The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-22
ONLY THE SURFACE WORKED.
Some Day the Real Mines VIII Be
Opened in the Mountains.


Opened in the Mountains.
st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Reliable literature on the Yukon gold
| fields is limited The major portion of it
! has been written by advertising agents of
railroad and steamship lines, and their con-
! sciences are noted for elasticity. The stories
| Of miners who have returned from the
Klondyke country read like the fables of
! the Orient OF course it is a certainty that
several million dollars worth of gold has
been taken out of the Yukon region, but
nevertheless the stories of fabulous finds
may be taken with grain of salt, if for
no other purpose than to prevent the mag
ination from becoming overheated. No
doubt the Alaska gold fields are rich in
mineral, for reliable mining engineers and
government surveyors who have travelled
through that region say 50. But before a
poor boy or a laboring man, or even a man
with money, goes to that country to seek
gold he should think a half dozen times
of the hardships he must undergo if he
takes the leap. Then, TOO, ii is a character
| istc of all mining crazes that while one
man strikes it rich perhaps 999 don't. And
all the world hears fairy tales about the
man who strikes it rich, but nobody heats
anything about the 999 poor unfortunates
who leave the camp "on their uppers."
This was true of Cripple Creek and of Jo-
! hannesburg, and ii viii be true of Klon-
| dyke. Every prospector can't become a
| Stratton or a Barnato.
! 1t is no use to become unduly excited
| these hot days IN ST. Louis about starting
! for the Yukon gold fields, because the open
season in that northern country is now too
! Louis is in March or April. A prospector
could no more than reach the edge Of the
! fields before the whole Yukon country, riV-
! er and all, would be frozen up and locked in
| the ice and snow OF long arctic winter
But the railroad officers are receiving nu-
merous requests daily for information
about the Alaska gold camps and this fact
| justities the prediction that there will be
q. tremendous rush of prospectorS to that
country next spring. General Agent Evans
! of the Great Northern road, had large
! supply of literature on Alaska but 1t has
| been exhausted and he has telegraphed to
! the st. Paul offices for more. He says
/ he does not care to encourage men and
I boys to start for Alaska unless they have
money enough to carry them through a
/ rigorous winter Provisions short at
! Crcle CITY curing the WINTER OF dss9o-.So af19
! there was consequently much suffering. II
/ the rush continues now it is feared there
will be much suffering again in the gold
| camps during the seven months of winter
! that will shortly begin. Not much hunting
| can be done when the temperature is so
| degrees below zero, and there is little game.
| The Klondyke region is not far from Fort
| Cudahy, which was named in honor of Jack
| Cudahy, one of the famous Cudahy broth
! ers, who are known the world over as op-
orators the Board of Trade in Chicago.
| Jack Cudahy is a partner in one of the
| steamer lines on the YUKON river. Inc
| first klondyke strike was made in the sum-
| mer of 1896, but news travels slowly out of
that far-away region. Since then other rich
| finds have been made, and the outside
world is just now hearing of the news.
Miners VINO have returned from Alaska
have told several different stories about
| the first discovery of gold in the Klondyke
district, but a man who spent two seasons
| at Circle City, and who spent some time
| in the klondyke country, tells the only true
| story, perhaps Inc kondyke strike is
| good illus stration IF the limited knowledge
| that men have in regard to all the Yukon
| fields: Prospectors had gone htty miles up
| the Yukon river from the old Forty-mile
post time and time again, but they kept
close to the main river and did not step
aside to follow the valleys of the numerous
| creeks in the Klondyke region Last sum-
mer a squaw man was persuaded by his In
they they soon made a find Tof gold of untold
all the Yukon country. They panned pros
| poets the surface that ran all the way
from 50 to $25 a pan Later reports say
| that some pans have run as high as $50.
| The klondyke district has a large number
of rich gulches, and when properly opened
up it is capable of supporting an immense
| without money will suffer, as the trading
companies absolutely refuse to give any
are on a spur of the Rockies and about
| sixty miles from the main range 1t is be-
lieved, therefore, that other rich strikes
will be m8de on American soil Prices at
present are enormous for all supplies. 1t
costs 81 even to send a letter out of the dis
| trict in winter, when 1t must be carried by
| a sledge and Esquimau dogs over the snow
| for GOO miles. There are claims that now
| pay from Sc to SO a day that are not
| worked. simply because the expense of
| tools and clothes and food are too great.
| When the country becomes settled, and
prices fall these claims will be valuable.
! The riches that are now being taken out
! of the Kiondyke district, and all the other
Yukon camps for that t matter are obtained
| ingly difficult, owing to the general forma-
! tion of the surface being soft, the hills haV-
! ing been worn smooth by the action Of
| glaciers which left layer of drift over the
| whole country to depth of from five to fif-
| teen feet. This is frozen the whole year
| frost.
Prospecting in that frozen country is usu-
| ally carried on by sinking a number of
holes to bedrock across the bed of the creek
! or cross-cutting 1t by tunnel and testing
! the dirt every few feet by panning. In
| this way the pay streak Is located. After
| a creek has been prospected and located
| then the glacial drift must be removed The
| trees and roots are taken out and a stream
| of water is turned on, which, with the aid
| of the sun, lays bare the pay streak in time
The course of the water is then turned
! sluce boxes erected The sluice boxes are
| made with corrugated iron bottoms which
catch and retain the gold They are given
a grade regulated by the coarseneSS of the
| gold-that is if the gold is of an exceed
| ingly fine quality the grade will be slight
| but if of a cOarser character q greater
| pitch can be given, which is always prefer
| able as the swiftness of the water enables
| a greater quantity of dirt to be handled
| But in many camps the lack of water in
| the gulches is a great drawback. In many
! camps the open season Is dry, and water
can only be obtained from the glacial drip
| of the hills.
| There is no doubt that lode mining will
! be carried on in the mountains when the
! country is settled. II mines are dug on the
! side of the mountains near which such rich
| washngs are found rich strikes may be
| made that will far surpass the placer dig
gings To fit up such a mine with ma
! chinery would cost an enormous amount of
money in that country. There are no rail-
| roads or wagon roads. Even the transports
! ing of the light supplies of the placer
miners is now done by freighters of from
! six to eight tons burden, poled by Indians
| and even carried by miners and Indians
and sleigh dogs. good Esqwmau dog
| will carry fifty pounds. 1t costs $40 per
hundred pounds for distance of sixty
! miles IN winter freighting is done by
/ seighs with dogs at a cost of $40 To $l3 per
hundred pounds for sixty miles. A dog
| lives dried salmon, and lies down al
night in the snow TO rest and sleep when
| the thermometer is often 90 degrees below
zero.