The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1897-08-18
KLONDIKE'S
WEALTH
There's Plenty Of GIittering Metal,
but It's Hard TO Get.
PASS-WAYS
BLOCKADED
And Very Few Will Attempt to
Face the Frigid Elements Be-
fore Next Spring.

New YORK, Aug 14.-The Herald
says; Confirmation of stories of vast
wealth of the Klondike district in Alas
ka comes from prospector now in this
city who has made two trips to the new
Eldorado He is Henry Henderson, 80
years old, native of Pictou county,
Nova Scotia, who took out his natural
ization papers in this county 10 years
ago. To him the credit Of the discov.
cry of the wonderful deposits of gold
in the Klondike is to a certain extent
due.
He told his brother Robert.Nwho was
a miner in Colorado, of the wealth of
the district and gave him 800 to pay for
his outfit to the Alaskan fields. Robert
established a claim on Gold Bottom
creek, which yielded $4,000 in coarse
gold in two weeks.
When the LIST of October shall have
rolled around a little steamer will leave
for Dyea inlet with 100 prospectors
mining engineers and experts and as
savers, with Henry Henderson in charge.
With him will be also his niece, Miss
Maud Henderson of Nova Scotia. She
is pretty girl of II years, house.
keeper and rugged enough to stand the
severity of the weather and the hard
ships of the trip. She will preside over
her uncle's household in the gold re-
gion.
Mr.. Henderson is feet inches high
with frame as sturdy as that of an OK.
He has been miner for 10 years. The
climate Of Alaska has no terrors for
him, for he made what he called the
dead winter" outward trip from the
Klondike, and crossed the Chilcoot pass
with the thermometer 60 degrees below
zero. He has established a claim of
500 feet near that of his brother on
Gold Bottom creek, but has not worked
it yet, as he was obliged to return to
NQya Scotia.
Mr.. Henderson's advice to inexperi-
enced men who are thinking of start
ing out now for the gold fields is
don't" Although he believes the
stories of hardships have been exagger-
ated, he says the land is in no condi-
tion to be worked until the frost has
left, and the journey over the Ohilcoct
pass is fraught with danger in the
snowdrifts. In the late spring and
summer, he says, the trip over the pass
has no more perils than a walk on
Broadway.
Mr.. Henderson made his first journey
to the Yukon river In the spring Of
1898, covering 700 miles in 81 days. He
says he could now make the journey in
80 days. He left the district the day
after Christmas of the same year, with
two companions and an Indian to break
the trail and attend to the nine dogs,
which drew the two sleighs. After 53
days Of cold Of degree almost beyond
human endurance, snowstorms, ex.
haustion and hunger, the little band
reached Dyea inlet. At one time they
became so benumbed that they had to
abandon $40, 900 in gold dust ON the side
of Chilooot pass, pushing ON with few
pounds of bacon and -four. They found
refuge at trading post and one of the
party put back for the dust. For two
days and three nights the men were
obliged to huddle between the sleighs
with q canvas covering them.
Mr.. Henderson returned to the gold
district in March, 1896, mining in the
vicinity Of the Stewart, Lewes and
Sixty Mile rivers. Pushing further in
the heart of the Klondike district he
met his brother, who was established
ON Gold Bottom creek. After Mr.. Hen
derson had staked out q claim Of 500
feet on the creek, he left it in charge of
his brother and went to visit his family
In Nova Scotia,