Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-04-26

From the Land of Gold.
DAWSON CITY, N. W. T.,
February q, 1898.

DAWSON CITY, N. W. T.,
February 81, 1898.
To the Wflmar Tribune,
Wilmar, MINI.
DEAR EDITOR:-I have been thinking
very seriously for some time to write
you a letter for publication in your
honorable paper. I will now VEN
ture to send you a few lines, hoping
you will not reject it from being pub
lished in the Willmar Tribune, think
ing that the honorable readers of your
paper would like to see something
about the Yukon gold fields: and es-
pecially from one who is located in
the gold country. l am sorry that l
am not capable to write you in details
regarding the existing conditions as
they actually are here under present
date, so I do hereby humbly apollo
gize for my inability IN composing d
complete report of this country. Also
under the same apology will say that
[ have not time to give you the details
in full. will as briefly and as COR
rect and truthfully write a short re-
port.
We have had very fine winter here
this season: the temperature has beeL
mostly at zero, though we have had
cold spells, when it has been down to
about 20 degrees below zero. This
mas been only about three times dur
ing the whole winter up to this date.
The old-timers claim this TO be an ex-
5raordinarily fine winter. The wealth
er here is very still-it is seldom thai
we can feel the slig htest breeze. Thele
are days aud days that a candle CAT
be lighted and set out and it would
burn down just as it wOulde if it wei t
set inside the cabin. The snow hangs
on the branches Of the trees. even on
the tops OF some of the highest ridges
or mountains. The ground is frozer
solid so deep that n. ody knows how
ueep. The prOspe> ing aud mining
done here is done Ivy very slow pro-
cess. Holes are sunk by the use Vi
fires, which are built usually in the
evening, and the dirt which is thawet
Is hois,ed up by the rse OF a windlass
and d bucket or box made out Of lum-
Der. one man in the shaft and one on
The windlass. When these holes ar.
sunk to bedrock and no pay dirt
gold in paying quantities is found by
taking Il painful of this gravel or for
nation and washing it IN a box con
vaining water, which is kept in the
prospector's or miners cabin, new
holes are sunk until pay dirt has been
located, when fires are built in the d.
lection where the gold is found ant
vhe dirt that has the gold in it il
uoisted up and dumped around The
shaft to lay there until spring comes,
when the water runs and the dun,
thaws up so the dirt can be washed
and the gold taken out.
Millions oddollars worth of gold il
oeing taken out this winter at Edo
RADIO, Bonanza, Hunker, Bear. Do
ninion, Sulphur and All-Gold Greeks
All these creeks are very rich an.
gold will be taken out in great guam
titles the next three years to come al
least and many new creeks will be dis
covered and are now being worked
very vigorously. All creeks carry
more or less gold in them, but they
DO not all pay to work. Some yer,
rich bench claims have been discov-
cred and thousands of dollars are
now taken out of them. At the lowe>l
e>timate about fifty million dollars
will be taken out this winter. There
are hundreds Of men here who came
asst summer and fall and are now
worth from S., GOO to $25, 600 each, But
there will be many who will 90 out
his country poorer than when they
Came in. 1t seems to depend altogether
UPON how lucky man is, so every
thing here is only piece of gambling
the man who is lucky wins. 4
good deal of specializing is done now
n unprospected claims. Many make
fortunes and equally as many more
spend their fortunes in specializing on
these wildcat claims and will never
realize a grain of gold out OF them.
Can say that we have already a few
men who have become millionaires by
specializing in mining stock. A man
who could come in here with from
$1,000 to S25, 900 in cash and invest
this money in safe claims which have
been prospected and show up we'll can
very quickly double or treble his
money. Money at the present time is
very scarce and an enormous interest
is being paid to get money. Interest
at the rate of from three to ten per
cent per month is actually now being
paid by spectators and business men
Prices of all neces ,ary articles are
unreasonably high. Grub is Il little
lower now than early last fall. Flour
is 500 per cwt. and Other kinds Of
grub from IS cents to 81 Is per pound.
Everything else is in proportion.
This is a rich mineral country and
the present camp now is no doubt the
greatest mining camp ever known of
on the face of the globe. I predict
that there will be taken out in course
of time gold in such great quantities
that the market price of it will depre-
ciate in value and another metal be-
come more valuable. There have also
been discovered here some very good
quartz claims, which will add to the
lasting Of this camp. Wages here are
from Sl.O0, 81 25 and $3.50 per hour,
but it Is very likely that labor will be
very cheap next spring, as the number
of men who will come into this coun-
try will knock wages down.
Dawson City has already become
quite large town. Lots are very
high in price. 1t is undoubtedly one
of the best business places in the
world. In one or two years Dawson
will be one of the most noted cities in
the world. She has number of sa-