Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-08-07
THE KLONDIKE DISTRICT
A Circular Which Gives General
Information Concerning 1t.
DIFFERENT ROUTES DESCRIBED.

II Il Estimated That Fifty Thousand
People WIN Make the Trip Next
Spring-The Value or Pay Streals.
Petroleum Lake Discovered.
Seattle. Aug. 81. A. Nadeau. the
general agent OF the Northern Pacific.
has prepared a circular concerning the
Klondike district. The circular is full
of information. and is in part az fol-
lows:
There are two established routes
into the Klondike country. One is via
the ocean to st. Michael's, thence via
steamer up the Yukon to Dawson City.
The mouth OF the Yukon river is sc
miles from ST. Michael's. and the dis
lance from ST. Michaeps to Klondike
is 1000 miles The facilities on the
Yukon consist OF two stern-wheei
steamers belonging to the. Alaska Com
mercial company. and the steamers p.
b Weare, ]. j. Healy. OF the North
American Transportation and Trading
company, and a third boat, the c. H.
Hamilton, OF the latter company, which
is expected to be ready in a couple Of
weeks. The Yukon is shallow In places,
and it is impracticable to operate any
steamers having a draught Of more
than AZ feet.
The other route, and the one which
will be principally travelled, is from
Dyea, over the trail via Chilcoot Pass
to Lake Linderman. thence through the
chain OF lakes which you win see on
any Alaska map into Lewis river and
down the Yukon to the Klondike. The
route via Dyea Is by steamer from
Seattle running direct to Dyea, where
| they pack over Chilcoot to Lake Lin
derman. at which place they build boats
usually % to "a feet long and AZ to
feet wide. which are taken through the
lakes, while the provisions have to be
packed over two short portages, one
one and half miles and one OF about
I three-quarters of a mile, while the boa
is taken through the small streams
The distance from Seattle to JaneaI
is 500 miles. Juneau to Dyea 90 miles
and Dyea to Dawson City GOA miles.
1.-The gold streak is anywhere from
eight to thirty feet from the surface
and is reached by sinking a shaft from
two to three feet wide and six feet lonI
down to the pay streak. Sinking thi
shaft and working the pay streak ar
made difficult from the fact that from
the surface to the deepest depth tina
has yet been reached the ground i
perpetually frozen and a process Of FIR
ing in order to thaw out the ground i
employed. A brush and wood fire 1
built in the bottom OF the shaft, which
burning all night, thaws out the groun
from eight to fourteen inches. Tn
gravel is shoveled out during the day
and the operation is repeated until tn
I desired depth is reached. The averag
. progress In the shaft is from eight t
I fourteen inches per day. When tn
pay streak is reached they drift unde
the ground. which does not have to b
supported by timbers on account of II
being perpetually frozen. The fire, /
; thawing out the pay streak. generate
a very obnoxious gas. which, after tn
2 fire has burned out, must be expelle
before work can be done. This>is az
9 complished by the use OF bellows, far
/ and other devices
e The value Of the pay streak vari,
? from as high as a few cents per pan
q as high as $545, as one miner took OF
a little over $1,000 in gold from tv
pans. and a miners pan contains tv
shovelfuls of dirt. 50 you can reals
= the richness Of some of this groun
The gold is coarse, very little nol
= gold exists. and il runs largely to nu
- gets. The value OF the gold is abo
4 $17 per ounce, 5000 per pound. II
summers are short ana winters IoI
- and weather severe, the thermomet
~ registering as low as 20 degrees belc
~ Z, zero. There is very little wind. ho'
IA ever, and such low temperature
somewhat unusual. The great plagu
7S in that section during the summer a
= the mosquitoes and gnats. viii
- swarm IN great numbers and are g
u ceedingly vicious. compelling peoI
ie who are at all susceptible to inss
~ poisoning. and in fact nearly every oil
to wear nets to protect their faces a
gloves TO protect their hands.
1T is estimated that there will be
=, less than $4,000 people. exclusive of {
cursionists. going into Alaska ne
',s spring or the early summer The til
80 required in making the inland trip
80, as follows: Seattle TO Dyea, five
- seven days; Dyea across ChilSoot p,
b., to Lake Linderman, ten days; to c.
- struct a boat at Lake Linderman, q
"a make the trip via the lakes and riv
uv TO Dawson City. requires about "a da
he Via st. Michaels route the time
,as Quired is as follows: Seattle to
W Michaels, IA days; st. Michaels
ia Dawson City. about q days. with
lid possibility of waiting at st. Micha
for the up-rivX boats"
L San Francisco, Aug. 3-While
OF world is excited over the gold disc
on cries in the north, sight has been
a of another discovery that promises
he be OF great value Several months
err q lake of almost pure petroleum d,
he discovered, and samples were sent
no Seattle for analysis. The report
'ad just been made public. and the fins
her reported to be OF great richness.
Up lake is Of unknown depth. several IN
In wide and FIVE or six miles in LEM
eir 1t is only two miles from the ocs
ges The hills surrounding are said to
no. rich In gold and asphalt. 1t is the
le- pectation of the owners OF the lax,
take its products into the mil
camps OF northern Alaska whens
80 the waterways will permit.
os- Women Sail For the Gold Field
be San Francisco, Aug. 4.-The stea
,lu. Noyo sailed this morning with 40
to sengers for Dyea, Alaska OF the
i'll sengers booked 10 are women, who
ght make the journey over the Chill
ny, Pass to the Klondike gold fields
the others are Mayor A. c. Scott,
m Springfield, his, and his son. NJ
ght Scott has resigned his ONCE to seek
OF fortune in the frozen north.