The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-30
TOUGH ON COLO SEEKERS
Hordes of Prospectors in Dawson
City With Spirits Below Zero.
NO RETURNS TO BE FOUND
There's Gold Everywhere up in That
Country. but Not in Paying Quanti-
ties-Good Ground All Grabbed
by Wealthy Grabbers.

Ihere arc too many men in Dawson
City, and there's going TO be il there
Is not already actual suffering among
the hordes Of gold seekers who rushed
off TO Alaska thinking that all they
had to do was to get there and that
the rest would be easy. They are there.
and find that their imagination was i'm
error-the rest is not easy by a whole
lot. The bottom has fallen out of
Klondike, say John f. Lathrop, a well
known newspaper man of Oregon, who
writes to the East O%regonian from
Dawson city under recent date as fol-
lows:
What will all the incoming thous-
ands do i'm VISOR and vicinity? Here
Is a query daily put by one Yukoner 10
another. but never answered. Without
exception all here express sympathy
with those now struggling to come in,
for when they arrive they will find:
"First-A horribly unpleasant sum-
mer climate.
"Second-Dawson already overdone
and $500 idle men.
"Third-Traveling difficult and pros
pecting ditto.
"Fourth-All the known good ground
staked and recorded. together with
thousands of claims of absolutely No
value.
"Fifth-Wages dropping in response
to the law of supply and demand.
"Sixth-Big corporations and wealthy
concerns controlling the untaken prop
erty. shutting out the individual miner:
or i'm the form of a phrase now grown
familiar, the power centralized into the
hands of a few Everyone here looks
for some remarkable scenes during the
coming year. Many a young fellow Will
come down the river dreaming of OBJ
tanning a fortune easily and quickly,
only to be rudely awakened To the real
ization that thousands have come
ahead and cleaned up all the best.
leaving him only small chances to
make his strike.
Il am not pessimistic in asserting
that this Is the most overrated camp
in the world. There is nothing to JUS
ttfy the enormous rush of people into
this country. 1t is being accelerated by
the transportation companies. who give
no thought To the any
more han the railroads gave thought
To the future when they doomed people
to rush West, and then penpled with
settlers, who later were compelled To
move away, regions unfit for habita-
ton.
Il would hesitate to advise anyone
~ AlA Nl'tH ~ IN
cheap, has fallen much in the market.
but to all ] say hat If you are doing
fairly well, stay at home; don't come
into this country. ] can figure you out
a more certain TIA alternating on the
Tmatilla reservation wheat lands at
so cents a bushel, and anyone knows
that there's no certainty In wheat-rais-
ing profits.
O the claims recorded are thousands
not worth visiting the second time. You
will find gold anywhere i'm this coun-
try, literally anywhere. There is not a
creek upon which - cannot find some
of the yellow metal. But pay dirt in
Eastern Oregon placer fields is not pay
dirt here. and 50 many creeks bearing
gold are valueless. The first here got
the cream. There is only thin SKINNED
milk for those who come from now on.
q course. some will make il all
right. But 999 of every 1000 will have
trouble in earning a 'grubstake' for the
ensuing year, and the majority suffer
some privations with absolutely no re-
turn.
% course. the big crowd means
cheaper labor for the wealthy COM
panies that are getting hold of large
quantities of placer ground that an
not be worked by individuals. The
larger the incoming throng the lower
the wage scale. since here, as in all
countries. the wage scale is I'm inverse
ration To the labor supply rate"