Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1915-08-08
KLONDIKE LOSES
MUCH OF ITS
PRISTINE
GLORY
Smithsonian Institution Expert
Makes Detailed Study of Pre-
sent Condition in Far-Fam-
ed Northern GOldfieldS.
S2O,OOO,OO0 YET TO BE
TAKEN FROM KL0NDIKE
Dawson City, Once Community
of 25,000, Now BereIy Posses
Ses 1000 Souls; Great For
tunes Taken From PIaCerS.

WASHINGTON, Aug Tin re-
cent publication Of the Smithsonian
Institution. Mr.. H. NJ. Cadell reports
his studies and investigations Of the
Klondike and Yukon gold fields. in
cluding an interesting review of the
early history Of this district as well
as a prophecy as to its future develop
ment
The name Klondike was once in ev-
cry mouth, and late in the 18th cen
tury it nearly became a synonym for
all that was rich and prosperous But
Of late it has not been so common.
its early bloom having faded away
The sensational pockets of fine placer
gold, which attracted hordes Of hardy
adventures from every quarter are
now nearly depleted. and no new ones
have been discovered TO maintain it's
earlier reputation. But while this part
of the Yukon district can no longer
be called a poor mans gold field, it
still contains a considerable Quantity
Of alluvial gold which can be secured
by the APPLICATION of capital and brains
II remains a region well worth visit
| ing for besides gold it has other pos
sibilitles Of development. There are
many points of geographic and scienu-
I ic interest; in this remote and imper-
! fectly explored northwestern corner
of the British Empire there are num-
I erous problems awaiting the discus
sion and investigation of the geologist
and the geographer for years to come.
4 On his trip of investigation. Mr..
/ Cadell steamed up the coast from Van
I couver, and through the Lynn Canal.
to Skagway, which he terms the gate
way to the Yukon, and describes as.
} "a wretched little town with decayed
wooden houses and grass-grown
! streets, the scene of many robberies,
! riots and murders at the time of the
gold rush, which the police authorities
had neither the power nor energy to
/ control Skagway is not, and never
can be, Of much use to the United
States, except as an obstruction to
| Canadian progress, but might be of
some advantage to the vast Canadian
hinterland less than 20 miles inland.
Skagway is surrounded on three
sides by a plateau of steep and rugged
mountains through which two trails
lead to the north over the White
Horse and Chilcoot Passes, up whose
wild and difficult ravines thousands
of fortune seekers trekked and strug-
gled with their heavy packs, tools. and
tents in the mad rush to the expected
El Dorado over 500 miles away. Soon
after the gold was found in quantities.
a mountain railroad was built up the
White Pass from Skagway to the sum
NIT and on to Lake Bennett, a distance
OF 40 miles, traversing a wild and ice
worn plateau of gigantic proportions,
strewn with moraines, sprinkled over
with lakes and enclosed by snowy
peaks 5000 to 5000 feet in height
AT the head of Lake Bennett lies
the deserted town of Bennett, where.
at the time of the gold rush. there
were lodged some 5000 people in
houses, huts and tents, but the only
building now standing, besides the
railroad station, is a wooden Presby-
terian church which shows that at
least a few righteous men were a.
mOng that sordid crowd It was here
that the first prospectors and miners
got into boats and canoes, and navi-
gated their frail craft through lakes
and rapids for the remaining 531 miles
Of their venturesome journey to Daw-
son City The last stretch of the raii-
road from Skagway runs along Lake
Bennett to White Horse, a few miles
above Lake Laberge, where safe nayi-
cation down the Lewes River to Daw-
son begins-
, Although the great ice fields Of the
early ages swept the greater portion
of North America. they missed the
region of the Klondike. and conse-
quently the gold producing deposits
remained intact until the early pros.
Continued on Page SiX)