The Dickinson press., 1902-02-15
DID WELL IN Kt0 NDtkE

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After spending a very pleasant winter
in Dickinson, Welton Mcdonald left the
morning Of the 18th On his return to
Alaska. He will visit his sister, Mrs. H,
F. Beckett, in Seattle, and leave for the
north on the 10th. expecting to arrive in
Dawson about the 18TH. OIL March.
Mr.. Mcdonald has a. large circle of
friends in Dickinson, where he was reared
and where, for some years prior to going
to Alaska, he was engaged in the drug
business, and all wish him success. look
ing forward with pleasure his return in
the fall of 1908.
The Bismarck Tribune Of February
published the following regarding Mr..
Mcdonald and his interests in the gold
regions, which will be Of special interest
to every reader Of the Press:
Among the guests in the city last eve
ming was Welton Mcdonald of Dickin-
son, one Of the few men who went from
the western part Of the state to the Klon-
dixie region, and made a successSof min
ing. Mcdonald has two valuable claims,
one Of them on Bonanza and another
on Sulphur creek and both Of them have
PANIED out well and Mr.. Mcdonald has
cleaned up a neat fortune from his min
ing operations there. He leaves Thurs
day. on his return trip to Alaska and will
put in the summer on his claims. He
employs twelve to fifteen men on his
claims, paying them $3.50 a day each or
S and board, the cost of boarding a
laboring man there being about $3.50 a
day. The trip from Skaguay to the min
ing regions about Dawson City is now
made in comparative ease and comfort
There is a railroad from Skaguay to
White Horse, and from there to Dawson
City the trip is made by. stages, there be
ing three lines in operation between the
end Of. the railroad and Dawson City.
The distance is a little over 400 miles and
the trip is made in ten days. Last year
the charge for the stage was si25, and it
will probably be a little less this year.
The methods Of mining have changed
considerably since the first gold fields
were discovered in Klondike. Then the
ground had. obe thawed BY the building
of great wood fires, and the little space
that was thawed out was worked after.
ward. Now steam is used for thawing
the ground. and the work is done much
more quickly and cheaply. The gold
bearing earth is found at bed rock and q
couple Of feet above it, and a shaft is
sunk and the earth,taken out and washed.
The sluicing and washing season lasts
from about the middle Of May until the
latter part Of September when the freeze
up comes. Fair pay dirt averages about
a dollar to the bucket Of earth, a bucket
holding about two bushels. Last season
about $50 buckets Of earth a day was
handiedon Nj Donald's claim. The gold
occurs in alt grades Of ~fineness, from the
size of -four to good sized nuggets. The
largest nugget ever found in the vicinity
of.Dawson weighed about $1,000.
Conditions have improved in the vi
cinity of Dawson and prices have come
down somewhat. With the building Of
the railroad, vegetables and fresh meat
can be shipped in, and are to be found on
the menu at the various camps. Hay
and oats have also reduced in price, hay
costing now about 6 and 6H cents a
pound. The first hay brought into Daw-
son $ about 5000 a ton, against a price
now Of about SI25 a ton. The grass
about Dawson makes good fodder when
green. but after it is cut has no sustain
ing qualities or nourishment. Wherever
the moss is disturbed, a rank growth Of
this grass appears but it is OF no use for
winter fodder. Keeping horses in the
vicinity Of Dawson is expensive, the cost
of keeping . team until the middle of
February being about $500.
Quartz lodges have not been discovered
yet, but the old miners are continually
prospecting and believe that rich quartz
lodes will ultimately be discovered. The
gold is believed to have been ground
from the quartz by glacial action and dis
tributed throughth the country and that is
the gold that is now being taken out. ii
be ledges7are discovered Dawson will
become one Of the greatest mining re-.
gions in the world; al well as one Of the
richest.
There are many dangers and disap-
pointments il. the gold fields. and even
after a miner has his cleanup made and
starts5for home his difficulties are NOT.
ended. Last falltwo vessels struck on
the rocks OF the homeward route. One
of them went down, many passengers.
being drowned and all Of themlosingthe
results of their hard work. One man
lost $4,000 in dust, which represented
the hard work and savings Of several
years. The vessel on which MIR. Me-
Donald came. down uith his se,sonsc
clean up struck between two rocks, and
stove a hole in her side. Luckily the
rocks were, Of such, a nature that the YES:
sci wedged between them and did NOT
sink. This accident occurred about forty
miles from Vancouver and another YES.
sci came and took the passengers of.
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