The herald., 1897-08-16
No Transportation Diff
culties Next Spring
TO GET TO THE kLoNDYKE
SOME HINTS AS TO FOOD AND
CLOTHING
Expeditions Being Organized in Los
Angeles-The Profits Accord
ing to Dominion Govt.


The several transporta tion companies,
20 called. organized in this city ostensibly
for the purpose of conveying people
stricken with the gold fever to Dyea or
apparently been very pronounced sue
cess. There has been a shrewd suspicion
that some Of these were organized on
fake ra ther than business lines, and then,
too, the people suffering from the gold
fever in this vicinity appear to have been
few and far between.
Such people have allowed their enthus-
iasm to blind their judgment, and de-
spite all the difficulties against which
they will have to contend they have
Joined the army of those who are going
to bid defiance to the rigors Of an Arctic
winter at the tip Of their tongues. A few
Of these have gone from Los Angeles and
all have by this time stalled at Dyea, un-
able to make any arrangements whatever
to get through the pass. As compared
with these Los Angeles does not give evil
dence of tagging behind any other city
in the number of men who have made up
their minds regarding the situation in,
Alaska, and are quietly and in cold blood
making arrangements to proceed to the
diggings next spring. For five years the
Alaska Commercial company and the
North American company have had their
own way on the Yukon and have enjoyed
a monopoly of the traffic, but there will
be plenty of opposition next year, when
there will be decided fall in passenger
and freight rates. Every spare boat from
Puget sound will be on that run, dozen
river boats have been carried up to the
mouth of the Yukon in sections and sew
eral eastern companies are arranging to
put other river boats to work. One New
Jersey company is now having five of
these built in sections for the spring
and summer traffic.
NEXT YEAR EXPEDITIONS
Several grub-staking companies have
already organized in Los Angeles and
sent one or more men to the Klondyke,
but arrangements are no wbeing made
for at least two expeditions next spring,
organized on systematic basis. The
first Of these will be under command of
]. Coon, who was the mining partner of
Joseph La Due, the millionaire Klondyke
mine owner and proprietor Of the best
part Of Dawson City. After having passed
fifteen years in Alaska, with all the vary
ing vicissitudes of fortune that attends
the confirmed miner and prospector,
Coon and La Due returned to this coun-
try about two years ago. each one having
made q handsome stake. Coon came to
Los Angeles and invested in an orange
grove. but discovered that such a prop
erty, save when in state of perfect pro-
ductiveness, was more of luxury than
a money maker. He also purchased
mining property on the desert, in from
Indio, and has spent quite large sum in
opening it up.
When La Due made his big strike at
Kfondyke, and before any news had
reached the outside world, he wrote to
his old-time partner, telling him just
how things stood. Coon wanted to start
for Alaska at once, but his wife vetoed
the proposition. She reminded him of
the fable of the bucket going to the well
once too often, and he gave way But
It takes placer claim to work a quartz
mine, and 80 Coon, with the acquies-
cence, II not the full consent of his wife,
is going to Alaska again next year. At
present it is determin ed to limit the party
to twelve men, all hardy miners, some
of whom have been in Alaska before.
They will be outfitted for two years and
will not join In the stampede to Klondyke
Coon does not for a moment believe all
Of the gold is concentrated in the small
district of which the Klondyke Is the
center, and he proposes remaining on the
American side of the line
The other expedition, if all goes well
will start off under the leadership of
Capt. r. A. Falkenberg, better known
to fame as Captain Dick" the scout
and ex-cavalry officer. Capt. Dick has
never been in Alaska, but he was through
the Louis Riel rebellion in the Canadian
northwest, in 1885, and consequently
knows what it means to see the ther-
mometer sink to SO below zero. This ex-
pedition will, 1t is said, make its way
by dog eleds via the Yukon, next March,
into new and unexplored country lying
to the northwest of the Porcupine creek
1t will therefore be essentially a pros
pect over new country.
SOME POSSIBLE PROFITS
It must be with grim amusement that
old '49ers read the deprecating remarks
anent mining being made by men Of
wealth and prominence in this state.
They had try t mining in the old days,
and never made cent, 50 they say. All
the same 1t is worthy Of note that the
foundations of their present fortunes
were made out of the business of mining.
IT they forsook the pick and the shovel
and preferred to let others find the gold
and then hand it over the counter to
them in payment for bacon at $50 per
100, flour at $50 per 100 and everything g
else in like proportion, that indicated
their extremely level heads, but did not
prove by any means that mining was not
paying proposition-just the reverse
Only three or four mines on the Com
stock ever paid a dividend, and the
mines on the lode have swallowed up
more money than has ever been taken
out, but that does not alter the fact that
the Comstock helped very materially to
build up California. True, as an abstract
proposition, that mode of operating
seems much like working dead horse.
but conditions have to be dealt with. moi
theories
In speaking of the auriferous dirt in
Alaska, and the finds that are being
made. II ia mara accarfiop of