The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-19
A DREAM OF RICHES.

A question almost of international In
terest is as 10 what amount of money will
be taken out of the Klond!ke district this
season, and more particularly what is the
prospective productive caps city of the re-
gion. Any attempt to answer this ques-
ton must of necessity be speculative in
character; for the contingencies are
many. There is this much. however con-
ciusively determined that no mineral
district ever discovered on the American
continent has produced as much within
such a brief period after is original dis
eovery.
BY fairly logical methods OF reasoning a
prospective production for the klondike
region might be figured out which would
dwarf all the gold regions OF the world
enormously increase the worlds supply OF
the precious metal, and even cause alarm
lists 10 view the new discovt ries as afford
Ing possible menace 10 the stability of
the monetary systems OF the civilized
world. Applying this reast ming, the fol-
lowing facts are authenticated so as to be
beyond cavil; The Portland brought gold
OF the value of 81 600 900 IT IL asst to Seattle;
the Excelsior took one-half as much more
TO San Francisco. and according to reports
there are still 8. coo 600 in treasure at ST.
Michaels. The Klondike district had some
400 claims worked during tie winter, and
some 2.eo or more men wee engaged on
the work. of whom probably 500 were
working for wages Of SIS per day. The re-
turning miners assert that the claims
treated extend but few miles up the
creeks and that there is room In the dis
trict for oeso claims of the size allowed by
/ the laws of the Northwest Territory OF
the located and worked claims there Is but
single one which has proven 10 be a fall
ure; all are enormously. almost marvel
| scpsiy productive. SO far out i04 miners
have como out of the district. They left
about June is and when bat one-third OF
! the miners work of sluiclng had been
| done. Nearly every one sho came out
did so for some personal or domestic rea-
son. with no intention o, quitting tho
country: and the claims from which their
/ gold was extracted are stii being worked
Without exception these miners report
that some of the men stan on the ground
are doing far better than the wealthiesf of
those who came out. What gold has come
out is the net profit Of tho miners. after
paying in dusf wages 10 thu men who ex-
tracied IT al the rate OF So per day.
Accepting all this as tr,ie. ana every
statement above Is thoroughly authean-
Gated. it appears that the holders Of one
quarter of the claims on the KIondike. IN
loss than one-thIrd Of the summer work
log time, took out almost hree and one
half millions Of dollars. after paying out
vases which certainly mast have axgro-
eatod at least one hundred thousand dol
lars, besides what money was spent for
provisions. etc. at The eH ormouely high
/ prices which prevailed In the KIondgko
during the winter. Ga this; basis OF rea-
soosas IL misht appear tina. The Klondike
feEAon would produce tive we times the
/ amount whlch has already been brought
out. og $500 30. an amount which anso-
lately staeeer= belief. On the same basis
ef reasoning. u only one-tonth Of the
claims whtch may possibly De worked
have been located ard the new ones av-
vraSe as ~eil as tac ola. there nsieht 10 4
possible annuH production OF gold from
ere kiondiSa rezfoa uatu the claims are
worked oat q sssaeo eaa or approximate
y twice as maoa as ;bo pr,ssn; total an
nual production of gold N the whole
world
Ttls niEh; be carried stu; further. -Four
er FIVE Thousand w-u ccyer the whole
number Of men who have up % this tine
vcntucc3 upon and iast tentatively oona-
1nence3 tie work 81 prospecting the Yu-
/ koa basin. = region - eoen;ry greater IN
extent thsn all the rest O. me mineral
sessions q the United Stats collectively.
On almost every creek yet explored sold
/ has been found in Quantities which would
be considered abnuru2a9ly great IN any
other caaatEy. but Rhi,h are looked upon
dissi4.ufuily In golden Alaska. Any man
who kroWs the temper Of the American
people mast res,.ze the fact that the rush
% the new solt fields Wfn eeoaI x not ex-
eeea shas made 10 California Ia isga. w-lsh
nns huadrt thousand new men On TIE
ground As sheve val De within the nsxs
few wars. possibly within yeasr. ere re-
sGissng possible output Of sold would be