The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-03-11
OAWSON'S STREETS
PAVED WITH GOLD
Far Away Alaska City Rests on
One OF the Richest Placer
Deposits in World.
AWAITING
Cor Most of Them 1t is the Long
Sought "Pocket," but When 1t is
Covered UP They Put a Wood
en- Headstone at the End.

Salt Lake Tribune The streets of
Dawson are paved with gold" Two pros
pectors who have just returned from the
frozen north confirm the dispatches winch
have been sent out from Alaska's munlcl-
pal gem that the streets of that far
northern metropolis are carpeted with
yellow dust. The men are John Bigelow
and II. Woolaver. B.gelow Is a Denver
man and has been in the north for several
years. Woolaver has been in Alaska for
eight years, hunting the precious metal,
and he says that his coming back to civ
.!zation is like the entrance into a
strange land.
The feverth impatience has left Daw-
son." said Woolaver yesterday. Money
is plenty there. business is good and
prices are reasonable. Except for the ex-
tremely cold weather you would scarcely
kno 1T from any pushing western town.
People have given up the dreams and eX-
element and settled down to business. 1t
is. of course, easier to get in and out of
the country thar formerly. and we are in
closer touch with the outside world.
When l first went there you were locked
up in a great snow vault that had the sky
for a ceiling and the mountains for a
wall. 1t was difficult to get in and dam
gerous to get out.
New Strikes Being Made.
Gold? Plenty of 1T. New strikes are
still being made in unexpected places, but
there has been no discovery of another
klondike. In my opinion, there never
will be. Before l left intense excitement
was created by the discovery that the
principal street of Dawson rests upon
one of the richest placer deposits of the
country. A hole was being dug in front
of one of the principal business houses of
the city. and the ~prospector was panning
out large pay dirt. 1t has also been dis
covered that the streets are fairly lined
with gold that will pay to work. The
streets were filled In with the washings
of some of the mines, and then. too, the
spring freshets bring down dirt that car
ries gold. In some places the streets have
been found to be very rich, and this dirt
is being taken up to be replaced by other
earth, while the street dirt will be washed
In the spring, when It is not so hard to
get water.
"of course. in the early days they were
not 90 particular. They took out the
coarsest dust and let the rest go. Then
and the tailings We're gone over again.
Now they are again attracting the at
tention of companies who have still bet
ter apparatus for getting OUT the gold.
Some of the tailings We're used for filling
the streets. and this dirt is going to be
worked over again by the new companies
as fast as they can get permission.
Waiting for "Tomorrow."
.'There is scarcely q foot of ground in
that part of Alaska hat does not carry
gold. Some dirt does not pay to work. but
the gold is there, nevertheless. There are
people there who are not finding gold.
There are endless opportunities there Just
as there are in any new country. But
there are men there. too, who are freeZ-
ing, hoping and starving because their
pride or determination will not let them
return to the states. They have. loved
ones who are waiting for them. but they
will slave and freeze and starve, hoping
against hope for tomorrow to bring the
good fortune they have been digging so
long and patiently for. They are getting
old, these men. Gray is coming into
their hair. Work and exposure are telling
on them, but they are sure tomorrow
will come. They know 1t, and tomorrow
comes to these men in some shape or
other. For most OF them 1t is the long
sought pocket But when it is covered
up again we put up a rough, wooden
headstone at n end. This is life in the
Nlondike.'