Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1904-01-01
NUWMUuNAAAA'
STREETS OF GOLD.
Dawson Rests on One Of the Richest
Placer Deposits in Alaska.


paved with goldw Two prospec-
tors who have just returned from
the frozen north, says the Salt
Lake Tribune, confirm the dis
patches which have been sent out
from Alaska's municipal gem that
the streets of that far northern
metropolis are carpeted with vel.
low dust. The men are John Bige-
low and II. WOOlaver. Bigelow 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
civilization is like the entrance
into a strange land.
"The feverish impatience has
left Dawson" said WOOlaver.
Money is plenty there, and bust
ness is good and prices are reason.
able. Except for the extremely
cold weather you would scarcely
know it from any pushing western
town. People have given up the
dreams and excitement and set
tied down to business. 1t is, Of
course, easier to get in and out if
the country than formerly, and we
are in close touch with the out
side 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. It was difficult to get in
and dangerous to get out.
"Gold? Plenty Of it. New
strikes are being made in uuex-
pected places, bat there has been
no discovery another KlOudike.
in my opinion, there never win be.
Before 7 left intense excitement
was created by the discovery that
the principal street of Dawson
rests upon one Observation-Disclosures
deposits in the country. A hole
was being dug i'm front Of one Of
the principal business houses Of
the city, and the prOspectoP was
panning out large pay dirt. 1t has
also been Hdiscoyered 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 carries gold.
In some places the streets have
been found to be very rich, and
this dirt is being taken up to be re-
placed 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 we're not so particular. They
took out the cOaIsest dust and let
the rest go. Then other parties
came with better machinery, and
the tailings were gone over again.
Now they are again attracting the
attention Of companies who have
still better apparatus for getting
out the gold. Some of the tailings
were used for filing the streets,
and this dirt is going to be worked
over again by the new companies
as fast as they can etpermissiOn.
"There is scarcely a foot of
ground in that portion of Alaska
that does not carry gOkd Some
dirt does not pay to WORK but the
gold is there, nevertheless. There
are people there who are not find
ing gold. There are endless Op-
portunities there just as there are
in every new country. But there
are men there, too, who are frppz
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. hop
ing against hope for tomorrow
to bring the good fortune they
have been digging so long and pa
tiently for. They are getting old,
these men. Gray is coming into
their hair. Work and exposure is
telling on them, but they are sure
tomorrow will come. They know
il, and tomorrow comes +o +baSo