The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-08-03
THE KLONDIKE DISTRICT
A Circular Which Gives Genercl
Information Concerning It,
DIFFERENT ROUTES DESCRIBED.

II IL Estimated That Fifty Thousand
People VIII Make the Trip Next
sprlng-The value of Pay strealSs.
Petroleum Lake Discovered.
Seattle, Aug. al A. Nadeau, the
general agent Of the Northern Pacific
has prepared a circular concerning the
Klondike district. The circular is full
Of information, and is in part as fol-
lows:
"There are two established routes
into the Klondlke country. One is via
the ocean to st. Michael's, thence via
steamer up the Yukon to Dawson city.
The mouth of the Yukon river is GO
| miles from st. Michael's, and the dis
tance from st. Michaels to Klondike
is 1000 miles. The facilities on the
Yukon consist Of two stern wheel
steamers belonging TO tke Alaska Com
mercial company and the steamers p.
b. Weare, J. J. Healy of the North
American Transportation and Trading
company, and a third boat, the c. II.
Hamilton, of the latter company. which
is expected to be ready in couple OF
weeks The Yukon is shallow In places,
and 1t is impracticable to operate any
steamers having a draught Of more
than AZ feet
THE other route, and the one which
will be principally Travelled, is from
Dyea, over the trail via Chilcoot Pass
to Lake Linderman, thence through the
chain OF lakes which you will see on
any Alaska map into Lewis river and
down the Yukon to the Klondike. The
| route via Dyea is by steamer from
Seattle running direct to Dyea, where
they pack over Chilcoot to Lake Lin
! derman, at which place they build boats
| usually 20 to "a feet long and AZ to s
feet wide, which are taken through the
! lakes, while the provisions have to be
packed over two short portages, one
| one and a half miles and one of about
three quarters of a mile, while the boat
is taken through the small streams,
! The distance from Seattle to Janeau
is 500 miles. Juneau to Dyea 96 miles,
and Dyea to Dawson City 6O4 miles
"The Klondike is variously estimated
at from 40 to 200 miles south of Circle
City and is located In Canadian terri
tory 1t is a stream about 140 miles
in length running in a general westerly
direction, and the gold bearing creeks
where the richest finds have been made
run into the Klondike from a general
southerly direction.
THE gold streak Is anywhere from
| eight to thirty feet from the surface,
and is reached by sinking a shaft from
two to three feet wide and six feet long
down to the pay streak Sinking this
shaft and working the pay streak are
made difficult from the fact that from
the surface to the deepest depth that
has yet been reached the ground is
perpetually frozen and a process of fir
ing in order to thaw out the ground is
employed. A brush and wood fire is
built in the bottom of the shaft, which
burning all night. thaws out the ground
from eight to fourteen inches. The
gravel is shoveled out during the day
and the operation is repeated until the
desired depth Is reached. The average
progress in the shaft is from eight tC
fourteen inches per day. When the
pay streak is reached they drift under
the ground, which does not have to b,
supported by timbers on account of its
being perpetually frozen. The fire, IL
thawing out the pay streak, generates
a very obnoxious gas, which, after tn,
fire has burned out, must be expelled
before work can be done. This is ac
complished by the use of bellows, fan!
and other devices. A machine, how
ever. is being manufactured in Seattl,
that it is expected will expel these
gases speedily.
THE value of the pay streak varies
from as high as a few cents per pan t,
as high as $545, as one miner took ou
little over $1,000 in gold from tw,
pans, and miners pan contains tw,
shovelfuls of dirt, 80 you can realiz
the richness of some of this ground
The gold is coarse, very little fiou
gold exists, and 1t runs largely to mug
gets. The value of the gold Is abou
$17 per ounce, 5000 per pound. Th
summers are short and winters loni
and weather severe, the thermomete
registering as low as 10 degrees belov
zero. There is very little wind, how
ever, and such low temperature
somewhat unusual. The great plague
in that section during the summer ar
> the mosquitoes and gnats, whicl
swarm In great numbers and are ex
ceedingly vicious, compelling peopl
/ who are at all susceptible to nsec
poisoning, and in fact nearly every one
to wear nets to protect their faces an
gloves to protect their hands
1T Is estimated that there will be n
less than $4,000 people, exclusive of ex
cursionists, going into Alaska mex
spring or the early summer, The tim
required in making the inland trip /
as follows: Seattle to Dyea, five t
seven days; Dyea across Chilkoot Pas
to Lake Linderman, ten days; to con
struct a boat at Lake Linderman, an,
make the trip via the lakes and river
to Dawson City. requires about "a days
Via st. Mlchaels route the time re
qulred Is as follows: Seattle to 81
Michaels, IA days; st. Michaels t
. Dawson city. about q days. with tn
possibility OF waiting at st. Michael
for the up-river boats"
The steamer Queen, which arrive
at Tacoma from Alaska yesterday
e brought word that the mounted polio
OF the northwest territory are meetin
e all people bound for the Yukon cour
}, try at the British line, and cpmpellin
all who have not a supply of prOYi.
ions to return to the coast.
r A Lake OF Petroleum in Alaska,
San Francisco, Aug. 3.-While tn
world Is excited over the gold discoS
cries in the north, sight has been los
Of another discovery that promises
be of great value. Several months ag
a lake Of almost pure petroleum wa
discovered, and samples were sent
Seattle for analysis. The report ha
N..g.t L.. a..