The San Francisco call., 1897-07-25

Since the Klondyke revelation burst on the
| world two weeks ago, CalifornIa's great and
booming gold field has been overlooked like
white chip by the popular eye. But the de-
velopment of the Industry in California goes
] right along hosting upward its annual pro-
duction OF over SIT 900 600 at speed that
will undoubtedly raise it above 500, 200, 900
in 1897. Single counties in California turn
out far more gold than all the Klondyke Val
ley will be apt to yield this year, for we have
| counties producing S., 900 900, 81 100000
and $6,000,OOO.
California's total production of $1,25O,-
| 100000, its present annual production,
which all Alaska will probably never ap-
proach, and the boom and prospects of the
industry here should not be lost sight OF by
the judicious.
Alaska may develop wonderful riches IN It's
| interior, as 1t is likely to develop much more
| mineral wealth along its coast but there Is
| no Likelihood that 1t will ever produce more
| than fraction of California's wealth. There
| are many considerations tnat should keep q
| level-headed mining investor or even pros
| pector in California.
| 1t will require years to develop any quartz
| lodes that may be discovered in the interior,
and quartz mining in the Yukon Valley is
something that belongs to the comparatively
distant future. That region is in the early
part of the pan ana rocker stage of develop
ment. In California mines are constantly
being bought or bonded at low figures and
! being developed into ing propositions, ana
hundreds OF prospectors are successfully IN
teresting capital in the development OF their
claims. AS is so often said the surface has hard-
ly been scratched in California, and while one
out OF a hundred of those invading the Yukon
country may be lucky in striking rich
placer claim ninety-nine would do better to
put their money, energy and ambition into
the great gold region of Californla.
Developing and working either aquartz or
placer mine will always be vastly more
costly in the interior of Alaska than in Cali
fornia and veins which here would be worth
millions above expenses may not there pay
the cost of working. The gold region of Cali
fornia north of the deserts is the kindest ana
m os inviting one to the miners OF the world.
The gold lies in wooded and watered hills, In
gentle climate and in the midst of ctviliza-
tion-conditions which are not equaled by any
large gold producing region of the world. The
values of our Iodes are exceptionally perma-
nent and the cost of development is relatively
low. There remain hundreds of mines and
both undeveloped and undiscovered locations
VIII ich will yield richly in the future.
The annual increase in the California pro-
duction is apt TO exceed the total output of tb e
Yukon region for years to come.
This development produces no new senss-
ton and is hardly noticed, because IL is steady
and constantly made known. The Klordyke
discovery burst forth ali at once from the in
accessible district in which il was bottled up.
The product of Mariposa County for the past
three months has been greater than the total
product of last year. The Randsburg district
is increas ing its output at rapid rate. A
great electric power plant at Blue Lakes is
just starting its dynamos to supply the mines