The herald., 1897-08-13
on THE YUKON
Extraordinary Finds of the
Yellow Metal
EVERYBODY GETTING RICH
WHAT A LOS ANGELES BOY SAYS
OF THE KLONDYKE
EVERYBODY GETTING RICH
to Get Into the Land of Gold.
Fortune Favors Fox

morning from Lewis w. Fox, formerly
of Los Angeles. but now living in Alaska,
in which the writer gives valuable in
formation concerning the gold fields
of that famous region.
The letters are full of interest to the
large number of people row nocking to
that wonderful lard of ice and snow and
summer beauty, and were written TO
friend in this city, Lyman Farwell, the
first almost a year ago, before the atten-
ton Of the world was attracted to the
recent discoveries, The first letter was
written last August. and is as follows:
AT THE PLACERS
Forty Mile Post, n. w. r., Aug 81, go
My Dear Farwell: A big strike has
just bseu made in this vicinity ard your
humble servant has clambered onto
good claim and planted both his brogans
there with noise like unto that of
ten strike.
The fact that wouldn't take $17OO Zone
hundred ounces) for my claim, together
! with the fact that this is my natal day,
conspires to put me in an excellent frame
of mind.
When l left Los Angeles and San
Francisco | fully intended to go to
| Cooks inlet. but before | got to June au
l changed my mind, as l have already
written you. | then intended to go to
| Circle City, but the fact that 500 menout
of 500 were going there caused me to
| switch off and stop at Forty Mile, for
which l am duly thankful for the ma
jority of those who went to Circle City
found nothing to do and had to work
themselves out or get aid from Uncle
Sam
The trip down from Lake Bennett,
where we built our boat, was one of ex-
element and interest combined, with
just enough danger to make things in
teresting. We saw one bear but the
mosquitoes We're too bad for us to get
him, but about one hundred and fifty
miles before we got to Forty Mile we
shot a fine moose weighing 1900 pounds.
(The moose is 200 pounds heavier in the
faHO
In June it was broad daylight all the
time; we would never catch a glimpse
of a star. The country here in summer
is one of the greatest beauty. The hills
are all covered with beautiful green
| moss and a most luxuriant growth OF
beautiful flowers of countless variety
| large quantities of light-leafed cotton
wood and birch trees mingle pleasantly
with the darker green of the pines, and
the ground is literally covered with de-
licious berries and not a bit of ice or
snow in sight anywhere. --
Quite a different picture from the
mental one most people draw of Sew
ards Ice Box all frozen up the year
round and covered with ice and snow.
California does not possess spot that
can show the same equality of tempera-
ture during the summer months; Il. de-
grees is warm and 60 above is cold for
summer.
The mosquitoes are "heap plenty" as
the Siwash says. They are thicker than
houseflies in California. They last for
about two months and a half. You
actually have to take your hand, some
times, and pull them loose, and it is re-
ported that they have smothered a
bear.
| spent the most of the summer on
Miller Creek, 60 miles from here and put
in several days at working for wages
my first experience. Pay was $40, or
81 an hour.
To reach Miller creek you pole up the
Forty Mile river-or creek, as it is
called-thirty miles to Moose creek
where one takes the trail over the Bald
mountains to the pay creeks-Miller
Glazier, Davis, Poker and three. or four
others that do not pay we'll.
A short time ago l had business which
brought me down to the post, where L
hot fer nj
over the discovery of a fine creek on the
Klondyke river, some fifty miles above
here. The crowd-all those who could
possibly get away-had left some thirty
hours before 1 arrived. There were nc
boats to be had so young man and
myself betook ourselves to "Siwasn
town." where for the consideration of
$50 and grub, we secured boat and the
services of very efficient Indian named
Walter. He had been over the new
eek-Bonanza-many times before
gold was discovered, and consequently
knew the trails perfectly.
We poled up the Klondyke in twenty
one hours and located on Bonanza some
twenty minutes before big crowd came
in from SiXty-Mile fifty miles above
Klondyke. I located on No. So and my
friend on No. 6S. We have every reason
to think that our claims are about as
good as any on the creek ,and we eX-
pect this fali-that is, within two or
three weeks-to go to the creek and
build a couple of good cabins, whipsaw
lumber for our dam and sluice boxes
for next summers use, and as the ic:
forms we will haul our winter supplies
by means of dog teams, where, during
the winter, we will prospect by burning
10 locate the pay streak, and if the
ground is the proper depth, we will
spend the rest of the winter in "burn-
ing" =
In burning" one waits until the in
tense cold has frozen the earth solid,
then hole Axe is sunk, and if the spay
streak is struck, operations commence.
A quantity of dry wood has been cut,
and a fire is made that is usually topped
with green wood. The fire is made as
long as the pay streak is wide.
A little trench two or three inches deep
is dug leading to a small hole 80 hold
the water accumulated by the burn
ing"
The fire is built in the evening, and
early the next morning the "driftman"
goes into the shaft with pick, shovel
and wooden buckets, to remove the
thawed dirt.
A derrick is rugged with windlass