The San Francisco call., 1897-07-18

10 be shortage OF PROVISIONS IN the WIN
Ter and then money cannot buy them.
Then there's no credit up there. Pork
and beans cost ST. so al a log-cabin restau-
rant, and if one has not the money lie
will not get the pork and Deans. It's
poor mans digglngs. but God help the
man who's caught there without money.
There's no chance 10 get out except in the
ummer. The universal warning allows a
minimum OF $500 in every mans pocket
on starting, and this warning it is we'll for
every restless ana ambitious rustler who
has the Yukon in his head to heed.
The Juneau and overland route is
reached By the steamers of the Pacific
Coast Steamship Company, and the office
of that com pany here is likewise overrun
with inquircrs who have caught the fever
from the newspaper stories.
In the crowd that hustled around on
Yukon business yesterday was a comelv
little woman, Mrs. Ernest Maynard, who
will leave for Seattle tonight to take the
Portland for the Yukon. She does not
even know just where she is going. Her
husband is employed by the Northwestern
and he is somewhere along the $500 miles
OF navigable water between ST. MlchaeIs
and Fort SelkiIk.
She Is going up there to ride up the
Yukon with the bacon and the tenderfset
until she finds him, and then she will
spend the long winter twilight by his side.
Bat then the brave American woman has
ceased 10 be very much of a novelty up
there by Tukon's icy mountains.
The captain Of the steamer Portlan
told his story al Seattle yesterday along
with the rest, but before be got there let
ter from him, sent on ahead from st. Mi
chaels, reached G. w. Hendry of c. ].
Hendry, Son & Co. of this City. In that
letter the enthusiastic skipper wrote:
4 Wen have a full list Of passengers and lots
Of gold dust 1t is nothing for me to give
receipt for $50, 600. 1t would take a good
horse to pull all the gold dust on board the
Portland in my charge on this trip down. The
last strike on the Yukon is the greatest the
world ever saw.
But the tale of the Klondyke is largely
popular rumor yet. 1t should be noted
by the judiclous that there has not been
published a line of calm and competent
and detailed description of the value OF
the new field from a mining engineer or
expert who would critically consider the
geology, mineralogy, assays, methods,
prospects and so on of the new field.
Two bunches of hardy prospectors and
tenderfeet have come back to civilization
with vague tales OF rich gravel, and with
the dust that makes the vague tales evil
dence that the Kiondyke Valley is one of
natures concentrators.
Good, sober. honest old men say that
single pans have yielded $500 and $7OO, but
there can be found no estimate or guess of
what sections of claims would average 10
the cubic yard or ton, and no hint OF any
Of the things that mining engineer,
mineralogist or geologist would note, or
ask or say. OF course not!
The Yukon belongs yet to the pros
pector. As in the days of 40, the diggings
belong mainly 10 poor, brave and lucky
teuderfeet, who know enough to dig frozen
gravel, and mining engineer would likely
be run out of camp. The mining engi-
neer, with his smartness and formulas
and cosines and reactions, follows capital,
and he will not trouble the Yukon until
some other day.
The Yukon field is sui 'generis among
this worlds gold fields in all but one
tl4Alss 4AC AOOA LcnQeIlOOL MAO QlQu
know anything about mining seems TO
have got the best OF il on the Klondy yke.
When the news OF the discovery toated
down to Forty mile, to Circle City, TO
Birch and the Porcupine, the experienced
and wise old m iners who have prospec.ed
over California, Australia and ritish
Columbia, and who had spent one or two
or five years in the Yukon, all pooh-poohed
the tale.
They said it could not be. It was on the
wrong side of the river. the mountains
were not shaped right, the streams didn't
flow right and so on. They wouldn't
leave on such a wildgoose chase. But the
"iool tenderfeet" all got excited and
rushed to the KIondyke. The consequence
was that they took up the best claims, and
when the wise old prospectors from below
finally joined the rush later they took up
what was left
The story of mining is full OF such tales
which so often end with, Gold is where
you find it." The ''iool tenderfoot" sticks
his pick in where no experienced miner
would think for a moment of wasting his
time and uncovers riches.
The romantic age Of the Yukon is lust
romance, but it is so different. Tennes-
sees partner would have worn furs or a
"paskie," and would have hauled 1t up
the hill with dog sled instead of burro
If il had been on the Klondyke.
Never has it been 50 vividly shown that
gold is the thing that man will most
dauntlessly seek. This winter will see
eager thousands camped by the Arctic
circle thawing and digging frozen earth
with the thermometer a so degrees below
zero, while the low-swinging sun sinks
into twilight and months must pass with
no hearing from the world beyond the
snowy plains and impassaD!e mountains.
These early stories of the Yukon are
nearly all OF gold. There are others to be
told and there will be others. There was
a strong touch OF pathos and romance in
the simple story of old Alexander Orr as
hd told it at the Com merciai Hotel last
evening. He is strong but gray bearded
old man. and he came down on the Ex-
celsior.
They say it was $4,000, and I'll let it
60 at that" he said with a complacent