The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-14
]. E. Doherty Tells of New Pro-
cess Adopted by Mcdonald.
IT SAVES LABOR AND MONEY.
KIondike Mining Kings Private Sec
Rotary Minutely Describes siutc-
ing scheme by which the Hesuits
of Each Days Labor May He Ac-
Operations Dawson Creeks.

J. F. Doherty. private secretary 10 Alex
snder Mcdonald. the Klondike mining king.
arrived In the city yesterday from Victor
Ia Mr.. Doherty left Dawson January ;.
arriving az Victoria, where he has since
been one month later. Mr.. Dohsrty mtn-
uteiy described the plan OF winter siuicing
which his employer has adopted on his
properties at Dawson. He said:
Ever since gold was discovered In the
Yukon the only method Of mining was 20
thaw the frozen GROUND by means OF burn
Ing wood until the introduction Of thAwius
machines last winter. which was decided
Improvement over he old method. With his
system the gravel beds are thawed by
steam. hosted by donkey engines and plas-
ed in large heaps 10 remain until the fcl-
lowing spring. when the sun melts the lnaw
TO give sufficient water In the creeks for
suicing In nearly an cases the same
dumps excavated had 20 be rethaeed, for
waDf az st,ff,cient sun 70 thsw them before
the sposg had melted and the water became
too low In the creeks for sluiclnE.
This system OF mining reminds me q
great deal OF farming In countries whtre
the harvest comes only cncs year aud
probably no; then IN case OF drought, -
Il T. with placer mining IN The Yukon,
under the old method whore the miner
works hard all winter digging the frozen
ground and imagining that every bueNa be
HOSTS wfll average wA.n fhS%ed W tl@
summer according 20 I'snnihs he mas H@dn
removed hy the winter siuicing process.
Nov the miner need not wait GniA .sUi-
mer TO know what the harvest u going 20
be- He can ts- every night whether be
has made exps~es or gone behind. the
same sE in any weii-reguAated business.
''Fferet0forr with tho now existing min
Ing regulations, namely The - per cent.
royalty this has driven capital = Invest
IN mining properties thai cpilld be orerated
tire vear around instead ~ feur or Yive
months. Capital RAY row gei action on ne
money Invested IN the klondsRc ovefy
month in the yesF. a. though g was ip-
vested In the most troplcal cliraat. Ac-
roriin< n ihe ED mining method zrayet
that woula not average flzs a cubic vsrd
ryssern gravel fhat viii average ESQ a cubin
yarf can he worked WITH A handsome prGdf
20 the investor
winter stuieinE Methods.
The winter sluicinK plant Nhlch 7 save
referred 20 crmprise= two iarEa boilers Gap
plants with tH8 engines and e4Vetat
pumps. The dirt p boosted sixty gest from
a perpen9icular shaft In cage er do4b.e
elevator fse mvn below rahnlng cars On
the elevator. and one gi3e goes % wliie
the other comes down, 50 an ths EeiKat
thai a really rai~ef is tho load - eirt.
"Ths plant a. located on ths lower nd
OF q s0-foot claim ana twenty foot tun-
rsl n driven 10 the extreme appsr caG
where Il IL then crosscut by another tunnel
80 feei side with pay gravel Eve 20 tx
feet deep.
Adjoining the engine and boiler room u
a sluice room 81 feet long b. sixteen feat
wide The water for sluiclnx ~ the eeepsge
caused by the snawlug whtca is coifeci 90
fru7n ne different tunmels IS aitehes = ad-
ting 20 q reservoir underground and II
pumped - the surface ~ = duplex pump
which discharge into reservoir AZ The
lower end ~ the siuioe room. I've inch
centrifugal pump lifts the water from 2
second and thira tank both connected
with the FIRST reservoir az or slightly high
| er elevation. thus being free 81 sediment
| azd forces u 70 the k4sc cs tie xiuice 5cxes