The times., 1897-07-21
ALL HAVE THE COLD FEVER
Thousands Are Dreaming of the
Rich Alaskan Ell Dorado.
WARNINGS FROM OLD MINERS
washingtonian "Forty-Niners" Of
fer Advice TO Prospective For
tune Hunters-Not so Easy as Ii
seems TO Pick Up Coda Talk
With Pioneer Brock.

Washington has the gold fever Nothing
equals the Alaskan FL Dorado as a topic
of conversation. The street corners, the
stores, the Government departments; all
have their groups Of people discussing the
absorbing subject The young and old
have read the stories OF the wonderful
richness OF the yellow metal in faI-off
Alaska, and imaginations have been fired
by visions Of wealth. schoolboys with no
experience in life are dreaming of gold
mines and rough camp life, and many are
scheming TO get away to that region of
wealth on the Yukon. They know nothing
OF the hardships TO be encountered in that
icebound land and hence they are filled
with ardor.
Older people, who know more, but who
are equally fascinated by the prospect
OF picking up nuggets and washing out
the precious yellow dust in the gold
streams, are seeking ways and means to
prepare for their proposed pilgrimage
Beyond a doubt there are hundreds, nay
even thousands, of people in this city who
seriously think of leaving for the gold
fields or course, much of the loudly
expressed determination to go is merely
idle talk, vet a great deal is meant seri-
ously The railroad offices in this city
already report many applications for IN
formation a TO the routes OF travel andthe
rates TO Alas ka Mining experts whohavc
not already left for the West are besieged
with questions as TO the chances Of a
novice in making a success Of the ven
ture
..Forty-niners,' whenever they can be
found, are buttonholed and every i'm.
aeinable question put Ia them with refer
ence TO picks, shoyels, pans and placer
working.
In short, the city is largely peopled
with prospective gold miners at pres
ent
As far as can be learned there has been
no exodus from this city To the gold
country The craze has advanced no
further than the stage OF contemplation
or preparation A combination OF good
sense and lack of funds VIII probably
prevent many people leaving at present
To begin with, it costs STS.50 to go
frora this city TO Seattle, Wash, via the
Northern Pacific railroad, which is the
cheapest fare. From Seattle excursion
tickets are sold at $50 TO points nearest
the gold country, maxi ng a tutal of
Sl555 for the trip.
Furthermore the Alaskan winter Will
commence before the prospective miner
from this section could get on the ground.
Were one to start now ne wouldfin him self
in a climate with the temperature some
thing like 80 degrees below zero before
he Were fairly at work, and the price of
provisions vyoGld he 70 high tfat small
fortune woulG be required 10 live through
The winter.
People who have given the question
thought know that the only sensible plan
now is to await un til next spring. start
can be made from Seattle, or even Sitka,
in the early spring which viii allow time
enough fer the inexperienced miner to
become somewhat used TO the EaIships ana
also to gain some experience in placer
mining which is. Of course, the only kind
done in the newly discovered gold country.
1t is not generally known that there
are only about two months when placer
mining can be conducted in Alaska. The
intense cold there, together with the heavy
and frequent SHOWS, renders it impossible
20 work satisfactorily except during the
months of July and August.
Converse ton with mining experts and
veterans Of 40 in California develops
the fact that these men are unanimously
OF the belief that there is wonderful
wealth of gold locked in the ice and rocks
OF Alaska
Proprietor Brock, of the Congressional
Hotel, and one OF the original forty
niners,' is firmly of the opinion that gold
abounds, not only in the section known
as the newly discovered gold belt but
also further east and inside the Canadian
boundary line. In speaking OF the matter
last evening, he said:
When / returned from California in '5s
my partner, Strauss, concluded that there
was gold in Alaska, and he left me to
prospect in that frozen country. A few
years after / met him in New York, and he
told me he lad organized an expedition
which started down the Mckenzie River
Unfortunately the canoe in which the party
Were travelling was upset and several OF
the pioneers drowned.
About twenty years later Strauss went
lack 10 Alaska, and this time was more
SUI Cf>HAttA- htdtA AiOii ma d lew years
since, andhe had grown immensely wealt v
all of il being gained by gold mining.
Il should not advise anyone who lacked
q reasonable sum Of money, the constitution
and strength of horse. and unlimited
grit and nerve to start to Alaska ' said
MT Brock. "a miner must carry nearly
hundred pounds in weight when on
the move, and no weaking can do this.
two rises in the rivers and streams during
the working season. AS most of the gold
is found in the beds of streams and these