The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-19
A LETTER FROM DAWSON
John j. Barrett Gives Valuable
Information.
A
NOT EVENLY DISTRIBUTED
But There Are Some Rich Spots on the
Klondike-A Year Too Late-35,-
900 Unemployed People
in Dawson

Missoula, Feb. 1S.-W. G. Murphy is
in receipt of an interesting letter from
John ]. Barrett, former resident of
Missoula, who is now at Dawson City
chasing that tickle goddess of fortune
who is ever ailuring the venturesome to
the uttermost confines of the earth in
their mad search for that filthy though
commodious lucre we call gold. The
missive is a little more than a month
old and is probably as late letter as
has come out of the country this sea-
son. 1t is readable throughout and par
ticularly instructive in the fact that it
imparts information concerning the
geology Of the country, opinions on
which have been widely at variance as
viewed by the many who have exam
ined it. Omitting some personal refer
ences made by the writer, the letter is
as follows:
| arrived in Dawson the 23d of June
and have enjoyed the best of health
since leaving Missoula. Winter has be-
gun in earnest in this region. for it has
been so degrees below zero for the past
two weeks. I am not disappointed in
coming here but l am a year too late
for this district. There are very rich
spots here-the gold is not evenly dis
tributed. There are too many people
here, and every creek and patch of
ground on the hillsides within radius
of so miles of Dawson has been staked
since last winter. and | understand that
the condition in American territory,
as far as stalking is concerned, is worse
yet because a man can claim 1920 feet
there and $50 feet is the limit here. 1t
is estimated that there are 10000 people
in Dawson and vicinity, and probably
5000 people employed, so that leaves
$4,000 unemployed, and you know what
condition of affairs that creates.
There is not quartz proposition of
any merit whatever yet discovered in
this district, and ii also looks like that
the near future will fail to disclose any
either. There has been an army of
prospectors out all summer, and up to
date there has not been a good strike
reported. Just now. however, there is
a report that pay has been found on a
creek about 100 miles south of here, but
enc hears SO many lying rumors that
he cannot give credence to what ne
hears. The best field for prospecting. I
believe. is along the chain of lakes at
the source of the Yukon, and since the
railroad has crossed White pass from
Skaguay to Lake Bennett it rractcally
opens up that country, so I think l
will spend next season in that region
1t looks like a favorable field, but in
coming down the river had no time to
examine it..
l have often heard. it said that the
gold is found here under different con-
ditions from anywhere else In the
world. There is some difference in the
manner in which it exists here and the
Rocky mountains, from the fact that
the earth here is always frozen and the
gold must have been deposited before
the freezing up took place or the gold
could never get on bedrock. There is
one thing certain: you must get gravel
in order to get gold, but you don't find
gold in all the gravel. The gravel is
covered with a sedimentary deposit
consisting of decomposed vegetable
matter and sand, and this varies from
a thickness of three feet to 30 feet, ac-
cording to the different localities. The
paying creeks so far are Hunker, Bear,
Bonanza, EldoradO and Dominion with
Sulphur as yet an unknown quantity
and Bonanza for more than three
fourths of its distance is worthless,
with Hunker in the same class. So far
EldCrado is the only creek that con-
tans uniform pay for nearly 40 miles
of it's course. l have read in the papers
that one of the officials of the North
American Trading and TRANSFORMATION
company estimates the cleanup here
last summer at $14.000,0 00 The most
careful estimates here place it at about
Si500.00o, which | believe is the limit
Were it not for the lying press Of the
Pacific coast this excitement would not |
be near so great.
N, B.-We have had no mail since |