The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-16

friend, William Chapple, were left alone
with less than years provisions, while
the eleven men went back to Juneau and
nearly starved there during the winter
Grey and Chapple pushed on to Lake Tes-
lin. The two determined gold seekers built
raft Of logs and started down the river.
They left Juneau in June and arrived at
the mouth of the Klondike in October. as
green "A pair Of boys as ever found their
way into a strange country.
Grey tells the story of the wealth of the
country as it has been written already a
thousand times. There is nothing new, ex-
cept in the details. in his version of the
tale of gold, but he tells a hundred i'm
portant facts Of far more value to those
who contemplate seeking fortune in that
country. He says the wealth of the val
ley mas not and cannot be exaggerated 1t
IS the richest country in the world he be-
leyes, and there is no danger of the gold
giving out Tor ten years, even II no more
deposits are found. Mr.. Grey says the eli
mate is all that it has been represented
1t was Y degrees below zero last winter }"
he said but / did not lose a days work
and strange as it may seem, / did not
wear a coat and l lived in a small tent
thick wooden shirts. l was out of doors
half the time when at work. Instead of
poots or shoes, the miners wrap their feet
IN heaVy stockings and pieces of blankets
TWO feet square. In the summer rubber
boots are used. The cold, though intense
is not so bad as in Chicago or other places
in this latitude. The air is perfectly dry
and there is little snow and no rain in
the interior. / saw rain in Chicago this
TENDER.
Il have never been sick day in Alaska
and | saw all the hardshps possible. We
nearly starved last winter Toward spring,
before the new supplies arrived, there was
practically nothing left in camp but navy
beans, and 200 men lived several weeks on
these with little pop corn which we
ground into flour in small coffee mills and
managed to make into a substitute for corn
meal. l want to predict that 80 per cent.
or the people now starting for the Chilkoot
pass Will be coming back soon | under
stand that Mrs. Eli Gage and her party
started to-day. l VIII bet 81, 900 to $1,000 they
don't get over the pass this fall. | eSti-
mate there are 1900 people in the KlOndike
this fall. There are about 100 women in
the number
There will be lots of suffering and per-
haps, some lawlessness. The old prospec-
tors are preparing for and predicting
hard winter | consider 1t absolutely i'm
possible to reach the Klondke after Sept. l.
our party started in June We went up
the Stickeen river and were nearly driven
been told of this pest in Alaska. I have
seen the sun almost darkened by mosquito
SWarmS, and once our pack train was SIAM
peded by them and we lost half of our sup
plies. On the way down the Lewis river
we stopped several times to fish and to
prospect Both Chapple and myself were
of the bars the HOtalinqua river in
twenty days with d rocker and gold pan.
This money paid for our grub stake. We
heard nothing of the Klondike strike until
we reached the CasSiar bar, where we met
two men coming out, who told us the news.
I'VE pulled up and started as quickly
possible We arrived in October, after
all the good claims were staked. We first
started to build a cabin, but before it was
done we got a chance to work a claim on
shares. This gave each of us one-fourth
interest in the output. We took out $4,000
in thirty days from Claim 80 on Eldorado
creek, and $4,000 in twenty days from 36
Eldorado. i am now interested in 30 FL
dorado, q Hunker. "a bunker, SA Bo-
nanza, 80 below discovery Bonanza, and No
1 Gay Gulch. All are rich, and among the
best in the district. The district is badly
named. There is no. such thing as gold
diggings on the Klondike river, unless there
found on the small branches of the river.
The mother lode may never be found, al
though old miners SAY it is surely in the
near vicinity of the placers;
are worked out and abandoned, some
moneyed corporation may find the quartz
vein by thoroughly prospecting for 1t at bed
rock, but the frozen soil will make it slow
and costly work. 1t is a poor man s coun-
try The placer gold is next to bedrock,
from six to thirty feet below the surface.
The ground must be thaWed. Big fires are
built at night and allowed to burn twelve
hours. 1t takes one cord to the fire When
the ashes are removed the ground is found
thawcd a few inches. The loose gravel is
removed and the fires rekindled. This pro-
cess is kept up. The wood is carried a half
mile in some cases. There are lots of good
claims in Alaska. Even the best are not all
taken, and l know of many good properties
in the Circle City district which were
abandoned when Klondike was struck.
Some of them will pay as high as $4,000 a
year to the man."
William Chapple Mr. Greys partner, has
taken $4,000 in klondike gold to south
Africa to invest in mining ventures there.
He likes the business and being OF a row
ing disposition, he Is going to try his Tor
tunes in a warmer climate.