The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1910-09-22


Pacific. In those days It was almost
an imposslbility to get the worst Of a
venture to its coast Starvation was
almost out Of the question, save in tho
northern and mountainous districts,
and a comfortable bed could always
be found on the hillside Of the land
Of eternal summer. There were no
huge ice and snow fields practically
destitute of bird ami beast on the
contrary, there were streams fun OF
FISH, anxious 10 De caught, and for
ests inhabited by nocks of birds that
have since acquired regulations for
high prices In city eating houses.
Again, the argonauts Of California and
Nevada were almost exclusively hard
headed, painstaking and soher.minded
men, who We're willing to brave hard
ships and priyations providing they Ill
timately obtained independence.
Frozen Up In Winter.
The Yukon river is absolutely closed
10 travel save during the summer
months. In the winter the frost king
asserts his dominion and locks up all
approaches with impcnetrable ice, and
the summer is Of the briefest. It en-.
dures only for ten or twelve weeks.
from about the middle Of June TO the
early part Of September. Then an I'M
ending panorama of extraordinary
picturesqueness Is unfolded TO the
voyager. The banks are fringed with
flowers, carpeted with the all-per.
vading moss or tundra. Birds count.
less in numbers and Of infinite va.
ricty Of plumage sing out a welcome
from every tree top. Pitch your tent
whore you will IN midsummer, a bed
OF roses n clump Of peoples and a
bunch OF blue bells will adorn your
camping. But high above this para
disc of almost tropical exuberance
giant GLACIERS sloep IN the summit OF
the mountain wall, which rises M
from p bed Of roses. by September
everything Is changed. The bed OF
| roses has disappeared before the fey
/ breath Of the winter king, which sends
/ the thermometer down 10 so degrees
| below freezing point The birds fly
. to the southland, the white man TO
/ his cabin, the Indian TO his hut and
/ the bear to his sleeping chamber in
/ the mountains. Every stream be-
/ comes sheet Of ice. mountain and
. valley alike are covered with snow.
The Klondlke Today
From 1900 the production gradually
/ diminished as the crude methods OF
the individual minor became Intellectual
I with the exhaustion of the richest
areas on the BONANZA and Edorado
creeks, which between them have
/ yielded over $JO,OoOO0O In 1907 the
output had dropped 10 $4,000 600, and
for the following year It was even
I smaller, but this dlI not mean that
the gold field was worked out. The
fact was that placer mining had given
way TO hydraulic AMI dredging prop
ositions' in the hands Of wealthy conf
panies, and the vast areas acquired bv
them were unproductive pending
equipment for operations on a large
scale with modern appliances. Work
is now in fun swing, and every scrap
Of earth In the auriferous creeks
right down TO bed rocks now being
pat through the dredging machines
and washed for gold, the dredgor
plowing its way steadily from one end
Of the valley to the other, while the
hydraulic machinery deals with the
soil on the hill sides. Science. indeed
has swept away tho romantic side of
gold.mining In the Yukon, but through
its agency the territory IS entering on
fresh period Of prosperity, which
may yet rival the heydey Of its glori-
GUS past.