The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-24
AN UNFORTUNATE CRAZE
Marcus DAILY Talks of the Rush
to the Klondike.
BUT LITTLE TO BE GAINED
Conditions Are Such That 1t Is Almost
Impossible to Garry on Successful
Mining-It Is Not the Sort of
Place for Poor Man.

The Washington correspondent of the
Spokane Chronicle sends the following
to his paper:
Marcus Daily, manager of the Ana
conda copper mines and the copper king
of Montana, has been in the city for
several days. Mr.. Daily has passed
through all grades of mining from hand
ling a pick and shovel TO managing the
largest mining properties in the United
States He is an all around miner
and his opinion on any mining question
is worth a great deal.
In speaking of the great rush to the
Alaska gold fields the other evening. Mr.
DAILY said; i think that il is a very UNI
fortunate craze which is taking so many
people to Alaska. The probability is
there will be very little gained and very
great suffering as a result. There may
be great deal of gold scattered
through the Klondke country, but con-
ditions are not such that it can be prof
itably mined The climate of the coun-
try makes it an impossiblity to do sue
ccssful mining. Most of the year pros
pcctors or miners are more apt to freeze
TO death than they are to find gold.
" 1t is only two or three months in the
year that they can pretend to work at
all And with the gold scattered as it is,
1t is a practical Impossibility for them
to make a success of the mining bust
ress. There is gold all through the
northern part of Montana and through
a half dozen of the Western states and
great part of Canada. but there is not
enough of 1t, and 1t is not so situated
that it can be mined with profit. And
so with this Alaskan gold. About the
only people who will make any money
out of it will be the transportation peo-
pie, the hotel people and the outfitters
in San Francisco. Seattle and other
loads of Quitting material To the people
who are going there This line of trade
is made particularly good by the fact
that everybody who starts to the klon-
dixie country is Obliged to have "A good
deal of money 1t is not the sort of Il
place that a poor man can go TO. Food,
clothing and steamboat tickets have to
be purchased with cash
This expression by Mr.. DAILY reminds
me that Mr.. Benton, attorney for the
Great Northern railroad, said the other
day that the travel To the klondike
country during the coming spring was
going to be perfectly enormous. He
said that the railroad and steamboat
companies We're already beginning to
make immense preparations and that
the correspondence in regard to trans
portation indicated that about the
greatest rush that has ever been made
in any part of the earth will be made
tIiS SlpIiilB loT the &ldSkd Solu IleluS.
Fred r.. Reed of Boise, Idaho and
eN-Representative William H. Dooittle
Of the state of Washington have been IN
the city for some days They are inter-
ested iii developing some new and very
attractive gold mining properties in
Northern Idaho and are negotiating
with Eastern capitalists to that end
NH. Doolittle has been in New York
for several months. In a short while
he expects to be back again in his home,
the state of Washington. He is exceed
iEgly enthusiastic upon the mining flu
ture of the West. In speaking of this
line he said:
There is no doubt that we have the
richest gold mining belt in the world.
There is vein Of gold which starts
down in Mexico and goes northward
through Arizona, New Mexico, Idaho,
Nevada, oregon and Washington and
up into British Columbia. finally cul-
minating in Alaska and the kfondike
country. This lead branches cut into
California and Utah. From past ex-
perience ii has appeared that it gets
richer as it goes nathward.
However, some of the richest gold
fields in the world have been found in
California. Idaho and Washington In
one place in the Boise valley in Idaho,
about nine miles long and "A half or
of mile wide, more
than 5000. 000.0 600 pf gold has been taken
out. This much was mintcd. No tell
ing how much more was carried off in
native dust and nuggets of which no
official account WAS ever received