The San Francisco call., 1899-04-15
SEEK THE SOURCE
OF KLOND|KE GOLD
Project of a Party Of
Miners.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

PORT TOWNSEND, April 1.-Word has
just been received through private sources
to the effect that an expedition is being
fitted out to prospect a heretofore uneX-
plored section of the great Northwest
Territory. This expedition will start from
Wrangel and will be composed of several
experienced and practical miners, who in
the early days of the gold excitement in
the Cassiar country were among the for
tunates and reaped a rich harvest.
The section of country to be prospected
is that portion lying west of the Rocky
Mountains at the headwaters of the Yu-
kon and the eastern tributaries of that
river. It is from that region that the
gold found in the Yukon and its tributa-
ries originally came. This theory is based
upon the belief that the Rocky Mountains
are the fountain-head of the gold run,
or, in other words contain the mother
lode The action of the elements for past
ages has scattered the gold on both sides
of the Rocky Mountains through British
North America. the United States and
Mexico. The rich deposits found along
the Klondike and its small tributaries
lead to the belief that the mother lode
is somewhere in that vicinity. The head
waters of all those streams form in the
Rocky Mountains, which have not as yet
been prospected owing to that section be-
ing practically impenetrable from the
Klondike.
This expedition will go from Wrangel
to Dease Lake, which is about 250 miles
from that place. in a northeasterly direc-
tion IN British Columbia, and thence will
proceed northeast over a comparatively
open country until the foothills of the
Rocky Mountains are reached. Then the
course will be along the west side Of tbs
range, prospecting all the streams
gulches and benches to point east and
north of the Klondike, thus taking in al
the streams which form the headwaters
of the Yukon and down the channels OF
which gold has been carried for ages anG
deposited.
formerly a Deputy United States Marsha
and recently a customs officer is one OF
the promoters of this expedition and has
great faith in it's outcome. He says thai
ment two men penetrated a portion of the
country to be prospected and the sickness
of one of them caused their return tC
| Wrangel They met success, bringing ou
several hundred dollars in dust, most ot
which was coarse gold and bore but little
indications of having been carried a great
distance by water, as it was rough anC
contained more or less quartz They alsc
gave a glowing account of the country
as prospecting field from a geological
standpoint. One of these men died al
Wrangel and the other left for the East
intending to return. He never made his
temperance and it was surmised thai
he either abandoned the project or met
a fate similar to that of his partner
Since that time, according to the state.
ments of Mr.. Thomas, several expeditions
have been planned, but owing to the un-
certainties and the hardships to be en-
countered they were never carried out.
During these many years he has never
known of any one going into that sec
ton Now that the richness of the KIon-
dixie has been proved the present expe-
dition has become reality. It is the in
tention to make the start as soon as the
season is sufficiently opened so that no
delays will be met.