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

ably by the amount of demand but give US
the facilities and 1 believe the demand will
rise and meet it more than half way To
those coming into the country contemp la ting
getting claim on Bonanza or Ell Dorado
would say do not think of it. AS l said before
both of these creeks were located last fall, and
if you have money enough to purchase an in
terest in any of them you have money enough
to remain where you are, posi- bly, with as
much benefit and assuredly with much more
comfort to yourself. The rich claims which
have given these two creeks worldwide fame
aggregate bout 100 in number. From these
spring all the stories of fabulous wealth OF
this region, and these stories are largely true.
But as far as / know up to the present time
there is only one Bonanza ana one Ell Dorado
The other creeks / have mentioned pros
pected very good bu6, as l have already
stated they are practically undeveloped. That
creeks as rich as these two Will De found can
neither assert nor deny. That there is very
extensive gold-bearing area here, whlch Will
be an important factor in the worlds supply
of that metal for many years to come, l am
positive. But would soemnly adjure you to
come prepared fol serious and long-continued
disappointment. No gold-mining camp ever
yet found in the world enriched more than
few OF the miners, and 1t is to be hopeo that
this will prove an exception In that way. L
must qualify this py saying that much OF this
failure can be attributed to the lie the
average miner leads. man with $2OOO or
$4,000 generally is careful to take steps to
keep it in mis- possession and increase 1T. Not
so with the average miner, however. 1t seems
to me he vies with his associates In spending
his money as fast as he possibly can, and in
most mining camps the facilities for doing so
appear to be created and sustained with au
ingenuity that is almost diabo. lcal Drinking
the worst brands OF liquors. gambling almost
unlimited and other vices are ever Iroml-
nent features of all the mining camps ! have
ever seen.
In Canada efforts viii be made to suppress
these conditions, but with the best efforts In
the world only measure OF success can be
achieved in that direction. What the ma jor-
ity of the comm unity wants it will obtain, If
not openly, then secretly. If the majority did
not want those things certainly they would
not exist TO the extent they do. know this
very ma iority would decry this aud say not
So In reply point to the numerous saloons,
dancehouses and gambling appliances -four
ishing proof OF what l say. L have seen and
conversed with men while at work on the
claims whom I thought TO be shrewd, level
headed. sensible men. have seen these same
men in town afterw ards ana could not help
thinking that they were at least temporarily
their money in the quickest and most disgust
ing way possible. The conduct OF some of
them was worse than beastly. To those hav-
ing young relatives vicious.y inclined con-
templatfng sending them in here out of the
way of temptation, would say do not do it.
At home you can impose some restraint on
them here you cannot. do not mean this
picture to include all the miners, but / GER
tainly assert that there is q much larger per-
centage of vice, and vicious life is more popu-
larl yconsidered the correct thing in u mining
camp than elsewhere. WILLIAM OGILvIE.
l had an interview to-day with E. En-.
gelstad, chief of the Alaska Commercial
Company's traders and one of the best
posted men concerning the resources of
this great northern country. He, like
Ogilvie, has great confidence in the gold
bearing qualities of the hills and ravines,
but be fears for lack of provisions. He
had determined to go to Klondike him
self this fall and had written to friends
there that he could DO so, but he has
changed his mind since learning of the
great rush into the country. II do not
care to go up there carrying my pro-
visions, as every one should" he said,
"and then be com pelfed to give them up
to some hungry women, as l certainly
would have to this winter, and so go
without any myself. / will stay here till
the spring"
Engeistad. although simply traveller,
is no common man. Those who know
him best say he just missed being
genius. He is a linguist and a musician