Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-01-02
NORTHWESTERN GOLD YIELDS
Productivonoas Of tho Yukon and Alas
kan Placcru.

PrOductivonoas Of tho Yukon and Alas.
kan Piaecrs.
Like a large number Of others who
have exploited tho gold aelds Of tho
Northwest and returned 20 civilization
with woll-earned fortunes extracted
from their rich placcrs, Wilson Foster,
who has earned tho eognomen Of "tho
Klondioo king" bears witness In a 81.
Louis interview 70 tho extraordinary
auriferious wealth Of Alaska and Yu.
kon Territories Tho gold aelds already
opened IN them, he afarms. produced
last year ts4,ooO,O0O, and he predicts
that within tho next decade their out.
put win be ten times ~ large.
There h nothing unreasonable In
such prediction. According 10 engin.
GERS, l.. 8. Robe and ]. w. Aslley, who
were specially employed by the exeeu.
tive council % Hukon territory 10 on.
anime Its auriferious deposits and estl.
mate their metallic contents, a IL 40.
sumed that AZ least $500, 900, 900 Of gold
remains 10 be recovered from the gray.
els Of the Hondike alone. This district
has already yielded tls5, ,O00, 900 since
tho discovery Of gold by George Cor
mack In 1897 AZ the mouth Of BONANZA
creek. In the known auFiferlous hsld
OF that district Mr.. Robe says there are
ies $50 900 cubic yards Of gravel IN.
worked, whose value he hxes az the
modest average OF 90 cents per cubic
yard This estimate places the total
gold contents OF these plaeers al t2i4.'
is5,ooo, But no one is rash enough 10
ventuFe the assertion that all Of the
gold'beaFing deposits existing In the
klondike have been discovered, and
that there are no other fields 10 con.
quer in the district. Moreover, Yukon
territory embraces a vast gold-bearing
area which has not yet been explored
and which may, in time, when the pros
peotoF has fully exploited il, develop
districts as productive as the Klon
dixie.
Every successive years bears eyi-
denee Of the fact that Alaaka's gold,
bearing area extends over a vast ex.
tent Of territory which has not yet been
invaded BY the adventurous miner, for
Nome, Tanana, the PoTeupine and Cir
ele City districts are widely separated
and constitute only small areas in the
great mineral belt Of the territory,
These districts have been only barely
scratched, while the major part Of the
mineral belt awaits that development
which follows the settlement Of the
country by a larger population. Con.
gFess can help this development by
making laws for the territory which
viii prevent the monopoly Of the min
eral lands, IN accordance with the
wishes expressed in memorial recent.
ly adopted by the Alaskans in eonven-
tion assembled. Al present the absOrp
tion Of the mineral lands Of known
worth is being done by a few individ'
uals through the right which the law
allows them 10 multiply their claims
indefinitely by proxy locations based on
power Of attorney obtained from non
residents, and many Of them from per
sons who have never seen the United
States. The mineral laws Of Alaska
must be amended TO enable every min
who enters the territory 10 get a fair
show, and yet make it impossible for
him to deprive others Of enjoying equal
rights with himself. When 80 amend.
ed prospecting win be encouraged
and development win fonoW.-San
Francisco Chronicle.