The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1901-07-14

WASHING THE WORLD DOWN.

WASHING THE WORLD DOWN.
ed facilities for getting the gold out of
the earth the Alaska yield will be
steadily increased season by season for
many years to come. If quartz mines
shall Mt length be discovered, then
Alaska will swing into line as a per-
manent gold producing region, like
Australia and California. Alaska has
not been scratched yet" | am told by
one who has been investigating for
three years the southwestern portion of
the territory.
In several respects southwest Alaska
has advantages over the Klondike-
For one thing, the climate is not so Sc
we're. If you look on the map you will
see that Sitka, the capital, is on the line
of latitude of north Scotland and Den
mark. The Japan wind and current
modify it's weather as the gulf stream
modifes the climate in western Eu-
rope. There is open sea communication
the year round with southwestern Alas
ka.
Some companies that own extensive
claims near here are going heavily into
hydraulic mining this season. One man
by himself can no longer do any great
thing in the industrial world. Instead
of the single individual with pick. SHOW
el and pan. it is now the company with
the combined capital of perhaps 500
small investors at command. putting
In portable sawmills. steel pipe and
giant noZZles that shoot forth a stream
of water powerful enough to wash the
sworld down. They do literally wash
kmOuntans down. mountains in whose
sides for ages has been hidden placer
gold. deposited when the mountain was
a river bed This is hydraulic mining.
which does in an hour what it would
take n hundred men year to accom-
plish. digging into the mOuntainside
with pick and shovel After the noun
tain gravel has been washed loose.
then come the fume and the final
washing. which separates the gold
from all else and leaves it clear and
shining.
1t is by hydraulic mining that the SO
called bench or hill claims are worked
in southwestern Alaska. Some of these
have panned $3.50 to the cubic yard Of
gravel. A fifth of that yield would
pay handsomely. In the Klondike and
on the Canada side of the Yukon there
is yet opportunity for finding fortunes
In gold claims. but there is still better
opportunity on our side of the line in
Alaska. a chance well worth consider
ing by those who go out to seek gold.
On our side is yet abundance of wood
and water. The forests are exhaust
less for generations to come, the water
for cleaning up the dump" flows from
the eternal glaciers of Alaska. The
thinly wooded region in the vicinity of
Dawson and the Klondike is nearly
stripped of trees. Moreover. the min
ing laws of the United States are much
less restrictive than those of the Do
minion.
Besides its gold Alaska contains vast
riches of coal and copper. Another
source of wealth will be found in the
salmon industry. not catch as catch
can, but catch and can. The supply is
steadily diminishing along the shores
Of Puget sound. and the great can
neries are removing to Alaska. where
these fish fairly tumble over one an
other in the spawning season and
choke with their bodies the small
| streams they ascend. Our great north
west property is golden in present
realization and still more so in promise
for the future.
Summer tourists are arriving. Wild
| game fowl are as abundant in Alaskan
forests as pigeons and turkeys used to
be i'm the middle western states. AS to
Skagway itself. the town Is sufficiently
civilized to maintain a wOman's club.
1t also maintains euBrGetically its repu-
tatiOn as the town of wind. gentle
man tells me on the word and honor Of
a travelling salesman that one winter
here the wind blew the lead oct of his
| pencil ROBERT LYON.