Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-08-14

didn't have money enough to pay hi
house rent" and went 10 Alaska. II,
returned July Il with $4,000 in gold
nuggets.
Still another notable case was tina
Of a nan 20 years old. poor and with
4 family Of seven children. That was
was Il year ago. He left his HON,
in Seattle, and when he came back hC
had 100000 in his pockets and had
mining property worth over Sl,000.O 900.
There are dozens OF such examples Of
luck, but we have no room 10 more
than hint at the case Of the poor Swed4
who went to the gold fields Two years
ago. He returned this summer with
$4,000 in gold and sold an interest in
his claim for $4,000.
But are these true stories? the reader
may ask. The answer Is to be found
in the fact that the United States as
say Office al Helena, Mont, received
nearly l2,o52 ounces Of gold BIZ the
steamer from Klondyke. and there are
other assay Offices.
1t must not be supposed that every
man who goes TO the Klondyke is as
t7Tt1naieas the examples quoted. From
time 10 time we read the walls Of the
unlucky ones in the paper, who. nat
gtally, advise Others not to 20 to
Alaska.
And cow a brief description Of the
new t. Dorado viii be in order. The
greatest discoveries have been made jD
The streams flowing from the cast into
the Yukon. They are all-in British ter.
riiory, in that vast region marked on
the map as Northwest Territory
which is one Of the provinces Of the
dominion Of Canada. So, while they are
often spoken OF as the Alaska gold
heids, as a matter OF fact all the rich
placer mines about which the seusa-
tlonai stories are told are not in Alas
ka, but just across the border in John
Bulls domain. The one hundred and
forty-nrst degree Of west longitude.
winch you can see on your map
stretches from Mount ST. Elias to the
Arctic ocean, is the boundary line, and
beyond a few feet al Fort Cudahy and a
few at Forty Mile there is no dispute
about il, and the relocated mounted
police Of Canada keep the best of order
in the new mining camps. Virtually.
as far as climate Is concerned, the gold
fields might as well be in Alaska. The
cold sets in early IN September and
lasts till the middle of May; and it is
so cold that II is extremely hard to en-
dure unless one has a good constitu-
ton, is strong and healthy and is well
provided with warm clothing and furs.
The mercury goes down between GO and
10 degrees below zero, and during
storms 20 or 80 degrees wagner Is equal
ly hard to bear. But. we'll provided in
the matter of clothing, with plenty of
food (for one ought to and generally
does have a voracious appetite in the
Arctic regions), there is no reason why
a healthy man, not too old, should not
stand the Alaskan winter or even be-
come acclimated. Apart from the rea-
sonable prospect of success in working
q claim the novelty Of hyperborean ex-
istence is not without its charms, and
II is said that those who have become
accustomed to living within the frigid
zone find that life in the temperate re-
gions is not as comfortable.
Alaska has a summer, short, close,
muggy and uncomfortable. Those who
have tried both say that they prefer
the winter. During the winter the sun
is invisible for many weeks, its place
being in a measure supplied by the
Aashingspierdoro Of the Aurora Borenlis
and the marvellous brilliancy Of the
stars. When the sun returns to warm
the frozen earth the daylight lasts for
"A hours ut a stretch for this isone nf
tAs lands Of The midnight ssp."