The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-09-18
THE SAME As IN SIBERIA.
Yukon's Mineral Bell Extends
Across Two Continents.
ITS CHARACTERISTICS THE SAME
A Mining Engtneer's Comments on
FoIiies-Great Future of Asiatic
Commerce-A Mil to He Built on
the CIecpafra-How Miller River
Lodges show Up on Snoquaimie.

The subjects which a mining engineer IS
competent % discuss are as numerous as
The lands which ne v!si.s- Thus II IS 10
cause for won1er that when a PostIn
teiiigencer representative engaged n cor
versation at The Rainier Grand hotel with
r. L. Dunn. mining engineer who has
made specially Of placer mining. that
gentleman should talk as one Who knows
equally about the gold fields % the Yu
kon. from which he has just returned. and
abou; those os Siberia, where ne spent the
las, two winters: AMI then should launch
forth into discussion CT the vast CON-
mercial future Of Eastern Asia and the
revolutionary effect o. the battle OF Ma
Mia on the international relations OF the
United States OF the Yukon country,
which he mas been investigating for al
English npany. Mr.. Dunn said:
The country as whole. in my opinion.
is over-esfima:ed; that is TO say, the dis
tricts that are goid-beariug are not as
numerous as is popularity believed. The
mare fact OF the existence of traces OF gold
IN the shape Of coIors on the surface mas
pEcE kAu 4S0I1Al aoa IcE TIE BC-leL Una
good piaceTs could be found almost any
where. These surface color prospects.
however. are Simply the werk OF glaciers.
and are found In the enormous masses OF
glacial drift, gravelly and rocky, that fill
many of the valleys and the streams.
There is no possibility Of good placer
ground in any Of this glacial wash. Aside
from that. the pIacers that are being work
ed and are being discovered are exactly
IL y.fa in FhZr UFif -hG
OF the world. Some are very rich and
some only moderately SO. klondike piac-
ers are not fair basis for estimating that
country There Is really nothing remark X
able about their great gold yield. In ST.
beria at the present time there are placer
localities that are making just as large
yields as those In The kloudike. The early
day piacers Of California, Idaho and Mon
tara were very much richer. / heard con-
siderable of Pine creek. though I did not
visit that locality. The tracing up OF those
placers 70 promising quartz Lodges does
not surprise me a, all. and the same thing
will probably be done with all the other
placer districts in that region.
The idea that the gold Of the klondike
was brought there by glaciers is entirely
wrong. II IS just exactly as placer gold
Is everywhere, the concentration by flow
ing streams
Getting Down to Business.
~ think the country IS getting Down 20
a business basis in mining. The enormous
waste of the product In the cost Of getting
it out Is being done away with. Wages
are going down 10 reasonable figures. the
cost OF supplies and material is much
less. / consider the Canadian laws restrict
the development Of the mines. No gold
mining industry IN the world can stand a
permanent drain OF 10 per cent. OF It's
gross product as a royalty charge. A few
individual mines can for short time. but
the application of the royalty charge to
every mine. regardless Of It's possible profit
Of operation has simply the effect OF lin-
itlng the number Of mines. The conditions
for successful mining, in my opinion. are
very much better in American territory.
The claims on the Canadian side are al
together too small. and the fees ana
charges and regulations are too oneroua
on the American side the law leaves the
way open for the miners 10 modify the
general laws by making local laws 10 suit
the local conditions.
The Coast and Cascades Better.
'As g. field fer investment, regard the
coas, region OF Alaska as one OF the best
in the world. very much superior to the
Interior in its opportunities Tor profit. The
climate and transportation conditions are
very favorable on the coast. and admit OK
all the year round operation OF mines.
Prospecting in this region regard as only
begun. There are immense bodies OF low
grade ore which only require systematic
exploration TO develop into large mines.
II do not consider this mineral belt OF
the coast limited 20 Alaska, either. re-
gard the Cascade region OF Washington as
part Of the same geological system
1T has been said by a number OF mining
encineers who have examined the Cas-
cades that there are no true tissure veins.
b,. tina. there are only large surface de-
n9S{.s Of low grade base ore waich VIII
not nav 70 work. What is your idea OF
this. Mr.. DUMB" was asked.
ooh. -" was the emphatic answer.
Fo,lies of the Stampede.
Discussing the recent stampede. Mt
Dunn said: The rush to the interior Of
Alaska by people who know nothing about
mining by previous training and expert
ence IS extremely foolish. There Is no god
mining region In the world where previous
mining training Is more necessary. II IA
true that some tenaerfeet who have gone
there have found good claims bat that is
simply because tney were good runners,
and got there first. They had 70 grab
whatever they could and il happens to
have turned cut good. The thousands OF
tenderfeet who have stampeied 70 paw-
son do not know how 10 work and pros
pect, 80 that Trey are as completely lost
as a mar who has missed the tran in the
woods met with a few instances of The
absurd expectations Of tenderfeet- Num-
aers az them took 81 oyster dredses and
garden rakpss. % get gold from the bottom
OF tire river. An Englshman took ia what
he called a machine - dig gold cat Of the
rivers L consisted 90 long rod with
sack and br3Sa fixed a. one en4 and
cr.rk e. che other. The end with tho sack
ans brush n vas u 10 down in the bottom
~ the river and the corre1t was - keep
tha mouth - the sack open. willie the
crank revoived the brush along the bottom
ca the river and gathered tne gold iHto the
SAX This - minded rne of tae man who
w,-t o1t N rirET n catch sD5Ce Wsta