten do not.
but the men who see, hear or write
nothing but Klondike boom matters
always neglect to refer 10 the dis
appointments. and yet from . caro-
ful investig alton among upward of
100 miners who have just returned
from the klnndike. l feel warranted
ia the statement that there will be
work in the district at from s. to
SIS per dav for period Of at least
. year for 5000 more men than have
already reached or are en- route be-
tween Skaguav. II worst comes to
worst. and all signs fail. 5000 men
who are able to work, and will
work, can get fine living wage prices
per dav in the Klondike during tue
next year. But 1t is fact that not
more than 25 per cent OF the men
going to Klondike will work for
wages or expect to. They are
mostly men who are chasing lost
fortunes.
Now, however. = new class 10 GO
ing in. and returning miners say
they will do we'll, too. This new
class 10 the banking and specializing
class. There 10 need Ut several
good banking establishments at
Dawson. Miners Who buS mining
property there on time are paying
l per cent per day for the use Of
money. They buy = rich claim on
time, and then trust 10 the Almighty
to get enough out Of the claim to
pay accruinx installments. They
have found this year the water was