The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19
LECTURE ON KLONDIEE,
HOW TO GET THERE AND WHAT
TO DO.
Hon. James sheakley, Representing
the Alaskan Trade Committee,
Gives An Interesting Talk at the
Grand Theatre On the Land of
Gold.
s Sheakley. Represerting

Hon. James Sheakley, representing
the Alaskan Trade committee of San
Francisco, Iectured last night at the
Grand Opera house on 'Klondike-"
The Alaskan Trade committee is COM
posed Of representatives of the Mer-
chants association, the board of
trade, and the chamber of commerce
of San Francisco, and its object is to
help prospectors get to the land of
gold in the quickest and safest man
ner
Although the lecture was free, the
audience was of only moderate size.
The speaker enlarged on the effects of
mining upon a man. He said there
never was a nobler, "a more generous, a
bigger hearted man than the one who
seeks IN the bowels of the earth for
his wealth.
Nearly all the big men, the success
full men of California, were miners in
the sos. Go TO the congress of the
United States and see the giants in
intellect there, and remember that the
greatest part of them began life as
miners and prospectors.
The laws of the mining camp are the
laws of the nation. and every law
passed by the American congress since
the war is but an elaboration of these
laws formulated by the early pros
pectOrs.
The Soanish mining laws were very
despotic, as also were the Roman laws;
but the American mining laws are all
that tend to elevate and develop the
nobler sentiments of the man labor
ing under them.
The speaker did not wish to advise
any of the audience to go to Klondike,
but he came to do all he could to help
those to get there if they are determin-
ed to go. His advice was to go by
way of San Francisco. Get an outfit,
provisions, everything in San Fran
cisco, and then take the steamer from
there and go up the Yukon river.
Competition has brought prices down
so that a very good outfit can be got
ten very cheaply now.
1t is some times cool weather up in
Alaska. He had known it to be 70
degrees below zero on the Yukon river,
bat it does not remain so cold for any
length of time, striking a general
average at 50 degrees. The atmos-
phere is very dry and there is no
wind.
Gold is very plentiful, and there is
as much on the American side of the
line as on the British. There is no
danger of the mines giving out but it
is thought tSey will be worth more in
% years from now than they are to-
day.
The natural scenery in Alaska. is
magnificent. The territory is as large
as all the country east of the Missis-
sippi river with the exception Of
Florida and Alabama, and $50 states as
large as Rhode Island can be placed
inside of it. The enormous glaciers can
not be matched in size anywhere.
Glaciers in that region drop icebergs
in the ocean that are over five times
as large rs the Palace hotel in San
Francisco. The lakes and mountains
and waterfalls are sublime.
In conclusion the speaker said that
any person who is honest, moral, and
energetic stands very good chance
of striking a rich claim I'D there. But
man must abstain from drinking,
gambling or dissipating in any way,
and must be generous, kind and con-
siderate of Others and must have
courage and determination.