Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-22
Copyright. 1898. by Frank G. carpen-

Denver. Jan. 20, 1soS.-I held 1000
worth of solid gold in my two hands
today. IL was all could lift, and when
l dropped 1t down upon the floor it fell
with lead-like thud. The gold was in
the shape of three bricks OF about the
size of the red clay bricks used for
building. 1t was part of the bullion
in the vault Of the mint here at Dem
yer. and 1t formed about one-tenth of
the gold which the mint now has on
hand. One OF these gold bricks was
of light yellow Colonel Pickett. the
chief of the mint snid that II had some
silver in it. Another was darker in
shade, and this / was told was gold
gotten out by the new process of gold
reduction, and the third was yellower
than any golden eagle. II was almost
entirely pure and will have to be much
alleged before it can be used for coin
age.
CoLoRADo's BIG GOLD PRODUCE
TION. il.
Colorado is now producing more gold
than ever. The excitement about the
Klondike has turned the eyes of the
people to Alaska, but the miners OUT
her are digging away and saying
nothing. The officials Of the mint tell
me that they are receiving more of the
precious metals than at any time in
the history of the mint. Mr.. David
Moffat. the mining king, who has now
1t is said, u bigger income per month
from his gold interests than President
Mckinley gets in a year from Uncle
Sam, estimates that Colorado has pro-
duced something like $22. 100000 worth
of gold during the past twelve months.
and he tells me that Cripple Creek
alone is turning out something like ST.
100000 in gold a month. The big mines
there show no signs of giving out, and
new ones have been opened. The big
Cripple Creek mines are operated on
q business basis. They are as econom-
ically managed as the department
stores and as systematically worked AZ
are great manufacturing institutions.
The old gold camps are being pros
pected and new discoveries are being
made. Said Mr.. Moffat to me:
Il think the people are making
mistake in rushing to the Klondike.
We have Klondike here in the
Rockies. which will pay better than
that of Alaska. There are plenty OF
chances for young men out here. Only
the smallest part of Colorado has been
prospected, and there are gold fields in
all parts of the Rockies which will pay
for Investigation. AS for me, Colorado
is good enough. and don't care to go
TO any land where, II is all ice three
fourths of the year and where you
can't get much to eat during the re-
maindar" 81
SENATOR JONES OF NEVADA ON
GOLD MINING.
Senator John p. Jones. the mining
millionaire of Neveda, does not agree
with Mr.. Moffat as to the Klondlke.
Jones is, you know, one of the most
famous miners Of the world. and has
made half a dozen big fortunes out OF
gold snd silver ore. 1t was during a
ride eth him in a sleeping car the
otherIsny that asked him his opinion
Of the Klondike. He replied:
"The gold discoveries of Alaska nre
the most wonderful that have ever
been made. The discoveries of AUS
tralia and California were nothing
to them. l started in n
this have been more or less interested
in mines. went to California in 1919,
and was there during the early gold
excitement. The country was filed up
within a very short time. and you
would meet n score of miners during
n half days march no matter In what
part of the Rockies you went to pros
pect. The news of successes spread
very fast. and the man who had made
find of $1,000 in placer mining was
known everywhere. There were thou
sands and tens Of thousands mining,
and the discoveries were comparative
ly few. Up in Alaska there are only
fnw fhntIEpnI Mt work and
they can labor only n small part OF
the year. still they are turning out
enormous amounts of gold. / know of
dozens of men who have made for
tunes. and Judge that the amount
of gold there must be beyond concep-
prised IL s150000O00 worth of gold Is
taken out of the Klondike next year.
There will be more than 100000 men
there by the middle of the summer.
and there is plenty of room for ALL"
HOW GLACIERS GRIND OUT GOLD.
do You think the discoveries will
be confined to the Hlondike?" asked: :
mo. indeed" was the reply. 81 be-
lieve there IL just as much gold In
Alaska as there is in British Column
bia- The Yukon river Is $500 miles long.
and there is gold all along it. The sands
OF the Alaskan islands contain gold,
and / am told you can find color in
almost any dirt you wash. You see, the
forces of nature have been Mt work
during the ages In Alaska to produce
placer gold. II Is my belief that most
of the placer gold Is found in the
tioughs of glacier. We used to think
that the gold in the mother lode Of
California was in the bed of an ancient
river. which in some way had been ele-
waited above the surrounding country.
/ believe 1t was the trough of glacier
which had ground the gold out Of the
earth. Now in ALASKA there are hum
dred glaciers to every one further
south In the Rocky Mountains, and the
gold has been ground out by them. ]
think quartz mining will be SUCCESS
fully carried on In Alaska and that
stamping mills will be put up within
short time after the discovery of the
mines"
ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN.
Then you would advise young man
to go to Alaska"
II most certainly shauld." replied
Senator Jones. 81 would go myself. hut
I am too old now TO do much mining
in its first stages. and II IL not n nee
essity with me. I can't see where tho
young man OF today has much chance
outside of Alaska, The money has all
gone into the hands of bankers and
capitalists, and there is little chance
for energy unaided by capital. In
Alsaka every man has n chance to
make fortune"
but think OF the hradships, sena-
tor" said I.
''The hardships are greatly overesti-
mated" was the reply. 1.-THE condi-
tons win all be changed next year.
You will be able to get to the Klon-
dixie by railroad by the latter mart of