The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-09-09
FIVE PER CENT SUCCEED
MUCH SUFFERING and HARDSHIP
A Few Suggestions Pertinent to the
silence OF the Administration
Press Regarding the Uttcrances
OF the silver Champion.

Mr.. Chas. Haines, well known news
paper-writer, and his recent letter to the
San Francisco Bulletin, is the first writ.
ten 10y trained newspaper man to come
out OF the klondike gold regions. He
says:
The rich diggings have been compare
lively idle during the summer, although
the output from Eldorado and Bonanza
creeks was enormous, and there is plenty
OF gold in sight. There is every prospect
of an immense output of gold from the
district next spring. The total output this
season is, as near as | can Judge, about
N000,000, but very little ground has
been worked and the dumps will, like
some of the tailings of old California
plscers, pan out thousands of dollars
when worked with improved machinery.
The placers are the most puzzling and
deceiving have ever seen. Imagine q
man working on good color and finding
the gr ound worth only few dollars per
day, and turning to waste of mud and
moss, with no surface indications, and
unearthing a bonanza. This is the stu
alton here, and all over Alaska.
THE man who comes here to mine
does so at the expense of health and hap.
piness, and it is with him a question OF
making fortune quickly or taking
chances with death.
About me are scores OF men who can
weigh their gold by the bucketful, and
who value their claims at millions. -Four
hundred valuable diggings are stretched
along the creeks, and every digging is O
fabulous mine OF gold, yet there are weary
men who have gone and are returning to
Dawson after searching the great coun.
try hereabouts, aud never nugget do
they show for their toll, having made a
long tramp over broken ground, and into
country whose natural disadvantages
are exceeded 10y no other place on earth.
This Alaska Northwest Territory gold
field is an odd prize-drawiDg proposition
that can liken to nothing that admits of
better comparison than lottery. A
number of spots are selected on the creeks
and the rivers, and for one year the min
err labors. The year closes, the water
runs and the seasons output barely pays
expenses. Not two miles away from the
unfortunate one works a man who has
taken from an uninyiting bit of earth a
sackful of gold. The lucky one did not
strike the pocket because Of his ability as
miner; chance favored him. and that
was all. In short, the mine. guesses at
and locates any and everywhere. In 10
cases ont of 20 he misses it, and has to
wait another year for new trial.
Dawson is merely a collection of log
huts, saloons and mass Of tents, about
800 in number. When the long nights
come and the glass goes down to 90 de-
grees below zero, there will be intense
suffering here, and shudder to think of
the results.
provisions are going to be very scarce
and there is little reason to doubt that
the entire town will have to go on short
rations during the winter, and that scurvy
will be rampant.
"The gold that will 90 down the river
for San Francisco and Seattle will amount
to about 81 900, 900. There is n LOT of gold
that will remain in camp, for it is used
as an equivalent Of money, and is legal
tender at $l7 per ounce. OF the 5000 or
1000 inhabitants, only couple of hun
bred at the most have made big strikes.
There is plenty of work at from SIS to $40
per day, and many men have paid 81 30
per day or less for living, and saved the
balance.
Reports Of other strikes are constantly
received here, and many are authentic,
so far as stewart and Pelly rivers are con-
cerned, but nothing like so rich as the
klondike has been reported. Quite a
number of people are preparing to leave