The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-29

I rotlee rae general sentiment IS sx-
presses n -aa T4on3cn newsTsap eTs. 7ealra
fairy tee-s wYgA s1pEslis1e tsses ara sd
Woes TIE L.onscH neEsTansT = Dos
- G1ieE 20 FeSeer 7ahiie eEszu'ou IS ere
ze~sparer ~ tna Ulttes3 states est
when Eny ere sstessr: attracts the attes1-
ton % all Ire ~sHa pers in sufficient
degree 70 warrant plenty u space be-
lnE given O. Is thaa = -ay safety BE
Eecsonesi teat tae pgallc Is ere zaaD
Interested therein. TAe discussion s. IN
telifgeEt ard conservative Fer instance.
hsre = w1st ere rewsraper SAWS
here Seems lstfse reason 10 tsasht that
II TIE uewsv discovered goid fields ne
are face 70 face wIth ere es those unex-
pscsed happenings whtch AT iSast thrlce
already wtthiu the present century. have
ssf1ced % change She character ard d.
rect the development % 4 continent IN
a few years t-e. IN al human prob
ability. TIE country gbar $ rcw Ice ard
Snow wiA y transformed by tAs magic
influence % geld
Bat X IS almost certain that Il VII
be a. the cost q an army cevrs or 50 q
human lives Twas ever thns- S&tJer's
discovery q gold IN California IN the al
taHn of lssT was followed by IRE mad
rush u g. when "a enc single week fass.-
&c people ser out from the eastern states
70 cross The great plains. q whou noS
more than & tA4rG ever returned % their
homes.
-Four years later. when gold was Arsf
found In Australia. similar scene YVES
rs-enaciei again l. South africa at a
comparatively recent date In each case
TIE d5covery % the precious metal has
resulted primarily In a dsploraale loss
81 hfe. and II each case. t9o. & h.ss given
birth % great ctyies-San Francisco. Mel
bourne johannesburg. to-wit.
There u M yea -ftrr - s74aflhr ray 1F
almost absolute certainty that fhe his
tory q the past n California. IN Aus
tralia and II South Africa. VIII re the
history Of the future in British Columbia
Only, probably tAers viii De FAR greater
loss Of life. Nature 81 very stern IL these
Icy solitadess aad altogether pitAiess. II
NAV wsn be that the year 1851 the vear
q the opening Up Of the Kiondike mines,
VIII be year forever rendered hi4eous
20 ali English speaking p0sterity by the
memory Of an unparalleled tragedy.
Already the authorities are viewing
with Ell concealed dfsrnav the influx 81
tens q thousands q ulen mad wirh the
lust for gold. AID reckless. because fg-
uoraut OF the terrible vengeance nature
invariably exacts from those rash enough
70 venture unGsEed ard UapTepared into
the regions she has seen 81 70 dedicate
&c the reign 81 the frost king And the
worst q u + nothing can apparently D.
done To save them from themselves. The
gold fever has laid hold upcn these ar
mics Of immigrants. and they rush blind
II 70 evils they know not OF. Death IS
a hoEey that loses its power Of fright
when gold is 20 Be ven
And what sort Of country IS this. into
which men are pouring az this present
moment 81 the rate % hundreds per daS
II IS a bleak, terribly inhospisaole land.
inhabited until lately by a few semibar-
barrie people. many Of whom have long
known the royal metal yet have despised
IL except, perhaps. as a means OF person
al adornment- Vegetation struggles out
70 blur upon hIuT OF stunted pines with
patches Of white moss which weary the
eye With unending monotony.
Rocks aud craEs which have TO he
surmounted by the intrepid traveller in
crease in size. makinS the shortest land
Journey prPcarioTs and difficult. There
is no break 20 the monotony Of the scene.
50 one nights camping place differs
scarcely al all from the last. The ell
mate is arctic. for a short period the sun
has considerable power: bat for the
greater part OF the year the land il
plunged IN the horrors q that winter
which may not be described. frozen W
by q cold which cannot be fma giaed,
save by those who have undergone It."
While Il is true that the average Briton
mas q VERY HiGi blGl OF F3@ EefEFJ f1s3fgs33
features Of the United States. fhe Kion-
dixie excitement has made II clearly ap-
parent that when II comes to English
possessions the EnElishmaa is thoreuehIy
Up TO date. lie knows az about Alaska
and how England ought % have had e."
instead OF Uncle Sam. ard Is Thoroughly
familiar With the climatic condition o
that portion Of British Columbia which
contains the KlondIke. I quote from
London newspaper. the statements given
being those made by a correspondent
who signs himself Subscriber:
The gold bearing aIiuyial deposits lie
IN the basin 81 the Yukon river II IS
a mighty stream 90 miles long at least.
Eighteen hundred miles from its mouth
its turbid waters are swollen by those
OF the Klondke and &, Is precisely at
the iurcture OF the two streams that the
richest fn9s have been made. Unui re-
Gently. the only jewellers in the district
were rowing bands % dat-head Indians.
a few Esausuaux ard halfbrecds. and
perhaps twenty score Of white prospec-
tors and trappers-
To-day We hear 81 hotels and hanks,
te2egrap hs and telephones. newspaper Of
fces anf theafers. ouIy most II not
al % these offices. are ike those other
famous buildings ia the Garden or Eden
inmorFaltzea by Dickens n Martha
Chazzlew1t they exist bat IN the mag