Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-03
THE GOLD CRAZE.
California and KIOudke Compared interest
ing Statistics.

ing otausllCs'
The people Of California began yes
terday u weeks celebration of the 5Oth
anniversary of the discovery OF gold
in that state. IT is a singular fact that
at the same time another discovery Of
gold, the first of Importance in North
America since 1SIs should be drawing
another great army of fortune-hunters
toward the Pacific coast. In numbers
not equalicd since the rush to Cali
fornia In 1919.
The historian of California, II, II.
Bancroft, Is authority for the state
ment that 1000 gold-seekers and pio-
neers entered that territory by the
overland route in 1919. and $4,000 more
came by sea. They took possession of
gold fields OF unparalleled richness.
They were singularly favored also by
n mild climate, land of great fertility,
and ensy access to timber and most Of
the material and supplies needed for
the prosecution of the gold hunt. Their
gold product rose from about 10000
900 In 1S4s TO $4,000 900 In 1919 and to
s65, 900 in 1858, when the point of
maximum production was reached.
Five years had sufiiced to bring into
view the beginning of the end of that
wonderful bonanza. But large as are
the figures OF the gold yield for those
years consider what the average share
per miner must have been. The aver
age yield for each miner in the field
after the summer of 1919, says the his
torinn. was certainly much less than
81 900 n year. and he adds that there
never was n year In the whole period
when the average wages of white la
borers in any other occupation We're
not double the return to the miner.
That Is to say, the great mass of the
miners outside of the few who made
than n bare. hard living from their
feverish adventure.
What then, must be the prospects
before the mass of men now rushing
on to the KlondilSe region? 1t is not
impossible that this excursion may
rush to California. There are already
5000 or more people assembled at
Dawson City and in that vicinity Thou
sands more are on the Alaskan coast
awaiting the advent of spring and the
opening of the ice and rock bound ways
of the upper Yukon gold fields. Every
vessel that now leaves the coast of
California, Oregon. Washington and
British Columbia, Is loaded down with
gold-seekers. A steamer sailing yester-
day from Portland, Ore, carried $50
Adventures and refused passage to 800
other applicants. A schooner leaving
Seattle yesterday carried as many as
is could. including 20 women. A party
20 left Connecticut yesterday bound for
the Klondike. The railroads running
from Chicago to Washington and Ore
gon are already enjoying Il large traffic
of this kind and preparing for a much
greater rush as the spring draws near.
Their stocks and bonds are strong in
Wall street speculation on this pros
pect.
But II the event of the California be-
nanza proved that the great mass of
the gold-seekers had been engaged in a
wild-goose chase, what must he said of
the probable results OF this Klondike
venture? The people of California
have their celebration this week be-
cause II was fifty years ago this time
that John Marshall found the gold mug
get that set the country by the ears.
That year OF lSiS brought out Sl0,000,-
900. But the sl0.000,0 900 or less OF gold
which came from the Klondike last
summer and fall was the product not
OF a season. but largely of two or three
years of diligent labor on the part of
those who brought 1t out. One miner
who has Just arrived ON the Alaskan
coast from Dawson City reports that
the whole long winters work of the
thousands now In the Klondkc field
win not yield more than s6,000,000 in
gold. II has been predicted by one nj
the more enthusiastic boomers recently
coming from that quarter that the gold
production for this year In Alaska and
adjacent territory would reach $50. 900 =
900, but n later arrival whose words
reached the newspapers Yesterday,
placed the probable yield OF the year at
100000. 600.
There is every prospect that from
10000 to 10000 people will be struggling
for n share in this product before mid
summer, and II the yield should reach
the largest estimate. obviously the re-
turn to the great mass of gold seekers
must be beggarly indeed And they
must endure such hardships as the
California miner never dreamed of to
get that light return. But the chances
are that the production win fail under
the minimum estimate of $50, 900, 900
The latest news from the gold region
Is that no new strikes" have been
made since early last year. The New
York Times prints letter received from
Dawson City, under the date OF the
first of December. which gives the best
and evidently most truthful account
of the situation there that we have
seen. II states that the entire district
up and down the various creeks where
gold has been found, has been staked
out or pre-emntIed: that many of the
so-called mines are Of little or no
value: that they are all worked under
the most difficult conditions imagina-
BILE; that food Is scarce and must he
come scarccr, and must he eNtraordi-
nnr'ly high in price at all times he
cause of the inaccessibilty of the re-
rlon; and that. In the absence Of fur
Their discoveries beyond the occupied
districts, the people who are now
moving to the fields must become wage
workers for those holding the claims
and must expend their high wages fol
equally high-prlced food and endure
great privation, cold and hardship In
addition.
Nevertheless the rush to the Klon.
dixie win proceed, Let II be known that
ton men In n company Of 10000 have
picked up n sudden fortune in that
field and gotten out safely, while the
1920 have either starved to death OF
barely cscansd with their lives. and