The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-10
PATCHES OF COL D IN FROZEN EARTH
Freaks Of Nature With Which Those Who Search for Treas
ure Along Alaskan Streams Must Contend.


pert and a6saYer for the Alaska Com
mercial company:
So little prospecting has been done in
the Alaskan gold fields. as compared
with the extent of country, that it
would be extremely difficult TO make
any predictions as to the future of
that section As n matter Of fact only
q very small section of country has
been gone over and gold-hunting in
Alaska is as yet in its extreme in
fancy. This is shown by the fact that
only half as much gold has already
been taken out Of the Klondike district
alone as has been taken out of all the
interior CT Alaska, and there may be
as great finds in the future as have
been made upon the klondike.
The gold finds in the interior of
ALASKA up TO the time of the discovery
of the Klondike, have been compare
lively insignificant. There has been but
one instance of which I have heard,
OF man making $4,000 in a ma OUT
side OF the recent KlOn3fke discoveries.
Up TO the present time there has
never been any gold discovered in pay
ing quantities IN the creeks flowing
from the east, with the single eXcep-
ton of the Stewart river. This is due
10 tllS ldtt ti3al llefE is an eNtlfelY
different geological formation upon tnat
side. a deposit of limestone covers the
gold-bearing paleOZoie rocks on mat
side and the miners learned that the
gold was found only where the pale
ozoie rocks came to the surface. Hence
the eastern bank wis Stunned and tie
klondil0e river Rowing from this neg
leeted side of the river lay for years
undiscovered.
The paIeozoic formation is found
upon the eastern side of the yukon
river only south OF the Klondike river
and runs for short distance up these
eastern tributaries until limestone
and coal formation is reached, Wh=n
the gold bearing ground ceases. THIS
coal formation is an interesting fea-
ture of the country that is almost
unknown. Some of it has been dug and
burned. but its commercial worth is
Stiu undetermined
The gold bearing district IS at least
100 miles wide and extends in q gen
orally northwestern direction from
Ho0taltnqu2 river practically TO the
Arctic ocean The extent Of this gold
bearing section in the extreme north
west along the hoyukuk river is al
most unknown. This seems to be an
extension of the old CAESAR district in
that the rock formations are about the
same.
Dr.. Dawson. Of the Canadian geolog-
iCal survey. went through this section
in 1857 and found rocks at the mouth of
the Lewis river similar to those on the
Cassair The same formation runs
along through this gold belt and ap-
pears on SiNty-mile and Forty-mlle
rivers This was afterwards confirmed
by Professor J. Edward Spur OF the
United States geological survey in 1896.
1t would thus seem that this
Alaskan gold section is the northern
extension Of the great Rocky Mountain
gold-baaring belt.
Cod occurs in greater or less quanti-
fles throughout this entire district but
owing to the Climatic conditions il viii
be difficult OF deveopment The ground
in Alaska being perpetuaIIy frozen. the
streams having very slight fail. and
supplies and labor bsing very expensive.
II makes it impossible TO work anything
except the richest ground. The groand
heIng frozen only the fine gold is
brought to the surface, leaving the
heavy gold on the bedrock For in
stance when Eldor2do creek was
originally prospected the bars showed
so little sold that but Slight attention
was paid 10 what is NOW the richest
section 0f the kl0rdike
An indication Of the aga of the coun-
try is thu fact that the rivers have
reached their base level. The Alaskan
streams are not like California streams
in that they are vide, sluggish and
shallow, showing that the erosion has
ceased and THAT ta7y are gradually
nilinG up This means that these rivers
nave been moving for many years. For
this reason the gold deposits of Alaska
are being covered up rather than I'M
covered.
In some of the creeks it appears that
GOLD has been disturbed by freshets,
and often washed out altogether This
causes an iTregUlarity in the deposits
and an uncertainty in the working OF
a creek. a pay streak may be struck
and worked for 4 few hundred feet and
then run out This same streak may
be located further UP or down the creek
the intermediate Section in which no
Gold Is found. apparently having been
washed out by soma freSihet in the past
This frregularity in the pay streaks
makes prospecting uncertain. and.
~,nen coupled With the frozen condition
Of the ground, prospecting becomes dit
hCult ana uncertain indeed.
The only way in which prospecting
can he done IS by sinking holes don-n to
the bedrock This is necessarily slow
work. and it may be that the prospect
or will sink his hole only q few feet
away from the pay streaks in one of
these barren places and miss the gold
altosther Another reason for the IN
certainty Is the narToWneSS of the pay
streak. compared with TIA wl5th Of 4Aa
creek bottom, and the presDector MAJ
mss II. Tn next man taat -,rosDscts
That section may run onto sod n "a
most the very spot where another man
had failed
There has been 10 opartz Of any
value found in the country. but as
l11Atier Of fact quartz mine pruSpact5ng
has not been prosecuted There has
been q small seam Of quartz with Sold
IN II, found in one Of the claims in
Franklin guIeh, and it is my idea taat
#nen the source Of the geld Is this
region is found that il win be fIc,,,
such seams in the bedrock There Is moi
single quartz mine in that whole Sec
ton, ihsle are mineral veins in which
gold, SILVER cODper and lead ara found
in varying quantities, but have moi
seen any distinct quartz ledges.
Wae ct FoTtY-blile river when the
hlondlhe strike N-aa made. At first We
did not think much OF il, because every
tail new strike is made on some CREEK
II is usual 10 Strike these creeks in the
ran Tor ETlb STAKES during the winter.
and these tnds get 10 he old stories VI
there II Vas several months after In
original strike was made before The
faet Of The richness of the district
spread abroad. The original find was
made in August, 1896, and il vas along
in the winter after the holes wire down
ana the rich pay was struck that we
'beSan 10 give the stories cradsnce
The discovery Was made by George
Cormacl1 on Bonanza creek, about len
mics from the mouth. There are tho
stories as TO h0W this find was made.
One that q man by the name of Ken
derson told him to prospect there and
the ether that the Indians told him
where 20 so. His story is that the