The evening times., 1897-07-24
Immense Unexplored Region Be-
longing to This Country.
GOLD IN GLACIAL DEPOSITS
Little Known About the Geology of
the Yukon Rlver-No Possibility
American Interests I'm the Region
That Must BE Protected.

| Glacial Period and other works on geology,
| in an interview states that the discovery
! Of guId In large quantities on the Yukon
/ River Is by 10 means unexpected
Eleven years ago, the last word heard
| as LETT Juneau was the pledge of a re-
| turning tourist to meet his friend tBe next
summer and prospect in the Yukon region.
The great mass of gold bearing quartz
| at the Treadw ell mine, near juneau, was
| what might re expected, and at the same
| time what might be the linhta ton Of the
| supply. For more than ten years that
| mine has furnished uore than a million GOl
| lars of gold annually, but it is not like
| ordinary quartz mines. 1t Is rather great
| isolated mass OF quartz, with gold dissem-
mated all through IL. While its worth is
great, its length is limited
Little is known about the geology Of the
Yukon River, where the Kloudike rIines
have been found. Being placer mines, the
gold may have been transported many
miles. Themeans softransportation areboth
glaciers and rivers. The Klondike region is
on the north side OF the st. Elias Alps.
Alaska was never completely covered with
glacial ice. The glaciers flowed both north
and south from these submits. Dawson
and Prof Russell both report welldefined
terminal moraincs across the upper Yukon
Valley. The source OF the Klondike gold,
therefore, is from the south.
Placer mines originate In the disinte-
grafton of gold-bearing quartz veins, or
mass Ike at Juneau. Under sub-earial
agencies these become dissolved. Then
the glaciers transport the material as far
Us they 60, when the floods OF water carry
it on still further. Gold, being heavier
than the other m3terials associated withit.
lodges in the erevasses or in the rough
places at the bottom OF the streams. So 10
speak, nature has stamped and 'pahned'
the gravel first and prepared the way
for man TO finish the work. The amount
OF gold found in the placer mines is evt
dence not so much, perhaps. of very rich
vein rs Of the disintegratlon Of very large
vein.
The mother lode has been looked for
In vain in California, and. perhaps. viii be
so In Alaska. But it exists some where up
the streams On which the placer mines are
found. Tie discovery OF gold in glacial
deposits far away from its native place
is familiar to American geologists.
II have encountered placer mines In
glacial deposits near Aurora, in South
eastern Indiana; in Adams county, In
Southern Ohio. and near TitusviIIe, In
western Pennsylvania, where, L see, there
is a new excitement But in all theS. cases
the gold had been brought several hundred
miles by glacial Ice from Canada ur the
region about Lake Superior. These gold
mines Were near the edge of the glacial
region, where there had been much as
sorting action OF both ice and water
ut is evident, however, that in Alaska
the transportation OF the gold has not
gone so far. The difficulties OF this trans
portation into the Klondike region and
the shortness OF the season still continue
TO be great draw backs to working the
mines. The pass north OF ChiIkat is Z 900
feet above sea level and but a few miles
backfrouthe ocean There isnoposstbiffty
OF road over 1t. But from Taku Inlet.
near Juneau, reader access can be bad.
This route was followed by Schwatka and
hr. Hayes. of the United States Geological |
Survey, few years ago, and has been par-
tally surveyed with reference to a ratI-
road line, and reported to be avafEabI
The only other way is by a river which |
Is open to navigation only a short time
each year and is great way around.
The general climatic conditions on the |
mort h side OF the mountains are much better !
than those ON the south side On the south |
side the snowfall is enormous but on the /
north side the air Is dryer Schwatka and |
hayes went In the summer down the |
YUKON Valley about TO the Klondike region |
and from there struck off west, passing the /
north of Mount St Elias and down the /
Copper River TheY bad dry weather all |
the time, IN which Camping was pleasant |
while Russell the same season was driven /
back byinciement weather from ascending
st Elias on the south side. It In there
fore not Impossible that explorations south
west of the present gold fields may be
carried on with comparative ease But h
at present that whole region is bare of l
means Of subsistence
There is imminent danger that MANY /
will get in there before winter with Insuf
flcient means and starve An English mis-
sionary and his wife have been In that
general region for many years, and report
the people as being so near the verge of
starvation that they do not dare both to /
winter In the same village lest they should
produce famine SO they live I'm separate
'hiotcS 'uiibS tHc Wl0CtT. EVe0tuallY
the rein ,Ieer which Sheldon Jackson is In
PRODUCING In the lower Yukon region VIII
be available both for tran sportation and
food, being much superior to dogs In that
they can procure their own food But for
the present every necessity must either be
packed over the Chiikat Pass or brought |
around by way Of the Yukon
CAS- to the ultimate Yield of the mines or
the prospect OF finding more, we have
nothing but eoniecture to go upon. The
geelogtsts who have visited the region were
not the ones who discovered th egold What
the prospectors have found points- TO
more. TIE unexplored region Is immense.
The mountains to the south are young. hav-
ing been elevated very much since the |
climax of the glacial period. With these dis
coveries and the success In introducing rein
deer, Alaska bids fair to support a popuIa-
ton eventually OF several millions. The
United States must hold on to her treaty |
rights with Great Britain for the protec-
tion OF our interests there. If England ac-
her unreasonable designs she
would shut us off from all communication |
with the Kontlike region except by the |
way OF the Yukon"