The herald., 1897-11-12
TERRORS OF ALASKA
CAPT. JOHN M'CAFFERTY's AD-
VICE TO GOLD SEEKERS
Was Formerly Collector Of Customs
There and Knows the Klondike
Country Thoroughly

Captain John McCafferty, once col
lector of customs for Alaska, and one
of the pioneer explorers Of the Alaskan
gold fields, is at the Natick house. He
is apprehensive that many who recently
went to the new Eldorado will never re-
turn. In expressing his fears last night
he said:
II had become a mining engineer. and
with several other experienced miners
believed that in the canyons and gla-
Businesses Of Alaska there
was plenty of gold. therefore made
a trip there in 1882, but returned in 1884.
1 did not go back until after the presi-
Dental campaign. was among the
first to reach the Juneau basin after gold
was found there by Harris and juneau
in 1882. Whatever quantity Of gold
man may find in Alaska 1t will not be
sufficient to repay him for the hard
ships he undergoes to secure 1t. was
there several years. and in the latter
part of Cleveland's first term was made
collector Of customs. In that capacity
had occasion to travel over the coun-
try, and understood its natural resources
and possibilities.
"Now, as to this Klondike craze, I
have no fear Of contradiction when
say that there never has been a day
since gold was discovered in Alaska
when there were not more men there
than pay dirt to be staked out. This
can be illustrated by the situation when
I went to Juneau. About twenty men
owned every foot of land in that lit
tie Juneau basin. They had about 120
white men, most OF them better miners
than any Of the owners. and were paid
from IS to 81 per day. Is 1t reasonable to
suppose that those expert miners would
have been working for wages IL there
had been any more paying claims to be
staked off? Not a bit Of it,"
DO you think that pay dirt is deep
enough to make this boom lasting as
in California" was asked.
II do not. There is gold there, and 1t is
easy to get at, whenever discovered, ow
ing to the action Of the let, but every
foot Of land that could contain a speck
Of gold is already taken up, and has been
by miners who know their business.
What, then, is there left for the ten
derfoot who would go there next spring j?
four years so thoroughly that there Is
not a miner foolish enough to waste
time there now. 1t was the same thing
at Forty Mile creek, and 1t will be the
same thing in the Klondike. So what
can be the sense in our people rushing
there? Nothing can be had to subsist
upon, save what is dragged over peril
Gus snow-clad precipices at great cost.
Seven months in the year they cannot
work, and the result Is going to be, for
those who are there, starvation, murder
and the worst reign Of crime Of the CEN
tury.
1.-The steamboat and railway compa-
MES are spreading widest dreams of
easily acquired wealth. 1t is nothing
less than criminal, for they are taking
advantage of the mercurial tempera-
ment of our peoplpe and Turing them in
to trap of death, the horrors of which
will be without a parallel before the
winter is over. There are fully 500 peo-
pie already in the Klondike to every
available claim to be had. In California,
when the world made a rush here, the
genial climate was at least in the ad-
venturers' favor. But what have we in
Alaska? Nothing but snow and ice and
such intense cold as no man who goes
there ever experienced before. Just
fancy 70 degrees below zero! What
show would tenderfoot have in such a
climate? Alaska is now vastly over
populated, and our gold seekers should
shun that inhospitable field. Any man
who has money enough to reach the
Klondike and to keep him there for one
year has quite enough to start him in
business in Southern California. where
he may enjoy life.