The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-02-12
j. A. GRANT
Tells What the Miner Needs and How to
Mine Gold in Alaska if You Can
Find It-No Snap.
Special correspondence Of The Leader.

= 49,
The LEADER what a miners outfit
should consist of. also how to prospect,
and when pay dirt is found how to COM.
mence work on his claim:
l. He needs a steel pick. light steel
shovel. gold pan. AK. gold scales and
scraping tools. cost about Sc. To pro-
tect himself from wet and cold, tent,
stove and cooking utensils. cost ST..
Also good all wool blanket. oil coat, hat
and rubber boots. cost $3.50.
>. Don't ask what the boat fare is
looks now as if they wanted a mans
pile. When the miner lands, then his
troubles begin. If he has a lot of grub
he will have to build a cache about six
feet above the ground to protect it from
bears. When he gets that job done he
makes up his prospecting pack which it
he has to 90 thirty miles will consist of
% pounds -four. - pounds bacon. 10
pounds beans. l pound tea. baking pow
der. salt. soap. pepper. matches. teawot.
tin cup and plate. gold pan. shovel. pick.
ak and blanket. altogether s. pounds.
You have to travel on moose trail. They
did not carry a compass when they made
it. and you will have to travel three
miles to make two. The trail is blutfy.
rocky and swampy. Your long shovel
handle catches in the brush overhead.
The flies will GET in their fine work.
There are more flies to the inch in Alas
ka than to the acre on Yellow river.
Wisconsin. and l thought that was not
endurable at times. When you find
ground that is not located. the moss
must be removed. a fire built to thaw
the prospect hole before the dirt is re
moved. and the same process is contin-
ued until YOU come to pay dirt. or bed
rock. If YOU don't find it in sufficient
( quantity to pay. you must try the same
thing over again until YOU do. When
found YOU have to hunt 4 partner if YOU
have none: more grub. a Whip-saw. iaci
plane. handsaW. nails and hammer. The
, next job is to lind d tree OF sufficient size
to saw bottom boards for sluice boxes
The boards are sawed quarter inch
: thick. l. inches wide at one end. Il
: inches at the other and T. feet long
: Sideboards u inches wide and one inch
: thick. Tie inside i dressed to prevent
gold from sticking. The boxes are
joined together telescope fashion. The,
must be water tight or the gold will es
cape. 1t is necessary to have five o.
six boxes. Where We were lumber coult
4 be bought for 500 per thousand on tn,
ground. On low river bars it is neces
sary to put IL wing dams. The timber
is cut Is feet long and spiked or pinned
together about four feet apart. III,
cracks are filled with moss and the Grill
is filled with dirt and rock TO hold i
down. The cribs are all joined togetheI
around the bar and if not water tigh'
pumps and water wheel must be made
|" to keep your ground dry. You hex
want a raceway to get water on top o.
the bar. 1t may be GO rods long: it de
" ponds on the fall of the ground. Sluic
ing commences. that is washing the dir
that has no gold in it away. The next
thing is to place your boxes together OF
~tressles with a drop Of s inches to the
box. RIFLES have got to be made. The
! Hungarian is better than the straigh,
rifle. They are made to fit the bottom
OF the sluice box. The Hungarian j:
placed crosswise , Of an inch apart an(
nailed to stats running lengthWise OF
the box. something like window shut
tiers. In cleaning up, the water is shu'
a of a little. say half inch deep in the
box. The upper rifle is taken up anC
the dirt IS washed down carefully anG
!, the gold and sand placed in a gold pan
K The work is continued until all the riff.
Ties are taken up the same way. The
contents are PANIED and placed to dry
: IN order TO clean the gold more thor.
oughly. Sluicing cannot be done when
5 the ground is frozen. for the gold would
y 90 with it. Sluicing is done the same
: way IN all parts of Alaska.
Passage at present to Dyea and Skag
: way, first class meals and berth. $50
second class $40, meals and 40 pounds
baggage; freight S13 per ton. Cope,
river, first class. meals and berth. $50
second class, meals and $50 pounds bag
:, gage, $50; freight s25 per ton. Sunrise
City, Cook Inlet, s1O5; freight $25 pei
ton. All steamships take 80 pounds
baggage. No boats can go through the
ice to Cook Inlet before April. There
will be a number Of sail boats running
> soon. They will give cheaper rates.
l have heard from Copper river; snow
t 8 feet deep. Port Angeles men in Daw.
: son write, chopping wood at $40 pei
cord and pay s. per day for board: have
found no claims that pay.
: Now. / have made everything plain
, But if any Of my correspondents want
to ask more questions, don't forget tc