The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-09-11

the Yukon River. 1t is on these streams
that the gold is found. The country is
rolling one, covered with grass.
There is a short, hot summer of
about four months, with practically no
spring or autu mn. The ice begins to
break up in the rivers about May 25th,
and navigation begins on the Yukon
river about the first week in June. 1t
begins to get very cool by the latter
part of September, and is almost winter
weather by October let The winter is
very cold and dry, with not more than
three feet of snow. There is only about
three inches of rainfall during the win
ter. and not more than foot or fifteen
inches the whole year round. 1t is a
country in which it is very hard to find
food, as there is practically no game
Before the whites went into the region
there were not more than three hun.
dred natives. They had hard work to
support themselves on account of the
scarcity OF game.
"The thermometer sometimes goes
down to 60 degrees below zero in Janu-
airy and February. While l was thereI
slept, or attempted to sleep. in tent
one night when the mercury registered
this. but it was just little too frigid for
us. The cold, however. is not so intense
as may be imagined. and 68 degrees
nf ho NIT 70
same here. The dress is mostly of furs
in the winter, that used by. the natives,
and unless there is sharp wind blow
ing one may keep fairly comfortable.
While | was there did not find gold,
but knew of it being taken out in profit
able quantities for fifteen years or more.
1t was first discovered there in 1866. In
1880. which l was up in that country
my last trip was made two years ago
the first party of prospectors who made
the mining profitable started out. The
gold is found on the various tributaries
OF the Yukon, and have been within a
comparatively short distance of the
Klondyke fields. l made one trip to
Circle City, just over the boundary of
Canada.
"The gold bearing belt of Northwest.
ern America contains all the gold fields
extending into British Colum bia. The
Yukon really runs into that belt for five
hundred or six hundred miles. The bed
of the main river is in the lowand Of the
valley. The yellow metal is not found
in paying quantities in the main river,
but in the small streams which cut
through the mountains on either side.
These practically wash out the gold.
The mud and mineral matter are car
ried into the main river, while the gold
is left on the rough bottoms of these
side streams. In most cases the gold
lies at the bottom of thick gravel de-
posits. The gold is covered by frozen
gravel in the winter. During the sum-
mer, until the snow is melted, the sur
face is covered by muddy torrents.
When the snow is all melted. and the
springs begin to freeze, the streams dry
up At the approach of winter, in order
to get at the gold the miners find it nec-
essary to dig into the gravel formation.
Formerly they stripped the gravel eff
until they came to the gold Now they
sink shaft to the bottom of the gravel,
and tunnel along underneath in the gold
bearing layer. The way in which this
is done is interesting, as it has to be
carried on in cold weather when every
thing is frozen. The miners build fires
over the area where they wish to work.
and keep these lighted over that terri
tory for the space of about twenty four
hours. Then at the expiration of this
period the gravel will be melted and
softened to depth of perhaps six inches.
This is then taken off. and other fires
built until the gold bearing layer is
reached. When the shaft is down that
far fires are built at the bottom, against
the sides of the layer, and tunnels
made in this manner. Blasting would
do no good, on account of the hard ma
ture of the material. and the charge
would blow out just as out of gun.
The matter taken out containing the
gold is piled up until spring when the
torrents come down, and is PANIED and
Graded by these. 1t is certainly very
hard labor"