The Dickinson press., 1898-02-26
KL0NDIKE'S DARK SIDE.
Greeks Theoretically Rioh.

NxO0AD 1AoOE0t1C84ly Tt1O0s
The same may be said of All Gold,
Sulphur, Dominion and other creeks To-
Gated within the limits Of what is
called the gold belt here. Aside from
the theory-a theory which has not
been we'll established so far or ad-
vanoed on any other grounds than that
Of mere surmise-that all creeks having
their source in one part or another Of
the divide which lies between the Klon-
dixie and the Indian river districts, and
which is called the Dome, must neces.
sarily be rich in gold deposits; there is
nothing to show oause that these vari-
Gus other creeks and gulches are rich.
Certain it is that the greater majority
Of the claims staked and recorded on
them were not staked in good faith by
their owners "for mining purposes"
but were staked by men who arrived
here without food supplies and who
were willing to stake a claim in each
district and turn it over to a ~speculator
for a very small sum or for a half in
terest in the claim.
Rank perjury wa INDUCED in by
nine-tenths Of these people, for while
they took oath that they had found gold
on their claims it is known that the
only implement they had with which to
find it was q small hand ak with which
to blaze the stakes, and besides nearly
1000 such claims have been located
within the past six or seven weeks, dur
ing which time 1t was impossible to
find gold without the expenditure Of
much time and labor, even it il is there.
It is known positively that this time
and labor were not expended, but that
great parties Of men went on ."stam-
pedes, " each stalking his tree and run.
ming as fast as possible to the office Of
the gold commissioner to record, and
this all because it was thought that
there were thousands Of investors wait
ing anxiously outside to snap up at any
price anything in the way Of q gold
mining claim located anywhere near to
this rich region.
There is another side to this story,
but before it can be told with any de-
gree Of accuracy matters must be inves-
tigated further. I am doing that as fast
as possible consistent with the acquire
ment Of facts on which the investor may
rely implicitly. The information given
above will serve to convey to the in.
tending purchaser an idea as to the
many schemes which will be worked on
the outside and their foundation.
Fortunes For Men Who Buy Wisely.
There seem to be many opportunities
to make money here by buying up large
numbers Of consecutive claims and
working them by some more economical
method, but these, too, should be inves.
tigated thoroughly before much money
is expended on them. Thare is no doubt
in my mind that therea are other methods
by which to extract the gold from the
ground here, but none can be worked
successfully on q small scale. Neithe,
will it pay to work them under present
conditions with food stuffs selling al
an average Of 81 per pound and labo,
consequently very high.
] do not think it advisable for the
man Of means to purchase a single claim
in any district, for if the present owne,
cannot work it to advantage anothe,
certainly cannot. I. will be said tina
the present owner has not the e t,
do so. hsome cases this is undoubtedl,
true, but in most cases his willingness
On anxiety to sell Is based on the fac
that he has little confidence in his prop
erty. Money is obtainable-at very higl
rates of interest, 1t is true, but still oh
tainable-for the working Of claim