The National tribune., 1897-07-29

| only two or three hours Of darkness about
midnight. This continuous sunshine acts
| like a dollhouse to raise the temperature
and force vegetation.
HOW MINING IS DONE.
The system of mining in the placer gold
| fields of the Yukon is extremely laborious
and difficult. The very low temperature Of
the Winter results IN drying up the mount
ain creeks, which, during the Summer,
are torrents from the SHOWS melting on
the peaks under almost continuous sun
shine. When the creeks dry up in the
Winter the gravel bed over which they run
freezes solid to a depth of about 40 feet.
The miners thaw it out by building huge
fres which, after burning a day, will thaw
the ground to the depth of about foot.
The gravel and sand thus soffened is then
thrown out, and another fire built, the work
being continued until shaft has been sunk
to the bottom of the gravel bed, where the
gold lies in dust and nuggets
With the assistance Of fires built at the
bottom of the shaft tunneling is carried on
Under the frozen gravel and the pay dirt is
taken out all Winter long and piled up on a
dump, waiting for the renewal of water in
the streams in the Spring with which to
wash it, by means Of rockers, sluices or pans.
There is, therefore, intense suffering and
hardship 30 be endured in carrying on this
work at such low temperature and with in
sufficient food and shelter. All the miners
who have come out with bags of dust, vary
ing from $4,000 to S15O,0O0, each tell thrill
ing stories of the horrors of the region, and
are satisfied not to return and risk their
lives again.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.
Fortunately for the good temper of the
people of the United States and Canada re-
spectively, the boundary line between the
Northwestern Territory, which belongs to
the Dominion Of Canada, and Alaska cross
ing the gold belt is not a mountain chain, a
| river, or any other natural delimitaton, but
meridian of longitude. Under the treaty
| between the United States and Russia, by
which we purchased Russian America, or
Alaska, the boundary from the Arctic
Ocean to Mt. st. Elias follows the 141st
| meridian of longitude west from Greenwich.
| The settlement of the boundary, therefore,
| is wholly a question for the astronomers
and geographers, and not within the mean
dering labyrinth Of diplomatic negotiation.
Canada has an alien labor law, under
which foreigners may not take up and work
| mines without restriction No doubt an
| effort will be made to enforce this law, and
| the Americans who are rushing into Klon-
| dyke will either be obliged in time to aban-
| don such claims as lie within British terri
tory, or become subjects of Great Britain.
There are othe2 complications, however,
not SO easily disposed of, because the head
| waters of the Yukon are in British terri
| tory, while the main river is American, and
international regulations as to navigation,
| especially in remote region, are always
| likely to create friction.
| There are rumors also of grave dissatisfac-
| tion among the miners with the proposition
| reported to be under consideration by the
| Canadian Government to prohibit gold-dust
| from being taken out of the country and
brought to the United States, as has been
/ the case this season. The Dominion Min
| istry, it is understood, threatens to reinforce