The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-02
TRUTH ABOUT KLONDIKE.
A MAN Earns I'LL HE MAKES IN
THAT BLEAK REGION.

he May Work for Grub Stakes in Good Color.
while n BONANZA Lies In Unpronisins
Ground NenrbJ-Dawson soems Fatsa to
Have . Very Tough Time Ho1t winter.
SAN FRANCISCO. Sept. 1.-The first clear do
s%cription OF the condition of Dawson City this
summer, with the outlook for a famine this win.
ter, Is furnished by Charles Haines, q newspaper
man who happened to DO at Circle City, and was
employed by the San Francisco Bulletin to 60
to the klondiko and write the actual truth
about tho mines. His first letter, dated July 20,
has just arrived. 1t contains the following good
picture Of the place and the mines:
The gravel deposits are in the beds of creeks
and along the shores, but there do not appear Ia
be any indications which may DO accepted as Q
definite sign of II proper lead to the quartz dis.
tricts. Some OF the gold taken out has had par
ticlcs OF quartz clinging TO 1t, which particles do
not seem to be part of any geological formar
tions for miles around.
The placcrs are the most puzzling and deceiv-
ing i have ever seen. Imagine a man working
on good color and finding the ground worth
only a few dollars per day. and then turning to
a waste OF mud and moss, without any surface
indications. and uncnrthing a bonanza. That Ia
the situation here and all over Alaska.
"A man who comes here to mine does It at
the expense OF his health and happiness, and 10
Is q question OF making a fortune quickly or
taking chances with death. He locates u $40 q
day claim. but what is a paltry few hundred dol
lars a month to him who must wreck his phys-
ical self for a thousand or two in nuggetsR
Now as to the difficulty in locating claims.
l say difficulty. though about me arc a score Of
men who can weigh their gold by the basketful
and who value their claims at millions. Four
hundred valuable diggings arc stretched along
the creeks, and every digging is a fabu-
lous mine OF gold. Yet there are men who
have gone out and returned to Dawson after
searching the great country hereabouts. and
never a nugget do they show for their toll and
their long tramp over the broken ground and
into country whose natural disadvantages arc
exceeded by those OF no other place on earth.
is merely a collection of log huts,
several log storehouses, several saloons. and q
mass of tents, about 600 In number. Lumber IN
high, and though the rigorous Arctic winter has
already shown signs of closing down, there docs
not seem TO be any great effort made among the
tent owners to get themselves under better
cover. When the long nights come, and the
glass goes down to 65' below zero. there will DO
intense suffering here. and / shudder TO think Of
the result.
Provisions are going to be very scarce, and
there is little room to doubt that the entire town
will have to go on short rations during tho win.
ter and that scurvy will be rampant. II we do
not have early rains before the freeze-up, there
will not be enough grub here to last through
the winter. as the steamers cannot get through.
To make matters worse, q number of pack trains
have been coming in here from different part
OF the country lately with only half the grui
they started with. The packers foolishly sold
or threw away their food to make their pack
lighter, and I think they will suffer punishment
for their folly before the ice opens next spring.
There are few persons here who can be called
~ n ~ -
most have mado big strikes. The less fortunate
ones have found work in various capacities, and
during last winter many made SIS and $50 per
day, paid So. SO or less for living per day. and
saved the balance. But the town cannot stand
a great many more newcomers unless new
strikes are made. which are probable. The man
who comes IN here this winter, should the float
ing population grow to any extent, must have
money and food or he will run the risk Of
starving.
Reports OF other strikes are constantly TO
ceived here. and many arc authentic as far a.
Stewart and Pelly River miners are concerned.
but nothing SO rich as the Klondike has yet bean
reported.
"A man named Wilson took out several thou
sands OF dollars on the Stewart River, but
several expeditions have returned from there
and reported that only fairly rich bar d~igginRB
exist on that stream. This Is another example
U lLS uuCcEl hluly VI sITlhluR IL EISn IL In1
section. Quite q number Of men are preparing
to leave here for Juneau in case the steamers do
not get through with provisions.
I'm conclusion, Alaska and the Northwest
Territory gold fields will be developed slowly.
Ten thousand men may come here. but they will
be lost in the vast country when they spread out
to prospect. Not more than 5000 of them win
strike q mine. When they do strike pay gravel
their fortunes will be made"
.- ~ II Ia-1n rk1 -Aa L. all
the spring and half of the summer working for
tho Alaska Commercial Company. has ar
rived here to resume his studies in the
State University. He left Dawson on July
II ard camo down the river to 81. Michael.
His statements. which can DO relied on,
knock the wind out OF the boomy talk
Of p. b. Weare Of Chicago. Weare a few days
ago said IN an interview that. 10 be conserya-
tive, he would place the amount OF nuggets and
dust then being conveyed to salt water by his
boat, tho P. Is. Wearc, at $500, 900.
James smiled when told Of this. Tho fact
is" said he. there is perhaps 100000 and
certainly not over $780, 900 worth OF dust ON
tho Weare. That Is q liberal estimate for the
balance Of gold to arrive this year. Tho idea
that every few days thousands are being
taken out OF tho Dawson district II .
mistake, duo TO tho way OF telling thu
story OF q find. A man Will spend q year
locating, burning. and digging. and then whom
water comes sluice his dirt In q few days. In
that period the gold Is said to have been mined.
whereas his years time should properly b
charged against it.
Nearly all the gold not needed for tho local
business has been brought out. and there will be
no more shipments OF consequence until noxo
Juno. ! know of Il case where a mine was purs
chased, and the purchasers tried to raise $780,
900 for the first payment on the best security.
I - = IA. nNA - \ H. a"l a. $500. Az -