The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-21
Agricultural Possibilities of the
Lower Yukon Valley.
CAPTAIN RAYS REPORT
NO RECENT MINING DISCoV-
ERIES OF IMPORTANCE.
Enormous Investments In Transport
tation and Trading Companies
Are Not Observation-Disclosures Can
not Support More Than Ten Per
Cent of the People Now There.

Washington, Feb. 2O.-Secretary AL
| ger has transmitted to congress a COM
plete report on the relief work of tho
war department in the Klondike coun-
| try, undertaken under act of congress
as Il result of reports that extreme dis
/ tress among the miners followed the
/ influx TO the gold country during 1897
'9S. 1t embraces the detailed reports
of Captain p. H. Ray and Lieutenant
w. z. Richardson.
Aside from details of the relief work,
| Captain Rays last report, dated May
last, contained the following interest,"
ing statement;
Il deem it of the greatesttimportance
for the development of the country that
roads should be opened, so as to. enable
the people to enter the country, not
only from the Yukon to the open sea
in our own country, which is of the
greatest Importance, but to enable min
ers and DrosDectOrS to get into the in
terror with their supplies. Under exist
ing conditions persons can enter the
country only by the one great high
way-the Yukon river-and they cannot
hope to be landed at any point before
July
THE gold-bearing districts are from
fifty to one hundred and fifty miles
back from the main stream There are
not any summer trails, except foot
trails, and provisions and mining tools
can only be transported on the backs
of men.
Il do not find anything, either in
Alaska or northwest territory, TO JUS
tify the great rush of people TO that
country, or the enormous investments
now being made in transportation,
trading and mining companies. In the
northwest territory no discoveries or
extraordinary richness have been made
since that of the Klondike, and the
claims are almost entirely confined to
Bonanza, EldOradO, Dominion, Honka
and Sulphur. with a few claims en-. Bear
creek. In this district all the rich
claims are we'll known and held at very
high prices, and while the whole COIN
try has been staked, it has been done
for speculative purposes. and no work
is being done except such as is neces-
sary TO hold a title until they can be
sold to the unwary newcomer or dis
posed OF in the states for corporation
schemes Captain Constantine of the
Canadian Northwest police. is my au-
thority for denOuncing the movement
as ? fraud
In the absence of any other industry.
except cutting wood for the river boats,
l do not see anything in the future. for
over 80 per cent of the people now flock
ing to that country but disappointment
employment at $3.50 per hour find that,
after deducting the cost of food, pack
ing. candles. etc, they do not get to
exceed 81 per day, and they tell me it
is barely enough to tide them ever the
idle season
I'm to date no paying mineral leads
of either gold OF silver have been dis
covered in north Alaska, so far as
known.
I am now fully satisfied that in the
near future Alaska will be the source
of great wealth, but the development
will necessarily be slow, owing to the
climatic conditions. 1 recommend the
early introduction of horses, mules and
cattle. and extra inducements should
be held out for the development of agri-
culture in the valley of the lower Yu-
kon especially Wild hay can be OBJ
tanned there in great abundance, and
oats, barley and spring wheat can be
successfully cultivated, as well as pota-
toes. turniDs and all the more hardy
garden vegetables, all OF which would
be required for many years TO meet the
local demand, and by reducing the cost
of transportation and food. render it
possible to prOfitably work large per
cent of the mines now lying idle.