The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-21

| of the northwest territory is badly
| overdone at present. So many nave
! flacked here with the idea OF becoming
| millionaires at once. The greater part
| of them have lost all hopes and are
completely Disguised with the country
! Hundreds returned in the last boats
| Those that could not afford it waited
| till it had frozen up. They are hitting
| hot retreat back over the summit in
hopes to find peace in the states. Yet
! the town is full of idle men and times
are very dull with very little currency
or gold dust in circulate
| 1t is a>rare thing to meet pleasant
| face, or see a smile upon the care-worn
features of the crowds that loaf around
| the saloons and gambling dens, where
| 1t Is warm and affords them a good
| place to discuss their misfortunes, with
| every now and then cursing the Seattle
| papers and editors that pictured mug
| gets growing on trees.
When the weather permits they as
| semble in groups on the water front
| gazing up and down the Yukon with a
far distant look upon their faces, wish
| ing for the robins to nest again and re-
| peat the solioquy, Home, Sweet Home"
| is better than gold. They resemble a
| bunch of Montana steers waiting for
chinook. The mining facilities of this
country have been exaggerated like
| everything else to a certain extent.
| There are some very rich pay streaks
! in this vicinity. l made it point to
| see the Berry brothers clean up
| twenty-four hours washing on the No.
Ell Dorado. In the upper end of the
| sluice box they took out gold pan
| two-thirds full of coarse dust l did
| not wait to see them clean up the lower
| rifles, or mud box, but would judge
| they would get but little there, as it is
nearly all coarse dust here. I also went
HHr11 Al.
| IN one of the rich claims moving the
nuggets to one side for the foreman to
| pick up. One of the miners said he had
| his pockets full every night. Those are
! some of the rich claims; probably two
| or three claims up or down the creek
| would prove blank, as the pay dirt is
| in spots, varying in quantity and quail
| ity. 1t would be hard to estimate the
percentage of paying claims. To the
| best of my judgment, I would say from
to per cent of claims are worth
| working. This great stretch Of terri
tory has scarcely been prospected as
| yet, and the possibilities of the remain
| der can only be surmised. There is
| evidently future for quartz in here.
| There are some quartz locations made
and some very rich mineral in the as
| say offices al Dawson. But the question
| of whether it was found in here or
| brought in from the outside would be
difficult to decide. They have all kinds
| OF schemes to fleece the people in here.
On the opposite side of the Yukon
| from Dawson, Captain Healy has locat-
| ed quartz claim The assay report
| is from IS to SIG in gold in addition to
| good percentage in copper Let US
warn you all not to put confidence in
| what people say that have crossed the
Ch1lcoot, or White Pass. The old adage
proves true, ''All men are liars, and
women too" Of course the latter have
| the benefit of the doubt. Yet it is a
| contagious disease in here and every
one is afflicted with it. This country is
! also besieged with a surplus amount of
| perience in mining matters, or the
country in general They make it a
point to drop into the first warm cabin
| or road house and remove pencil from
behind their ear and proceed to write
", some rich strike up the Yukon or
Ixlondike from -hearsay evidence Sor
| imagination, and make haste to the
printing office and stampede the peo-
| pie by their false reports. Even the
| climatic difficulties of this part of the
| world have been exaggerated as well.
The short summers and severe winters
| that people read SO much about is par
| TALLY false in my opinion. 1t would be
| safe to say there are only two seasons,
| that is summer and winter. Instead of
| summer being five or six months long
as generally supposed. it is nearer five
months or has been this year at least,
and the winter so far resembles Mon
| tana weather. except the length of the
| days, which are very short. I have not
seen the sun for a month. We are in
| a gulch and it does not reach US. Yet
| we were visited by nice little shower
| on the 9th inst, and it remained warm
| for several days.
| The old pioneer fanatics say it is an
| exceptionally mild winter and they are
| preparing to move north as the weather
| is becoming too tropical for their frigid
| blood. I notice when a cold snap comes
| they put on furs if they have them,
| the same as US 'Chechokoes.' They also
| tell us at one time prosperity struck this
| country with big p, that P. has been
transformed to poverty. The hardships
| and inaccessibilities of this country have
| been put in print by lords, dukes and
| earls, who have only given it a casual
| glance while travelling down the Yukon
| or over some we'll blazed trail that has
been traVersed by many an old gold
| seeker long before they existed. They
are, generally equipped to the queens
| taste with plenty of malamute and
husky dogs to pull their supplies and
| themselves; they also engage from two
to three native Indians to drive the
! dogs and act as guides, while they roll
up in furs or crawl into a sleeping bag
and pull their heads in like turtles, Sc
cure from Jack Frost, and fall into a
| peaceful sleep or trance. When the
point OF destination is reached they
crawl out from their warm nest prepar-
ed to write about the hardships they
encountered while making the trip over
some unknown part of the country and
being caught in severe storm on a
glacier and obliged to remain for sew
eral days without wood or food. Such
ir,ns 10 i,, hot,
of business. When an occurrence of
this kind is put before the people they
should make up their minds that it was
some poor old prospector who met that
fate, and not those who are looking
for notoriety and publication. There
have been a few persons frozen todeath
this winter. A Dominion land surveyor
on his way from Sulphur creek was
| found frozen in the Klondike river.
| within sight of Dawson. He fell through
| the ice in about three feet of water
and persisted standing up. 1t seems that
| he realized his fate, as they found in