The indicator., 1897-07-31
MINING DEPARTMENT
ABOUT THE CLONDYKE R
Joseph Ladue Describes the New Eldorado-Hovv
Miners Work-Great Difficulties but
a Great Reward.

would not advise newcomers to try It,
thirty days is safer and better. The
journey Is Il distance of 40 miles over
'he river and through numerous lakes
and rapids. Boats are nat-bottomed
ana can be had for $50 apiece. Each
boat will carry three men and the nee.
'ssiify provisions. 1t costs man
about 81 day for board in the mines
IL he cooks FOR himself, and that is
whit everybody is doing.
Much of the mining is done on The
shares. n man is given, say 100 feet
across the claim as n lay and he is re.
CURED to pay fifty per cent. for tho
privilege. Mining is carried forward
through the aid of fires which are
builf every night mt the bottom of the
mole IN the frozen ground. At daylight
the ground is thawc1 and it is raised
to the surface during the day and piled
up To be thawcd out by the sun the
next spring. know many mine own
crs who will do no mining in the sum-
mcr. but prefer the winter plan. as
they devote their entire time in sum.
iner TO taking up the gold. The great
est distance to bedrock is twenty-five
TO twcntN-siN feet. When II hole Is
down nearly to bedrock the ground
grows very rich and the last six inches
above the rock usually hundreds of
dollars to the pan. The bedrock in
many of the claims is filled with cracks
which are very rich with the metal
and usually three or -four feet of rock
is brought to the surface. Up to The
time left the region there was no kill
ing and no bad characters had found
their way in. heard of some steal.
Ing, but it was only when n man was
hungry and wanted something to cat
which gold would not buy. The Unit
ed States mail arrives in the district
once month in winter and is drawn
by dogs. 1t is possible that parties will
enter during the winter in the same
way, but if they take my advice they
will wait till spring.
Mr.. Llduc says he left the gold
fields June rs and came down the Yu-
kon river. thence by steamer to San
Francisco. The distance down the riv.
err is LOO miles. He estimates that
during the first three months of The
present year Si.OOO.OOO were taken out
of the ground and S2,010O0O was in
vested by lucky miners He says 1t
requires no knowledge of mining 10
operate in the mines. and that there
are 1000 people in the district. A num-
Der of the miners are accompanied by
their families, and the sight of children
playing on the banks of the Yukon is
one of the reminders of the civilian
tion left far behind. The shortest day
in the year, according to Mr.. Laduc,
is three hours, and miners are enabled
to work seven hours on account of the
long twilight. Mr.. ladue has made
three trips through the district in
which the discovery was made, and
says it is one of the hcalthiest spots
in the world. The only Inconvenience
is the vast swarms of mosquitoes
which fill tile air in summer time. Ba-
con and beans are the principal nrti-
cles of diet, but the bacon is of Il
very poor quality.
eff Il man must go to the gold fields
this year" remarked Mr.. Laduc, "he
should leave this country no later than
the Goth of August. The river is froZ-
en- over in the latter part of October or
by the LIST of November, and travelling
is then dangerous Placer work will
be in progress for twenty years. and
there will he no lowering of wages for
II long time"