The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-02

prospect Tor themselves InlS tney
had not planned to do. Their hope had
been to profit by the skill and toll of
some other man, and after to sell at a
high price as the excitement grew. Be
ing shut out of Pine creek on which
the discovery lay, they waited sullenly,
swearing at every soul but themselves,
until some other actual miner made a
strike, then they rushed after. One
such rush had already taken place, a
mad midnight frantic scramble took
place about Aug. 10, a rush which re-
suited in very little to most of those
who took part For awhile they staked
claims for themselves and others they
never returned to look upon their
stakes again. They only succeeded in
confusing the actual miner and block
ing the game. Ultimately their mea-
ger store of grub vanished, and then
profane, sullen and vituperative they
started for home, loudly proclaiming
the iniquity of the officials and the
utter worthlessness of the gold fields.
The boundaries of Atlin lake are even
yet untraced upon the map. For
nearly 100 miles its position among the
mountains can be traced from the hills
above the clump of tents called ''Taku
City" 1t reaches from the coast range
just back of Juneau to the range of
the south. It's shores are low hills,
with alluvial terraces reaching to the
water, with immense peaks in the
background at the south, west and
north. a powerful stream which takes
its rise in the glaciers of the coast
range enters at the southern end and
a small stream called Pine creek, which
takes its source in another and superb
lake, flows in at the southeast some 30
W..
creek is the one son which the first dis
covery was made. Other creeks enter
along the shore on both sides, while
far to the north a big, domelike noun
tain seems to divide the northern lake
into two diverging arms. Pine creek
rising in Lake Surprise (Which is said
to be nearly 60 miles in length) flows
down through series of wooded ter
races into the lake, and is about IS
miles long.
Some two or three miles from the
mouth of Pine creek q small creek
which has been named Spruce enters
from the southeast, and Birch creek
comes down from the hills and enters
Pine not far from ten miles above the
lake. The entire region shows. signs of
upheaval. glacial action and fire. That
it is shot with gold throughout all its
wash is pretty well determined, but
remains to be seen.
NOT LIKE KLONDIKE.
This thing is certain, the whole re-
giOn is utterly different in contour and
formation from the coast range. 1t
appears dryer and much more alluvial
It's peaks resemble those of Montana
and Colorado. There is scarcely a
trace of the cold, gray granite of the
coast range. They are all iron stained,
rotten" as the miners say, and COW
cred with slides" Small assures still
in volcanic action are reported from
some of the valleys.
On its face it is an ideal mining
country. Should the camp develop it
will be a city served by boats. Even
now, 20 days after the first rush, boats
come and so in shoals. The beach be-
fore "Atlin City is fringed with water
craft like the wharf OF a New England
fishing village. 1t is necessary to be a
sailor or at least d bOatman as well
as prospector, if one wishes to be sue
cessful in the Atlin lake gold country
When l arrived trails were already
beaten, sideways were being dug,
lumber was being rip-sawed by most
awkward but determined men, The
feeling was buoyant. a permanent
camp was being established. The gold
is here" said those best informed, but
in what quantities no one can tell"
During my stay pans yielding as high
as SO in coarse gold were taken from
the bench claims, which only a few
days before had been considered of no
account.
The best results came from the dry
benches high above Pine creek This
would seem to indicate that the placers
were due to quite other causes than
the flow of this meager stream. If this
should turn out to be true, then an i'm
mense placer field, requiring extensive
systems of hydraulic mining, will be
opened next year.
The country is not only most beauti-
full, it is fairly accessible 1t may be
entered by way of the White pass or
Chilkoot routes, thence by water down
Bennett lake and through the Taku
arm Of Tagish to the Atlin portage.
There is a second route already Called
''the Brooks trail') which runs over
land in a short cut to Tagish water.
thence by boat to Atlin portage. This
route, as soon as the lakes freeze and
snow falls, will Undoubtedly be the
shortest and easiest. A third route is
reported whereby Lake Surprise may
be reached from the Teslin lake trail
by boat to Wrangle, thence UP the
Stickeen river to Glenora by river
boats. From G4enora the TesIin lake
trail can be followed for 100 miles
From a point at the head of Long lake