Book for Gold-Seekers - Forgotten Books

C O PY R IG H T , 1897 ,

T im C H I C AG O R E C O R D C 0 .

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PR E FAC E .

An unknown number of men have decided to seek for

tune in the Klondike country . At th is moment,thou

sands of them have their eyes fixed on the gold placer

m ines i n the Yukon di stri ct . There exi sts a widespread.

i ns i s tent demand for i n formation wh ich wi l l enable the

prospect ive gold - s eekers to arrange the i r gold - s eek ing

plans i n detai l . That in formation wi l l be found between

the covers of th i s book .

T H E CHICAGO RE CO RD has undertaken to as

semb le al l the facts,figures

,and knowledge obtainabl e

about the gold - bearing lands in Alaska and the B ri t i sh

Yukon d istri ct . I t has drawn upon its immense resource s

to the ful l est extent , and has spared ne ither pains nor

money to gather th e sore ly needed in format ion whi ch

thousands Of men are demanding .

I n Klondike : The Chi cago Record’s Book for Gold

Seekers ,‘ every known pract i cal and contemplated route

to al l th e gold fie lds in the north i s fu l ly,comprehens ive ly

and minute ly descr ibed,with maps and table s o f d i stances

whi ch are abso lute ly re l iab l e . E veryth ing whi ch a gold

seeker shou l d know that can be placed in type i s con

ta ined i n th i s book . T H E CHICAGO RECORD i s

part i cularly wel l - equ ipped for gather ing th i s l arge

amount of in formation . I t was th e first newspaper in

3 2 5 703

PR E FACE .

the United States to send a sta ff correspondent to the

gold fie ld s,and h i s l ette r describ ing the great Klondike

strike w a s th e first announcement in thi s country of the

d iscovery .

I t has been publ i sh ing the most re l iab l e news of the

gold fie ld s under the arct ic c i rcl e for two years . I t had

in hand a l arge amount of i n formation , and w hat i t n eed

ed to make th i s book compl ete came over th e w i re s .

Many o f th e i l lu strat ions i n th i s book are c0 1) ied from

photographs taken by a staff correspondent of T H E

CHICAGO RE CO RD,and wi l l be found in no other

book .

The gold - seeker may take th i s book with h im as a

guide . I t al so can be plac ed in the home l ibrary , for i ts

pages have a di st inct educational value .

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTE R

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CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CH APTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

( h L APT E R

(H L APT E R

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

TABL E O F C O NT E NT S .

I—WH ERE TH E GOLD Is FOUND ,

l I—H ow T o G E T T o T H E K L O N D IK E ,

II I—THE GOLD - SEEKER S OUTF IT ,

IV—TH E YUKON AND ITS BRANCHE S ,

V—CAP ITAL REQU IRED BY GOLD - SEEKERS ,

V I—H INT S FOR PROSPECTOR S AND M IN ERS ,

V I I—UN ITED STATE S M IN ING LAWS .

V I I I - CANAD I AN M IN IN G LAWS ,

1

IX—R ICHNE SS OF THE PLACER M INE S ,

X—PAN VALUE S OF PAY IN G CLA I M S ,

X I—DANGERS OF TH E CH ILKOOT PA SS ,

X I I—TH E “ BACK D OOR ”R OUTE ,

X I I I—A YUKON DEL ICACY,

X IV—INTERNAT IONAL BOUNDARY D I SPUTE,

XV—COLD W INTERS AND SHORT S L 'MM E R S ,

XV I—PR O PE S S O R S PURR’

S REPORT,

XV I I—M A IL S ERVICE I N TH E K L O N D I R E,

XV I I I—L I FE IN DAWSON CITY,

X IX—OG ILV IE ‘

S REPORT ON THE YUKON D I STR ICT,

XX—GOLD HI STORY OF ALA SKA,

XX I—THE HUDSON ’S BA Y CO M PAN Y ,

XX I I—E L I GAGE '

S YUKON JOURNEY .

CHAPTER XX I I I—T H E M INER 'S THER M O M ETER,

CHAPTER XX IV—TH E WORLD ‘

S GOLD PRODUCT,

P a ge

0H 7

n;

i

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

C IIA PT E R

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHA PTER

CHAPTER

C HAPTER

CHAPTER

C HAPTER

CHAPTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

XXV—A M ODEL IND IAN TOWN,

XXV I—G A M E I N THE KLOND I KE CO I’N T R Y .

XXV I I—DOG S , IND IAN S AND R E IND E ER .

XXV I I I—HI STORY OF ALA SKA,

XX IX—QUEER SCH E M E S AND O D D PROJECTSXXX—CANADA ‘

S YUKON POL ICY,

XXX I—K NEW YUKON D I STR ICT YEARS AGO .

XXX I I—SO H E H I STOR ICAL GOLD CRA Z ES.

X XX I I I—GOLD I N A M ER ICAN DE SERTS

XXX IV—WO M EN IN THE KLOND I KE COUNTRY

XXXV—N EL S SOREN SEN ’S D IARY ,

XXXV I—PREPAR ING FO R TH E SPR ING RUSH

XXXVI I—SOL ID DR IN K S AND HARD FOO D ,

MAPS AND IL LUS T R AT IO NS .

KLOND I KE GOLD F IELDAL L WATER ROUTE

“OVERLAND ROUTE 2 6 , 2 7

TAKOU R IVER ROUTES T I K E E N R I VER ROUTEYUKON R IVER AND IT S BRANCHE S 0 0 6 1

BACK DOOR ROUTE SCOPPER R IVER GOLD F IELD

ILLUSTRAT ION S .

CH ILKOOT PA SS . Fr on ti sp iccc

M ILE S CANYON RAPIDSWHARF AT SEATTLESTART ING AT HEAD WATER SJUNEAUSECT ION OF A KLOND I KE PLACER M IN EM INER ‘

S PAN , CRADLE , LONG TO M AND PU M PWORK AT N IGHTNORTHWE ST M OUNTED POL ICEPLACER GOLD CLAI M , M ILLER

'

S C R E E K

HALT IN CH ILKOOT PA S SCIRCLE CITYV IEW ACROS S THE YUKONSNOW STOR M I N THE M OUNTA IN SSLU IC INGSTEA M ER ARCT IC , ’ YUKON R IVER

M APS AND ILLUSTRAT IONS .

SCENE ON FORTY M ILE C REEKD O G TRAINDAW SON CITYM ILE S CANYONLAKE BENNETTFORTY M ILE CREE K AND TOWNTH E F IRST PANPROSPECTORS STR I K ING A N E W C R E E K

ALA SKA STEA M ER “EXCELS IORAN ALA SKA GLAC I E RFORT CUDAH YSTEA M BOAT ON T I IE YUKONUNALASKAS AW M ILL ON T H E YUKONTREADWELL GOLD M I L L SS ITKAS ITKA HARBORA CACHE ON THE YUKONPACK HOR SE S TO T II E PA SSM I SS ION ON THE YUKON R IVER

K L O ND K E .

T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D’

S BO O K

G O L D - S E E K E R S .

CHAPTER I .

WH E R E T H E G O L D I S FO UN D .

H E Klondike pla ce r mine s are located

in the Northwest terri tory of Bri t i sh

America,j u st east o f the Alaskan

border l ine,and about mi l es

from the mouth of the Yukon river .

The Klondike i s a stream w h ich en

ters the Yukon about two mi l es fromD awson Ci ty w h ich i s about 1 70

mil e s frOnI Circ l e Ci ty . The Klon

d ike i s about 140 mile s i n l ength , running in a w e sterly

d irect ion,and the gold - bearing creeks

,Where the T ich e st

depos it s have been found,run into th e Klond ike from a

southerly d irect ion .

T w o and a h a lf mile s up the Klondike,from it s co nfl u

ence wi th the Yukon river,i s Bonanza creek

,which has

several smal l tr ibutari es . Twelve mi l es from W here the

Bonanza creek enters the K lond ike , and running ap

14 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’S

proximate ly paral le l wi th th e Yukon,i s E l Dorado creek

,

wh ich i s from twelve to fi fteen mil es in l ength . About

seven mi les further up Bonanza creek i s Gold Bottomcreek , and several mi l es b eyond i s Adams c reek , andsti l l n earer the so urce of Bonanza creek are smal l er

s treams ,“

al l gold bearing . Some twelve mil e s up th eKlondike i s B ear creek

,with i ts tr ibutari es ; twelve miles

beyond Hunker creek empties i nto the Klond ike,and

abou t th e same distance from there,up the Klond ike

,i s

T O O Much Gold creek . The richest finds have been madeprinc ipal ly on the Bonanza and E l Dorado

,but ri ch

str ike s have been reported on a l l the creeks named .

Prospectors have found ri ch depos it s on I ndian river,

whi ch empti es into the Yukon about fifty-mi les below

the Klondike . I nd ian river runs in a southwesterly d irect ion

,and runn ing out of Indian creek i s Quartz creek

,

3 wel l - explored stream about fi fty mi l es from the con

flu ence O f I nd ian creek and the Yukon . About s ix mil esfrom the mouth of Quartz creek

,extend ing in a north

erly d i rect ion to th e range of h i lls which separates thedel ta of I nd ian creek from that o f th e Klond ike

,i s Fi rst

Le ft Hand fork ; e ight mi les b eyond i s Kettl eson fork .

From the opposite s ide and running in an O pposi te d ire c

t ion out o f Quartz creek,and about five mile s from its

mouth,i s Ph i l creek . From the latest reports these

creeks are being prospected extens ively , and good finds

have been made .

All O f these rivers and creeks contain gold , and i t i s be

l ieved that over 50 0 claims w i ll be located in Ind ian creek

a lon e . Further south yet l i e s the head of s everal

branches o f Stewart river , on which some prospect inghas been done and good indi cat ion s found , but the wantof provi s ions prevented development . Gold has been

found in severa l -

o f th e streams join ing Pel ly river, and

BOOK FO R G OLD - SEEKE RS . 1 5

al so al l a long the Hootal inqua . I n the l in e of these finds

farther south i s the C a ss ia r gold fie ld in B ri t i sh Co lum

bia ; so the presumption i s that in the terr i tory a l ong

th e easterly watersh ed o f the Yukon i s a gold

bearing bel t o f indefini te width,and upward of three

hundred m i l e s long,exclu s ive of the B ri t i sh Columb ia

part of i t . O n the westerly s ide o f the Yukon prospect

ing has been done on a creek a short di stance above

Selki rk with a fai r amount of succes s,and on a large

creek some th irty or forty m i les below Selkirk fai r pros

peets have been found . But,as before remarked

,th e

diffi cul ty o f gett ing suppl i e s here prevents any exten

s ive or extended prospect ing .

The gold streak is anywhere from e ight to th i rty feet

from surface and is reached by s ink ing a shaft from two

to three feet wide and s ix feet long down to the pay

streak and then dri ft i ng under ground along the pay

streak . S inking th i s shaft and work ing the pay streak

i s made d ifficult from the fact that from the surface to

the deepest depth that has yet been reached the ground

i s a lways frozen,and a process o f firing

,i n order to thaw

out the ground,i s employed . A brush and wood fire i s

bu i l t i n the bottom of the shaft,which , burn ing al l n ight ,

thaws out the ground from eight to fourteen inche s . The

gravel i s shovel ed out during the day and the O perat ion

repeated unt i l the requ ired depth i s reached . The aver

age progres s in the shaft i s from eight to fourteen inches

per day . When the pay streak i s reached the m iners dri ft

under the ground,whi ch does not have to be supported

by t imbers on account o f i t s be ing frozen . The fire in

thawing out the pay streak generates a noxiou s gas ,wh ich

,afte r the fire has burned out

,must be expel l ed

before work can be done . This i s accompl ished by th e

u se of bel lows, fans and other devi ces . A mach ine , h ow

T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’S

ever, i s be ing'

m a nu fa ctu r ed i n Seattl e that i s expectedto expe l these gases speed i ly .

The process of p lacer min ing in Alaska i s about asfo l lows : After c learing al l the coarse gravel and stone

o ff a patch of ground,the miner l i ft s a l i tt le of the finer

gravel or sand in h i s pan . which i s a broad“

,shal low

di sh,made of strong sheet i ron or copper ; he then puts

i n water enough to fi l l the pan,and gives a few rap id

whirl s and shakes ; th i s tends to bring the gold to the

bottom,on account of i ts greater spec ific gravi ty .

The di sh i s then shaken and held in such a way that

the grave l and sand are gradual ly washed out , care be ingtaken as the proces s nears com plet ion to avoid l ettingout th e finer and heav ier parts that have sett l ed to th e

bottom . Final ly al l that i s l e ft i n the pan i s whatever

gold may have been in the di sh and some black sand,

which a lmost invariably accompan i es i t .

This b lack sand i s noth ing but pulverized magnet i ci ron ore . Should th e gold thus found be fine

,the con

tents o f the pan are thrown into a barrel containing wate rand a pound or two of mercury . As soon as the gol d

comes i n contact wi th the mercury i t comb ines with i tand forms an amalgam .

The process i s continued unti l enough amalgam has

been formed to pay for roast ing or fi ring .

” I t i sthen squeezed through a bucksk in bag

,a l l the mercury

that comes through the bag be ing put back into the barre l to serve again

,and what remains in the bag i s placed

in a retort,i f the miner has one

,or

,i f not

,on a shovel

,

and heated unti l nearly al l the mercury i s vaporized .

The gold then remains in a lump wi th some mercury sti l l

h e ld in combinat ion with i tTh i s i s ca l l ed th e pan or hand method

,and i s

never, on account o f its s lowness and laboriousn ess , con

BOOK FO R GOLD - SEEKERS . 1 7

t inned for any l ength of t ime when i t i s possib l e to pro

cure a rocker,

’ or to make and work s lu i ce s .

A rocker“ i s s imply a box about three feet long and

two wide,made in two parts

,the top part be ing shal

low ,w i th a heavy sheet - i ron bottom ,

wh ich i s punched

fu l l . of quarter- i nch hol es . The other part O f the box i s

fitted with an incl i ned she l f about m idway in i ts depth,

which i s s ix or e ight in ches lower at one end than at

the other . O ver th i s i s placed a piece o f heavy w oolen

blanket . The whol e i s then mounted on two rockers,

much res embl ing those of an ord inary cradle,and when

in use th ey are p laced on two block s o f wood so that th ewho le may be readi ly rocked .

After the miner has se l ected h i s c la im,he look s for the

most convenient place to set up h i s rocker,

" which must

be near a good supply of water . Then he proceeds to

cl ear away al l the stones and coarse gravel , gathering

the finer gravel and sand in a heap near the rocker .

The shal low box on top i s fi l l ed with th is,and with one

hand the miner rocks it,whi l e w ith th e other he ladl es

in water .

The finer matter with the gold fa lls through the hol e s

on to th e blanket,which checks i t s progress

,and holds

the fine part i c l e s of go ld,whi l e the sand and other matter

pas s over i t to th e bottom of th e box,whi ch i s l ped

so that what comes th rough i s washed downward andfinal ly ou t o f the box .

Across the bottom of the box are fixed th in s lats, be

h ind wh ich some mercury i s placed to catch any part ic le sof gold wh ich may escape th e b lanket . I f the gold i s

nuggety,the large nuggets are found in th e u ppe r box ,

the i r we ight deta in ing them unti l a l l th e l ighter s tuff

has passed through,and the smal l er ones are h e ld by a

deeper sl at at the outward end O f the bottom of th e

1 8 T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’S

box . The piece o f b lanket i s , at interval s , taken outand rinsed into a barre l ; i f the gold is fine

,mercu r y i s

p laced at the bottom of the barrel,as already ment ioned .

Slu i cing i s a lways emplo ved when poss ibl e . I t re

qui re s a g ood supply of water, with suffici ent head or fal l .The proces s i s as fol lows : P lanks are procured and

formed into a box of sui tab l e w idth and depth . Slats

are fixed acros s the bottom of the box at su i tabl e i nter

val s . or shal low holes bored in the bottom in such orderthat no part i c l e could run along th e bottom in a straightl ine and escape without running over a h o le .

Several O f these boxes are then set up with a cons ider

ab l e s lope,and are fi tted into one another at the ends

l ike a stovepipe . A stream of water i s now directed into

the upper end of the highest box . The g rave l'

h av ing

been col lected,as in the case of the rocker

,i t i s shove led

into th e upper bo x and i s washed downwards by thes trong current o f water .

The gold i s detain ed by i ts weight , and i s held by the

s lats or in th e hole s mentioned . I f i t i s fine,mercury

i s p laced behind the s lats or in these holes to catch i t .I n th i s way about three t imes as much dirt can be washedas by the rocker

,and consequently three t imes as much

gold i s secured i n a given t ime . After the boxes are

done with they are burned,and the ashes washed for

the gold he ld in the wood .

A great many of the miners spend thei r time in thesummer prospecting and in the winter resort to a methodlate ly adop-ted and which i s cal l ed burning . Theymake fires on the surface

,thu s thawing the ground unti l

the bed rock i s reached,then dri ft and tunnel . The pay

dirt i s brought to the surface and heaped in a pi l e unti lspring, when water can be O btained .

T h e sl u ice boxes are then set up and the d irt i s washed

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20 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD S

CHAPTER I I .

H O W T O G E T T O T H E K L O N D I K E .

ME R MAR I S, who was sent into Alaskain 1 896 by the CHICAGO RECORD

,

and who now i s on hi s way to th e Klon

d ike fie ld s , made the trip through the

Chi lkoot pas s . He describes the va

r ion s routes to th e Klondike as fo llows :

There are three princ ipal w ays of goi ng to the Klondike gold fi elds . O ne

i s an al l—water route from Seatt l e by way of th e mouth ofth e Yukon . I t i s a fi fteen day s’ voyage from Seattl e toSt . Michael . O n e

‘goes straight out into the Pacific to

ward Japan for m il es . Then one turn s through Un i

mak pass to the Aleutian i s lands , and touches fo r a day

at th e port of Dutch Harbor . Thence one sai l s away tothe north acro ss B ering sea and past the seal i s land s

, 80 0

mile s farther,to the port of St . Michae l .

Thi s i s a trans fer point,and the end o f th e ocean

voyage . At St . Michael,after a wai t of anywhere from

a day to two weeks,grant ing that th e river i s O pen

,one

may go aboard a flat - bottomed river steamer fo r another

fi fte en or twenty days’ voyage up the Yukon .

I f one should arrive at St . Michael as early as Aug .

0 5 he would have pr e tt good assurance of reaching th e

mines be fore cold weather closed river navigat ion,but

arriv ing later than that h i s chances would be good for

e ither wintering on the desolate l i ttl e i s l and of St . Mi

chael or trave l ing by foot and dog—s led th e mi le s

BOOK FO R G OLD —S EE KERS . 2 1

to the mines after th e river had frozen into a safe highway .

The di s tance from Seattl e to D awson City by way ofSt . Michael and the Yukon river accord ing to th e figures

of th e Alaska commerc ial company i s mi le s,as fo l

l ows :

Seattl e to S t . MichaelSt . Michae l to K u tl ik

K u tl ik to Andr e a fski

Andr e a fski to Holy Cros sHoly Cross to K o se r e fskyK o se r e fsky to AnvikAnvik to NulatoNu lato to Novikaka t

No vikaka t to TananaTanana to Fort YukonFort Yukon to Ci rcl e CityCi rc le Ci ty to Forty -Mil eForty—Mil e to Dawson City

D i stance from Seattl e

The other way of gett ing to th e m i nes , commonlycal l ed th e Juneau route

,i s much more d irect , but i t i s

broken by variou s methods o f transportat ion . The firs tstage i s a four days’ trip from Seattl e up the coast 90 0mil es to Juneau . Thi s i s the principal Alaskan port , a

town of inhab itants,and a very good outfitt ing

po int,as pri ce s are but li tt l e h igher than at the c it i es

of Puget sound . E verything that a miner needs can

be procured there in ordinary times , al though such a

ru sh as i s expected might exhaust th e resources o f the

town .

From Juneau there i s yet another short stage by sal twater— 1 0 0 mil es a l i tt l e west of north

,to the head of th e

Lynn cana l,a long

,narrow in let . The landing at th e

BO UN D /IR Y

M I C H AE L AND YUK ON R IVER S .

24 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD ’S

head of the in l et i s cal l ed D ye a , and has a trading post ,where the th ings that one inevi tab ly has overlooked in

th e first outfitting may be purchased . There i s al so atD yea a vi l lage of 2 0 0 or 30 0 Chilkoot I ndians , who make

thei r l iving by pack ing miners’ outfits over Chi lkoot pas s,

a portage of from twenty to thi rty - two mi le s,accord ing

to whi ch one of the chain of smal l lakes one chooses tobegin fresh - water navigation .

The I ndians have competi t ion for a part of the d i stance

,at l east in packing goods over th i s portage . Some

white contractors have tra ins of pack - horse s that are

u sed on the first twelve mil e s of th e d istance . Duringthe las t two seasons prices for transporting suppl ies from

D ye a to Lake B ennett , which latter place i s u sual lymade the beginn ing of Yukon navigat ion

,have vari ed

from 5 cents a pound to 1 6 cents . I n the event of therebe ing or men at the pas s at one t ime

,the

pres en t serv i ce wou ld be inadequate,and pri ces for pack

ing,no doubt

,would go to an extortionate figure . Nat

u ra lly,th i s wou ld ob l ige the maj ori ty of gold—seekers to

do the ir own packing . A thousand pounds of goods coul donly be cons idered a fa ir outfi t for one man

,and i f the

man had to carry i t h imsel f,i t would take h im no less

than a month to do i t .The next th ing

,afte r getting safely over th e pas s

,i s

to bu i ld a boat . Four men who are handy with tool s cantake the standing spruce

,saw out lumber and bui l d a

boat large enough to carry them and the ir poundsof provi s ions al l i n a week . I t should be a good

,staunch

boat,for there are storms to be encountered on the lakes

,

and rapids,moreover

,that would shake a frai l cra ft to

p i eces . The boat should have a sai l that cou ld be rai sed

and lowered conven iently .

With boat bu i lt one start s from the head of Lake B en


nett on the las t stage of the trip—a sa i l o f 6 0 0 miles

down stream (not count ing lakes) to Dawson City , atthe mouth of the Klond ike . With fa ir weather

,a t the

evening of the second day one reach es Mil e s canyon,

the beginning of the worst p i ec e of water on the trip .

The voyager has passed through Lake B ennett and

Taki sh and Marsh lakes . At the head of M il es canyonbegins three mi l es of i ndescr ibably rough water

,which

terminates in White Horse'

rap ids .During the rush of gold hunters i t i s probab le there

w i l l be men at Mi l es canyon who wi l l make a bus ines s

o f taking boats through the rap ids,and unle s s one i s

an experi enced river man it i s e conomy to pay a few do]l ars for such se rvi ce

,rather than to take the greater

chances of los ing an outfit .

After th e rap ids comes Lake L eBa rge , a beauti fu lsheet of water th i rty - five mil es long

,and in th i s connec ~

t ion a suggest ion i s des i rab le . Near the foot of the lake ,on the l eft s i de

,i s a creek coming i n wh ich marks a good

game country . A year ago and in prev ious seasons

moose were p lenti fu l there,and in the rugged mountains

nearer th e head of the lake there always have been goodhunt ing grounds for mountain sheep . A delay of a week

either in th i s local i ty or almost any of th e smal l s treamsthat flow into the succeeding 2 0 0 mile s o f river, for the

purpose o f lay ing in a good supply o f fre sh meat,i s

worth cons idering . Moose meat that can be preservedunt i l cold weather se ts i n wi l l se l l for a fancy pri ce .

The firs t trad ing post and settl ement o f wh ite mento be encountered . on the river i s at Fort Se lk irk

,O ppo

s ite th e mouth O f Pel ly r ive r. Thence i t i s a l i tt l e more

than a day'

s run down t o Sixty M il e , and i t takes l es sthan a day to go from Sixty Mile to Dawson City .

There i s anothe r suggest ion to cons i der be fore arr iv

ox C i"

S TA r e Nu t s

OVE R L AND ROUTE V IA



i ng at Sixty M i l e . Al l along that part of the river aremany timbered i s l ands

,covered with ta ll

,st ra igh t spruce .

Wi th such an influx of prospectors as i s expected at

Dawson City before winter begin s bui ld ing logs wi l l bein great demand . Cabin logs ten inche s in d iameter andtwenty feet long

,sold at Circ le C i tv l ast year , i n the raft ,

at $3 each . With an increased demand,and with better

mines,the pri ces at Dawson City may be much h igher .

Four men can handle eas i ly a raft o f 50 0 or 6 0 0 such

logs . Getting them out would be a matter of only a weekor two .

T h e di stance from Seattl e , via the Chi lkoot pass route ,according to figures m ade by the Northern Pac ific rai lw ay,

i s as fol lows :Mile s . Miles .

Seattl e to Juneau 899"P'Juneau to D ye a 96

D ye a to Lake L i ndemanAcross Lake L indemanPortage

,L i ndeman to Lake Bennett

Across Lake B ennett to C a r ibo o Cross ing . 30

Acros s Tagi sh lake 1 9Six -Mile r iver to Marsh lake 6

Acros s Marsh lake 2 0

Fifty -Mil e river from Marsh lake to LakeL eBa rg e 50

Acros s Lake L eBa rg e 3 1

Thirty -M i l e river to Hootal inqua river . 30

Down Hootal inqua and Lewes r ivers toFort Se lk irkFort Selk irk down the Yukon to DawsonCityTotal d i s tance from D ye a to D awsonCity

D i stance from Seattl e

*It‘

ste am e rs , h ow ever , go d i r e ct to D ye a th i s d i stancew ou l d b e sh ortene d per h aps 20 m i l es .

BOOK FO R GOL D - SEEKERS . 2 9

What i s known as th e Back Door route to the Klond ike

,and sometimes cal l ed the Hudson Bay company

'

s

route,i s by way of St . Paul to E dmonton , Northwest

terri tory,on the Canadian Pacific rai lroad . I t i s sa i d

that prospectors wi l l b e ab le to enter the Klondike d i s

t riet much earl ier i n the year i f they take th i s route . TheBack Door route starts from St . Pau l and M inneapo l i s

by way of the Soo l ine and the Canadian Pac ific , and

is al l rai l a s far as E dmonton . A stage l ine runs to Atha

basca Land ing on the Athabasca river,forty mi l e s aw av .

There the fo r tune hunter must prov ide h imsel f w i th a

canoe and head due north .

The Athabasca cu rrent w i l l carry h im into Athabasca

lake,and final ly into Great S lave lake

,whence the Mac

kenzi e river flows . From th e mouth of the Mackenzi e

the Pee l river must be taken south,and then by por tage

the Rocky mountain r ange i s crossed . Just acros s the

range the Stewart river opens th e way to the Klond ikeroute . The di s tance i s given by the Hudson’s Bay com

pany as mi les , as fol lows

Mi l es .E dmonton to Athabasca Land ingTo Fort McMu rrayFort ChippewyanSmith LandingFort SmithFort Reso lut ionFort ProvidenceFort SimpsonFort Wrigl ey

Fort Good HopeFort Macpherson

Total

TAK OU R IVE R R OUTE .

NC E S

L UN G !A

BOOK FO R GOLD - S EEKERS . 3 1

I t i s c la imed that there are but two portages,th e first

forty mi l es from E dmOnton to Athabasca Landing andthe second i s a s ixteen mi les’ tr i p at Smi th Landing .

This las t portage,however , i s easy to make , for th e Hud

son’s Bav company has bu i l t a tramway which can be

used . There are four or five other por tages on the rou te ,accord ing to the Canadian Pacific officia l s

,al l o f whi ch

are a few hundred yards i n l ength .

The Back Door route i s th e old H il dson Bay trunkl ine

,which was travel ed by Sir John Frankl i n in 1 82 5 ,

and almost constantly used by the Ind ians and trappers

ever s ince . I t i s down grade al l th e way . The Hudson ’s

B ay company has smal l fre ight st eamers ply ing whe rever

th e water i s of any depth . I t i s said that abl e - bodiedmen can make the trip from E dmonton to Fort Mac

pherson in fi fty to s ixty days . I f they reach the mouth

of the Mackenzi e and find the Pee l river frozen over they

have the O pt ion of dog trains , and i t i s c l a imed that the

u se of th e pack train cuts the d ifficu lt i e s o f th e Alaskan

route in hal f . A . H . Heming of Montreal , who aecom

pan ied Casper Whitney, when Whitney made h i s ex

plo ra tion s i n th e Barren lands , i s au thor ity for th i s state

ment :'

A party of three men with a canoe should reach Fort

Ma h e rso n eas i ly i n from fi fty to s ixty days,prov ided

they are ab le - bodied young fel lows with experi ence in that

sort of travel . They w i l l need to take canoe s from here,

unl es s th ey propose to h i re Indians with large b irch bark

canoe s to carry them . B irch bark canoes can be secu redof any s ize up to th e big ones manned by ten Ind ian s

that carry thre e ton s . But b irch barks are not re l iabl eunles s Ind ian s

'

a re taken along to doctor them and keep

them from gett ing water - logged . The Hudson’s Bay com

32 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’

S

pany wi l l al so contract to take fre ight northward on

their steamers unti l the close of navigat ion .

The rush through Ch i lkoot pass th i s year has con

gested that thoroughfare and has cau sed many peopleto look around for other ways for gett ing through the

mountain ranges into the country where the head watersof the Yukon can be reached . The first regularly organized prospect ing expedi tion wh ich started for th e Yukon

in 1 880 went through Ch i lkoot pass,and since then i t

has been looked upon as the only avai l abl e one . Thepeopl e of Juneau have been very partial to the Chi lkoot

pass,becau se al l persons going by that route must pass

th rough the ir ci ty both going and coming . This perhaps

has had someth ing to do wi th th e importance wh ich Chi lkoot pas s has attained as a gateway to the Yukon country . Now ,

however,that th e ru sh for the gold fields i s

on,with a prospect of a j am at Chi lkoot pas s next spring

,

the necessi ty has ar i s en for the invest igation of other

ways of breaking through the barr i er of mountains .

O n e of th e ways recommended i s known as th e Takouroute . The entrance to th i s in l et i s ten or twe lve mi les

south of Juneau,and i s navigable for the largest ocean

vesse l a di stance of e ighteen mi les to the mouth of theTakou river . This r iver i s navigabl e by canoe at al lstages of the water for a di stance o f fifty—three mil es toNak ina h river

,w here la nd trave l has to begin . A di s

tance of seventy mi l es must be traversed before LakeTesl in —one of the chai n of lake s which form the headw aters o f the Yukon— i s reached . From here the Yukon

can be reached by boat w i th comparat ive ease . The totaldi stance from Juneau to Lake Tesl in i s 1 50 miles .The Yukon river i s not navigab le for steamers of l ightdraught

,except during fresh et s

, w h ich last about a month

and usual ly occur in June . Indians say th e river i s open

BOOK FO R G OLD - S EEKERS . 33

from May to the m iddle o f September for canoe s carrying from two to four tons of fre ight . The wind duringthe summer i s from the southwest and sai l s are used on

the canoe , which greatly ass i st s i n work ing up against

a four—mil e current . At the end of the fourth day themouth of the Nakina h river i s reached . From here to

Lake Tesl in th e j ourney must b e made on foot . Thecours e i s up th i s stream unti l K a tu n e creek i s reached

,

four or five mi les . Then the course i s in a north east d ir e c

t ion over a low range of mountains,forming a beaut i fu l

and undulat ing country . According to the Indians,th e

snow in winter only fa l l s here to a depth of from 1 8 to 24i nches . The vegetat ion i n summer i s luxuri ant and

thou sands of head of stock could subs i st . The countryal l the way from the inl et abounds with game

,su ch as

ca r ibo o,deer

,ground—hog

,grouse

,etc . The rivers and

smal l l akes are al ive with fish . Several vari e ti e s of ber

ri es were al so found in great quanti t i e s .

O n both s ide s o f the Takou river up to the Nakina h

the country i s qu ite l evel,be ing bottom land

,and with

l i ttl e expense a good wagon road,or

,for that matter

,a

rai l road,cou ld b e constructed . From Nak ina h river um

t i l Tesl in lake i s reached there i s no place over which a

horse with a 2 0 0 —lb,pack could not travel . The country

traversed i s general ly dry. A few swamps are enco u n

te red,but no difficu l ty 18 found in gett ing around them .

With a wagon road or even a trai l th e head of canoe navi

ga t ion on the Takou to Lake Tesl in , accord ing to Indians

,th e thousands of people who are on thei r w ay to

the Klond ik e cou ld reach the i r desti nation without anydelays or s toppages

,and could take along almost a ny

kind of an outfi t . The steamers r unning north w ould cal l

i n at Takou in l et where a fl ee t of large canoes wou ld takepas sengers to th e head o f

'

naviga t ion, and from there by

D en y L nk E

BR In s u

O n C G E E K

S T IK E E N R IVE R ROUTE .


36 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD ’

S

cal l ed J imtown,where

-

w e camped . From th is pom t weproposed to run over the l evel h igh land

,thereby m ak

ing a more direct rou te to the lake , but found that routewou ld be impract i cab l e on account of the snow ,

a largequanti ty be ing on th e g round at the t ime , so that routew a s abandoned , and then i t was dec ided to cu t a newtrai l from Tel egraph creek stra ight across on the le ft ofTahl tan river

,cros s ing the west fork about fi fteen mil es

from Tel egraph and five mil es farther on connect ing with

the old Hudson Bay trai l,making a saving of about twen

ty mile s between the points mentioned .

The old tra i l was c l eared of al l obstruct ions and fo l

l owed to th e ol d Hudson bay post , where some log bui ldings sti l l s tand . I t i s here that the only h i l l of any a c

count was encountered,that being about three mil es of

heavy grade . However, I am sure th i s can be remediedby cutti ng a new trai l around the h i l l

,fo l lowing the

creek . The country i n general i s very open , and whatt imber there i s i s very smal l and scrubby . A good dealo f swamp land i s found and i t i s very mossy in p lac es

,

but with some co rdu rov and ditch ing or drain ing a finetra i l would be the re su lt

,and I bel i eve i t would be the

best rou te to the Yukon . The trai l runs through a val

ley from five to twenty mi l es wide , which i s very leve lwi th the exception of th e h i l l mentioned and a fewgulches

,on whi ch we made good grades and got over

eas i ly .

About th irty m i le s'

th is s ide o f Lake Tesl in we reachedthe summit

,where waters run north . I may say the head

waters o f th e Yukon commence from th i s po int . A greatnumber o f l ake s were found . T h e last fi fteen mi l es wasas good bottom as any found on the trai l . Here we

found a large river running into th e lake,which I sup

pose i s formed by the lakes ment ioned and the surround

BOOK FO R GOLD - SEEKERS . 39

i ng watershed . The lake was reached and we were'

with in

e ight or ten days of Klondike,with smooth water and no

portages .When the government grant i s expended on the tra i l

the trip could be made in twe lve or fi fte en days with apack tra in from Tel egraph creek

,at per pound , say , 1 2

cents,and cou ld l eave by the m iddle of May in ordinary

seasons and by the t ime the des tinat ion wou ld be reachedthe i ce would be out o f the lakes . O n e very important

feature of th e trai l i s that abundant gras s i s to be foundal l the way .

Approximate di stances from Seatt le to D awson Cityover the S tike en route °

Seattl e to Fort WrangelFrom Fort Wrange l up S tike en r iver to Te legraphcreek

Telegraph creek to Tes l in lake (overland)Tesl i n lake to D awson City

,through Tesl i n lake

,

Hootal inqua river,Lewes r iver and Yukon r iver .

Total d i stance from Seatt l e to Dawson

O ne party of gold seekers fol lowed the S t ike en route .

A member of the party,Albert D . Gray , of Grand Rapids ,

Mich , describe s the route fu l ly . As the S tike en route i s

to be developed and improved by the Canad ian government

,Mr . Gray

’s detai l ed descript ion is of cons iderab levalu e . He sa id :

From Seattl e we went to Fort Wrangel,140 mi l es

th i s s ide o f Juneau,and there we took the l 5o - ton steamer

Alaskan , which pl i e s on the S t ike en river . The S tike enrive r i s very broad at some points and at others wherei t runs through canyons i t narrows down to 1 0 0 feet or

so,j us t room enough for the s teamer to pas s between

the steep , rocky wal ls. Rapids were numerous, and fre

40 T H E CHIC AGO RECORD’S

qu en tlv the crew would have to go ashore and‘l in e’ th e

steamer through a narrow rapid , where the water ran

so swift ly that i t made us dizzy ; when nearing a b i t ofwater o f th i s k ind the propel l er was never u sed . Aftershutting down the mach inery , l i ne s would be attachedto a steam capstan on the deck of the steamer . The ends

o f these l ines then were made fast to trees on e ither s ide

O f the r iver, and by means of the steam capstan the boatwas warped along caut ious ly unti l open water was

reached .

The weather was not so cold as we looked - for j u stbracing ; the trai l a long the S t ike en

' fo llow s th e left bankof th e river almost to th e confluence of the Isko o t r iver ,where i t crosses the S tikeen ,

fo l lowing the l eft bank of theIsko o t to Telegraph creek . At that point th e trai l trends

to the west and north as far as the Tahl ian river,fo l low ing

that course over a great flat plateau unt i l the foot of Te s »

l in,or Al l en’s

,l ake i s reached . Telegraph creek i s

,as

far as the S t ike en river, navigabl e .

There were three others bes ide s C happel l and myse l fi n the party wh ich reached Tel egraph creek on the Alaskan . At the creek s ix white men and two Sti ck Indian s

j oined our party . We hired the I ndians to act as guidesas far as th e C a ssia r gold diggings near D i e s e lake , s eventy

- two mi le s to the north of Te legraph creek . Westarted for D i ese lake afoot

,pack ing our provi s ions and

suppl i es,of which we had an abundance , on th irteen

horses . O n th i s j ourney we made about s ix mi l es every

twenty - fou r hours,going into camp whenever we fe l t

l ike i t .At the C a ssia r diggings we found a few Chinamen

work ing placers,but they made only a bare l iv ing

,so

our party after look ing over the ground decided not to

stay there . We concluded to push on for Lake Tesl in,

BOOK FO R GOLD - SEEKERS . 4]

which i s about 140 mile s to the north of C assia r . Prev iou s

to that t ime some whi te men had been as far on that

route as th e K o ukitch ie lakes , seventy - five mil es beyond

Tel egraph creek,but we blazed th e tra i l from that point

on to Lake Tesl i n and through to the Yukon river . I t

i s probab le that we made some dev iat ion s from what

i s now the known . route . The tramp to Lake Tes l i n wasnot so very diffi cul t

,cons idering that we were in a coun

try never before trodden by the foot o f a c iv i l ized man .

We had some troub le with rivers and creeks, and had

to cut down trees and lay bridges across Nahl in rive r and

B eebe creek . I t i s a comparat ive ly safe and easy j our

ney,neverthe les s .

O n th e 1 9th day of Ju ly we reached Lake Tesl in . I t

i s one of the most beaut i fu l bodi es o f waters on the Amer

i can continent . I ts dimensions are about 1 30 mi les long

by an average of thre e and one - hal f mi le s wide . When

we were there the ground was free of snow and vegeta

t ion was abundant . We remained i n the vi c in ity of Lake

Tesl in some two or three week s , when Chappel l and I

decided to l eave th e others and try to find our way to

the Yukon r iver . Before sett i ng out we prospected up

the N isu la tine river, but found no gold . Upon leav ing

the lake my friend and I fol lowed the Hootal inqua or

Tesl in rive r,a fine stream about 1 2 0 mil es i n l ength ,

toward the Klondike country . I t flows into th e Yukon

j ust above th e Klond ike distr i ct,where i t and Th irty

M i le or Lewes river j oin i n practi cal ly forming the Y u

kon . Here a l l the tra i l s into that country meet together

i n a great canyon in S em inow h i lls. Thirty -Mile river

drain s the lakes about D yea pass .

After leav ing the mouth of th e Hootal i nqua we fo l

lowed the Yukon s lowly i nto D aw son City , w hich we

reached on th e 1 2 th of O ctob er .


CHAPTER I I I .

T H E G O L D SEEK E R’

S O UTFIT .

E XT to a supply of ready cash a man who

has designs upon the p lacer mines of

the Klondike region wi l l need at l eastone year

’

s supply of food,cloth ing and

work ing material s . This i s th e advicewh ich i s given by al l who have returned

from the scene of th e great gold strike s .The miners and prospectors who have

been to Alaska ins i s t that no man

S hould th ink of going to that coun try for the purpose o f

prospect ing for gold without at l east one year’

s supply

of provi s ions and with a cash capita l of at least $50 0 to

Many of those who rushed for the Klondike th i s vear

fai l ed to take th i s advi ce,and as a consequence large

numbers were turned back by the Northwestern mounted

pol i ce at the very gateway . Hundreds o f l i st s O f essent ia ls have been made up by men who are experi encedAlaska prospectors and miners . An analys i s of tw entyso - cal l ed pract ical l i st s i nd icates that the l i s t makers had

largely consu lted the i r i ndividual pre ferences as to thequanti ty and qual i ty of certa in kinds of rough and ready

d e l i caci es .Th is analys i s shows that the man who h a s l ived i nAlaska among the gold—bearing creeks for anywhere

from one to ten years figures that an adequate supplyof food per day per man varies from four and a hal f to

five and a hal f pounds . Thi s would bring the actualfood S upply for one year for each person to fu l ly


44 T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’S

Matches , packagesSoup vegetab les

,pounds

Butter,sea l ed

,cans

Tobacco,at d i sc retion

Stove,stee l

Gold panGran i te bucket s

,1 nest of

CupsPlates (t i n)Knives and forks

,each

Spoons—tea , 1 ; tabl eWhetstonesCoffee potPi ck and handl eSaw

,hand

Saw,whip

HatchetShovel s , springNai l s

,pounds

Fi le sD rawkni feAx and handleChi se l s

, 3 s ize sButcher kn ifeHammerCompasJack planeSquareYukon sl e ighLash rope , i - inch

,fee t

Rope, é - i nch , fe et

Pitch,pounds

O akum ,pounds

Frying pansWool en clothes .Boots and shoes .S now - glas se s .I f one is not going to bui l d a boat , the oakum , pitchand tool s can be d i spensed with . I n summer a s l ed i s

no t neces sary .

’

Those going on a S teamer by way of


St . Michae l are recommended to take p lenty of de l i

caci es,cost ing l i tt l e

,bu t greatly apprec iated . Above al l

,

the caut ion i s given,take plenty .

The North ern Pacific rai l road company has made up

a l is t of suppl i e s neces sary for one man for one year for

th e Klond ike m ining outfit and the cost of the same at

Seattl e and Tacoma . The passenger offic ia l s o f the road

say that th i s l i s t can be re l i ed upon as contain ing everyth ing that i s needed :Bacon

,pounds

Flour,pounds

Rol l ed oats,pounds

B eans,pounds

Tea , poundsCoffee

,pounds

Sugar,pounds

D ri ed potatoes,pounds

D ri ed on ions,pounds

Salt , poundsPepper

,pounds

D ri ed fru its,pounds

Bak ing powder,pounds

Soda,pounds

E vaporated vinegar,pounds

Compressed soup,ounces

S 0 ap,cake s

Mustard,can s

Matches (for four men), t in sStove for four men .

Gold pan for each .

Set granite buckets .Large bucket .Kni fe

,fork

,spoon

,cup and

Frying pan .

Coffe e and tea pot .Scythe stone .

Two picks and one shove l .O n e whipsaw .

Pack strap.

46 T H E CHICAGO RECORD 'S

Two axes for four men and one extra handle .

S ix 8- i nch fi l e s and two taper fi l e s for party .

D rawing kni fe,brace and b i ts

,j ack plane and hammer

,

for party .

2 0 0 feet three - e ighths - i nch rope .

8 pounds of p itch and five pounds of oakum for fourmen .

Nai l s , five pounds each of 6 , 8, 1 0 and 1 2 - penny,for

four men .

Tent,1 0 x 1 2 fe et

,for four.

Canvas for wrapp ing.

Two oi l b lankets to each boat .

5 yards mosqu i to netting for each man .

3 su i t s heavy underwear .1 heavy mackinaw coat .2 pairs heavy mackinaw trousers .1 heavy rubber - l ined coat .1 dozen heavy wool sock s .dozen heavy wool mittens .

2 heavy oversh irts .2 pai rs h eavy snagproo f rubber boots .2 pai rs shoes .

4 pa i rs b lankets (for two men).

4 towel s .2 pai rs overal l s .1 su i t oi l cloth ing .

Besides these th ings each man procure s a smal l as sor tment o f medic ines , and each i s provided W i th severalchange s o f summer clothing .

The foregoing outfit costs in round figu res as fol lows :Groceri esCloth ingH ardware

TotalThe outfits purchased in Seattl e by twenty experi enced

m iners on thei r way to the Klond ike are regarded asmodel s by miners and prospectors who have returnedfrom that region . The twenty men first d ivided them


se lve s into five parti e s of four men each,intend ing to

have a boat for each party as wel l as a tent,and variou s

smal ler arti c l e s . The main items of th e i r outfit s are asfol lows , the items , when not otherwi se mentioned , be ingfor one m an

Bacon,pounds

Flour,pounds

Rol l ed oats,pounds

B eans,pounds

Tea , poundsCoffee

,pounds

Sugan poundsD ri ed potatoes , poundsD ri ed on ions

,pounds

Sal t,pounds

Pepper,pounds

Dri ed fru i ts,pounds

Baking powder,pounds

Soda,pounds

E vaporated vinegar , poundsCompres sed soup

,ounces

S o ap, cakes

Mustard,can s

Matches (for four men), t ins .

R i ce,pounds

Stove for four men .

Gol d pan for each .

Set gran ite buckets .Large bu cket .Kni fe

,fork

,spoon

,cup and plate .

Fry ing pan .

Coffee and tea pot .Scythe s tone .

Two p i ck s and one shove l .O n e whipsaw .

Pack strap .

Two axes for four men and one extra handle .

S ix 8- inch fi l e s and two taper fi l e s for party .

D rawing kni fe,brace and bits , j ack plane and hammer ,

for party .

48 T H E CHIC AGO RECORD ’S

2 0 0 fee t 3 - 8- i nch rope .

8 pounds of p itch and five pounds of oakum for fourmen .

Nails , five pounds each of 6,8,1 0 and 1 2 - penny

,for

four men .

Shoemaker’s thread .

Shoemaker’s awl .Gum for patch ing gum boots .Tent

,1 ox 1 2 feet

,for four.

‘Canvas for wrapping .

Two O i l blankets to each boat .

5 yards mosqu ito nett ing for each man

3 su i ts h eavy underwear .1 heavy mack inaw coat .2 pairs heavy mackinaw trousers .32» dozen heavy wool socks .dozen heavy wool mittens .

2 heavy oversh irts .2 pairs heavy snagpro o f rubber boots .2 pai rs shoes .

3 pai rs b lankets (for two men).

4 towel s .2 pai rs overal l s .1 su i t oi l c loth ing .

2 rubber bl ankets .B esides these th ings each man procures a smal l a s

so rtment o f medic ines,and each i s prov ided with several

changes o f summer cloth ing .

Here i s a l i s t o f medicin es for fou r men :2 5 C worth cascara sagrada bark .

I bottl e good whisky .

3 boxes carbol i c salve .

1 bott l e arn ica .

The above outfit cost in round figures as fol lows :0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Fare to D yea and inc idental s brought the expen se o fthese twenty prospectors up to about $ 1 75 each . They

bel ieve that they are very wel l suppl i ed for a year’

s stav

in the land of the midnigh t sun .

It wi l l be noti ced that the l i sts made up by the twenty

m iners and the l i st O f the Northern Pacific rai l road areident i cal i n many respects

,i nd i cating that the mi ners

based the ir est imates upon the est imat e made by the rai l

road company . The miners made up the i r l i s ts,however,

after numerous consu l tat ions with returned miners in

Seattl e,and

,as a re su lt

,made up a l ighter pack .

A Seattl e outfitt i ng house,which has been in the bus i

ness for a number o f years,made out the fol lowing

standard l i st o f c loth ing,which the propr ie tor of the

estab l i shment sa id would weigh 140 pounds , and would

be necessary , i f the miner wanted to be real ly comfortab l ei n the Klondike regions :

Four su it s wool underclothesTwo heavy sweatersTwo mackinaws” or Havre shi rts .

Four pairs caribou mittensTwo fu r capsTwo fur robesThree pai rs b lanketsThree pa irs overal lsFour pa i rs moccas in sO n e cape

,with hood

,park i e

Four heavy wool sh irtsThree pai rs rubber bootsTwelve pai rs wool stock ings

Total s

Thi s outfitt ing establ i shment has adopted th e fol lowing

Seattl e Forty M i l epri ce . price .

2 0 0 0

1 0 0 0



they are east of the Rocky mountains,i t wi l l be the better

pol i cy to purchase suppl i es i n San Franci sco,Seattl e

,

Portland , Victori a or from whatever port the start i smade . I n those c i t i e s everything that w i l l b e requ ired

can be obtained,and the outfitting establ i shments and

stores w i l l pack the goods in a way which experi ence has

proved to be th e best .

O mer Maris , of the CH I CAGO RECORD,who has

made the trip overland and al so down the Yukon,sent

the fol lowing suggestion regarding boats from Seattl ej u st before he sai l ed for D ye a Aug . 2

,for the benefit of

those who intend to go overland :

The greatest demand for any parti cu lar th ing i s forboats . Peopl e , to save time in gett ing down the river,shou ld take the i r boats wi th them . A hal f dozen

carpenters or plan ing- mil l establ i shments have caught

the idea and are work ing night and day turn ing out

knockdown boats . O n e that wi l l carry a ton costs about

$ 1 8 and weighs about 2 0 0 pounds . I t i s taken apartwith no piece s more than s ix or seven feet long andpacked for shipping . The demand i s so good for th ese

boats that th e bu i l ders are several days behind with the irorders

.The prin cipal obj ection to them i s that the In

dians and packers di s l ike to contract to carry them over

the mountains on account of the ir awkward shape . O n e

bu ilder has now worked out a model for a galvanized iron

boat that can be carr ied in s ect ions fi tt ing together l ike

a . nest of custard di shes and can be put together wi thsmal l bol ts . As a suggestion to those coming from theeast

,I would say that a canvas fold ing boat that wi l l carry

two tons and i s constructed on good l ines would‘

be veryavai lab l e for the Yukon . A keel , mast and some addi

t iona l brac ing could be added afte r reaching the i nterior .

O ne of the m iners who returned from the Yukon di s


tr iet afte r five years in that country had th i s word of advice

to give to tenderfeet :“Very rare ly i s suffic i ent importance attached to the

medical chest,which shoul d have a place in every pros

pe cto r’

s pack . I n case of emergency,drugs and ap

pl iance s for th e re l ie f of pain are invaluabl e . A supply

of c i tri c acid should be carri ed for the re l i e f o f s curvy .

The astringent property of the l ime or lemon i s due to

thi s acid . A few drops mixed with water and sugarmakes excel l ent l emonade . The drug sto r e

'

can furn i sh

saccharin tablet s i n place o f sugar ; three - quarters o f an

ounce of th is concentrated sweet i s equal to twenty - five

pounds of sugar . I t w i l l be eas i ly seen what a sav ing

th i s would effect . An hundred pounds of sugar at 55cents per pound would be Add to th i s 2 2 centsper pound for pack ing over th e summit at D ye a ,

and the

tota l cost i s bes ides the room i t would take . Sac

chari n costs but an ounce,and the three ounces

,

equal to 1 0 0 pounds of sugar , would cost but thecost o f pack ing be ing nominal for such smal l bu lk .

Some preparation for the recept ion of th e myriads of

mosqu i toes i s al so neces sary .

The fol lowing art i cl e s would each be found of u se , to

be purchased in quanti t i e s according to the j udgment of

the ind ividual : L in iment for sprains and cold on thelungs

,t incture o f i ron to enri ch the blood

,extract of Ja

maica ginger,l audanum

,vasel ine

,carbol i c ointment

,

sal t s,cough tabl ets , mustard and adhes ive plasters , su r

geon’s l in t,bandages

,l iver pi l l s , powder for bl eeding , ab

sorbent cotton,su rgeon’s sponge

,needle s and s i lk

,qu i

nine capsul es and toothach e - drops .

All suppl i e s are subj ect to a tariff tax by th e Canadian

government , and i f th i s po l icv i s continued , gold seekers


must be prepared to pay the Canadian cu stoms official san entry tax as fol lows :

Shovel s and spades , picks , etc . ,2 5 per cent .

Horses,2 0 per cent .

Axes , hatchets and adzes , 2 5 per cent .Bak ing powder

,6 cen ts per pound .

Bed comforters, 3 2 5 per cent .

Blankets, 5 cent s per pound and 2 5 per cent .

Boats and sh ips’ sa i l s,2 5 per cent .

Rubber boots,2 5 per cen t .

Boots and shoes,2 5 per cent .

Breadstuffs,v iz .

,grain , flour and m ea l of al l k inds

, 2 0

pe r cent .Butter

, 4 cents per pound .

Candle s,2 8 per cent .

Cartridge s and ammunit ion, 30 per cent .

Cheese , 3 cents per pound .

Cigars and c igarette s, $2 per pound and 2 6 per cent .

Cloth ing—Socks,1 0 cents per dozen pai rs and 35 per

cen t .Knitted go o ds

'

o f every descripti on , 35 per cen t .R e a dv- made goods

,partial ly of wool

, 30 per cent .Waterproof c lothing

, 35 per cent .Coffee

,condensed

, 30 per cent : roasted , 2 cents perpound and 1 0 per cent ; subst i tutes , 2 cents per pound ;extracts


Condensed mi lk, 3 c ent s per pound .

Cotton kni tted goods , 35 per cent .Crowbars

, 3 5 per cent .Cut lery

, 35 per cent .Dogs

,2 0 per cent .

D rugs,2 0 per . cent .

Duck,from 2 0 to 30 per cent .

E arthenware , 30 per cent .E dge tool s

, 35 per cent .Fire arms

,2 0 per cent .

Fi shhooks and l ine s,2 5 per cent .

Flou r,wheat

, 75 cents per barre l ; rye , 50 cents pe rbarrel .Fru its, dried , 2 5 per cent .

BOOK FO R G O LD - SEEK ER S .

Fru i t s,prunes , rai s in s , currants , 1 cent per pound .

Frui ts,j e l l i e s

,j ams

,preserves


Fur caps,muffs

,capes

,coats

,2 5 per cent .

Furn itu re, 30 per cent .

Galvan ized i ron or t inware, 30 per cent .

Guns,2 0 per cent .

Hardware,

per cent .Harnes s and sadd l ery

, 30 per cen t .Jers eys

,knitted

, 35 per cent .Lard

,2 cen ts per pound .

L i nen cloth ing , 3 2 s per cent .Maps and charts

,2 0 per cent .

Meats,canned

,2 5 per cent ; i n barre l , 2 cen ts

pound .

O atmeal , 2 0 per cent .O i l ed c loth

, 30 per cent .Pipes

, 35 per cent .Pork

,in barre l

,2 cents a pound .

Potatoes,1 5 cents a bushel .

Potted meats,2 5 per cent .

Powder,min ing an d blast ing ,

2 cents a po im d .

R i c e,1 1 -4 cents a pound .

Sacks or bags,2 0 per cent .

Sawmi l l s,portab l e

, 30 per cent .Sugar, 64- 1 0 0 cents a pound .

Surgical i n struments,1 5 per cent .

Tents, 32 3

1,per cent .

Tobacco, 42 cents per pound and 1 2 9; per cent.

5 5

56 T H E CHICAGO R ECORD ’

S

CHAPTE R IV

T H E YUK O N AND IT S BR ANC H ES .

E FO R E Will iam O gi lvi e , th e famous

explorer and the Domin ion land sur

veyo r of the D epartment o f the In

te r io r of the Canad ian government ;surveyed the ent ire d i stance fromD yea to the cross ing of the i nternat ion a l boundary l ine and the Yukon

river,the informat ion respecting the

Yukon di strict was derived from hearsay and unrel iab l esources . Mr . O gi lv ie i s regarded as th e best in formedman in th e worl d in regard to th i s di strict

,which has

become famous the world over si nce gold was stru ck on

the Klond ike . He has embodi ed a fund of informat ionof th e utmost value to prospectors in h i s report

,which

i s j ust o ff the presses of the government print ing bureau

at O ttawa, O ntario .

His surveys of th e Yukon and i ts tributari e s weremade for th e purpose of giv ing to th e Canadian govern

ment the in formation needed for tak ing up the quest ionof impfoving th e navigab i l ity of those r ivers . As goldhas been found in . almost al l o f the creeks

,st reams and

rivers named by Mr. O gi lv i e in h i s valuab le report , i t i sreprinted i n these pages for the purpose of gi ving minersand prospectors authent i c in formation derived from an

official sou rce . I t i s as fol lows :For the purpose o f navigat ion a descript ion of the

Lewes river begins at the h ead of Lake B ennett . Abovethat point

,and between i t and Lake L indeman , there

BOOK FO R GOL D - SEEKERS . 57

i s only about three - quarters o f a mi l e of river,which

i s not more than fi fty or s ixty yards wide,and two or

three feet deep,and i t i s so swi ft and rough that naviga

tion i s out o f the quest ion .

Lake L i ndeman i s about five m il es long and a hal fmi l e wide . I t i s deep enough for al l ordinary purposes .Lake B ennett i s twenty - s ix and a quarter mi le s long

,for

the upper fourteen of which i t i s about hal f a mi l e wide .

About midway in i ts l ength an arm comes in from thewest

,which S ch w a tka appears to have m istaken for a

river, and named Wheaton river. Thi s arm i s wider thanthe other arm down to that po int

,and i s reported by In

dians to b e longer and heading in a glaci e r whi ch l i e s

i n th e'

pa ss at the head o f Chi lkoot in l e t . This arm i s ,as far as i s seen

,surrounded by high mountains

,ap

pa rently much higher than thos e on the arm we travel ed

down . Below the j unct ion of the two arms the lake i sabou t one and a hal f m i les wide

,with deep water . Above

the forks the water o f the east branch i s muddy . Thi s i scaused by the streams from the numerous glac ie rs onthe head of the tributari es o f L ake L indeman .

A stream which fl ows into Lake Bennett at the sou thwest corner i s al so very di rty

,and has shoal ed qu i te a

large portion o f the lake at i t s mouth . The beach at

the lower end of th i s lake i s comparat ive ly flat and thewater shoal . A deep

,wide val ley extends northwards

from the north end of the lake,apparent ly reach ing to

the canyon,or a short d i stance above i t . Thi s may have

been originally a course for the waters o f th e river . The

bottom of the val l ey i s wide and sandy , and covered withscrubby timber

,princ ipal ly poplar and p i tch p ine . The

waters o f the lake empty at th e extreme northeas t angl e

through a channel not more than 1 0 0 yard s wide , which

soon expands i nto what S ch w a tka cal l ed Lake Nares


(the connect ing waters between Lake B ennett and Tagish

lake consti tute what i s now cal led Caribou cross ing).

Through thi s narrow channel there i s qu i te a current,

and more than seven feet of water,as a s ix - foot paddle

and a foot of arm added to i ts l ength did not reach the

bottom .

The h i l l s at the upper end of Lake L i ndeman ri seabruptly from the water

’

s edge . At the lower end theyare nei ther so steep nor so h igh . Lake Nares i s onlytwo and a hal f mi l es long , and its greatest w idth i s about

a mi l e ; i t i s not deep , but i s navigabl e for boats draw ingfive or s ix fee t of water ; i t i s s eparated from Lake Ben

n ett by a shal low,sandy point of not more than 2 0 0 yards

i n l ength . No streams of any consequence empty intoe i ther of these lakes . A smal l river flows into Lake B ennett on the west s ide

,a short d is tance north of the fork

,

and anothe r at the extreme northwest angl e,but neither

of them is of any consequence in a navigable sense .

Lake Nares fl ows through a narrow curved channel

i nto Bove lake (S ch w a tka). This channel i s not more

than 60 0 or 70 0 yards long , and the water in i t appearsto be suffic i ently deep for boats that could navigate thelake . The land between the l akes along th i s channel i slow

,swampy and covered wi th wi l lows

,and at the stage

i n which I saw it,did not ri se more than three fee t above

the water. The h i l l s on the southwest s ide s lope upeas i ly

,and are not h igh ; on the north s ide the deep

val l ey already re ferred to borders i t ; and on the eas t

s ide the mountains ri s e abruptly from the lake shore .

Bove lake (cal l ed Tagish lake by D r. Dawson) i sabout a m il e wide for th e first two mi l es o f i t s l ength ,when i t i s j o ined by what the miners have cal led Windyarm . O n e of , the Tagi sh I nd ians informed me theycal l ed i t Takone lake . Here th e lake expands to a width


“

h m“ com a ;

In a IAN

YUK ON R IVE R AND IT S BRANC H E S , FROM R EPORT O F W I LL IAM ODOM IN ION SU RVEYO R .

L LAO!

(R avens

”AK‘9

YUK ON R IVER AND IT S BRANC H E S , FRO M R EPOR T O F W I LL IA M O G I L VIFDOM IN ION SU R VEYO R .

Th i s i s a com b ina t i on o f th e Ma p on o ppos i te pa g e .


ya rds wide, and for a short d is tance not more than five

or s ix feet deep . The depth i s,however

,soon increased

to ten feet or more , and so cont inues down to what

S ch w a tka cal l s Marsh lake . The miners ca l l i t Mud

lake,but on th i s name they do not appear to be agreed

,

many of them cal l i ng the lower part o f the Tagi sh or

Bove lake ‘Mud lake,

’ on account o f i t s shal lowness

and fl at,muddy shores , as s een along the west s ide , the

s ide nearly always travel ed,as i t i s more shel tered from

the prevai l ing southerly winds . The term ‘Mud lake’

i s,however

,not app l icab le to th i s lake

,as only a com

pa ra tive ly smal l part o f i t i s shal low or muddy ; and it

i s n early as inappl icab le to Marsh lake,as the latter i s

not marked ly muddy along the west s i de,and from the

appearance of the east shore one would not j udge i t to

be so,as the banks appear to be h igh and grave l ly .

'

Marsh lake i s a l i tt l e over n ineteen mi les long,and

averages about two mi le s in width . I tri ed to determine

th e width of i t as I went along with my survey,by tak ing

azimuths of points on the eastern shore from different

s tat ions of th e survey ; but in onl y one case did I succeed ,as th ere were no prominent marks on that shore wh ich

cou ld be ident ified from more than one place . The

p iece o f river connecting Tagi sh and Marsh lakes i sabout five mi l es long

,and averages 1 50 to 2 0 0 yards in

width,and

,as already mentioned

,i s deep

,except for a

short di stance at the head . O n i t are s i tuated the only

I nd ian houses to be found in the interior with any pre

tention to ski l l i n constru ction .

The Lewes river,where i t l eaves Marsh lake

,i s

about 2 0 0 yards wide,and averages th i s w idth as far as

the canyon . I d id not try to find bottom anyw here as I

went along,except where I had reason to th ink it shal low

,

and there I always tri ed with my paddle . I d id not any

BOOK FOR GOLD - SEEKERS . 63

where find bottom with th i s , w h ich shows that there i sno part of th i s stretch of the river wi th le s s than s ix fee t

o f water at med ium heigh t , at whi ch stage i t appeared

to me the river was at that t ime .

F rom the head of Lake B ennett to th e canyon the corr e cted di stance i s ninety - five mile s

,al l o f whi ch i s nav i

gab le for boats drawing five fee t or more . Add to th i s

the westerly arm of Lake Bennett,and the Takone or

Windy arm of Taki sh lake,each about fi ft een mi l e s in

l ength,and the Taku arm of the latte r lake

,of unknown

length,but probably not l es s th an

i

th irty mi le s , and we

have a stretch of water o f upwards of one hundred mi les

in l ength,al l eas i ly navigabl e ; and , as has been pointed

out eas i ly connected with Taiya in le t through the White

No streams of any importance enter anv of theselakes so far

'

as I know . A river,cal l ed by S ch w a tka

‘McC l in to ck river ,’ enters Marsh lake at the lower end

from the east . I t occupie s a large val l ey,as seen from

the westerly s ide o f the lake , but the stream i s apparent ly

unimportant . Anoth er smal l s tream , apparently on ly acreek

,enters the southeast angle of the lake . I t i s not

probabl e that any stream coming from the east s ide o f

the lake i s of importance , a s th e strip o f country betweenthe Lewes and T e sl in too i s not more than th irty or fortym i les in width at th i s point .

The Taku arm of Tagi sh lake i s,so far

,w i th the ex

cept io n of reports from Indians , unknown ; but i t i s equal

ly improbable that any r iver o f importance enters i t , as

i t i s so near the source o f th e waters flowing northward s .However

,th i s i s a quest i on that can only be decided by

a proper exploration . The canyon I have al ready described

,and wi l l on ly add that i t i s five - e ighths o f a mi l e


long, about 1 0 0 feet wide , with perpend icular banks ofbasalti c rock from 6 0 to 1 0 0 feet h igh .

Below the canyon proper there i s a s tretch of rap i ds

for about a mi l e ; th en about hal f a m il e o f smooth water ,fo l lowing whi ch are the White Horse rapids

,which are

three - e ighths of a mi l e long , and unsafe for boats . Thetotal fa l l i n the canyon and succeeding rapids was meas

u red and found to be 3 2 fe et . Were i t ever necessary to

make th i s part of th e r iver navigab le i t wi l l be no easytask to overcome the obstacl e s at th i s po int ; but a tramor rai lway could

,with very l i ttl e d ifficul ty

,be constructed

a long the east s ide of the r iver pa st'

th e canyon .

“For some di stance below the White Horse rap ids thecurrent i s swi ft and the river wide

,with many gravel

bars . The reach betw een these rap ids and Lake Le Barge,

a di stance of twenty - seven and a ha l f m i l e s,i s al l

smooth water,with a s trong current . The average width

i s about 1 50 yards . There i s no imped iment to navigat ion other than the swi ft current , and th i s i s no strongerthan on the lower part of the river

,which i s already navi

gated ; nor i s i t worse than on the Saskatchewan andRed rivers in th e more eastern part of our terri tory .

“About midway in th i s s tretch the T a h keena river (the

T a h ke ena was formerly much . used by the Ch 'i lkat I nd ians as a means of reach ing the i nterior

,but never by

the m iners,owing to the di stance from the sea to its

head) j o ins the L ewes . Thi s river i s , apparently , abou thal f the s ize Of th e latter . I ts waters are muddy , ind ica ting i ts passage through a clayey d i stri ct . I

_got some

indefini te information about th i s river from an Indianwho happened to meet me j u st be low it s mouth , but Icou ld not readi ly make h im understand me , .and h i s r e

pl i es were a compound of Chinook,Tagi sh , and s igns,

and there fore largely unintel l igib l e . From what I could

BO O K FOR GOLD - SEEKERS . 6 5

understand w ith any certainty,the river was easy to de

scend,there be ing no bad rapids

,and i t came out o f a

lake much larger than any I had yet pas sed .

Lake Le Barge i s th irty- one mi le s long . In the upper

th irteen i t vari e s from three to four mi le s i n width ; i tthen narrows to about two mi l es for a d istance of sevenmi l es ; when i t begins to widen again , and gradual ly expands to about two and a hal f or three mi l es

,th e lower

s ix m il e s o f i t maintain ing the, l at ter width . The survey

was carri ed a long the western shore,and whi l e so en

gaged I determ ined the width of th e upper wide part bytr iangulat ion at two points , the width of the narrow middle part at three points , and the width of the lower part

at three poin ts . D r . Daw son on h i s way out made atrack survey of the eastern shore . The western shorei s i rregular in many places

,being indented by large bays

,

e spec ia l ly at the upper and lower ends . These bays are,

as a ru le,shal low

,more espec ia l ly those at the lower end .

Just above where th e lake narrows in the middl e therei s a large i s land . I t i s th ree and a hal f m il e s long and

about hal f a m i le in width . I t i s shown on S ch w a tka ’

s

map as a pen insula,and cal l ed by him R itch to fen ro cks .

How he came to th ink i t a pen insu la I cannot understand,

as i t i s we l l out in the lake ; the neares t point o f i t to th ewestern shore i s upwards o f hal f a mi l e d i stant

,and the

extreme width of th e lake here i s not more than fivemi l es

,which includes the depth o f th e deepest bays on

th e western s id e .‘

I t i s there fore difficu l t to understand

that he d id not see i t a s an i s land .

I

The upper hal f o f

th i s i s land i s gravel ly , and does not ri s e very h igh aboveth e lake . The lower end i s rocky and high

,the rock be

i ng of a bright red color. At the lower end o f th e lake

there i s a large val l ey extend ing northward,which has

66 T H E CHICAGO R ECORD ’

S

ev idently at one t ime been the outle t of th e lake . D r .Dawson has noted i t and i ts pecul iari t i e s .The width - o f the Lewes river as i t l eaves the lake i s

the same as at i ts entrance,about 2 0 0 yards . I ts waters

when I was th ere were murky . This i s caused by the

action of the waves on the shore along the lower end of

the lake . T h e water at the upper end and at the middleof the lake i s qu ite c l ear

,so much so that the bottom

can be di st inct ly seen at a depth of s ix or seven feet .The wind blows almost constant ly down th is lake

,and

in a h igh wind i t gets very rough . The miners complain

o f much detention owing to th i s cause,and certain ly I

cannot compla i n of a lack of wind whil e I was on the lake .

This lake was named after one M ike Le Barge,who was

engaged by the Western Union tel egraph company , ex

plo r ing the r iver and adj acent country for the purposeof connect ing E urope and America by tel egraph throughBriti sh Columbia

,and Alaska

,and across B ering strai t

to Asia,and thence to E urope .

“After leaving Lake Le Barge the river,for a di stance

of about five mi les,preserves a genera l ly un i form width

and an easy current of about four mi le s per hour. I tthen makes a short turn round a low grave l po int

,and

flows in exact ly the oppos ite of i ts general course for am il e when i t again turns sharply to its general d irection .

The T e sl in to o was so cal led by D r. Dawson—“

th i s,

accord ing to in formation obta ined by h im,be ing the In

d ian name . I t i s cal l ed by the miners ‘

H o o ta l inkw a,

’

or Hoota l i nqua,and was cal l ed by S chw a tka

,who ap

pears to have bestowed no other attent ion to i t , the Newberry, although i t i s apparently much larger than theLewes . (T h e l imi ted amount o f prospecting that hasbeen done on the T e sl in to o i s

‘

said to be very sat i s factory,

fine gold having been found in al l parts o f the r iver . The


68 T H E CH ICAGO RE CORD’S

head of canoe navigat ion on the T e sl in to o to sal t wateron the Taku in l et

,but when they come l ight th ey take

only one to two days .“ I f the ir t ime interval s are approximate ly accurate

,

they mean that there are about 2 0 0 mile s of good riverto the first lake

,as they ought eas i ly to make 2 5 mil es

a day on the river as I saw it . The lake takes one day totravers e

,and i s at l east 2 5 mile s long , fol lowed by say 1 2

of r iver,which brings us to the large lake

,which takes

two days to cross,say 50 or 60 mi les more— in al l about

2 92 miles— say 30 0 to the h ead of canoe navigation ;whi le the d i stance from the head of Lake Bennett to th ej unct ion i s only 1 88. Assuming the course of the Tesl in to o to be nearly south (i t i s a l ittl e to the eas t of it),and throwing out every fourth mi l e for bends , the r e

m a inde r gives us an a re three degrees and a quarter oflat i tude

,wh ich deducted from 6 0 ° the lat itude of the

j unction,give s u s 58

° or nearly the lati tude of j u

neau .

'

I afterwards met T . Boswel l,h i s brother

, and'

ano th e r

miner,who had spent most o f the summer on the river

prospecting,and from them I gathered the fol lowing :

The di stance to the first,and only lake they saw

,th ey put

at 1 75 miles , and the lake i tse l f th ev cal l at l east 1 50 mi le slong

,and i t took them four days to row in a l ight boat

from end to end . The portage to the sea they did notappear to know anything about

,but describe a large bay

on the east s ide o f the lake,into which a river of con

side rab le s i ze entered . Thi s r iver occupi es a wide val ley ,surrounded by h igh mountains . They th o u gh t

'

th is rivermust head near L i ard r iver . Thi s account d iffers ma

te r ia lly from that given by the Indian , and to put them

on the ir guard,I told th em what he had to ld

'

m e, but

they st i l l persi sted in th e i r story,which I find differs a


good deal from the account they gave D r. Dawson,as

incorporated in hi s report .Between the T e sl in to o and the B ig Salmon

,so cal l ed

by the miners,or D ’

Abbad ie by S ch w a tka,the d i s tance

i s th irty—three and a hal f m i l es,in wh ich the Lewes pre

serves a genera l ly un i form width and current . For a

few m ile s below the T e sl in to o i t i s a l i t tl e over the o r

d ina ry width , but then contracts to about 2 0 0 yards,

which i t mainta ins with l it t l e variat ion . The current i sgeneral ly from four to five mil es per hour . The B ig Sal

mon I found to be about 1 0 0 yards wide near th e mouth .

the depth not more than four or five fe et, and the current,so far as could be seen

,s luggish .

“

j ust be low the B ig Salmon the Lew e s tak es a bendof nearly a right angle . I t s course from the j unct ion

with the T e h ke ena to th i s po int i s genera l ly a l ittl e east

of north ; at th i s po int i t turns to nearly west for some

d istance . I ts course between here and i ts confluence withthe Pe l ly i s northwest

,and , I mav add ,

i t preserves th i sgeneral d i rect ion down to the confluence with th e Porcu

p ine . Thirty—s ix and a quarte r mi l e s below the B ig Salmon

,th e L i tt l e Salmon—the Daly o f S ch w a tka—enters

the Lewes . Th i s river i s about s ixty yard s wide at th e

mouth,and not more than two or three feet i n depth .

The water i s c lear and of a browni sh hue : there i s not

much current at th e mouth , nor as far as ca n be seen upthe stream . I t i s said that some miners have prospected

th i s st ream,but I could l earn noth ing defini te about i t .

Lewes river makes a turn here to th e southwest , andruns in that d i rect i on s ix m i l es

,when i t aga in tu rns to the

northwest for s even mi l e s,and then makes a short

,sharp

turn to th e south and west around a l ow , sandy point ,which wi l l at some day in th e near future be cut through

bv th e curren t,which wi l l shorten the river th ree or four

T H E CH ICAGO RECORD’

S

mil es . E ight mi les below L i tt l e Salmon r iver a large

rock cal led the E agle’

s Nest,stands up in a gravel slope

on th e eas terly bank of the r iver. I t ri se s about five

hundred feet above the river, and i s composed of a l ight

gray stone . Thirty - two mi les below E agle’s Nest rock

Nordensk iold r iver enters from the west . I t i s an unimportant stream , be ing not more than 1 2 0 feet w ide at the

mouth,and only a few inches deep . The val ley

,as far

as can be seen,i s not extens ive

,and ~ be ing very croo ked

it i s hard to tel l what i ts general d i rect ion is . The Lewes,

between the L i ttl e Salmon and the Nordenskiold,con

tains a width of from 2 0 0 to 30 0 yards , with an occas ional

ex pansion where there are i s lands . I t i s serpent ine in i ts

cours e most of the way,and where the Nordenskiol d j o ins

i t i s very crooked,running severa l t imes under a h i l l

,

named by S ch w a tka Tantalus Butte , and in other places

l eav ing it,for a dis tance of eight m i l es . The di stance

acros s from po int to po int i s on ly hal f a mi l e .

Below th i s to Five Finger rapids , so cal l ed from thefact that five large masses of rock stand in mid- channel

,

the r iver as sumes it s ord inary stra ightnes s and width,

with a cu rrent from four to five mile s per hour. I donot th ink the rap ids wi l l prove anything more than a

s l ight obstruct ion i n the nav igat ion of the r iver . A boat

of ord inary power would probab ly have to help hersel f

up with windlass and l in e in h igh water . Below therap ids

,for about two mil es

,th e current i s strong—prob

ably s ix mil es per hour—but the water seems to be deepenough for any boat that i s l ike ly to

,

navigate i t . S ix

mi l es below th is the R ink rap ids are s i tuated . They are

o f no great importance,the westerly hal f o f the stream

on ly be ing obstructed . The easterly hal f i s not i n any

w ay affected , the current being smooth and the wa ter


B e low Five Finger rapids about two mi l e s a smal lstream enters from the east . I t i s cal l ed by D r

"

. D awson

T a tsh u n river . I t is not more than th irty or forty feet

wide at the mou th,and contains only a l i ttl e brown ish

water. Between Five Finger rapids and Pe l ly river, 587}

mil e s,no streams of any importance enter the Lewes ; i n

fact , with the except ion of the T a tsh u n , i t may be sa idthat none at al l ente r . About a mi l e below R ink rap idsthe river spreads out into a lake - l ike expanse

,with many

i s lands ; th i s continues for about three mi les , when it

contracts to someth ing l ike the u sua l width ; but barsand smal l i s lands are very numerous al l the way to Pe l lyriver . About five mi les above Pel ly river there i s anotherlake - l ike expanse fi l l ed with i s lands . The river here fo r

three or four m i le s i s nearly a m il e wide,and so numerous

and c lose are the i s lands that i t i s imposs ib l e to te l l,when

floating among them,where the shores of the river are .

The current,too , i s swi ft , l eav ing one to suppose the

water shal low ; but I th ink even here a channe l deepenough for such boats as wi l l navigate th is pa rt o f the

river can - be found . S ch w a tka named th i s group of i s

l ands ‘I ngerso l l I s lands .’

“About a mi l e below the Pel ly the Lewes i s about hal fa mi le wide

,and here

,too , there are many i s land s , but

not i n groups as at I ngersol l i s lands . About a mi l e below the Pe l ly

,j u s t a t the ru ins of Fo rt Selki rk

,the Yukon

was found to be 56 5 yards wide ; about two—th i rds be ingten feet deep

,with a current of about four and th ree - quar

ters mi le s per hour ; th e rem a in ing th i rd was more than

hal f taken up by a bar , and the current between i t and

the south shore was very slack . Pel ly river at i ts mouthi s about 2 0 0 yards wide , and continues th i s width as far

up as could be seen .

l u st here for a short d i stance th e course o f the Yukon


i s nearly west , and on the south s ide , about a mil e below

the mouth of the Lewes,stands al l that remains of the

only trading post ever bu i l t by white men in th e dis tri ct .This post was estab l i shed by Robert Campbel l

,for the

Hudson Bay company in the summer of 1 848. I nd ians

p i l laged the plac e and set fire to i t,l eav ing noth ing but

the remains of the two chimneys,which are s ti l l stand

ing . This ra id and captu re took place on the first o f August

,1 85 2 . Below Fort Se lk irk the Yukon river i s from

50 0 to 60 0 yards broad and mainta ins thi s width downto White river

,a d i stance o f n inety - s ix mi l es . I s lands are

numerous,so much so that th ere are very few parts o f

the river where there are not one or more in s ight . Bars

are al so numerous,but almost al l are composed of

grave l , so that navigators wi l l not have to complain ofsh i ft ing sand—bars . The current

,as a genera l th ing

,i s

not so rap id as i n the upper part of the river,averaging

about four mi l es per hour . The depth in the main channel was always found to be more than six feet .From Pel ly r iver to with in 1 2 mile s o f White river

the general course o f the r iver i s a l i tt l e north of west ;i t th en turns to the north

,and the general cours e as far

as the s i te o f Fort Rel iance i s due north . White riverenters the main river from the west . At the mouth i t i sabout 2 0 0 yards wide

,but a great part of i t i s fi l l ed with

ever- sh i fting sand—bars,the main volume of water be ing

confined to a channe l not more than 1 0 0 yards in width .

The current i s very s trong,certainly not l es s than e igh t

m il e s per hour . The color of th e water bears witnes s to

th i s,as it i s much the muddi es t o f any I have ever seen .

Between White and Stewart rivers,ten mil e s

,the river

spreads out to a mi le and upwards in width , and i s a maze

of i s lands and bars . The survey was carri ed down theeasterly shore and many of the channel s passed through

BOOK FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS . 73

bare ly afforded water enough to float th e canoes . The

main channel i s along the westerly shore,down whi ch

the large boat went,and the crew reported pl enty of

water .Stewart river enters from th e east in the midd l e o f

a wide val l ey,with low h i l l s on both s ide s

,ri s i ng on

the north s ide in steps or terraces to d i stant h i l l s o fcons iderabl e he ight . The river hal f a mi l e or so above

th e mouth,i s 2 0 0 yards in width . The current i s s lack

and the water shal low and clear,but dark colored . While

at th e mouth I was fortunate enough to meet a miner

who had spent the whol e summer of 1 887 on the rive r

and i t s branches prospect ing and exploring . He gaveme a good deal of in formation , o f - which I give a sum

mary . He i s a native o f New Brunswick , Alexander

Ma cD ona ld by name , and has spent some years min ing

in other places , but was very ret i cent about w hat he

had made or found . Sixty or seventy mile s up the

Stewart a large creek enters from th e south whi ch hecal led Rosebud creek or river , and th i rty or forty m il esfarther up a considerabl e stream flows from the northeast

,whi ch appears to be Beaver river

,as marked on the

map of that part of th e country .

“From the head of th i s stream he floated down on araft

,tak ing five days to do so . He est imated h i s progress

at forty or fifty- miles each day . which gives a l ength

of from 2 0 0 to 2 50 mile s . Thi s i s probabl y an over

e st imate,unl ess the stream i s very crooked , which , he

stated,was not th e case . As much of h i s t ime would be

taken up in prospect ing I should cal l thi rty mi l es or l e s sa c loser estimate of h i s progress . Thi s r iver i s from

fi fty to e ighty yards wide and was never more than four

or five feet deep , often be ing n o tm o re than tw o or three :th e current . he said , was not at a l l sw i ft . Above the


mouth of th i s stream the main river i s from 1 0 0 to 1 30

yards wide,with an even current and clear water . Sixty

or s eventy mi le s above the last -mentioned branch an

other branch j oins,which i s poss ib ly the main river .

At the head of i t he found a lake nearly th irty m i le s long

and averaging a mi l e and a hal f i n width,which he

cal l ed Mayhew lake .

Thirty mi l es or so above the forks on the other

branch there are fal l s,which Ma cD ona ld es t imated to

be from 1 0 0 to 2 0 0 feet in height . Ma cD on a ld went on

past the fal l s to the head of th i s branch and found ter

raced gravel h i l l s to the west and north . H e cro ssed

them to the north and found a river flowing north

ward . O n th i s he embarked on a raft and floated down

it for a day or two,th inking i t would turn to the west and

j oin the Stewart,but finding i t sti l l cont inu ing north

,

and requi ring too mu ch volume to b e any of the brancheshe had seen wh i l e pass ing up the Stewart

,he returned

to the point o f h i s departure,and after prospect ing

among the h i l l s around th e head of the r iver, he startedwestward

,cross ing a h igh range of mountains com

posed princ ipal ly o i shale s,Wi th many th in seams of

what he cal l ed quartz,ranging fro-m one to s ix inches in

th i ckness . O n the west s i de of th i s range he found ariver flowing out of what h e cal led Mayhew lake

,and

cross ing th i s got to the head of B eaver river, which hedescended as before ment ioned . I t i s probable th eriver flowing northwards

,on whi ch he made a j ourney

and returned,was a branch of Pee l river. Judging from

al l I could l earn it i s probab l e a l ight draft steamboatcou ld navigate nearly al l o f Stewart river and its tribu

taries .

From Stewart river to the si te of Fo rt Rel i ance , seventy

- th re e'

and one -quarter m il es,the Yukon i s broad



and fu l l of i s lands . The average width i s between a halfand three—quarters o f a mi le

,but there are many ex pan

s ions where i t i s over a mi l e in breadth ° however,i n

these p laces i t cannot be said that the w aterway i s w ider

than at other part s o f the r iver,the i s lands being so large

and numerous . I n th is reach no streams of any impor

tance enter . About th i rteen mi l es below Stewart river

a l arge val ley j o ins that o f the rive r,but the stream ocen

pying i t i s on ly a large creek . This agrees in posi t ion

with what has been cal led S ixty M il e creek,whi ch was

supposed to be abou t that di stance above Fort Re l iance

,but i t does not agree with descript ions wh ich I re

ce ived of i t ; moreover as S ixty M i l e creek i s known to

be a stream of cons iderab le l ength th i s stream would

not answer the descr ipt ion .

Twenty- two and a hal f mi l es from Stewart river another and larger creek enters from the same s ide ; i tagreed with the description of S ixty M i l e creek and I

have so marked i t on my map . This stream i s of noimportance except for what m ineral weal th may be found

on i t . S ix and a hal f m i l e s above Fort Re l i ance theThron—D i u ck river of th e Indian s (D eer r iver of S ch w a tka

,th e Klondike) enters from the east . I t i s a smal l

r iver,about forty yards wide at the mouth

,and shal

low ; th e water i s cl ear and transparent, and of beauti fu l

b lu e color . Dawson City i s s i tuated at the mouth o fth e Thron -D iu ck , and although it was located only afew months ago i t i s the scene of great act iv i ty . Very

ri ch deposi t s of gold have late ly been found on Bonanza

creek and other a fflu ents of th e Thron - D i uck .

Twelve and a hal f m i les below Fort Re l iance,the

Chandindu,as named by S ch w a tka , enters from the east .

I t i s th irty to forty yards w ide at th e mouth , very sha llow

,and for hal f a mi l e u p i s one cont inuous rapid . Be


tween Fort Re l iance and Forty M i l e river (cal l ed Cone

H il l r iver by S ch w a tka) the Yukon assumes it s normal

appearance , hav ing fewer i s lands and being narrowed ,’

averaging four to s ix hundred yards wide,and the cu r

ren t be ing more regular . Thi s stretch i s forty- s ix m i le s

l ong,but was estimated by the traders as forty

,from

which th e Forty M i l e r iver took i ts name .

Forty M i le tow n s i te i s s i tuated on the south s ide of

the Forty Mi l e river at i ts j unct ion wi th the Yukon .

The Alaska Commercial company has a station here

which was for many years in charge of L . N . McQu est ion ; there are al so s everal b lacksm ith s

'

hops,restan

rants,bi l l iard hal l s

,bakeri e s

,opera—house

,and so on .

Rather more than hal f a mi l e be low Forty M i l e towns ite the town of Cudahy was founded on th e north side of

Forty M i l e river in the summer of 1 892 . I t i s named

after a well - known member of the North Ameri can

Transportat ion and Trad ing company . The company

has erect ed a saw mi l l and some large warehouses . Fort

Constantine was establ i shed here immed iate ly upon the

arrival of the mounted pol i ce detachment in the latte r

part o f j uly , 1 895 .

Forty M i l e river j oin s the main river from the west .

Its general course , a s far up as the international boundary l ine , a d i s tance o f twenty - three m i l e s

,i s southwest ;

after th is i t runs nearer south . Forty M i l e river i s 1 0 0

to 1 50 yards wide at the mouth , and the cu rrent i s gene ra l ly strong, with many smal l rap ids . E ight mi l es up

i s the so - cal l ed canvon : i t i s hardly ent i t l ed to that d is

tinct ive name,be i ng S imply a crooked contract ion of th e

river with steep rocky banks,and on the north side there

i s p l enty of room to walk along the beach . The lengthof th i s canyon i s about a mil e . Above i t the river up tothe boundary l ine i s general ly smooth

,with swi ft cur


ren t and an occas ional rippl e . The amount of waterd i s charged by th i s river i s cons iderabl e : but there i s noprospect o f navigat ion

,i t be ing so swi ft and broken by

many smal l rapid s .

From Forty M i l e r iver to th e boundary l ine the

Yukon preserve s th e same general character as between

Fort Re l iance and Forty M i l e ; th e greatest w idth be ing

about hal f a mil e and the l east about a quarter . Fi fteen

mil es below Forty M i l e r iver a large mass of rock stands

on the east bank . Thi s was named by S ch w a tka ‘

R o

qu e tte Rock ,’ but i t i s known to the traders as ‘

O ld

Woman Rock ;’ a s im i lar mass

,on the west s i de o f th e

r iver,be ing known as ‘

O ld Man Rock .

’

From Stewart r iv er to th e mouth of the Yukon i sabout mi l es

,and the only d ifficul t place in al l th i s

d i stance i s the part near the confluence with th e Porcupine

,whi ch has evidently been a lake in past ages

,but

i s now fi l l ed with i s l ands ; th e current h ere i s sw i ft andthe channel s g en e ra l lv narrow ,

rendering navigat ion diffi

cul t .Approximate d istances to Fort Cudahy

,compi l ed by

Wi l l i am O gi lv i e , land surveyor o f the Domin ion of

Canada :

Via St . Michael .

Mil es .

San Franci sco to Dutch HarborSeattl e or Victoria to Dutch Harbor .

Dutch Harbor to St . Mich aelSt . Michael to Cudahy

Via Tai ya (D yea) Pass .

Victoria to Taiya (D ye a)Taiya to Cudahy


Via Stikin e (S tike en) R iver .

Victoria to WrangelWrangel to Telegraph creekTel egraph creek to Tesl in lakeTesl in lake to Cudahy

D i stances from Head of Taiya I nl et .

Head of canoe navigat ion,Taiya river .

Forks o f Taiya riverSummit o f TaiyaLanding at Lake L indemanFoot of Lake L i ndemanHead of Lake B ennettBoundary l ine B . C . and N . W . T . (Lat .Foot o f Lake BennettFoot o f Caribou cross ing (Lake Nares).

Foot o f Tagi sh lakeHead of Marsh lakeFoot o f Marsh lakeHead of canyonFoot o f canyonHead of White Horse rap idsFoot of White Horse rapidsT a l ike rna riverHead of Lake L eBa rgeFoot of Lake L eBa rg eT e sl in to o riverB ig Salmon riverFive Finger rapidsPe l ly r iverWhite riverStewar t r iverS ixty-Mile creekDawson CityFort Re l i anceForty-Mile riverBoundary l ine


CHAPTE R . V .

C APIT AL R EQUI R E D BY G O LD - S E E K E R S .

ANY ME N have been fi red with an

eager des ire to go to the Klond ikeregions becau se th e gold in that coun

try i s found in the poor man’s m ine ,’

that i s,i n placer depos it s . Placer

mines are cal l ed'

t enderfoot mines

and poor man’s” mines because they

are worked with comparat ively inex

pens ive app l iances wh i ch can be carri ed around by th e

prospector. With a p ick,shovel and pan alone the pros

pe cto r i s ab le to extra ct the gol d from the pay dirt . The

stori es that have come down from the upper Yukonbas in ind icate that th e mines on the E l Dorado

,Bonanza

and other goldbearing creeks o f the Klond ike are , i n al lrespects

,

“poor men’s mine . But al though the m ine s

themse lves are open to every man who has a pa i r o f

s trong arms,a p ick

,a shovel and a pan

,something more

than determinat ion and a pair of l egs i s requ i red to get

to th e mines from any place i n the Unit ed States . Theway i s long and tran sportat ion charges are heavy .

All sorts o f e st imate s have been made as to the amount

of ready cash a man must have to buy h i s outfit and pay

h i s passage to th e Klond ike country . Men who have

been there” i n s i st that a gold - s eeker i s a fool to s tart outfrom civi l izat ion without enough money in h i s pocketto give h im at least a working capi tal o f $30 0 when hearrives at th e d iggings . O thers put the figure at $50 0 .

The majori ty o f returned Klondikers say that the pros


pe cto r must figure on at l east two years’ work in the gold

fie lds and must make al l preparat ion s look ing to the

poss ib i l i ty of utter fai lure ; that i s , he must have enough

money,not only to buy hi s outfit and provide for trans

po r ta tion ,bu t to pay h i s l iving expenses in the gold

country for at l east two years , and have enough money

l e ft to buy a return t i cket . There i s th i s to“

comfort

th e gol d - seeker,however . Al l authorit i e s agree i n the

pred ict ion that the men who go north in the spring of

1 898 not on ly wil l have a much eas i er road to travel ,but wi l l not be faced wi th th e probab i l i ty of privat ions

and suffering due to a lack of food and cloth ing in the

storehouses of trad ing compan ies .

The monopoly held by the two large transportation

compan ie s which operate on the Yukon river from St .

Michae l to th e head of navigat ion has been broken . I n

dependent companies have been formed for th e purpose

of competing for th e business of handl ing passengers and

freight on the Yukon and other navigab l e rivers of Alas

ka and the Northwest terri tory . This means that the cost

o f transportat i on per passenger wi l l be reduced,and that

the river steamers wi l l carry fre ight for prospectors and

miners,and that a larger stock of provi s ions and goods

of al l k inds needed in that country wi l l be carri ed at al l

t imes .

The fare from Seattl e to any point on the Yukon river

was $2 0 0 th i s year Thi s inc luded 2 0 0 pounds ofbaggage

,meal s and berth , but d id not include the trans

po r ta t ion of anyth ing over 2 0 0 pounds per pas senger .The company making th i s rate i s i n the trading as wel l

as the transportation busines s,and wanted to s e l l the

gold - seekers the i r outfits and stocks of prov is ions fromthe company’s storehouses at Circl e Ci ty and other place salong th e Yukon . I n a ci rcular i s su ed by thi s company


84 T H E C H IC AG O RECOR D ’S

and c loth ing and prospect ing and min ing outfit,and i s

based on an advance of three t imes the cost of a l ike out

fi t i n Seattl e . The lowest est imate given on an outfit

was $90 ,i n Seattle . This only included enough provi s

ions to get a man to D awson Ci ty by the overland route .

The cost o f outfits,as made up in Ch i cago

,Seattl e

,San

Franc isco and other points in the United States,i n c lud

ing cloth ing,groceries, hardware , armament and camp

ing Outfit , ranges from $ 1 85 to $2 75 ; to th i s , however ,must be added the duty ch arged bv the Canadian au th o r i

t i es,the average of whi ch i s nearly 2 5 per cent , so that

2 5 per cent shou ld be added to the cost of an outfit . (Seechapter on gold—seekers’ outfit.)The overl and , or th e Chi lkoot pas s , route by way o f

D yea i s th e one that was taken by the greates t numberof gold- s eekers th i s year

,because they were abl e to carry

a large amount o f provi si ons (which th ev were not per

m itted to take with them on th e Yukon river route), andbecause they were told that by tak ing thi s overland route

they could get to Dawson City ins ide of 30 days . The

steamer pas sage from Seattl e forJuneau and D yea cost ,to Juneau $2 5 per cab in and $ 1 5 for steerage ; to D ye a

$40 cab in , $2 5 steerage . The fare included berth and

meal s and free baggage to th e amount o f 1 50 pounds .

E xcess baggage was carri ed for . 1 0 cents a pound,and

fre ight for $ 1 0 a ton .

This was the cheapest o f the transportat ion charges

from Seatt l e to D yea made during the rush . The demandmade on the s teamsh ip companies by exci ted gold - seekers sent t i ckets way above par

,and premiums of $ 1 0 0

were paid . None o f the steamship compan ies wi l l givean advance not i ce of the ir rates of fa re for next spring ,

but as every boat that would sa i l or float was pressed into

servi ce th i s year , i t i s p robable that many good boat s wi l l


be put into commiss ion next spring , and competi t ion wi l lhol d rates l evel . I t i s es timated that nearly peopl e

went from the Pac ific seaports to D ye a during the rush ,and the boats were overcrowded . Thi s natura l ly brought

an increase in al l charges .

I t i s announced that some of the steamsh ip compan i esare mak ing arrangements to transport baggage and out

fi ts over the Chi lkoot pass to the head of Lake L i ndeman .

If’

th is i s done the cost o f portage over th e pas s to th e

head of navigat ion of the Yukon wi l l be much l ess nextspring than i t was th i s year . Al l sorts of pri ce s were

demanded by the I ndians and packers , for they had the

goldseekers at the ir mercy .

Under date o f Ju ly 30 ,Will iam J . Jones , a spec ia l cor

respondent of the CHICAGO RE CO RD,wri t ing from

Juneau , sa id that th e rate over the D yea rou te , under

normal condit ions,was $ 1 7 a 1 0 0 pounds , bu t that i t was

certain to be advanced to 30 or 40 cent s a pound in a week

or two,and that i t would b e imposs ib l e for the I nd ian s

and packers to take care o f the rush . This pred ict ion was

verified before ten days by the reports that came backfrom D yea . Several thousand gold - seekers were held at

D ye a wait ing for an O pportun ity to cros s the pass wi ththe ir outfits and stocks of provi s ion s , and portage pri ce s

had gone up almost out o f s ight .

I f th i s rush i s repeated next spring the gold - seekers

must be prepared to go down into thei r pockets to pay

big premiums for carry ing the i r outfi t s over the several

passe s to Lake L i ndeman . Undoubted ly pack horses andmule s wi l l be subst i tuted in a large measure for Ind iansnext year

,and numerous plans are on foot to improve

the trai l . The cost o f th e j ourney from Lake L i ndemanto th e gold d iggings is general ly regarded as an unknownquanti ty . Many men wi l l carry and haul thei r provis ions


themselve s , bui ld ing rafts and boats to go down the river .O thers , better provided wi th ready cash , wi l l buy boats

at Lake L indeman or wi l l take boats wi th them fromSeatt l e or San Franci sco , and wi l l employ I nd ians to

manage the boats and act as gu ides,cooks and general

roustabouts .

I t is c la imed that miners can go from Chicago to the

Klondike by way of the'

back door route,that i s , up

the Athabasca and Mackenz i e r ivers to the Peel riverand then across the d ivide into the Yukon country

,for

$ 1 50 . A . H .

-H . Heming,o f Montreal

,the art i s t who

accompani ed Caspar W h itney in h is trip to th e Barren

Land , says , on the authori ty of the Hudson’s Bay com

pany offic ial s , that a l l that i s n eeded for the back door

route are a good const i tut ion,some experi ence in boat

ing and camping,and about $ 1 50 . Mr . Heming advi ses

gold—s eekers to travel in part i es of three,and to purchase

a good canoe for about $35 i n Ch i cago or St . Paul . The

fre ight on the canoe to E dmonton,th e end of the ra i lroad

route , wil l be $2 3' cost o f food at E dmonton for thre e

men for two months,cons i st ing of pork

,flour

,tea and

baking pow der, $35 ; total for three men from Chicago to

Fort McPh e rson ,provided they travel second - clas s on

the Canadian Pacific rai lroad wi l l be a man .

Thus i f three men chip in $2 0 0 each they would have

a margin of over $ 140 for purchas ing tool s and for trans

po rta tion from Fort McPh e r son to th e Klond ike . Part i e s

shoul d cons i st of three men each , as th i s i s the crew of acanoe on the Mackenzie river . I t w i l l take 60 0 poundsof food to carry thre e men over the route , and passengerson the Canad ian Pac ific rai l road are enti tl ed to ca r rv

60 0 pounds o f ' baggage . The touris t s l eeper from St .Paul to -Calgary

,the poin t on th e Canadian Pacific where

the spur l eads to E dmonton,wi l l cost $4.


Although any local t i cket agent can give the ra i lroad

rates to the Pacific coast points , the fol lowing l i s t i s given

as a suggest ion for the purpose o f includ ing everyth ing

in th e estimate of cost to go from home to the Klondike country . The rai l ro ad rates from princ ipal po ints

are as fol lowsNew E ngland points , pract i cal ly the same as Boston

rate s (get d ifference between Boston and New

°

E ngland

po int s from local agents); Boston to San Franci sco

fir st- class, $92 ; s econd - c las s, $79 ; s l eepers , tour

i st car, $8 ; meal s i n d in ing car O r at s tat ions according to

route ; baggage al lowed , 1 50 pounds ; exces s baggag e ,

$ 1 1 per 1 0 0 pounds ; t ime from Boston to San Franci s co ,

5 days and n ights .

Boston to Seatt l e , Portland, Vancouver and Vi ctoria ,B . C .

- first—c las s,

second - c las s,

sl eeper,

$2 1 ; touri st car , meal s in d in ing car or at stat ions

accordi ng to route ; baggage al lowed , 1 50 pounds ; ex

ces s baggage,

to per 1 0 0 pounds .

Note : The above rates are over the standard or first

c lass l ine s to Chi cago . I f a d ifferenti al o r second - c lassroad i s taken the fir st- class fare w i l l be $3 l e s s than givenabove

,and se cond—c lass fare $2 .

New York to San Franci s co—first—c lass,

s ec

ond- clas s,

s le eper,

tou ri st car, $ 1 1 . Meal s

in d ining car or at station s , according to route ; baggage

al lowed,

1 50 pounds ; excess baggage , $ 1 1 per 1 0 0

pounds ; t ime from New York to San Franci sco, 5 days

and 5 nights .

New York to Seatt l e , Portland , Vancouver and Victoria , B . C .

—first- c las s , second - c lass,

sl e eper, touri st car , $ 1 0 ; meal s in d in ing car or

at stations , according to route : baggage al lowed . 1 50

pounds ; exce ss baggage , to $ 1 1 per 1 0 0 pounds .6


Time from New York to Seattl e and Port land, 99 hours ;

Vancouver,1 0 5 hours ; Victoria , 1 1 1 hours .

Note : Above fare s are on fir st- clas s l i nes to Chicago .

I f s econd - c lass road i s tak en,fir st- class fare wi l l be $3

l e s s and second - class fare $2 l e ss than the above rate s .

Buffalo to San Franc i s co—fir st- c las s, $76 ; s econd

class , s leeper, $ 1 8 ; touri st car, $8 meal s in baggage car or in stat ion s

,according to route ; baggage a l

l owed , 1 50 pounds ; exces s baggage , per 1 0 0

pounds . Time from Buffalo to San Franci sco, 47} days

and 4 n ights .

Buffalo to Seattl e,Portland

,Vancouver and Victori a

,

B . C .

—fir st—c lass , $75 ; s econd - class, $6 2 ; s l eeper , $ 1 8

'

touri st car, $8 ; meal s in d in ing car or at stations , according to route ; baggage al lowed , 1 50 pounds ; excess bag

gage , per 1 0 0 pounds . Time from Buffal o to Se

att le,Portland

,Vancouver and Vi ctoria

,B . C .

,from 5

to 6 days and n ights .

Chicago to San Franc i sco—first- class,

second

cl as s,

s l eeper, $2 0 .50 touri s t s leeper, $8 meal s

in din ing car or at s tations,according to route from $ 1

to 50 cents each ; baggage al lowed , 1 50 pounds ; excess

baggage , per 1 0 0 pounds . Time from Chicago to

San Franci sco, 4 days and 4 nights .

Chicago to Seattl e,Portland

,Vancouver and Victoria ,

B . C .

—first- class,

s econd - cl ass,

sl e eper,touri st

, $7 ; meals in d in ing car or at stat ion s ,according to route ; baggage al lowed , 1 50 pounds ; excess

baggage,

per 1 0 0 pounds . Time from Ch icago to

Seattl e and Portland, 85 hours ; Vancouver , 9 1 hours ;

Victoria, 97 hours .

O maha to San Franci s co—fir st—c lass , $50 ; s econdclass

, $40 ; sl eeper, $ 1 3 ; touri s t car , $5 ; meal s in din ing

car or at stat ions,according to route ; baggage al lowed ,


1 50 pounds ; excess baggage , per 1 0 0 pounds . Time

from O maha to San Franci sco , 4days and 3 nights .

O maha to Seattl e , Portland , Vancouver and Victor ia ,B . C .

—fir st- c lass, $50 ; second - c las s , $40 ; s l eeper , $ 1 3

touri s t car , $5 ; meal s i n d ining car or at s tations , accord

ing to ro u te,

'

ave rage 75 cents each ; baggage al lowed , 1 50

pounds ; exces s baggage , per 1 0 0 pounds . Time

from O maha to Seatt l e and Port land , 6 5 hours ; Van

couver, 7 1 hours ; Victoria , 77 hours .

Denver to San Franci sco—fir st- cla ss, $45 ; second

cl as s , $35 ; s l eeper, $ 1 1 ; touri s t car , $4; meal s in d in ingcar or at stat ion s , accord ing to routes , average 75 centseach ; baggage al lowed , 1 50 pounds ; exces s baggage ,

per 1 0 0 pounds . Time from Denver to San Fran

ci s co , 3 days and 2 nights .

D enver to Seatt l e,Port land

,Vancouver and Victoria ,

B . C .

—fir st- c lass, $45 ; second—clas s , $35 ; sl eeper , $ 1 1 ;

touri st car, $4; meal s in d in ing car or at stations , accord

ing to rou t e,average 75 cents each ; baggage al lowed , 1 50

pounds ; exces s baggage , per 1 0 0 pounds . Time

from D enver to S eatt l e and Portl and , 64 hours ; Van

couver, 70 hours ; Victori a , 76 hours .

Minneapol i s and St . Pau l to San Fr anc isco—first- c la ss,

s econd - class , s l eeper,

touri s t car,

$5 ; meal s i n d in ing car or at stat ion s, according to route ;baggage al lowed

,1 50 pounds ; excess baggage , per

1 0 0 pounds . Time from St . Pau l and M inneapol i s toSan Franci sco

, 4days and 3 nights .

Minneapol i s and St . Paul to Seatt l e,Portland

,Van

cou ver and Victoria,B . C .

—fir st- c la ss, $50 ; s econd - clas s

,

$40 ; sl e eper , touri st car, $5 ; meal s i n d in ing car

or at s tat ion s , according to route ; baggage al lowed , 1 50pounds : exce ss baggage , per hundred pounds .

Time from M inn e apo l is'

and St . Paul to Seattl e and Port

90 T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’S '

l and , 63 hours ; Vancouver , 69 hours ; Victori a, 75 ho urs .

New O r l eans to San Franci s co—first—class,s econd - cl as s

,s leeper

, $ 1 3 ; touri st“

s l eeper, $5

°

meals at stat ions, 75 cents each ; excess baggage,

per 1 0 0 pounds . Time from New O rl eans to San Fran

ci s co, 4days and 4nights .

New O rl eans to Seattle and Portland—fir st- c lass ,s econd- clas s

,s leeper , $ 1 8 ; touri st s l eep

er,

meals in stat ion, 75 cents ; excess baggage ,

per hundred pounds . Time, 5 days and 5 n ights .

The fare from New O rlean s to Victoria , B . C .

- first—c lass ,s econdclass

,exces s baggage , per

1 0 0 pounds ; s l eepers and so forth, same as to Sea tt le .

For purposes o f gett ing up an est imate of the expense

of rai l road fare,the fo l lowing rate s are added '

To San Franci sco from Baltimore and Wash ingtonfirst- clas s , s econd—class

, $55 ; from Loui sv i l l e ,first- class

,s econd - clas s

,from Memphi s

first- clas s , second - c lass , from Nashvi l l e

fir st—clas s,

s econd—clas s,

from Atlanta,

first- c las s,

second - class,

from Charl estonfirst- class

,second - class

,from Ph i lade l

ph ia,first- class

,no second—c las s ; from Pittsburg,

first- clas s,

s econd - class, $6 1 ; from Cincinnat i,

first- c lass,

s econd - class ,To Seattl e and Portland from Wash ington and Balti

more—first- class, $78.50 second—clas s

, $6 5 ; from Lou i sv i l l e

,first- class

,s econd - c lass

,from Mem

‘ph i s,first- class

“

, $6 2 ; second - clas s, $52 ; from Nashvi l l e ,

first- class , $67 ; s econd - c lass, $54; from Atlanta , fir st

c lass , second - class,$60 ; from Charleston , fir st

c lass , second - class,

from Phi ladelph ia ,first- class

,second - class

,from Pi ttsburg

,


BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS . 93

qual i t i e s and trait s are compl imentary . P ardners ' are

closer than messmates in th e army or navy . The sold ier

or sai lor i s under the care o f a bounti fu l provider . His

food,c lothes and she lter are furn i shed by the govern

ment,and h is comings and goings are regulated by

orders . “Pardners,on the other hand

,must sk irmi sh

together from the start for subs i s tence and plans of oper

at ion . They fight the batt le of l i fe for two under hazard

ous condi t ions,far from fami l i e s and fri ends , sat isfied ,

for the time being,with bare necess i t i e s . Under such

a test pardners are forged as stee l i s forged .

The l i terature o f Cal i forn i a i s fu l l o f th e pardner

atmosphere . Bret Harte’s ta le s wou ld be tame without

it . But pardners in that state,except as gray—beard

surv ivors,are scarce now . They wi l l be revived in

Alaska,and experi ence far greater tr ial s than they ever

knew in the first Pacific commonweal th . Freezing and

starvation were unknown in Cal i forn ia . I t i s not l ike lythat the min ing camps in Alaska wi l l permi t any one to

starve,but they have a regulation for sh ipp ing those lack

ing means or re sources out of the country . I n a community of pardners a h igh sen se o f general human ity

wi l l prevai l,but there must be prudence as to feed ing

drones during the long season when the l ines of supplyare inte rrupted . Alaska wi l l furn i sh a great growth of

friendship , with the pardner as i ts top flower . No mancan utterly fai l there who has a good pardner

,and i s

one . Among the glac iers and the frozen moss,where a

blossom has never opened to the l ight,the l ines of Holmes

wi l l take on a new beauty,teaching that friendsh ip is

the breath ing rose that sweets in every fo ld .

94 T H E CHICAGO RECORD '

S

CHAPTER VI .

H lNT S FO R PRO SPE C T O R S AND

M I N E R S .

L O ND IK E GO LD i s found al l th eway through a frozen depos it of sand

,

grave l and earth from twenty to twenty

- five feet th ick , re st ing on bed rock .

Thi s bed rock i s sa id to be shal e ; depthunknown . A claim on E l Doradocreek

,a tributary of the Klond ike

whi ch paid i t s owner very handsomly,i s 80 feet from rimrock to rimrock ,

with a frontage of 50 0 fee t on the creek . After goingthrough the so i l and muck on the surface of the ground ,a bed of grave l m ixed wi th sand s ixteen feet th i ck isfound . Thi s rests upon a four- foot bed of fine and coarse

gravel,which in turn rests on a stratum of fine grave l a

foot and a hal f th ick which tops a stratum,one and one

hal f feet o f fine black sand .

This b lack sand re sts on bed rock , and i s the payd irt” of th e K lo nd ike . The 1 6 - foot bed of grave l mixed

w i th sand paid the miner from 50 cents to $2 a pan ; the

4'

- foot bed of coarse grave l paid h im from $2 to $5 a _

pan .

The stratum of fine gravel beneath paid a pan,a nd

pay'd irt yi e lded al l the way from $5 to $50 a ton .

“

T h e

g‘

round '

ab0ve bed ro ck i s frozen , making i t necessa ryto resort to firing” to soften th e g ravel and sand so th a ti t ca n be l i fted to th e top . This i s th e character o f th e

pl a cer mines of'

th e Klond ike .

Bu t i t i s reported that every pay ing c la im on the Klo n

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E KE R S . 95

dike is taken . This means that many men who intend togo to the gold country in th e far north i n the spring o f

1 898 must prospec t” other places The fo l lowing pages

are intended as a s imple gu ide to t enderfeet,

” or as theyare cal led i n the Klond ike country ch ech a co s.

” E x

pe r ienced prospectors and miners have l i tt l e u s e forgu ides o f any kind , but there are thousands o f men whowi l l s ee gold in the d irt for the firs t t ime in the ir l ive swhen they see i t in Alaska or the Northwest terri tori es .I n prospect ing a country for m ineral , two men ca n do

better than one . A pardner” i s , a great he lp to an ex

pe r ienced miner even though the pardner” h imse lfdoesn’t know the d iff erence between gold dust and i ronpyri te s—the fool’s gold .

’ To a tenderfoot,a pard

ner” i s abso lute ly necessary,even though the pardner ;

himsel f i s another tenderfoot ,” for two m en are better

than one under almost any comb inat ion of c ircumstances .Gold found in p lacer m ine s i s free or nat ive gold

brought down from the mother lode” by the action ofrunning water or by the glac i ers , which ages ago passedover the land . For th i s reason

,i n pro spect ing a country

for m ineral wealth,the sands and rocks of r iver beds

,

i n dry creeks and gul ches , and at the bottom of val l eysshould be searched and examined systemat ical ly and

care ful ly .

The prospector should observe the character i st i c s ofloose rocks

,found in rav ines and gulches ; i n eddie s or

dry water hole s where heavy matter i s l e ft duringfreshets

,which are o f frequent occurrence in a moun

ta inou s country ; for holes , channel s and fissures in sol id

rock,over wh ich a stream runs or has run .

I f the bed of a river flowing th rough an O pen country ,yi eld s fine gold dust

,i t w i l l probab ly y ie ld larger dust or

grains nearer the mountains or h i l l s from which i t flows ;

96 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD’S

i f the bed o f th i s river y ie lds grains of gold,the tr ibutar

i e s near the source probably wi l l y ie ld nuggets,fo r th e

heavy part i c l e s w i l l s ink and be caught in the beds ofstreams and rivers first . Somet imes the r i chest depos it sare found where th e current has been broken by a changeof descent or d irec t ion .

I n a stream which i s known to be gold bearing theprospector wi l l do wel l to take noti ce of abrupt turns . I fone s ide o f the stream i s a c l iff . a nd th e other a gentl es lope the latter may be found to be r ich in gold deposi t s

.

Sometimes where there are several bends with s lopes 0 pp

‘

o site c l iffs , the s lopes w il l l i ke ly give up gold .

The end o f a mountai n chain off ers a l ike ly s i te for a llnv ia l diggings .When alluv ial ground i s m ade up with rather loosegrave l

,mixed with bou lders or lumps of rock

,the gol d

,

with other heavy substances , wil l be found underneaththe bu lk of the coarse depos i t s

,e ither next to or near b e d

rock,or mixed with c lay . Thus i t i s wi se to examine the

earthy matte r j u st over the bed rock . I f cl ay i s l ik e ly tocontain gold it shou ld b e washed care fu l ly .

I f the flow of water in a stream hinders d igging 0 p

crat ion,

“back trenches” shou ld be cut so that the watermay flow through them , thu s divert ing the stream fromthe s i te of operat ion . This wi l l lay the bed bare and theprospectors can eas i ly remove large rocks o r bou lderslook ing for nuggets and wash the finer gravel w ith run

n ing water . 3

To detect free or nat ive gold'

i n rock , sand or gravel , thesample s should be examined by means of a magni fyingglas s i f th e eye i s i nsuffic i ent . The part i c le s of go ld , i fpresent

,i n th e fre e state general ly wi l l be di st inct enough

whether wet or dry to be d ist ingu i shed from discolored

mica , i ron or Copper pyri te s .


I n whatever d irect ion i t i s looked at gold presents thesame color

,and th is i s a gu id ing test to the prospector .

A gold grain p i cked out from a rock or se l ec ted fromsand or grave l can be flattened out by a hammer

,and can

be cu t in s l i ce s .Those mater ial s most l ike ly to be mi staken for gold are

reduced to powder when pounded .

I ron pyr ites i s too hard to be cut with a kn i fe ; copper

pyri tes when pounded makes a green i sh powder .Pyrit es ore when heated

,sme l l s o f su lphur .

Mica when di scolored,i s frequently mi staken for go ld

when d iscovered by the tenderfoot ;” but i t i s not eas i ly

cu t and has a colorl es s streak and can thu s be easi ly di s

tingu ish‘

ed from gold .

I t i s much eas i er to d i st ingu i sh pure or metal l i c gold inal luvial depos i ts than i t i s to certain ly recogni ze i t i n rock .

Gold frequently o ccurs as a fine powder , whi ch even themagn i fying glas s w i l l be unabl e to d is t i ngu i sh , and al so

the grains , becaus e o f the pre sence of su lph ur or arsen i c ,may be coated with a fi lm wh ich makes them u nr e cogn iz

able to the eye ; even mak ing the go ld incapab l e of amal

gam a tion with mercury unti l the mater ia l has beenroasted or put through some proces s . The prospector

i n the Yukon di stri c t , however , wil l have l i t t l e troub le i nrecogn iz ing gold when he sees i t , for i t appears that thegold i s large grained and eas i ly d ist ingu i shed .

I n add it ion to h i s grub pack,

” the prospector mustprovide h imse l f wi th th e few appl iances necessary to

wash out th e go ld . He shou ld have a shove l,hammer

,

p ick and pan or horn spoon . The pan and horn spoon,

and method of us ing them , are descr ibed hereafter . Thehammer i s u sed when prospect ing for mineral ve ins or

depos i t s other than al luvia l .The presen ce of free gold in al luv ial depos i t s

,tha t i s

D IAG R AM sa o wm o sa cr ro x o r PLACE R C L A IM 14, O NE L DO R ADO C R E E K , K LOND I K E D I S TR IC T.


1 00 T H E CHICAGO R ECORD ’S

stained brown , yel low , purp le , or other co lor , due todecomposed i ron or copper pyrites

,and frequent ly i s

honey—combed . Quartz scratches glass , but i s notscrat ched by a fi l e or kni fe b lade . I t i s nearly pure

Flu o r_

spa r i s purp le , at t imes yel low ,white

,green or

b lue . I t i s soft . When heated in a dark place i t givesout a phosphorescent glow .

Calc spar i s transparent or trans lucent . I t effervesceswhen acted on by an ac id .

As quartz i s nearly a lways the matrix o f mineral ve ins,

the prospector should look for i tGold bearing quartz whi ch has broken away from t h e

lode,i s general ly honey - combed , and as gold with stands

weather,the yel low speck s may be seen i n the ce l l s once

fi l led “with i ron or copper pyrites , wh ich . have beenwashed out in the course of years of exposure to th ee l ements

,l eav ing noth ing beh ind but sta ins .

O ne of the best surfac e” i ndi cations of a gold bearinglode

,i s honey - combed ro ck

,

‘

b row n with i ron ox ide .

Having traced the brown stain ed,honey- combed rock

up the h i l l to the rock from which i t was broken,the

prospector should d ig a trench at r ight angle s,i f po ss ib le ,

to the lode , that he may examine i t s character ; the natureof the vein ; th e non - metal l i c rock mater ial in th e lode ; tofind the upper or hanging wal l

,

- and the lower or foot

wal l,and to ascertain the d ire ct ion or strike” o f the

lode .He al so shou ld s ink a prospecting” shaft a few feet below the bottom o f hi s trench

,to be certa in o f the inc l ina

t ion of the lode .

The . probab le d i rect ion of the lode ascertained , theprospector can s ink other shaft s h igher up or lower dow n

BO O K FO R G O L D JS E E K’E R S ’

. 1 0 1

on the hi l l , or the other s ide of the val ley , to test thecontinu ity o f the ve in .

I f i t i s pos s ib le to take spec imens of th e o r e to an assayoffice

,i t i s b est to do so , as much labor might be wasted

on low grade ore whi ch , to the eye , looks promi s ing.

But in out - o f- the—way places , i t i s d ifficu l t to findassayers . I t i s poss ib l e , however , for the prospector tofind

,with approximate certa inty

,the valu e of h i s find i f

the metal i n the ore i s free gold .

Hammer a quanti ty of the ore wi th water , unti l the orei s reduced to powder , add mercury to the powder ;about one ounce of mercury to eight pounds of ore . I fposs ib l e add a l i t t l e cyan ide of potass ium . Gr ind th ewhol e mass unt i l the gold and mercury form an amalgam . Then pour in some water , and when the amalgam

has settl ed to th e bottom,pou r o ff th e l ighter materi al ,

col le c t the amalgam,and squeeze i t through a bucksk in

or canvas bag . Place the mas s l e ft i n th e bag on a shove land hold the shovel over a fire . The heat wi l l drive th e

mercury out,l eav ing the gold b eh ind ; then the prospector

can gues s” th e valu e of h i s find .

Having found h i s gold mine,p lacer or lode

,and be ing

sat i sfied that i t i s worth hold ing and working,the p ros

pecto r shou ld locate” and “fi l e” h is c la im .

I f th e find” i s on Canad ian soi l,he must proceed a c

cord ing to the ru l es and regu lat ion s la id down by theCanad ian authori t i e s . (See Canadian min ing laws in th i sbook)I f the p lacer or lode i s in Alaska , the regu lat ions o f the

Un ited States land office department must be observed.

These regulat ion s are based on the Uni ted State s

mineral laws . ” (See United States m in ing laws in th i sbook .) The process i s a s fol lows :A correct survey of th e c la im must be made under

1 02 T H E‘

C a iC‘

AG o RE C O RD’S’

authori ty o f the survey - general of the state o r te rr i tory

in wh ich th e c laim l ies.

The survey must show with accuracy the e x te r io .

boundari e s of th e c laim .

Boundar i e s must be di st in ct ly marked by monuments ,

on the ground .

Four p lats and one copy of the original fie ld note s, i neach case

,wil l be prepared by the surveyor- general ; one

plat and the original fie ld note s,to be reta ined in th e

o ffi c e of th e surveyor - general ; one copy of the plat to begiven the claimant fo r po st ing upon the c la im ,

one pla t

and a copy of the field notes to be given the claimant forfi l ing with the proper register

,to be final ly transmitted by

th a t officer , with other papers in the case , to th i s office ,and one plat to be sent by the surveyor

- general to theregister of the proper land d i stri ct to be retained on h isfi l e s for future reference .

The c laimant must post a copy of th e plat o f the surveyin a consp icuous p lace upon the c laim

,together Wi th

not i ce of h i s i ntent ion to apply for a patent .This noti c e must give the date of post ing , th e name ofthe c la imant

,the name of the c la im

,mine

,or lode : the

min ing di str i ct and county ; whether the locat ion i s ofrecord

,and

,i f so

,where the record may be found ; the

number of feet c laimed along the ve in,and the presumed

direct ion thereof ; the number of fee t c laimed on the lodei n each d irect ion from the point of d i scovery

,or other

wel l - defined place on the claim ; the name or names of adj o in ing claimants on the same or other lodes ; or , i f noneadj o in , the names of the neares t c laims , etc .

After post ing the plat and no t i ce upon the premise s ,th e c la imant must fi le with the proper regi ster and re

ce ive r a copy of su ch plat , and the fie ld notes of survey o i

th e c laim ,accompani ed by th e affidavi t of at l east two


1 04 T H E CHICAG O RE CORD ’

S

office other than those set forth in th e accompanying ab

s tract .I n th e

'

even t of th e m ining records in any case havingbeen destroyed by fire or otherwise los t

,

’

affidavi t of thefact shou ld be made

,and secondary ev idence of posses

sory t i tl e w i l l be rece ived,which may consi st o f the

a ffidavi t of the c laimant,supported by those of any other

parti es cogn izant of the facts relat ive to hi s locat ion,o c

cupan cy,possess ion , improvement , etc. ; and in such case

o f lost re cords , any deeds , certificates of location or purchase , o r other evidence whi ch may be in th e c laimant

’s

posses s ion and tend to estab l ish h i s c laim , should b e fi l ed .

Upon the rece ipt o f thes e pape rs th e regi ste r wi l l , atthe expense of the c laimant (who must furn ish th e agre ement of the pub l i sher to hold appl i cant for patent alonerespons ib l e for charges o f pub l i cat ion), publ i sh a noti ceof su ch appl i cat ion for the period of s ixty days in a newspaper pub l i shed nearest to the c laim

,and wi l l post a copy

of such noti ce in h i s offi ce for the sam e

'

pe r io d . When anoti ce i s pub l i shed in a weekly newspaper ten consecut iv ei nsert ions are neces sary ; when in a da i ly newspaper thenoti ce must appear i n each i s sue for s ixty- one co n se cut ive i s su es , the first day o f i s sue be ing excluded in est imating the period o i s ixty days .The noti ces so pub l i shed and posted must be “as fu l land complet e as pos s ib l e , and embrace al l the data givenin the not i ce posted upon the claim .

Too much care cannot be exerc i sed in th e preparat ionof these noti c es , i nasmuch as upon the ir accuracy andcompletenes s w i l l depend , i n a great measure , the regu la r i ty and val id i ty of the whole proceed ing .

The c la imant , e i ther at the time of fi l ing these papersthe regi ster or at any t ime during t h e s ixty days’

publ i cat ion , i s required to fi l e a cert ificate o f the surveyor

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS . 1 05

general that not l es s than $50 0 worth of labor has beenexpended or improvements made upon the c la im by theappl i cant or h i s grantors ; that the p lat fi l ed by the c laimant i s correct ; that the field notes of the survey

,as fi l ed

,

furn ish such an accurate descript ion of th e c la im as wi l l,

i f incorporated into a patent,s erve to fu l ly ident i fy the

prem i ses,and that su ch reference i s made there in to

natural obj ect s or permanent monuments as wi l l per

pe tu a te and fix the locu s thereof .

After th e s ixty days’ period o f newspaper publ i cat ionhas exp ired

,the cla imant wi l l furn ish from the office of

pub l i cat ion a sworn statement that the not i ce was pub

l ish ed for the statutory period , giv ing the first and las tday of su ch publ i cat ion , and h i s own affidavi t showingthat the p lat and noti c e a foresa id remained consp icuou s lyposted upon the c laim sought to be patented during sai ds ixty days’ pub l i cat ion

,giv ing the dates .

Upon the fi l ing of th i s affidavi t th e regis ter wi l l,i f no

adverse c laim was fi l ed i n h i s office during th e per iod ofpub l i cat ion

,permit the c laimant to pay for th e land a c

cord ing to the area given in the plat and fie ld notes ofsurvey afore sa id

,at the rate of $5 for each acre , and $5

for each fract ional part of an acre , the rece iver i ssu ing theu sual dup l i cate rece ip t there for . The c laimant w i ll

'

a lso

make a sworn statement of al l charges and fee s paid byh im for publ i cat ion and surveys , together with al l fe esand money paid th e regi ster and rece iver of the

b l andoffice ; after whi ch the whol e matter w i l l be forwarded tothe commiss ioner of th e general land office and a patenti s sued thereon i f found regular .The gold d igger’s “pan” resemb le s a fry ing pan minu sthe handle . I t i s general ly c i rcu lar in form , from IO to

14i nches i n d i ameter at th e bottom ,flaring out at the top

to a d iameter three or four inches wider . The s ides are

1 06 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’

S

about five i nches deep . The pans are made of copper,

pres sed ste e l , ‘ sh e e t i ron or stou t t in - plate,preferab ly

pressed stee l or copper .I n us ing the pans a quant i ty of the dirt to be washed

,

say two shovel fu l s , i s p laced i n the pan . The pan

should not be fi l l ed more than two - th irds of it s capaci ty .

The pan with its contents i s then immersed in water e i therin a hole or a stream of such a depth that th e miner ca neas i ly reach the pan with hi s hand whi l e i t re sts on thebottom . The mass in the pan i s st i rred up wi th bothhands so that every part i c l e o f' i t may become thoroughlymixed with th e water and d is integrated .

When the d irt has become thoroughly soaked andsoftened by the water so that i t i s a th in pasty mass

,th e

pan IS taken in both hands , one on e ither s ide , and a l it t l ei ns ide of i t s greatest d iameter

,that i s to say about hal f

way up from the bottom to the top . Then without taki ng i t from the water i t i s held in the hand not qu ite l eve l

,

but t ipped somewhat away from the person .

When in th i s pos it ion i t i s shaken so as to al low th e

water to d is engage al l the l ight earthy part i c le s and carrythem away . When thi s has been done there w il l be le ft

i n the pan gold dust , gold nuggets , heavy sand , lumps ofc lay and gravel stone . The grave l s tones g eneral ly a c

cumulate on the surface and can b e p icked off by handand thrown as ide . The lumps of c lay should be crumbledand reduced by rubb ing and mashing , so as to becarri ed o ff by the water the next t ime the pan i s p laced in

the water .Thi s operat ion , s imple as i t appears , real ly requ ire s

cOnside rab le ski l l , which only can come by pract i c e . A

neat turn of the wri st,and a certain osc i l lat ing mot ion so

a s to give somewhat of a whirlpool effect to the water in

the pan are required to cause the muddy matter to escape


G o r a w u nm o C R AD L E .

G O L D -WAS H ING T O M.

CAL IFO R NJAN

MINE R'

s PAN, C RADL E , LO NG T O M, AND PUMP .


The horn - spoon i s a most use fu l contr ivance , for i t i sl ight and durab le and wi l l not take on grease , whichwou ld prevent perfec t contact of the water on its surface .

The pan i s u sed where the water supply i s i n suffic i entfor a cradl e . Thi s apparatus i s so cal led because i t bearsin i ts outward form a res emblance to an ord inary nurserycradle . I t rests on a pai r of rockers , and i s made toosc i l late j u st as a cradle i s rocked . The cradl e general lyi s about 40 in ches long , 2 0 i nches wide and the back endri s es to the he ight o f 1 5 i nche s to 2 fe et . The s ideboards

o f th e crad le s lope dow n from the he ight of the bac k

board to about a couple o f in ches at the mouth .

A movab l e r idd l e , or h O ppe r , 2 0 i nches square and 6inch es

'

deep, with a bottom of sheet i ron perforated close lywith holes one - half i nch in d iameter

,fi t s n ea tlv and

snugly in the top of th e cradl e . Below the grat ing an

apron made of canvas,duck

,a p i ec e o f b lanket

,or some

other su i tab le materia l,depending upon the mater ia l

whi ch the prospector has at hand , i s s tretched on a framework. The apron or curtain s lopes down from the mouthof th e cradle towards th e bottom of the back board , andrests on fi l l ets nai l ed on th e s id eboards.

O n th e bot tom of th e crad le 2 p i eces of wood a re nai ledfrom one sid e to th e othe r , cal l ed r iffle - bars

,each about

three - quarters o f an inch h igh . O ne r iffle - bar i s nai l edabou t the middl e of th e crad le and the other near th eouter edge . T h e whole apparatus stands on rockers

,

which are cut in a crescent shape , so that the cradl e w i l lrock from s ide to s ide .

I n pract i c e the pay d irt is thrown i nto the r idd le . I fthe miner i s work ing alone he pours water over the d irtwith one hand and rocks h i s apparatus with the other .General ly , however, miners work in pai rs ; one pours andth e oth er rocks. T h e ro cking stir s up th e pay d irt in th e

1 1 0 T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’S

r iddl e and the d i s integrated mass drops through the hol e sat the bottom of the ridd le

,and fal l ing on the apron

,i s

carri ed to the back end of the crad le and thence along thefloor

,the water carry ing i t over the r iffle - bars and out of

th e mouth .

The cradl e i s placed so that the hopper end i s

about 2 5 i nches h igher than the mouth end . Almost

al l pay d irt contains grave l and stone of variou s s iz es .Those wh ich are smal l enough to pass through the holesin the r iddl e wi l l drop through . The larger one s

,wh ich

are retained in th e riddle,must be pi cked out by hand and

thrown as ide,without , however , stopp ing the rock ing of

the crad le. I t i s a good th ing to l eave the smal l gravelwhich has dropped through , to remain on the floor of thecradle

,because they Wi l l he lp th e process of breaking up

the earthy matter found in the grave l . W hen the hopperhas become fi l l ed with stones , and al l washed cl ean , they

are t ipped out and careful ly examined for any nuggets ofgold that may be mixed up wi th them . A certain proport ion of very fine gold dust w i l l be caught and held bythe hairs and fibers of the c lo th i n the apron

,and larger

part i c le s of gold wi l l col l e ct beh ind the r iffle - bars on thebed of the crad le .Two or three t imes a day , depend ing of course uponthe nature and ri chness of the pay dirt

,the cradle must

be cleaned up . The hopper i s taken out so th at th e aproncan be withdrawn . The apron i s then washed in a bucketor some other receptac l e contain ing c lean water . Thi s

w i l l di l dge the gold dust he ld in the fiber or hair of theapron

,and i t can be recovered from the bottom of the

vesse l . The gold and other mater ial wh i ch has beencaught by the r iffle - bars are scraped out with an iron

spoon .

The scrapings are put i n a pan , and the gold then i s


1 1 2 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’S

sand , fine grave l , c lay , and gold fal l s i nto i t s upper endthrough the perforat ions in the grat ing .

From 5 to 7 r iffle - bars are nai led on the bottom of ther i ffle - box

,and the box i s placed on an incl ine suffic i ent to

al low the water pass ing over i t to carry o ff the l ightearthy and clayey material s

,l eav ing the gold encased in

the fine mud wh i ch w i l l form on the bottom . I n somecases a l it tl e mercury i s p laced behind the r iffl e - bars to ass i st in hold ing the gold , and occas ional ly a ser i es of blanket aprons are used to catch th e fine gold tha t w i l l gothrough with the tai l ing s .The stream o f water flows cont inuously . The dirt is

thrown into the tom or upper trough by one man,whi l e

h i s partner st i rs i t about with a square edged shovel or ablunt pronged fork . The floor of the tom i s coveredw ith sheet - i ron

,t in , or any sheet metal which may be at

hand,to save wear and tear of the floor . The grat ing

prevents th e heavy stones and grave l from pass ingthrough . The long toms are cl eaned up period ical ly ,and the gold or amalgam , i n case mercury i s u sed , i s

panned out .S lu i ces can be u sed onlywhere

“

there is an abundant

supply of water . S lu i ces are o f two kinds ; the box- slu ice ,which i s ra i s ed above th e surface necess i tat ing th e ra i s

ing of pay d irt into them ; the ground s lu i ce , wh i ch isgeneral ly sunk .below the surface . The box- s lu i ce is a

long wooden trough or a ser ie s of troughs , vary ing from

50 fe et to several thou sand feet in length . The width i snever less than 1 2 i nches , nor more than 6 0 i nches ;general ly 1 6 to 1 8 i nches . The height o f the s ides var iesfrom 8 to 1 2 i nches .A slu ice i s made up in sect ions

,each from 1 2 to 14 feet

long . E ach sect ion i s bu i l t of one and an inch roughplank

,and one end is made wider than th e o ther so th at

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS . 1 1 3

th e sect ions can be fit ted or te l e scoped i nto each otheras a stovep ipe i s made up . The troughs re st on tre st le sand are down grade al l the way from pay d irt . The s lantor inc l ine varie s from 8 to 1 8 i nches for every runningfoot of trough . A fal l o f 8 i n ches i s ca l l ed an 8- i nchgrade ,

”1 0 in ches a I o- i nch grade . The shorter th e s lu ice

th e smal ler th e grade should be , as there i s more dangeror fine go ld being lost i n a short than in a long s lu i ce .

The nature o f the ground,the supply of water and the

character of the mater ia l i n whi ch th e gold i s found mustdeterm ine the grade Of the s lu i c e . I f the c lay i s toughand bal l s eas i ly , the grade should be steep . I n generali t may b e sa id the s teeper the grade th e more qu i ck ly thed irt i s d i s solved in the water . But at the same t ime theforce o f the water i s more l ike ly to carry away the finegold .

O rdinary pay d i rt general ly i s complete ly d i s solvedi n a moderate ly low grade s lu i ce in the firs t 2 0 0 feet offlow . Any extra l ength added to th i s i s use fu l only tocatch the finer go ld . I n such case thi s length i s of amuch lower grade , that i s , l e s s slant ing

'

th an the workingpart of the s lu i ce . When the inc l ine of a s lu i c e i s s l ightgold i s eas i ly caught

,and much of i t w i l l be caught on the

smooth floor of the s lu i ce w ithout th e aid o f r i ffle—bars .Where there are plenty of stones

,a number of them may

be p laced at the mouth of each sect ion of a s lu i ce to prevent th e bottom from being run bare .

G en e ra lly,'

h ow eve r , a fal se bottom i s used in the s lu i ce ,des igned not only to catch , but to save th e we ar and tearon the floor of th e s lu i ce i t se l f . I n Cal i forn ia fal s e bottoms are made o f r iffle - bars , which run l engthwi se wi th

th e s lu i ce about 6 feet long , 3 to 7 i nches wide and 2 to 4inches th i ck ; 2 s ets for each length of sl u i ce . Th ey are

1 14 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD’S

kept i n place by cros s - pi eces,which wedge them down

again st th e s ide of the trough .

The fal se bottom s are not nai l ed down to the s lu i ce asthey must b e removed at every c l eaning up . The go ldand other heavy material fal l through th i s fal s e floor s inking through the l ighter mater ial to th e box floor . Amodificat ion of the fal s e bottom i s th e b lock and zig- zagr i ffle s . Fal s e bottoms general ly wear away in a weekor l es s i f there i s a great quant ity o f pebb les and bouldersin the pay d irt .Where su ch mater ial i s handl ed i t i s b est to use b lo ck

r iffle s . The wood for block r i ffl e s 1 5 cut across the grainso that the fibers stand upright i n the s lu i ce box

,as in the

tree . Z ig- zag r i ffle s cons i s t of bars whi ch are nai led to

th e bottom of the s lu i ce at an angle of 45 degrees to th es ide

,reach ing d iagonal ly acro ss to with in an

- i nch of th eother s id e . Such gold and heavy mater ial s as are notcomplete ly caught i n th i s z ig- zag course are caught witha suppl emental s tretch of ord inary longitud inal r iffles.

A ground slu i c e i s noth ing more nor l e s s than a gutteror di t ch excavated in the ground

,and i t i s only us ed when

lumber cannot be obtained for making a board s lu i ce orwhen the amount of water avai lab le i s not suffic i ent fora continuou s supply for a box s lu i ce . I t somet imeshappens that a heavy fal l o f ra in wi l l furn ish a head ofwater for a short t ime

,but not long enough to pay for

bu i ld ing a box slu i c e . Under such condit ions the m inerresort s to the ground s lu ice

,provided he has enough

fal l and outl et for the tai l ings .A ground s lu i ce w i l l u se up 6 t imes as much water as abox slu i ce to do the same amount of work . The gutter

i s formed part ly by tak ing the stream through i t,ass is ted

by loosen ing the earth with a p ick ; when the gutter ismade the pay d irt i s e i th e r washed into i t by th e stream it



severa l plates. The plate i s p laced nearly'

l eve l and a t a “

good distance from the head of the s lu i ce,as it i s u sed

only for catch ing the finest gold dust . A sheet- i ronscreen , perforated with s l i ts one - hal f in ch long and a .

s ixteenth of an inch wide , i s p laced in front of th e copperp late , so that on ly the finest part i c le s o f gold wi l l pas sover the p lat e .The C opper i s amalgamated as fol lows : A weak n i tri c

a c id i s washed over th e upper surface , and then somemercury , whi ch has been treated with d ilute n itri c acid to

form a l i tt l e n itrate of mercury,i s app l ied on the surface

o f the copper . I f thi s amalgamation i s we l l performedonce i t need not be repeated

,as i t w i l l only requ ire some

fresh mercury to be dropped on i t as fast as th e gold converts i t into amalgam . The flow of water should be slowand shal low so that every b i t of gold can come in contact with the face o f the p late .

Somet imes a newly amalgamated plate becomes coatedwith a green s l ime (due to the format ion of subsa lts ofcopper), and then i s incapab l e of absorb ing the gold .

This s l ime must be s craped o ff careful ly , and the s crapedspots must be rubbed w ith fresh mercury . T o removeth e amalgam

,the plate i s taken up and heated to a degree

wh ich wi l l make the C opper p late uncomfortab ly warm .

This wi l l soften and loosen the amalgam , whi ch then canbe easi ly s craped o ff. The C opper i s then al lowed to cooland again i s rubbed with a l i tt l e ord inary mercury . Thecopper should not b e les s than one—s ixteenth of an i nchth i ck

,and as the mercury makes i t bri tt l e as glass i t must

b e handled wi th cons iderab le care .The process of c lean ing of gold , mercury and amalgamcaught in a s lu i ce i s as fol lows : Clean ing up general ly

i s effected after every 6 o r 7 days’run . The miner , when

h e is ready to c lean up , stop s feeding in pay d irt , but l e t s


the water run through the s lu i ce boxes unti l i t comes out

in a c lear stream . Beginn ing at the head of the s lu i ce the

first 5 or 6 sets of r i ffle—bars are l i fted out of the boxes .Some of th e d irt w i l l be d i s lodged . Thi s i s washed downinto th e next se t of boxes and the mass of heavy gold , andb lack sand and clay

,or other mater ial s caught in the first

set o f boxes,i s s craped out wi th a S poon . The next sets

then are treated the same way and so on unt i l the end of

the s lu i ce .The amalgam and mercury taken out ar e placed i n abucksk in or canvas bag , where i t i s subj ected to pres

sure ; e i ther squeezed between the hands o r placed under

a we ight . T h e excess o f mercury wi l l be forced through

th e pores o f bucksk in or canvas i nto a vess e l p laced be

neath to catch i t . The amalgam remain ing i s spongel ike i n texture and i s largely pure gold . The go ld i s

separated from the amalgam and the mercury by plac

in g the amalgam in a retort and subj e ct ing i t to the heat .

The Cal i forn ia pump was used with great succe s s byplacer m iners in the golden state . I t i s what might b ecal led a chain pump . A rectangu lar box 1 0 i nches w ideand 3 in ches high ins ide measurement , and from 1 0 to 30feet long, i s t raversed by an endless flexib l e bel t or bandof canvas . O n One s ide of th e bel t p i eces of wood

,j us t

enough smal l er than th e i nside of the box to permit c learance , are nai l ed to the canvas . At the lower end o f th ebox , which dipped into the water , i s a ro l l er around wh ichthe bel t passe s . At the upper end the bel t passe s around

a second rol l er o r drum , which i s made to revolve by acrank .

The faces of the b locks , which are cal l ed bu ckets orsuckers

,are covered w ith l eather whi ch proj ec ts some ~

what beyond the edges of the wood . I n operat ion th em i ner cause s the drum at the upper end of the box to r e


volve . Thi s puts the canvas bel t i n motion and thebuckets

,catch ing the Water o f th e stream

,carry i t up

through the water - box , empty ing i t out into the re servo iror crad le “

long tom “ or short box - s lu ice . Such pumps

are exceed ingly u sefu l where the gold - bearing earth ish igh up on the banks of a rav ine or in the s ide of a gu lch .


1 2 0 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’

S

i s reserved for future legi s lat ion by congress : And prov ided fu rther

,That parti es who have located mines or

m ineral priv i l eges there in under th e laws of the Uni tedStates appl i cabl e to the pub l i c domain

,or who have o c

cupied and improved or exerci sed acts o f ownersh ip oversuch cla ims , shal l not be di sturbed therein , but shal l beal lowed to perfect the ir t i t l e to such c laims by payment

as aforesa id : And provided al so , That the land not ex

ce ed ing s ix hundred and for ty acre s .a t any stat ion now

occupied as mi s s i onary stat ions among the Ind ian tribesin said sect ion

,wi th the improvements thereon erected

by or for such soci et i e s , shal l be cont inued in th e o ccupancy of the s everal rel igiou s soci et i es to which sa id mis

s iona ry stat ions re spect ive ly belong unti l action by

congress . But noth ing conta ined in th i s act shal l be con

stru ed to put in force in sai d d i stri ct th e general l aws of

the Un ited States .

Land office regulat ions providing for the admini strat ion of the m ining laws

,as prescribed by the regulat ions

o f the land office,wil l be adopted for and extended to

Alaska as far as appl i cab le .

Under se ct ion 2 3 1 8 of th e United States l aw ,

‘

al l lands ,valuabl e for m ineral s

,are reserv ed from sal e , except as

otherwi se expre ss ly d irected by law .

L i cen se to explore,occupy and purchase mineral l ands

i s authorized as fol lows :Sec

. 2 3 1 9 . Al l valuab l e mineral depos i t s i n lands be

longing to the United States,both surveyed and u nsu r

veyed , are hereby declared to be fre e and open to explorat ion and purchase

,and the lands in whi ch th ey a re found

to occupat ion and purchase , by ci t izens of th e Un ited

States and those who have decl ared the i r i ntent ion to b e

come such,under regulat ions prescribed by law , and a c

cording to the local customs or rules o f miners in the


several min ing di stri cts,so far as the same are appl i cab le

and not incons isten t with the laws of the United Stat es .

Locators must show proof o f c i t izenship or an in tent ion to become c i t izens . Thi s may be done as prov ided

in th e fol lowing sect ion :

S e e . 2 3 2 1 . Proof o f c i t i zenship,under thi s chapter

,

may cons is t,i n the cas e o f an i ndiv idual

,of h i s own afl‘i

davi t thereo f ; i n the case of an associat ion of persons

un incorporated,of the affidavi t of the ir authorized agent ,

made on his own knowledge,or upon information and be

l i e f ; and in the case o f a corporat ion organ ized under the

laws of the United States,0 1 of any state or terr itory

thereof,by the fi l ing of a certified copy of the i r charter or

cert ificate o f incorporat ion .

The Supreme Court o f th e United State s has definedthe term placer c la im as Ground with in defined boun

da r ie s which contains mineral in it s earth , sand or gravel ;ground that in c ludes valuabl e depos i ts not in place

,that

i s,not fixed in rock

,but wh ich are in a loose state

,and

may in most case s be col le cted by wash ing or amalgama

t ion without m i l l ing .

The secti on relating to placer c la ims define s placer

a s fol lows :

Section 2 32 9 . Claims usual ly cal l ed ‘placer,

’ i nc luding

al l forms of depos i ts,excepting veins of quartz

,or other .

rock in place,shal l be subj ect to entry and patent

,under

l ike ci rcumstances and condi t ions,and upon s im i lar pro

ce edings, as are provided for vei n or lode claims ; but

where the lands have been prev iou sly surveyed by the

Uni ted State s,th e entry in i t s exterior l imit s shal l con

form to the l egal subd iv is ions of the publ i c l ands .I n locat ing place r c laims the law provides that no

locat ion o f su ch c laim upon surveyed ground sha l l in

clu de more than twenty acre s for each ind iv idual c la im

1 22 T H E CHICAGO RE CO RD’

S

ant . The Supreme Court , however, has held that one

indivi dual can hold asmany locations as he can purchaseand rely upon h i s posse ssory t itl e ; that a s epa ra te patent

for each locat ion i s unnecessary . The United State s law

relat ing to placer claims reads as fol lows :Section 2 32 9 . Claims u sual ly cal l ed ‘placer

,

’ i nc luding

ing al l forms of depos it,excepting veins of quartz

,or

other rock in place,shal l be subj ect to entry and patent

,

under l ike ci rcumstances and condi ti ons,and upon s im

i la r proceed ings,as are provided for vein or lode claims ;

but where the lands have been previously surveyed by

the United S tate s,th e entry in i t s exterior l im i ts shal l

conform to the legal subd ivi s ions of the pub l i c lands .

Section 2 330 . Legal subdivi s ions of forty acres maybe subd ivided into ten - acre tracts ; and two or more persons

, o r associat ions o f persons , hav ing contiguous

claims of any s i ze,al though such claims may be les s than

ten acres each,may make j oint entry thereof ; but no

location of a placer- c laim,made after the n inth day of

July,e ighteen hundred and seventy , shal l exceed one

hundred and s ixty acres for any one person or associat ion of persons

,which locat ion shal l conform to the

United States surveys ; and noth ing in th i s s ection con

ta in ed shal l de feat or impair any bona fide pre - empt ionor homestead claim upon agricul tural lands

,or author

i ze the sal e of the improvements of any bona fide sett l er

to any purchaser .

Sect ion 2 33 1 . Where placer- cla ims are upon sur

veyed lands , and conform to lega l subdiv i s ions no furthersurvey or pl

‘

at shal l be requ ired,and al l p lacer-min ing

cla ims located after the tenth day of May,e ighteen hun

dred and seventy - two,shal l conform as near as prae

t icable with the United States system of pub l i c- land surveys

,and the rectangular subdivi s ions o f su ch surveys ,


1 24 T H E CH ICAGO R E CO RD S

made , for the period of s ixty days , i n a newspaper to beby h im des ignated as pub l i shed nearest to such claim ;and he shal l al so post such noti ce in h i s office for the

same period . The c laimant at the time of fi l ing th i sappl i cation , or at any time thereafter, with in the s ixtydays o f pub l i cat ion , shal l fi l e with th e regi ster a ce r tifi

cate of the Un i ted States surveyor - general that five hundred dol lars’ worth of labor has been expended or im

provem en ts made upon the claim by h imsel f or grantors ;that the plat i s correct , with su ch further descript ion by

such re ference to natural obj ects or permanent monu

ments as shal l identi fy the c la im,and furni sh an accurate

descript ion,to be incorporated in t h e patent . At the

expiration of the s ixty days of publ i cat ion the c laimant

shal l fi l e h i s afli davit, show ing that th e plat and noti ce

have been posted in a conspicuous place on the cla im during such period of pub l ication . I f no adverse cla im shal lhave been fi l ed with th e regi ster and the rece iver of theproper l and—o ffice at th e expi rat ion of the s ixty days ofpubl i cat ion

,i t shal l be as sumed that th e appl icant i s

ent i t l ed to a patent,upon the payment to th e proper o ffi

cer of five dol lars per acre , and that no adverse cla imexi sts ; and thereafter no obj ect ion from th i rd parti es

to the i ssuan ce of a patent shal l be heard,except i t be

shown that the appl i can t has fa i l ed to comply with the

terms of th i s chapter .Locators on placer claims which contain lodes are

brought with in the prov is ions of the fol lowing section :

Sect ion 2 333 . Where th e same person , associat ion ,or co rpo ra tl o n IS 1n posse ss ion of a placer claim , and also

a ve in or lode included wi th in th e boundari es th ereof ,appl i cat ion shal l be made for a patent for the placer c laim ,

with the statement that i t include s such vein or lode , and

in su ch ca se a'

p‘

a tent shal l issue fo r a placer c la im ,sub


j ce t to the provi s i ons of th is chapter,in cluding such vein

or lode , upon the payment of five dol lars per acre for

such vein or lode cla im ,and twenty - five fee t of surface

on each s ide the reof. The remainder of th e p lacer claim ,

o r any placer c laim not embracing any vein or lode claim,

shal l b e paid for at th e rate o f two dol lars and fi fty cent‘sper acre

,togeth er wi th al l cos ts o f proceedings ; and

where a vein or lode,su ch as i s described i n sect ion

2 32 0 i s known to exi st w ith in the boundari e s o f a placer

c laim,an appl i cat ion for a paten t fo r su ch p lacer claim

wh ich does not include an appl i cat ion for the ve in or lode

claim shal l be construed as a conclu s ive declaration that

th e claimant o f th e placer claim has no right of possess ion

of th e ve in or lode cla im ; but where th e exi stence o f a

vein or lode in a placer c laim i s not k nown,a patent

for th e placer claim shal l convey al l va luabl e mineral and

other deposi ts w ith in th e boundari e s thereof .

The land office regulation s re lat ing to placer c laimscontain ing lodes read as fol lows :

Appl icants for patent to a placer c la im who are al so

i n posse ss ion of a known ve in or lode inc luded there in

must state in the i r appl i cat ion that the place r include s

such vein or lode . The publ i shed and posted noti ce smust also include such statement . I f ve ins or lodes lyi ng

within a placer location are owned by othe r part i es the

fact shou ld be d i st i nctly stated in th e appl i cat ion forpatent and in al l th e noti ce s . But in al l cases whether

the lode i s cla imed or excluded,i t must b e surveyed and

marked upon the plat ; the field notes and plat giving the

area of th e lode claim or claims and the area of the placer

separate ly . I t shou ld be remembered that an appl i cat ion

w hich omits or inc ludes an appl i cat ion for a known vei nor lode there in

,must b e construed as a conclus ive de cla

ra t ion tha t the appl i cant has no right o f possess ion to

126 T H E CHICAGO RE CO RD’

S

the vein or lode . Where there i s no known lode or veinth e fact must appea r by the affidavit of two or more wi t

nesse s .

The sect ion of the Uni ted States law re lat ing to lode

claims reads as fol lows

Sect ion 2 3 2 0 . Mining claims upon ve ins or lodes ofquartz or other rock in p lace , bearing gold , s i lver, c inna

bar,l ead

,t in

,copper

,or other valuab le deposi ts here

tofore located , shal l b e governed as to length along the

vei n or lode by the customs , regulat ions , and laws in forceat the date o f the i r l ocation . A mining cla im located

after the tenth day of May , eighteen hundred and seventy

two,whether located by one or more persons

,may equal

,

but shal l not exceed one thousand five hundred feet in

l ength along the ve in or lode ; but no locat ion of a miningcla im shal l be made unti l the di s covery of th e vei n or lodewithi n th e l imits o f the c laim located . No cla im shal l

extend more than three hundred feet on each side of them iddl e of the ve in at th e surface

,nor shal l any claim be

l imited by any min ing regu lation to l es s than twenty - five

feet on each s ide o f the m idd le of th e vein at the surface,

eXcept where adverse rights exi st ing on the tenth day ofMay

,e ighteen hundred and seventy—two

,render such l im

i ta t io n neces sary . The end l ines Of each claim shal l be

paral l e l to each other .Sect ion 2 3 2 2 . The locators of al l min ing locations

heretofore made or whi ch shal l hereafte r be made,on any

minera l ve in,lode

,or l edge , s i tuated on the publ i c do

main,the i r he irs and ass igns

,where no adverse claim

exi sts on the tenth day of May,e ighteen hundred an d

s eventy- two,so long as they comply with the laws of

the Uni ted States,and with s tate

,terri torial

,and local

regulations not in confl i c t with the laws of the United

S tates govern ing th e ir possessory ti tle , sh a l l “

h ave th e


1 28 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’

S

th e locat ion , and such a description of the c la im or claimslocated by reference to some natu ral obj ect or permanent monument as wi l l ident i fy th e claim . O n each claim

located after the tenth day of May,e ighteen hundred and

seventy- two , and unti l a patent has be en issu ed therefor ,no t l e s s than one hundred dol lars’ worth of labor shal l

b e performed or improvements made dur ing each year .O n a l l c laims located prior to th e tenth day of May

,

e ighteen hundred and seventy- tw o , .ten dol lars’ worth

of labor shal l b e performed or improvements madeby the tenth day of June

,e ighteen hundred and

seventy - four,and each year thereafter

,for each one

hundred feet in l ength along the ve in,unti l a patent

has been i s sued therefor ; but where such claimsare held in common , such expenditure may be madeupon any one claim ; and upon a fai lure to complywith these condi t ions

,the claim or mine upon whi ch such

fai lure occurred shal l be opened to re locat ion in th e samemanner as i f no locat ion of the same had ever been made ;Provided

,that the original locators

,the ir h e irs

,as signs ,

or l egal representatives,have not resumed work upon the

claim after fai lure and before such location . Upon the

fai lure of any one of several co - owners to contribute h i sproport ion of the expendi tures requ ired hereby , th e coowners who have performed the l abor or made the im

provem en ts may,at the expirat ion of the year , give such

de l inquent co—owner personal noti ce in wri t ing or noti ceby publ i cat ion in the newspaper publ i shed nearest thecl aim

,for at l east once a week for n inety days , and i f at

th e expiration of n inety days after such noti ce in wri t ingor by publ i cat ion such del inquent shoul d fai l or refuseto contribute h is proportion of the expend iture requ i redby th i s s ect ion

,hi s intere st in th e c la im shal l b ecome the

property o f h is co - owners , who have made the ex pendi

tures.

‘


1 32 THE ‘

C HICAGO RECORD ’S

unt i l the controversy shal l have been settl ed or dec idedby a court o f competent j uri sd i ction

,or the adverse

cla im waived ; I t sha l l be the duty of the adverse claimant , with in th irty days after fi l ing h i s claim ,

to com

mence proceedings in a court of competent j uri sd i ction,

to determine th e quest ion of th e right of posses s ion,and

prosecute the same with reasonable di l igence to finalj udgment ; and a fa i lure so to do shal l be a waiver of h i s

adverse claim . After such j udgment shal l have been ren

dered the party ent i tl ed to th e posses sion of the cla im,

Or any port ion thereo f,may

,without giving further no

ti c e,fi l e a certified copy of the j udgment - rol l wi th th e

regi ster o f the land office"

,together with the cert ificate

o f the surveyor general that the requi s i te amount O f labor

has been expended or improvements made thereon,and

the descript ion requ ired in othe r case s , and shal l pay to

the rece iver five dol lars per acre for h i s cla im,together

with the proper fees,whereupon th e whole proceedings

and the j udgment- rol l shal l be cert ified by the regi ster to

the commissioner of the genera l l and office , and a patentshal l i ssue thereon for th e claim

,or such portion thereof

as the appl icant shal l appear,from th e de c i s ion of the

court,to right ly posses s . I f i t appears from the deci s ion

o f the court that several pa rtie s'

a r e ent i tl ed“ to s eparateand d iff erent port ions of th e cla im

,each party may pay for

h is port ion of th e c la 1m with the proper fee s and fi l e th e

c ert ificate and description by the surveyor general , whereupon the regi ste r shal l certi fy th e proceedings and j udg

ment - rol l to th e commi ss ioner of the general land office,

as in the preceding case,and patents shal l i s sue to th e

several part i es accord ingto the i r respect ive righ ts . Nothi ng here in conta ined shal l be construed to prevent th e

al ienat ion,

of a t i t l e conveyed by a patent for a”

mining

claim to any person whatever.

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E K E RS . 1 33

CHAPTER VI I I .

C ANA D IAN MI N I NG LAWS .

INE R S in the Klondike region must

pay the Canadian government an eu

try fee o f $ 1 5 for the firs t vear,and

an annual fee o f $ 1 0 0 for each of, thefol lowing years . No miner wil l r e

ce ive a grant for more than one min

ing claim in the same local i ty,but

the same miner may hold any num

ber o f c laims by pu rchase .

The Domini on government proposes to charge a royal ty for the use of i ts l and by gold

miners . Thi s royal ty wi l l amount to 1 0 per cent on al l

amounts taken out of any' one claim up to $50 0 a week ,and over that output 2 0 per c ent . The royal ty wi l l be

col lected on gold taken from streams already beingworked

,but in regard to al l future d i scoveri es

,th e govern

ment proposes th at upon eve rv r iver and creek wheremin ing locations shal l b e staked out

,every al ternate c la im

shall be the property of the crown .

The regulat ions govern ing placer min ing along the

Yukon river and it s tribu tar ie s in the Northwest territory

,adopted by the Canad ian government

,are as fol

DEFIN ITIONS :

BAR D IGGINGS shal l mean any part o f a river ove rwh ich th e wate r extends when th e w ater i s i n i t s floodedstate , and which i s not covered at low water .

1 34 T H E CHICAG O RECORD’S

MINES O N BENCHES shal l b e known as benchdiggings

,and shal l for the

_purpose

'

o f defining thes ize of such claims be excepted from dry diggings .DRY D IGGINGS shal l mean any mine over wh ich

a river never extends .

MINER shal l mean a mal e or femal e over the age o f1 8, but not under that age .

CLAIMS shal l mean the personal right of property i na placer mine or d iggings during the t ime for wh i ch thegrant of su ch mine or diggings i s made .

LEGAL PO ST shal l mean a stake stand ing not lessthan four feet above the ground and squared on four

s ides for at l east one foot from the top . Both s ide s sosquared shal l measure at l east four inches across the face .

I t shal l al so mean any stump or tree cut o ff and squaredor faced to the above height and s ize .

CLOSE SEASON shal l mean the .period of th e yearduring wh ich placer m ining i s general ly suspended . The

period to be fixed by the gold commiss ioner in whose

di stri ct the c la im IS s i tuated .

LOCAL ITY shal l mean .the terri tory along a river

(tr ibutary of the Yukon), and i ts a fflu en ts .

MINERAL shal l include al l mineral s whatsoever other

than coal .

NATURE AND S I Z E O F CLAIMS .

FIRST—Bar dig gings : A strip of land 1 0 0 feet wide

a t high watermark and thence extending along into th e

r iver to its lowest water l evel .

SE CO ND—The s ides of a claim for bar diggings shal l

be two paral le l l i nes run as nearly as poss ibl e at righ tangle s to the stream and shal l be marked by four l egal

posts, one at each end of the c laim at or about h igh water


1 36 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’S

purpose,be d eemed a new mine

,al though the same 10

ca l ity shal l have prev ious ly been worked at a d i fferent

l eve l .E IGHTH—The forms of appl icat ion for a grant for

placer min ing and the grant of the same shal l b e thosecontained in forms “H ” and “I ” i n the schedul e hereto .

NINTH—A cla im shal l be recorded w ith the gol d commiss ioner i n whose di strict i t i s s i tuated with in threedays after the locat ion thereof

,i f i t i s l ocated wi th in ten

m i le s . o f the commiss ioner’s office . O n e extra day shal l

be al lowed for mak ing such record for every add i t ional

ten mi l es and fract ion thereof .

TENTH—In the event o f th e absence of the gold

commiss ioner from his office , entry for a claim mav be

granted by any person whom he may appoint to pe r ro rmhi s duti es i n h i s abs ence .

E LE VE NTH—E n try shal l not be granted for a la imwhich has not been staked by the appl i cant in person

,i n

the manner spec ified in thes e regu lat ions . An affidav itthat the claim was staked out by the appl i cant shal l b eembod ied in form “H ” of the schedul e hereto

,

TWE LFTH—Ah entry fee of $ 1 5 shal l be charged the

fir'

st year and an annual fee o f $ 1 0 0 for each of the fol lowing years . Thi s provi s ion shal l apply to the location s for

whi ch entr i es have already, been grantedTHIRTE E NTH—After th e r e co rd 1ng of a c la im ,

th e

removal of any post by the holder thereof , or any personacting in h i s behal f

,for the purpose of changing the boun

da r ies of h i s c laim,shal l act as a forfei ture of th e claim .

FO UR T E E NT H —The entry of every holder for agrant for placer mining must be renewed , and hi s rece iptre l inqu i shed and rep laced every year, th e entry fee being

paid each year .FIFT E E NT H —No miner shal l rece ive a grant for

BO O K FO R GOLD - SEEKERS .1 37

more than one min ing cla im 1 11 the same local i ty; but th esame miner mav hold any number of c la ims by purcha s e

,

and a ny number of m iners may uni te to work the ir cla ims

in common upon such terms as they may arrange,pro

v ided such agreemen t be regi stered w ith the gold commiss ioner and a fe e o f $5 paid for each regi st rat ion .

S IXTEENTH—Any miner or m iners may se l l , mort

gage, o r dispos e of h i s or the i r claims , provided su ch d i s

posal be registered with,and a fee o f $2 paid to the gold

commiss ioner , who shal l thereupon give the ass ign ee acert ificate in form “

J” i n the schedu le hereto .

S E VE NTE E NTH— E very miner shal l,during the

cont inuance of h i s grant,have th e exclu s ive right o f entry

upon hi s own claim for th e miner - l ike working thereof,

and the construct ion of a res idence thereon,and shal l

be enti t l ed exclu s ive ly to a l l the proceeds real ized th ere

from ; but he shal l have no surface rights there in , and the

gold commissioner may grant to the holders of adj acent

claims such rights of entry thereon as may be absolute lyn ecessary for th e working of the i r c la ims , upon such

terms as may to h im seem reasonabl e . He may al so

grant permits to m iners to cut t imber thereon for the i r

ow n“ u se

,upon payment of the dues prescribed bv the

regulations in that behal f .

E IGHTE E NTH—E very miner shal l be ent it l ed to the

u se of so much of the water natural ly flowing through or

past h is cla im,and not a lr e a dv la u l ly appropriated , as

sha l l i n th e O pin ion of th e gold commi ss ioner,be n e ce s

sary for the due work ing thereof,and shal l b e ent i t l ed to

drai n h i s own claim free of charge .

NINETEENTH—A claim shal l be deemed to be abandoued and open to occupation and entry b y a ny per

son when th e same shal l have remained unworked 0 1 1

working days by the grantee thereo f or b y some person9

1 38 T H E CHICAGO RECORD’S

on hi s behal f for the space of seventy- two hours,unle s s

s ickness or other reasonable cause may be shown to th esati s fact ion of the gold commiss ioner, or unl ess the grantee i s absent o n l eave given by the commiss ioner

,and the

gold commiss ioner,upon obtain ing evidence sati s factory

to h imsel f that th is provis ion i s not being compl ied with,

may cancel the entry given for a claim .

TWENT IETH—Ii the land upon wh i ch a claim hasbeen located i s not

'

th e property of the crown i t wi l l benecessary for the person who appl i es for entry to furn i sh

proof that he has acqu i red from the owner of the landthe surface right before

.

e n trv can be granted .

“

TWE NTY—FIRST—If the occup ier of the lands hasnot re ce ived a patent there for

,the purchas e money of

the surface rights mu st be paid to th e crown,and a patent

of th e surface rights wi l l i s sue to the par ty who acqu i red .

the mining rights . The money -

so co l l ected wi l l e i ther be

re funded to the occup ier of th e land when he i s entit ledto a paten t therefor

,or wi l l be credi ted to h im on account

of payment for land .

TWE NTY—SE CO ND—When the party obtain ing themining rights cannot make an arrangement with theowner thereo f for the acqu is it ion of the surface r ights i t

shal l be l awfu l for h im to give noti ce to the owner or

h i s agent,or th e occupi er to appoint an arb i t rator to

act with another arb itrator named by h im in order toaward the amount of compensation to which the owneror occupant shal l b e enti t l ed . The noti ce mentioned in

th i s s ect ion shall b e according to form to be obtainedupon appl i cation from the gold commissioner for the d is

tr iet in wh ich the lands in que st ion l i e , and shal l , whenpract icabl e

,be personal ly served on such owner or h i s

agent,i f known

,or occupant

,and afte r reasonab l e effort s

have been made to effect personal servi ce without su


140 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD’S

writ ing shal l be fina l,

'

and shal l be fi led with th e gold commiss ioner for the d i stri ct in whi ch the lands l ie .I f any cases ar i se for whi ch no provi s ion i s made i n

these regulat i ons , the provi s ions o f the regulat ions govern ing the disposal of m ineral lands other than coal lands

approved by h i s excel l ency the governor i n counci l onthe 9th of November, 1 889 , shal l apply .

CE RT IFICATE O F ASS IGNMENT O F A PLACER

M IN ING CLAIM .

O O O O O O O O O O O O

D epartment of the I nterior.Agency

This 1 5 to cert i fy that (B . C .)has (or have)fi l e d an as

signm e n t i n due form dated .

and accompani ed by a regi strat ion fee of two dol lars , ofthe grant to (A . B .) of

of th e right to m ine i n

(i nsert description of claim) for

one year from

This cert ificate ent it l e s the said

(B . C .) to al l r ights and privi l eges o f the said

(A . B .) i n respe ct of the c la im ass igned, that i s to say , theexclu s ive right of entry upon the said cla im for the minerl ike wor king thereof and

'

the construct ion of a res idencethereon

,and th e exclu s ive right to al l proceeds there

from for the remain ing port ion of the year for whichsaid claim was granted to the sa id

(A . that i s to say,unti l the 1 8 .

The said (B . C .) shal l be en

t i tled to the use o f so much of the water natural ly flowing

NO R TH WE ST MOUNTED PO L IC E .


144 T H E CH IC AGO R E CORD ’S

Third—That I (or we) am (or are) unaware that theland i s other than vacant Domin ion lands .Fourth—That I (or we)did on the

mark out on the ground in accordance

i n every parti cu lar with the provi s ion s o f the mining

regulat ions for th e Yukon river and its tributari es,th e

cla im for which I (or we)make thi s appl icat ion , and thatin so do ing I (or we)did not en croach on any other c laimor min ing locat ion prev iously laid out by any oth er per

Fi fth—That the said c laim contains as nearly as I (orwe)cou ld measure or estimate an area ofsquare feet

,and that the descript ion (and sketch, i f any)

of th i s date he reto attached s igned by me (or u s) s ets (orset) forth in detai l to th e best of my (or our) knowledgeand ab i l i ty i t s pos i t ion

,form and dimens ions .

S ixth—That I (or we)make th i s appl i cation i n goodfaith to acqu ire the claim for the sol e purpose of m in ingprosecute d by mysel f (o r us), or by mysel f and associ ate s ,or by my (or our)as signs .

Sworn before me

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GRANT FO R PLACE R CLAIM .

Form “ I .

”A

D epartment o f the Interior.Agency

I n cons ideration of th e payment of th e fee prescribedby c lause 1 2 of the m ining regulat ions of the Yukon rive r

BO O K FO R GOLD - SEEKERS. 145

and i ts tributari e s by (A . B .)accompanying hi s (or the i r) appl ication No .

I8 . for a min ing claim

(here i nsert des cript ion of local

ity), th e min i ste r of the in terior hereby grants to the sai d

(A . B .) for the term of oneyear from the date hereof the exclu sive righ t o f entry

upon the c la 1m (he r e descr ibe i n deta i l the claim).Granted—For the m iner - l ik e work ing thereof and the

construct ion of a res idence thereon,and the exclus ive

right to al l the proceeds derived there from . That the

said . (A. B .) shal l b e ent itl ed toth e u se of so much water natural ly flowing through or

past h i s (or thei r) c laim and not al ready lawful ly appro

pr ia ted as shal l be necessary for the due work ing thereo f,and to drain h i s (or the ir) c laim free of charge .Thi s grant does not convey to the said

(A . B .)any surface right in the sai d c laim or any right o f

ownership in the soi l covered by the said c laim,and the

said grant shal l lapse and be forfe i ted unless the c laim i s

continuously and in good fai th worked by the sa id

(A . B .) or hi s (or the i r) associates .

The rights hereby granted are those la id down in th e

aforesaid mining regulat ions and no more,and are sub

ject to al l the provi s ions o f the said regu lat ions , whetherth e same are expressed here i n or not .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gold Commiss ioner .

146 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD 'S

CHAPTER IX .

R I C HNESS o r T H E PLAC E R M I N E S .

IL L IAM D . JOHNS of Chicago,a

special correspondent o f the CHI

CAGO RE CO RD,who has been in

Alaska for two vea rs,was at Circ l e

City, Alaska, when the news of thegold strik e of th e Klondike reached

the m iners of that town . His l etter,

detai l i ng the r ichness of the fie ld,and

te l l ing of th e hardships and succes se s

of th e prospectors,was the first l etter from a newspaper

corre spondent to reach the outs id e world . I t was

brought to San Franci sco by the E xcel s ior , the v esse l

wh ich brought th e fi rst of the return ing and success fu l

m iners home . I t was as fol lows :

Fou rteen mi l es from Dawson Ci ty,twe lve mi les up

Bonanza creek,which empt i e s Into the Klondike river

one and one - hal f mi l es from the Yukon,gold was d i s

covered by ‘S iwash’ George Carmack and h i s two Indian brothers - in - l aw last August . The credi t for th e d i s

cove ry real ly be longs to the I ndians . A stampede from

Circ le City,Forty M il e and other camps was the re su l t

of th i s find,but few had much fai th in the n ew region

even after they were on the ground,and in spi te of th e

ri ch prospects on the surface i t was general ly regardedas a ‘grub—stake’ strik e on which any one might succe edin gett ing a winter outfi t .

“A l i ttl e l ater,how ever , the prospects found on the r iver

cal led forth th e h a l f- skeptica l remark that ‘i f i t goes


148 T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’

S

secu red ground to work on shares—50 per cent—c l earedto apiece in from th ir ty days’ to tw o

months’

dri fting . As high as was dri fted outof one c laim

,the other sums be ing l ess . From seventy

five feet o f ground on Nos . 2 5 and 2 6 , E l Dorado , $ 1 1 2 ,

0 0 0 was taken,or per running foot

,and the pay

not cross—cu t,for i t frequently runs from vein to vein

,

being in p laces 1 50 fe et wide .

Ground has sold here th i s spring for Over a

running foot,or at th e rate of for a c laim of

50 0 fe et . Men on whose j udgment re l iance can be placed

and who base th e i r opin ion on what thei r own ground

and that o f others has y i elded,t el l m e that there are

cla ims here from which over w il l come . Lastwinter men on ‘lay s’ (percentage) l e ft 50 - cent d irtbecause they had better in s ight and only a l im ited t ime

before spring to get out ore . O wing to the large number

of the men on ‘lavs’ the produ ct ion of almost every c la im

i s known,and no overstatement i s poss ible

,s ince so

many are interested in the amount of gold produced . Assoon as s lu i c ing was fairly under way the pri ce o f cl aims

j umped again and but few would sel l . I t might almostbe said that no one would part with a cla im on E l Dorado .

O n Bonanza,where the pay

,except on a few cla ims ,

i s not as ri ch as on E l Dorado,owners who had looked

i n vain for the $5 , $ 1 0 and $ 1 50 pans , which were plen

t i fu l on the r ival creek,were d isgusted with thei r moder

ate gains and were wi l l ing to se l l . Thus many claimshaving 2 0 to 50 cent di rt and three to seven feet o f i t

were sold . O n the boat whi ch takes thi s letter downthe Yukon wi l l be many men

,some of them having been

in th i s country only a few months when the st rik e was

made,who wil l take“ with them to the mint from

BO O K FO R GOLD - SE E KERS . 149

to the re su lt e i ther o f work ing the ground or

of se l l ing out .“The men who sold were paid almost ent i rely out o f

the i r own ground, the men who bought tak ing the dumps

and these,when s lu i ced , paying for th e claims and leav

ing a handsome margin for th e purchasers . I n some

instances enough gold was rocked out to make a first

payment on the claims before s lu i c ing was poss ib l e .

Many o f th ese men , to my personal knowledge, hadne ither money nor cred it to get ‘grub’ las t fal l .

But those chances are of the past ; l e t no one imagine

that they st i l l ex i st . Claims are held by thei r owners

now up in th e hundreds of thousands,and those of l es s

des i rable qual i ty are dear in proport ion . To get a bargain in a claim i s impossib l e at th i s stage of the fever

here . O n e might as wel l s tand on State street now and

th ink of gett ing the Palmer hous e lot at a low rate, be

cause at some t ime in th e past i t was so ld for a song .

The value o f c laims i s now clearly known . Most o f

them have passed into second hands,th e present owners

paying for them in many case s or $50 ,0 0 0 ,

and holding and working them as stra ight bus ine ss

proposi t ion s .

That there wi l l b e oth er fie lds o f gold in other creeks

i s l ikely , but as E l Dorado i s one of those strikes thata r e made onlyonce in about a quarter o f a century , i t i s

extremely un l ike ly that another wi l l be found in th i s

region . As the capacity o f the r iver steamers i s l im ited,

and i s l ike ly to be taxed to the utmost th i s year to supply

the necess i t i e s o f those now here , or already coming in ,with the rigors o f th e arct i c winter be fore them

,and

no provis ion s,and afte r September no way of gett ing

out where they may be had , those th ink ing of coming

here, attracted by the marvelous ri chness of the s trike,

1 50 T H E CH ICAGO RECORD ’S

cannot be too strongly cau tioned against making the a ttempt th i s s eason . They can gain noth ing

,and may

suffer much .

“The Klondike i s a stream emptying into the Yukon

,

e ighty mi l es above th e boundary l ine of Alaska,in th e

Bri t i sh Northwest terri tory . I t i s supposed to be about1 2 5 miles long, h ead ing

'

in th e Rock ies,and i s a rap id

river runn ing in a northerly d irection . Bonanza creek ,coming in one and one - hal f m i l es up from the mouth

,i s

twenty—five miles long,and heads at th e Dome

,a b ig

bold h i l l , as do a number of l esser creeks . I t runs southwesterly . E l Dorado comes in twelve mi les up

,and is

seven mil e s long,ru nnm g i n the same general d i rect ion

as does Bonanza .

“The pay on Bonanza i s good from the 6o’

s below

the point of d i scovery,where one cla im has 2 0 and 2 5

cent d irt,with the pay 1 2 5 feet wide , up to No . 43

above,claim No . 41 be ing very ri ch . Gold on Bonanza

i s finer than that on E l Dorado . There i s not a blank up

to No . 38, and there are some good cla ims above that

number . The ri chest claims are in th e m iddle o f the

gulch,the gold there be ing coarse , with lot s of nuggets .

Thi s,with the fract ion s of c laims , makes nearly twenty

mi les of paying ground .

I n addi t ion there are a number of s ide gulche s onwh ich good prospect s have been di scovered . Bonanzad istri ct

,i t i s estimated

,i s l ike ly to produce not le ss than

in gold,and th i s i s be l i eved to be an under

estimate than otherwi se . Hunker creek empti es into the

Klondike twelve mi les up and i s twenty mi le s long. I n

place s $2 and $3 to the pan on bedrock have been found ,and the indi cations are that i t wi l l p rove a r ich - pay ing

creek .

Gold Bottom,a fork

,and Last Chance, a si de gu lch ,


T H E CHICAGO RECORD’S

to each . These same lots sold las t fa l l at

$5 ap iece .

The ri chness and extent of the diggings a r e such thati f they were in any place l ess inacces s ib l e th an

'

th is,doubt

l es s the s tampede to them would b e tremendous,but a

great influx of gold - hunters at th i s t ime wou ld be acalamity . The Canadian government has sent i n anotherdetachment of pol i ce and al so a j udge and a go ld com

missioner, who , with th e customs officer , const itute the

govern ing force . O wing to the imposs ib i l i ty o f escapefrom the country such of the crim inal e lement as hascome in thus far i s very qu ie t and peaceabl e .

O uts ide of a l i tt l e steal ing of provi s ions and s imi lar

petty offense s there i s no crime . There are but a few

places where suppl i es can be had in al l th i s vast country , and any offender i s certain there fore o f be ing caught

and puni shed . Though gold has been s i tt ing around inth e cabins for months in lard pai l s

,baking- powder cans

,

old boot legs and buckets,no thefts have been com

m itted .

What the country need s above al l th ings i s communicat ion wi th the ou ts ide world . If the government at

Washington would make some arrangement whereby

the Canad ians cou ld ge t a port of entry on the d i sputedpart of the coast i t would be a great boon to Alaska

as wel l as to th i s part o f the Northwest terr itory . Mosto f the men who ‘h i t i t’ are Americans , whose gold wi l lgo to San Fra nc isco

'

and the Uni ted States . Because ofth e l ack of adequate communicat ion with the civi l i zedworld the miners are i n constant fear l est suppl i e s should

give out .Many art ic l e s can be had but fo r a l imited time after

th e arr ival of a steamer , and those who are not fortunate

enough to get a supply at that time must do witho u t for

BO O K FO R GOLD - SEEKERS . 1 53

weeks a nd months , no matter how much gold they m a y

have to make purchase s with . The scarc ity may be

one of provi s ions,window sashe s or gum boots

,but a l

ways there i s a scarc ity here o f some important art i cl e .

“General ly there i s neve r enough of anything,and only

the open ing up of communi cation with th e coast by some

other route than the mouth of th e Y uko n offers any pros

peet o f adequate re l ie f . I f the Canad ian s had a port of

entry they wou ld have commerce coming down the riverfrom the di rect ion o f Juneau

,and the country wou ld

not be dependent upon the scanty suppl i es coming

mi les up the Yukon from Bering sea .

Since th i s letter was wri tten reports from D awson Cityind i cate that th e rush to the gold diggings has glut

ted th e labor market and day labor i s quoted at low

figures . I t i s repor t ed that wages range from $2 to $3a day .

O ne o f_ the most meaty le tters that have come fromthe Yukon was wri tten by Arthur Perry

,a wel l - known

and re l iab l e Seatt le m an,who is now at Dawson Ci ty .

I t i s dated Dawson City , June 1 8, and reads in ful l as follow s :

T h e firs t d i scovery of gold on the Klondike was made

the middle of August,1 896 ,

by George Carmack on acreek empty ing into th e Klond ike from the south

,cal l ed

by the Ind ians Bonanza . He found to the pan on

a high rim,and a fter making the find known at Forty

M i l e went back with two I nd ians and took out in

three weeks with three s lu i ce boxes . The creek was soon

staked from one end to the other and all the smal l gu lches

were also staked and recorded . About Sept . 1 0 a man

of th e name of Whippl e prospected a creek empty ing

into Bonanza on No . 7 , above d iscovery , and named i t

Whipple creek . He shortly afterwards so ld out and the

1 54 T H E CHICAGO RECORD ’

S

miners renamed i t E l Dorado . Prospects as h 1gh as $4toth e pan were found early in the fal l . Many of the oldm iners from Forty M il e went there and would not stake

,

say ing the wi l lows di d not l ean the r ight way and the

water d id not tas te right,and that i t was a moose pasture

,

i t be ing wide and flat . Both creek s were staked princ i

pal ly by ‘

ch e ch a co e s’

(new men i n the country), and earlyas they cou ld get provi s ions

,about 2 50 men went there

and commenced prospect ing by sink ing ho les to thedepth of from 9 to 24 fee t, doing so by burn ing down , asth e ground was frozen sol id to bed rock . Nov . 2 3 a man

of the name of Loui s Rhodes located on No . 2 1 . above on

Bonanza,got as high as to the pan .

Thi s was the first b ig pan of any importance,and the

news spread up and down the creek l ike wildfire . This

news reached Circl e Ci ty, 30 0 miles farther down the

Yukon river,but nobody would be l ieve it . Soon after

large pans were found on both Bonanza and E l Dorado,

and each creek was try ing to outrival the other,unti l a

man of the name of Clarence Berry got $ 1 0 0 to th e pan .

From that t ime on E l Dorado held a h igh posit ion . Many

cl a ims from the mouth up for a di s tance o f three mi lesgot large pans—unti l they reached as h igh as $2 80 .

A bou t March 1 5 , 1 897 , I reached the d iggings from

Circ le Ci ty,having hauled my s led the whol e d i stance

without a dog. The importance of the new strike had

become too s ign ificant to be overlooked , and about 30 0men from Circle City undertook the j ourney in m idw in

ter . Such an exodus was never known be fore in theh i story of the Yukon

,but not a man lost h i s l i fe , al though

several had their faces and toes nipped at t imes . E ven

some of the most re solute and di s solute women made the

j ourney in sa fe tv. Fancy pri ce s were pai d for dogs by

those who were abl e to purchase,and as h igh as $ 1 75 and



up on the dumps . When the dumps were washed in th espring the d i rt y i e lded better than was expected

.Four

boys on a lay , No . 2 E l Dorado,took out i n two

months . Frank Ph isca te r , who owned t h e ground andhad some men h ired , c leaned up for the winter

.

Mr . L ippy , so I am told, has c l eaned up for th e winter

Loui s Rhodes, No . 2 1 Bonanza,has c leaned

up Clarence B erry and Anton Strander havecl eaned up for the winter.

E nclos ed are th e names of some of the boys w h o

are going out on th i s boat,with th e approximate

amounts '

Ben Wal l,Swede

,Tacoma

Wil l iam Carl son,Swede

,Tacoma .

Wm . S loan,E ngl i shman

,Nanaimo . .

John Wi lkerson,E ngl i sh

,Nanaimo .

J im Clemens,Ameri can

,Cal i forn ia

Frank Kel l er,American

,Cal i fornia

Sam C o l lej, Ic e landerSt ewart and Holl enshead

,Cal i forn ia .

Charl e s Myers and partner,Arizona .

Johnny Marks,E ngl i shman

Alex O r r,E ngl i shman

Fred Pri ce,American , Seattl e

Fred L a t isceu ra , FrenchmanTim Bel l

,Ameri can

Wi l l i am Hayes,I ri sh - Ameri can

D i ck McNu lty, I r i sh - Ameri canJake Halterman

,Ameri can

Johnson and O l son , SwedesNe i l McAr th u r , ScotchmanCharl e s Anderson , SwedeJoe Morri s , Canad ianHank Peterson , Sw ede

Th ere are a great many more going out with fromto that I do not know . T h i s i s probab ly

the ri ch est p lacer ever known i n the World . They took i t


out so fast and so much of i t that they did not have time

to weigh i t w i th gold scal es . They took S tee lyards andal l the syrup cans were fi l l ed . I t looks as i f my timewould come about the t ime I am ready to d i e .

O n e man rece ived word that h i s wi fe and l i tt l e girl

had d ied s ince he came in here,and now he i s going out

with“Another man was here wai t ing for the boat to go

home,and di ed yesterday with heart di sease , having in

hi s pos sess ion Stranger th ings than fiction hap

pen here every day .



as good,but not “enough panning had been done

to j usti fy forming any opin ion of th e average value . Upon

No . 37 a nugget worth $360 of i rregular shape was found .

From No . 37 to rim rock there had not been suffici ent

prospect ing done , but the O pin ion then was that al l the

c la ims were good .

E ven as far back as last March the best developed

claim in the country was that of Clarence B erry,No . 6

on E l Dorado,i n which he then owned a hal f i nterest . He

al so owned one - th i rd interest i n Nos . 4 and 5 . He em

ployed twelve men al l th e winter tak ing out pay dirt and

deposi t ing it upon the dump . To give an idea of the

r ichness of the C la im we cannot do better than say that

B erry paid h is men an hou r unt i l someone offered

more,and that every night he melted i ce in h is cab in and

panned out suffic ient gold from the frozen di rt to pay thewages of h i s men .

‘Berry knew where there was very ri ch ground on h i sclaim and he very often panned out from $ 1 0 to $50 to the

pan . When requ iring money i t was only necessary for

th e owner of the c la im to take out some of hi s r i ch ground

and wash i t . We have had al l k inds of estimates of th eamount wh ich B erry’s dump would produce

,and the

h ighest we heard was so that in announcingthe resu l t as i t goes to show what a r 1e h coun

try has been d i scovered .

We gave figures i n the winter whi ch showed that the

lower portion of Bonanza creek averaged al l th e way

from $ 1 0 to $50 to the pan , up to No . 56 below di scovery .

From discovery to No . 1 2 above,the value was from $5

to $40 . Then from there to No . 2 5 the average was from

$40 to $ 1 0 . From No . 2 5 to No . 53 the average i s from

$ 1 0 to 50 cents . From thi s point up the creek there has


not been enough prospect ing done on which to base anyaverage .

We hope soon to be in a posit ion to give the resul ts

from the variou s claims on Bonanza wh ich may be depended upon and we can then compare them with th e

panning average o f early in the summer as given above .

We know that Rhodes has taken out probablyfrom h is c laim

,but th en i t was wel l developed and we are

expect ing b ig resul ts from there,but we want to get th e

in format ion from a number o f cla ims , so as to get the

right idea o f the genera l value of th e creek,and prove th e

assert ion so often made of i ts cont inued ri chnes s from

end to end .

O n e th ing has been learned in th e Klondike , and thati s that production i s proport ionate to deve lopment . We

have found that the y ie l d of gold fol lows the work done ona c laim . When Rhode s made such a good showing onthe start i t encouraged others to open up the i r cla ims

,

and qu ite a number changed hands at Bonanza creek

and the owners l e ft there for the coast to obtain suffic i entsuppl i es to last them for a long period . Then came th eb ig returns from No . 6 on E l Dorado

,and the great

exci tement was tran sferred to that creek,and there were

fewer absentee owners and in consequence more work

was done,the ev idence of whi ch we have had ampl e

demonstrat ion of in th e big sack s o f gold which have been

washed out .

The largest resul ts attract the most attention,there

fore most o f the stori es wh ich have reached the coast

c lu ster around the few big producers , and of the sal esmade only those involving large sums are spoken of .There are a great many smal l er sums than the ones

spoken of whi ch have been taken from E l Dorado . Butpropert ie s which in any other country on the face of the


earth would attract un iversal attent ion are almost lost

s ight of in th e Klondike,because they have only yi el ded

and Next fal l these same

cla ims w il l be so far deve loped as to hold the ir own with

the re st o f the creek . Berry had a good start,and after

reach ing bed rock coul d command suffic ient funds tohire men and pay them wages equal to th e product ion of

an ordinary placer mine . We have no part i cu lar reason

to as sume that other claims wi l l prove less product ive

than h i s when they have had the same amount of labor

expended upon them . Several men from Seatt l e went.

in

wi th the firs t party th i s spring,and they are interested

on Bonanza creek and intend to prose cute work with al l

the men they can profitab ly employ .

I f a comparative ly few men in th e l im ited time at the ir

d i sposal ar e ab le to produce a mi l l ion dol lars from dirt

rai s ed to the surface during the winter month s

wi th pract i cal ly no preparation at al l,what wil l

b e th e resul t wh en al l th e c la ims are be ing vigor

o u sly developed with plenty of labor to draw from ? This

i s a very important quest ion , and i s one fraught wi th con

s ide rab le i nterest to the great number of men now on

their w ay to the mines . I f we th ink a moment that there

has not yet b een a barren cla im on e i ther of the creek s

the poss ib i l i ti e s of the future are tremendous . Let usmake th i s a l i ttl e c learer . The panning in the winter

gave promise o f exceedingly r i ch resu lts . These richresu lts have been attained in every instance where the

cla im has been worked . We have there fore th e right toassume that s imi lar results wi l l reward the efforts of th e

owners of oth er. cla ims on the same creeks whi ch have

been so produ ct ive th i s season .

The only ev idence one had of the probabl e value of

a claim was the amount of gold obtained in a s ing l e



covering someth ing good for themselves . Their pl ace

wi l l be taken by other arrival s , and the work of securing

the gold wi l l go on and much country wi l l b e examinedby men who wil l be encouraged and st imulated by the

succes s o f others . A man who can afford to h ire men

and pay them $ 1 2 a day , wil l get the advantage of a qu i ck

return . These diggings are essent ial ly winter ones . Upona cla im of 50 0 feet a large number of prospect hol es can

be sunk at the same time,and the pay dirt depos i ted on

the dump,and next spring the owner of the cl aim wi l l be

in a pos it ion to real ize enormous amounts of money fromh i s property .

The Klondike diggings may be regarded as permanent

to the extent o f several mi l l ion dol lars,and we have no

hes itat ion in recommending men with some means to goand try the i r fortunes in the gold - l ined creeks of th e far

north , where endurance , perseverance , gri t and a goodoutfi t wi l l be the i r best fri ends .Fol lowing are some of the men who struck i t ri ch in

the Klondike,most of the claims located on Bonanza and

E l Dorado creeks :

Clarence B erry and Anton StranderJames MeL an ie

Frank Ph isca te rFour men on No . 2 E l DoradoLou i s RhodesThomas CrossBen Wal lWi l l iam Car lsonWil l iam S loanJohn WilkersonJames ClemensFrank Kel lerSamuel C e l lejCharl es Myers and partnerJohn Marks


Fred L a tisce u ra 1 0 0 0 0

Timothy Bel lWil l iam HayesR i chard McNu ltyJacob HaltermanJohnson and O l sonCharl es AndersonJoseph -Morri sHenry PetersonHenry DoreVictor LordWi l l i am Stan leyJames McMa h on

Jacob Horne

J . Jy K e llyT .

- S . L i ppyF . G . H . BowkerJoe La DueJ . B.

_

Hol l ingsheadWil l iam Kulj uAlbert Galbra ithNei l McArth u r

Douglas McArth u r

Bernard AndersonRobert KrookFred L ende sserAlexander O r r

Thomas CookM . D . Norcros s

J . E rnm e rg e r

Con S tam a tin

Albe rt FoxGreg Stewart

J . O . H e stw o o d

Thomas FlockLoui s B . Rhode sFred Pri c eAlaska Commerc i al company

G ov . H . C . McIn to sh,o f th e Northwest terri tory ,

compri s ing the Canadian Yukon , es t imate s that the Klon

1 66 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S

d ike d i stri ct wi l l y i e ld dur ing 1 897 . G ov.

McIn to sh , i n speaking of the Klond ike find,said :

We are only on th e thre shold of the greatest d is covery

ever made . Gold has been pi l ing up in al l thes e innume rab le streams for hundreds of years . Much of th e terri

tory the foot o f man has ne ver trod . I t would hardly be

poss ib l e for one to exaggerate the ri chness,not only o f

the Klondik e,but of other d istri cts in the Canadian Y u

kon . At the same t ime the fol ly of thousands ru sh ing

in th ere wi thout proper means of subs i sten ce and in

utter ignorance of geographical condi t ions of the countryshould be kept ever in mind .

There are fu l ly mi l es o f these golden waterways

i n the region of the Yukon . R ivers,creeks and streams

of every s ize ari d descript ion are al l r i ch in gold . I

derived th i s knowledge from many old Hudson Bay ex

plo r e r s, who assu red me that they considered the gold

next to in exhaust ib l e .I n 1 894 I made a report to S ir John Thompson , then

premier of Canada,who di ed the same year at

Windsor cast l e,strongly urging that a body of Cana

dian pol i ce be estab l i shed onthe r iver to mainta in order

Thi s was done in 1 895 , and the B rit i sh outpost of Fort

Cudahy was founded .

“ I have known gold to exi st there s in ce 1 889 , co nse

quent upon a report made to me by W . O gi lv i e , the gov

e rnm en t explorer“

. Many streams that wi l l no doubt prove

to be as ri ch as the Klond ike have not been explored orprospected . Among these I might ment ion Dominioncreek

,Hootal inqua river

,Stewart river

,L iard river and

a score of other s treams comparat ive ly unknown .

I t i s my j udgment and opin ion that the 1 897 yi e ld o f

the Canad ian Yukon wil l exceed in gold . O f

course,as in the case of th e C a r ibo o and C a ssia r di stricts


T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S

CHAPTE R X I .

D ANG E RS O F T H E C H I LKO O T PASS .

NDURANCE ,nerve and perseverance

are requ ired of th e adventurer who setsou t to make h i s fortune in the E l Dorado of the north . Henry D e W

’

i ndt , the

famous corre spon dent,was a compan

i on o f O mer Mari s in the j ourneythrough Chi lkoot pass . His l e tter to

the London Times shows two s ides of the pi cture , andi s a valuab le contribution to the l i t erature of the Klon

d ike Part of h i s letter fol lows :

The Chi lkoot pass i s d ifficul t,even dangerous

,to

those not possessed of steady nerves . Toward the sum

mit there i s a sheer ascent o f feet,where a s l ip

would certai nly be fatal . At thi s po int a dense m ist over

took u s,but we reached Lake L i ndeman—the first o f a

seri es of five lakes—fin safety,after a fatigu ing tramp of

fourteen consecutive hours through h al f-melted snow .

Here we had to bu i ld our own boat,fi rs t fe l l ing the t im

ber for th e purpose . The j ourney down the lakes o ccupi ed ten days

,four of whi ch were passed in camp on

Lake B ennett during a viol ent s torm,which rai sed a

heavy sea . The rapids fol lowed . O n e of thes e latter,

the ‘Grand Canyon,

’ i s a mi l e long,and dashes through

wal l s of rock from 50 to 1 0 0 fe et high ; s ix mi l es beloware th e ‘White Hors e rap ids

,

’ a name which many fatalacc iden ts have converted i nto the ‘Miner’s Grave .

’ Butsnags and rocks are everywhere a fru it fu l sou rce of danger on th i s r iver

,and from th is rapid downward scarce ly


a day passed that one d id not s ee some ca irn or wooden

cross mark ing the l as t rest ingplace o f some drownedpi lgrim to the land of gold .

“The j ourney to the Alaskan gold fie lds i s a hard onefor th e wel l - equ ipped explore r

, w h o trave l s i n l ight

march ing order. The gold prospector,on the other hand

,

must carry a winter’s suppl i e s,dearly purchased at

Juneau,to be transported at ru i nou s pri ces over the Chi ]

koot pas s . He must construct h i s own boat (often s ingle

handed) on Lake L indeman , and . as suming that he arrive s at h i s dest i nat ion must s ecure lodgings at a pri ce

that . would start l e a West E nd l andlord . And al l th i sOn

,perhaps

,a capita l of not including a t i cket

to Juneau from the Golden Gate or e l sewhere . No won

der that the annal s of the Alaska Commercial companybear wi tnes s to the fact that with in the las t five years

hundreds of starv ing miners have been sent out o f thecountry at th e company

’

s expense, and these , as I cantest i fy

,are but a percentage of those who have peri shed

from actual starvat ion in the dreary purl i eus of Circl e

Ci ty and Forty M i l e creek .

“There i s,however

,a brighter s ide to th i s gloomy pi c

ture,for there are fortunate ly other approaches to the

Yukon val l ey bes ide s the dreaded Chi lkoot . The cha inof mountains of wh ich th e latter forms a part i s cut by

'

three other passe s—the Takou,the Chi lkat and th e White

pass . O f these , the two former may be d i smissed as be ing,on account of the i r l ength and other difficu lt i es , almostas impract i cabl e as the Chi lkoot, over wh ich i t wouldbe qui te imposs ib l e to lay a bridl e path ; but the Whi te

pas s offers no seriou s obstacl e s to the construct ion ofa rai lway . The White pass i s at l east feet lowerthan the Chi lkoot

,and

,unl ike the latter

,i s t imbered the

ent ire l ength . The sal t- water terminus of th i s pass i s

1 70 T H E.CH ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

i n Skagway bay,e ighty- five miles from Juneau . Here

ocean steamers can run up at al l t imes to a wharf which

has been constructed in a she ltered posit ion,and there

i s an excel l ent town si te with protection from storms .The pass l i es through a box canyon surrounded by

h igh gran ite peaks,and is comparative ly easy . I t has

al ready been used by miners who report favorably upon

the tra i l , and when i t i s cons idered that th e adoption of

t h i s route obviates the dangers and expenses of the Chi l

koot , avoids Lakes L i ndeman and Bennett (the s tormiestand most peri lous of the whol e chain), s hortens and great

lv dimin i sh es the expense o f the j ourney to the Yukon

val ley , and , above al l , can be used throughout the year

(the interior of Alaska i s now completely cut o ff from the

world for n ine months in the year), there can be l i tt l e

reasonab le doubt that,the Wh ite pass i s the bes t and most

practi cabl e route to the Yukon gold fields .

I t i s said that a scheme i s now in progress to open up

the White pass and fac i l i tate the transport of m iners andstores to th e min ing settl ements

,and th is i s earnestly to

be wished for . An E ngl i sh company,the B ri ti sh Colum

b ia development assoc iat ion,l imi ted

,has already estab

l ish ed a land ing wharf, and i s erecting a wharf and saw

mil l s a t Skagway,whence i t i s proposed (as soon as feas

ib le)to lay down a l ine oi ra i l some thirty—five miles long ,strik ing the Yukon river at a branch of the Tes l in lake

,

about 1 0 0 mile s below Lake L indeman , which i s the de

bouchure of the Ch i lkoot pass . By th is mean s the tediou sand d iffi cul t navigat ion between these two points w i l l be

avoided,and the only dangerous parts of the river below ,

viz . : the Grand Canyon and White Horse rapids, wi l lbe ci rcumvented by a road or rai l portage . L ight—draughtsteamers wi l l be put on from Tes l in lake to the canyon ,

and from the foot of the latter to al l the towns and camps



on the - river . Arrangements wi l l a l so be made for di rectcommunication wi th Skagway by the exi st ing l ine s of

steamers,which now only cal l at Juneau

,whence trans

shipment i s necessary .

“ I t i s s tated that th i s route wil l b e open for u se and

traffi c in a few months’ t ime , when the cost of t ransport

ing fre ight and passengers wi l l b e very cons iderab ly re

du ced and the d ifficu lt i e s of trans i t pract i cal ly e l im inated .

Much,however

,depends upon the Canadian government

,

which,i n v iew o f the increas ing rush of miners to the

Yukon val ley (many of whom must , under exi sting con

d itio n s, i nev i tably starve during the coming winter),should lose no time in construct ing a wagon road over

the Whi te pass .'

When the above scheme has been carri ed out the pros

pe cto r (even of l im ited mean s) may reasonab ly hope to

reach h i s c laim in safety and at a comparat ive ly moderate

outlay . At pres ent I s hou ld certa in ly recommend al l

those intend ing to try the ir luck i n Alaska to defer thei r

j ourney unti l a les s hazardous route than that v ia the

Chi lkoot pas s i s open to them . I t i s with the obj ect ofwarn ing E ngl ishmen who may be dece ived by the al lu r

ing advert i sements o f unscrupulous agents that I have

addres sed you th i s l et ter . That there i s gold i n large

quantit i e s on the Yukon has been conc lus ive ly proved,

but th e wealth of th e Ind ies wou ld not compensate the

ri sks now attendant on the j ourney . As an old Yukon

miner remarked to me at Juneau : ‘

O ne thousand dollars

a day wou ld not fetch m e‘

ove r the Chi lkoot again,but

open up the White pass and we wi l l soon have another

Johannesburg at Forty M il e creek .

Jack Carr,the Yukon mai l carri er

,i n answer to th e

hundreds o f inqu i ri e s rece ived by h im from people al l

over the country , wrote as fol lows :

1 74 T H E C H IC AG O RE CO RD ’

S

No one should th ink of leav ing Seatt le for the Klon

d ike late r than September 1, and e ven at that date he

wou ld requ ire to have h i s who le outfi t packed over the

mountai n . From D ye a to Lake L indeman, or from Skagway to Windy Arm

,the two passes now used

,the round

trip requ ires three days,and i t takes a good

,husky man

to pack 1 0 0 po unds o ver e i ther route . As the necessary

outfit for a man wil l weigh fu l ly pounds, yo u can

eas i ly see that i t would take him th irty - s ix days to pack

hi s outfi t unaided over e ither of the passe s alone .

T h e'

d istance from D yea over the Chi lkoot pas s to

the head of L i ndeman i s twenty- four miles . From

Skagway to the head of Windy Arm , over th e White pass ,the d i stance i s th irty- one mil es . A horse cannot go the

fu l l d i stan ce over the Chi lkoot pass , but the White pass

i s pas sab le for a horse the entire dis tance . According tothe latest i n formation I have

,George R i ce wi l l have

about forty- five pack hors es on the Wh i te tra i l .Now

,anybody who think s of l eav ing for the Klon

d ike late in th e season shoul d be warned of the greatperi l he wi l l encounter . I f h e should be frozen i n at any

point between the pass and Dawson h e would be thereti l l spring . I can eas i ly demonstrate j us t how that would

be . He has wi th h im pounds of dead weight . Tomove th i s i n winter i s almost imposs ib le . The snow i s

dry and frosty,and a s l e igh pul ls very hard over i t . The

best a man could h O pe’to do would be to h au l’

zoo pounds,and with th i s he could make about fi fteen m i le s a day .

Say he starts from a given po int, takes 2 0 0 pounds of

h i s fre ight for seven and a hal f m ile s , and then comesback after h i s other stuff

,thus mak ing hi s round trip for

the day fi fte en mi l es . You can see that i t would take him

five days to make seven and a hal f m i l es . The total di s


1 76 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD’

S

CHAPTE R X I I .

T H E “BAC K D O O R R O UT E .

H E BACK DO O R route to th e Klondike country i s the h ighway of theHudson

’

s Bay company . The Mackenz i e river stre tches i ts l ength of 1

,

450 miles most o f the di stance , and

gold - seekers can float on i ts waters toone of the several r ivers whi ch offer

ways to reach the western s lope of thedivi de

,under th e Arct i c c irc l e

I t i s interesti ng to note that the back door route tothe Klond ike fol lows th e first cont inental route across

North Ameri ca . Th is way was di s covered by Mackenziein 1 785 , when he paddled h i s canoe from Great Slavelake down the river whi ch bears h i s name to the Arcti cocean

,which Mackenzie supposed was the Pac ific ocean .

The next y ear after making th e same trip , he went up

the Peace river and crossed over the div ide to the western

s lope,which now i s Alaska

,thence to Bering sea .

The Northwest terri tory includes the bas ins of theAthabasca

,Mackenzie and Great Fi sh rivers . T h e first

exp loration,purely geographical i n character

,i n th i s d i s

tri et was made by'

S am u e l Hearne,who was sent i n 1 770

by the Hudson'

s Bav company northward in the d ir e ct ion of the Arct i c waters . He reached the Arct i c ocean

and wrote an account of h is j ourney,but th i s important

document was he ld by the Hudson’s Bay company for2 0 years before i t was pub l i shed . A Canadian fami lyof the name . of Beaul i eu founded a settl ement north ofLake Athabasca

,and in 1 778 a fort was erected there .

BO O K .FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS . 1 77

Next an E ngl i shman , named Pond , gu ided by thesehal f- castes

,advanced as far as the Great S lave lake

,and

7 years later Mackenzie entered upon hi s explorat ion s .

After Mackenz ie’s exped i t ion no voyage of di scovery wasundertaken unti l 1 82 0

,when Si r John Frankl in explored

the Northwest terri tori es between Lake Winn ipeg and theArcti c ocean . After th i s th e trappers and hal f- breeds in

the employ of th e Northwest Hudson’s Bay com pa nv

travel ed al l over the Northwest terr i tori es .The gold - seeker who takes the back door route to

the Klond ike fie lds wi l l trave l through a country which

has been placed i n song and story by those who sang

and wrote of the deeds done by the trappers,voyageurs

and other adventurers in th e employ of the fur com

pa n ie s . The rout e (described i n preceding pages o f th i s

book) starts from E dmonton,which i s a terminal o f a

spur o f the Canad ian Pacific rai lroad from Calgary onthe main l in e

,and i s mi les from Chicago . For the

first forty mi les toward the placer mines o f th e Klondike

the gold—s eeker wi l l trave l over a wel l made stage roadto Athabasca landing , and here he wi l l strike the waters

w hich eventually,wil l find thei r way into the Arcti c

The Athabasca river,which is the main upper branch

of the Mackenzie , has it s remotest southern source in

the l i ttl e lake,on the eas t s i de of Mt . Brown in th e Rocky

mountains,which passe s under th e name of the “Commit

tee’s punch bow’

i . That i s one of i ts names,for in com

mon wi th al l the other lakes and rivers and streams in

the Northwest terr i tory , i t has anywhere from 2 to 7names

,as every watercourse has been named by E ngl i sh

and Canad ian trappers and the Indian tribes that are 10cal to the vi c in ity . The term Athabasca i s not often used .

The Canadian s cal l i ng i t the “Biche . O n some E ngl i sh


S

maps i t passe s under the name of E lk r iver . The Ath

aba sca rece ives the drainage of the l es ser Slave lake aswe l l as the overflow of several other lakes from the west .

At the foot of Bark mountain the Athabasca runs over the“Great rap ids , which . i s an i ncl i ned plane about 60miles long, unbroken by any fal l s or cataracts , and only

occas ional ly i s the water ruffled byrocks proj ect ing abovethe surface .

The Athabasca enters Lake Athabasca 550 mil es fromits source . At present the al l uv i al de l ta extends towards

the northwest about 30 miles , having many channel s

whi ch change thei r d irection and s ize w ith eve rv i nunda

t ion . Athabasca lake stands about 50 0 feet above thesea level . I t i s in the form of a cre scent

,with th e convex

side fac ing north,the shores are very i rregu lar and have

many deep in l ets . The lake rece ives i t s ch i e f tributary

from the west,and here al so i s the outl et

,so that the

de lta i s common to both the affluent and effluent . The

Athabasca and Peace r ivers uni ting form the Grea t S laveriver, which i s a very large stream ,

but i t s . passage

through the Caribou h i l l s i s so obstru cted by rapids thatboatmen have to make 7 portages between the Dogriver from the east and the Sal t river from the west

B elow these rapids the true Mackenzie,or the Great

river,as th e nat ives cal l i t

,begins i ts mil es j ourney

to the Arct i c ocean . Up to the Great Slave lake i ntowhi ch i t empti e s it passe s between wooded h i l l s . T h e

Great S lave lake i s one of the largest in North Ameri ca ;i t i s not l es s than 30 0 mi le s long, 6 0 mil es at its widest

part and has an area of abou t square m i l es . I nthe west i t i s shal low

,but i ts eastern end i s bordered by

steep cl iffs and high b luffs and the waters there , i t i s sa id ,are 650 fe et deep . The 63d paral l e l crosses the northernwaters of Great S lave lake . The Mackenz i e e scapes from


f? NORM;

D o L AC

BA C K DO O R RO UT E VIA ATH ABA S C A AND MAC K E N Z I E R IVE R S .

AR 7/L L E R )’ L

BAC K DO O R RO UT E VIA S A S KATC H E WAN AND MAC K E N Z I E R IV E R S .


S

which are connected with the names of Mackenzi e,

Frankl in , Back, R i chardson and other noted explorers .Fort McMu rray stands at the confluence of the Atha

basca and Clearwater rivers at the famous La Loche

portage,whi ch has been the main route of Canadian trav

e le r s and trappers for a century .

Fort C h ippew ayan stands at th e western extremity of

Lake Athabasca . The sh i ft ings of the al luvial del ta have

compel led the trappers to move Fort C h ippew ayan several times . Fort Smith i s at the end of the portage fromSmith’s landing

,between Lake Athabasca and Great

S lave lake,and beyond are Fort Resolution and Fort

Providence,on the Great Slave lake

,al l o f them famous

i n connect ion with S ir John Frankl in’s expedi t ion,j u st

as Fort Re l iance has acqu ired fame becau se of i t s assoc ia tion with the exploits and adventures o f Back . Fort

Re l iance,however

,has been abandoned .

I n the region between the Great Sl ave and Great B earlakes i s Fort S impson , the ch ie f stat ion , wh i ch stands at

the j unct ion of the L iard and Mackenzie rivers,com

manding al so the route from the sources of the S tike en

river to South Alaska . Fort Wrigl ey i s the next stat ion

above Fort S impson , then comes Fort Norman , whi chstands at the j uncture of the Mackenzi e and the Hareskin rivers ; s ti l l fu rther north i s Fort Good Hope , andthen comes Fort McPh erson ,

the most northern of the

post s,wh ich stands .a t the j unct ion of the Pee l and the

Mackenz i e rivers,and wh ich has been maintai ned in a

state of defense s ince 1 848 .

T h e gold - seeker must be prepared to stand c old weather

as wel l as hot weather on th is “back door” route , depending on the t ime of the year he makes the trip . T he Hud

son’s Bay company trappers traverse th i s whole d is tri ctfrom one end of the year to th e other . Snow seldom


1 84 T H E CH IC AGO R E C O RD’

S

can is made from the round of beef,cu t in strips and dried

and th en shredded or mixed with beef tal low'

and rai s i ns .Craft W . Higgins of Ch icago

,one of th e promoters of

the Brit i sh Pacific rai lway,which i s i ntended to open up

and develop the ri ch Caribou gold country,and who was

al l through Bri t i sh Columb ia and the Northwest terri toryin 1 892

-

3 , and afterward made a trip to the Yukon , i sone auth ori ty for the statement that the back door route

was not only the most pract i cable,but the most feas

ib l e o f the overl and routes ; enta i l ed l es s hardsh ips thanthat th rough the C hi lkoot pas s

,did not take near so long

a t ime as the other route s,and that transportation of sup

pl i es was much eas i er . Mr . Higgins said :

The j umping- o ff place i s at E dmonton,

mile s

from Chicago,on the Canadian Pac ific ra i lway . A stage

l ine runs from there to Athabasca landing,on the Atha

basca river,and the Canadian Pacific intends to extend

i ts l ine north from E dmonton to that point . At E dmon

ton the Canadian Pacific owns very large coal m i ne s .

From Athabasca landing you can take a canoe and go

down wi th the current to Athabasca lake,and then i nto

Great S lave lake,through which runs the Mackenzi e

r iver,by which you reach the Arcti c ocean . When the

mouth of the Mackenzie i s reached the Peel river can be

taken south to the Rocky mountains , which are crossedby trai l. When across the range the Stewart river opens

the w ay to the near—by Klond ike regions .From E dmonton to the mouth of the Mackenzi e the

d i stance IS miles , as given by the Hudson’s

Bay company,which h a s a number of trading

.posts ,wel l s tocked with provi s ions and suppl i e s of al l k inds

,

at sh ort interva ls along the route, as i t has beenu s ing thi s trai l for the las t 1 0 0 years . The portages are al l short, with the except ion of one at


Smith’s l anding of about sixteen mi les , but th i s i svery easy to make . O n e can take the splend id tram

way which the Hudson’

s Bay company has bu i l t . Noneof the other portages i s more than a few hundred yards inl ength . The tri p i s down grade a l l the way , and whereverthere i s water of any depth at al l smal l fre ight steamersare continual ly ply ing back and forth . The trip can be

made from E dmonton to the mouth of the Mackenzie

i n l ess than 60 days , but i f Pee l river i s frozen , dog trains

w i l l have to be taken from there to the Klond ike ; but

even with those th e d i sadvantages and hardsh ips wi l l notbe hal f those to be overcome in going by way o f

'

D ye a .

O n e great advantage of th i s route i s that i t i s an organized l ine of trave l , and the numerous pos ts of th e Hudson

’

s

Bay company can furn ish prospectors with ample suppl i es

,enabl ing them to travel very l ight

,as only suffic i ent

suppl i es are necessary to last from one post to another .I would not l ike to say j ust exact ly what the cos t o f

the trip v ia the ‘back door route’

would be but I th ink i tcou ld be made for les s money than any of the others wh ich

are now so popular . Canoes can be obtained read i ly from

the I ndians,but i t i s not adv isab le to attempt to use them

withou t the ass i stance o f an Indian who i s fami l iar wi th.

the frai l b irch - bark canoes . These canoes can be S ecuredto carry s everal tons . The Hudson’s Bay company al socontracts to take fre ight north on thei r steamers during

the season of open navigat ion .

With a smal l expend iture o f money th i s route can be

improved and the faci l i t i es increased so that any amount

of fre igh t and anv number of passengers can be takento the gold regions . I was told at E dmonton that st i l l

south of the inte rnat ional boundary l in e the mountain swere very high

,but that the e l evat ion con tinu a l lv l owered

northward unti l there remained only a high plateau . In


S

fact,the pass through th e Rocky mountains -which th e

B ri t i sh Pacific wi l l u se i s some 2 0 0 miles north of the

Canadian Pacific and only abou t feet high,being the

lowest e l evation at which any tran scont inental road cros se s the d ivide .

I n talk ing with members o i th e Hudson’s B ay po stsand offi cers o f the Canadian m ou nted '

po l ice at Calgary

and E dmonton,and al so at Victoria and up in the famous

Caribou country I was to ld that several years ago some

in gold was taken out ; that the m ines were

be ing worked by hydrau l i c mining; that al l the beds , of

the small streams from the 6o th paral le l to the mouth of

the Mackenzi e r iver were fi l l ed with gold .

'A great num

ber of those running we s t from the Mackenzi e river even

tu a lly empty into the Yukon . When I was told th i s,of

course , I d id not pay so much attention to i t, because the

gol d fever was not so rampant as at present . The C a ssia r

and O m ina ca di stri cts have long been known to be exte nsive ly rich in gold, and i f one - hal f of what has been

told to me i s true th ey wi l l not on ly r ival but surpas s thenow famous Klondike . I have s een any number of the

most beaut i fu l spec imens of whi te quartz fi l l ed wi th gold ,and

"

when the method of quartz mining i s perfected upin that far north th e present p lacer claims wi l l soon seem

wonderfu l ly poor in comparison .

D r . Dawson,the eminent geologi st o f the Canadian

government,who only a few y ears ago made an extens ive

and exhaust ive geological survey of the northwestern

provm ce s of Canada , tol d me that he cons idered the rea

son for the gold be ing found in th e smal l streams was dueto th e break ing and grind ing act ion of the glac i ers more

than fo r any other cause . G o ld '

u ndoubtedly exi sts i nplaces i n large and paying quant it i es

,but quartz m i n i ng


1 88 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

be s imply imposs ib le for gold - hunting to be accompl i sh ed

during the winter with snow on the h ard , frozen ground .

As to th e best means of reaching the country,B ishop

Clut i s of the op in ion that the route by the Mackenzieriver i s by far th e safest and most practi cable . O f th i s

route he said : I t may take longer,but the d iffi cu lt i e s

the prospector wil l have to overcome going via Fort Mac

pherson wi ll be certain ly very much l es s than in go ingthrough the passes from D yea on the coast . After l eavi ng Macpherson the Rocky mountains have to be crossed

,

the distance to what i s cal l ed Lapi erre house be ing about

80 miles , and th i s i s the only portage to be met wi th , save

one of 1 6 miles after l eaving Athabasca landing,60 mile s

from E dmonton .

Accord ing to men who have travel ed the Mackenzi e

r iver route, $2 0 0 i s suffici ent to cover transportat ion ex

penses from Chi cago to the Klondike country .

To travel over i t pas sengers must go to St . Pau l and

there take train over the Canadian Pacific . Leav ing St .

Paul a t 9 o’clock i n the morning, the international boun

dary at Portal wi l l b e crossed at 4 o’clock the next morn

ing . At the fol lowing morning the Chi cagoan w il l

find h imsel f at Calgary,w here he wil l l eave the main l i ne

of th e Canadian Pacific and trave l to E dmonton , a_

po int

mil es from Chicago, and where the rai l port ion of

the j ourney ends . The rai l road fare from Chi cago i s

9553 -63A stage ride of 40 mil es wi l l bring h im to Athabascaland ing . Here he wil l find a continuous waterway for

canoe trave l to Fort Macpherson at the north mouth ofthe Mackenzi e river , from which point the Pee l river l eads

south to the gold regions . From E dmonton to Fort

Macph erson i s mi le s .A recent letter from a mis s ionary declared the ice had


only commenced to run in the Peel river Sept . 30 la st

year . The Pee l river i s the water route sou theas t from

Fort Macpherson into the gold region s .

Travel ers n eed not carry any more. food than wi l l take

them from one Hudson’

s Bay post to'

th e next,and there

i s abundan ce of fish and wi ld fowl along the route . They

can al so get ass i stance at the post s i n case of s i cknes s or

acc ident .

I f l ucky enough to make thei r p i l e i n the Klond ike

they can come back by the dog—s l ed route i n th e winter .There is one mai l to Fo rt Macpherson in the winter .Dogs for teams can be bought at any of th e Hudson’sBay posts whi ch form a chain of roadhouses on the trip .

Part i e s trave l ing a lone w i l l need no guides unti l they

get near Fort Ma h e rson,the route from E dmonton be

i ng so wel l defined .

I t i s est imated that a party of three cou ld provide themse lves wi th food for th e canoe tri p o f two month s for $35 .

Pork,tea

,flour and baking powder would suffice .

Parti es should cons i s t o f three men , as that i s the crew

of a canoe . I t wi l l take 60 0 pounds of food to carry three

men over the route . The paddl ing i s al l done downstream except when they tu rn south up Pee l r iv er

,and

sai l s should be taken,as there i s often a favorab l e wind for

da ys . There are large scows on the l in e manned by ten

m en each,and known as sturgeon head s . They are l ik e

canal boats,but are punted along , and are used by the

Hudson ’s bay people for tak ing suppl ie s to th e forts

Thi s i s the w a y one enthus iast i c advocate o f the back

door route puts th e prO po sition :

Let th e voyager bu i ld h i s boat at Fargo , N . D ., or

Moorhead,Minn

,on the Red R ive r of the North , float i t

down stream (north)to Lake Winnipeg, then cros s Lake

Winnipeg to th e mouth of the Saskatchewan rive r, then

1 90 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

fo l low that r iver up stream to the forks,where th e

north branch empt ies i ts waters i nto the Saskatchewan .

Follow from there the North branch up stream to White

Whale lake . Here i s the firs t transfer overland,1 0 miles

westward to Pemb ina river . Then float down stream on

the Pembina river to the Athabasca,thence down stream

to Lake Athabasca , cross ing i t and tak ing the Slave riverdown stream . Cross ing the Great S lave lake

,take the

Mackenzi e r iver northward (down s tream) unti l themouth of the L iard or Mounta i n r iver l s reached . Follow the L i ard or Mountain river up stream to S impson

lake , where th e s econd and last transfer by land occurs ,

50 mil es northward to Franci s lake , which i s _

the head

waters o f th e Pel ly river. Float down th is Pe l ly river to

th e Yukon,thence down the Yukon

,prospect ing as you

go,unti l your E l Dorado i s reached .

A boat 2 5 feet long, 5 fe et wide, 2 % feet deep , bui l t o f

wood or sheet i ron,rigged for two pairs of t imber wheels

,

or with an i ron axle made to fit the bottom of the boat,

with wh i ch to tr ansport i t across the land,cou ld eas i ly

carry s ix men and the ir supp l i es for a year,al low ing 3

men to rest whi l e the other 3 manage the boat . Take four

pairs of good , strong oars , four long po le s , a sai l andabout feet of l ie - i nch strong rope for cordel l ing pur

poses o u some of th e streams where you go again s t th e

current .

All the l and you traverse after reach ing th e B ri t i s h

posses s ions i s where the Hudson’s Bay company has i t smany outposts and trading houses . Thi s country, unti lGreat S lave lake i s reached

,i s fi l l ed with al l sorts of

game .I t w i l l probably take no longer to go thi s route than

i t wi l l to go by vesse l from Seattl e to S t . Michael , at themouth of the Yukon , and thence mil es up the Y u



S

Take the Canadian Pacific to Calgary and the branchl in e to E dmonton . A stage ride wi l l place you at Atha

basca landing, on water that empti e s into th e Arcti cocean . From there you pass through the Great Slavelake i nto the Mackenz ie river . Float down that stream

about mi l es to the mouth of the Pee l r iver . Go upthe Peel about 1 5 miles to the mouth of the Husky . Fol

low up thi s stream to the div ide . A portage of 4miles wi l lpu t you on the Porcupine r iver . From there you paddl eup stream past Cudahy and Circl e Ci ty to Klondike

,or

rather D awson Ci ty .

“ I wi l l make the trip alone . Two years ago I went with

a party from the lake to the ocean and back . Last year

I went alone . I l e ft the landing May I,and landed at the

mouth of the river Ju ly 30 . The Ma ckenme , from the

lake,i s from 3 to 8 mile s wide . Where i t i s j o ined

by the Peel i t w idens to 1 5 miles , and at i ts mouth i t must

be about 6 0 miles wide . From lake to ocean i s about 1 ,

40 0 miles . There are some bad place s in the s tream . O ne

of th ese cons i s ts of a success ion of dangerous rap ids ex

tend ing for 1 0 0 mil es,that no one should attempt unle ss

under the di rect ion of an experienced gu ide . The cur

rent i s s trong and rap id . I made the trip in a seventeen

foot Petersborough canoe .

The country through wh ich - the river runs i s rol l i ng

and has cons iderab le t imber along the low places . There

i s cons iderable game,i nclud ing moose , caribou , sheep ,

b i rds and mosqui toes . The latter deserve to be classed

as game,though th e man is the hunted , not the hunter ,

i n the ir case . I n summer it i s hot along the r iver. Near

the Arct i c ci rcl e the thermometer sometimes stood at 75and 80 . The sun , of course , sh in es al l summer, so there i s

no chance to cool o ff.There i s but one way to get back , and that i s to draw


yo u r boat by a rope and walk along the bank a la canal

l)oat . The Hudson’s Bay company operates an 8o - foot

boat from the mouth of the Pee l river to Fort Smith,2 0 0

mile s th i s s ide o f Great S lave lake,but does not accept

passengers or fre igh t . Thi s company al so has s tat ion severy 2 0 0 or 30 0 mi les a long the r iver.

P . J . Curran of 58 1 8 Aberdeen street , Ch icago , wi l ls tart for Alaska about March 1 . He expects to go cross

lots” and to get there in seven weeks .Mr . Curran

,who is employed at the stock yards , was a

member of the Canadian mounted pol i ce pa tro l ing th eB rit i sh Northwest terri tory for 8 years . He is fami l iar

with the country and the needs for a j ourney and wi l l

l ead a party o f four from Chicago to the Klondike gold

fie ld s . Mrs . Curran , who was a teacher and mi ss ionar y

among th e I ndians o f the northwest for 1 5 years , w ears

two bright go ld rings w h i ch were molded by a fronti erb lacksm ith from gold panned by her hu sband from th e

Saskatchewan river .Gold i s found

,accord ing to Mr . Curran , i n al l o f the

streams of th e northwes t in vary ing quant it i e s and h a s

been mined in a desul tory way for many years .During h i s resi dence in the terri tory Mr . Curran savsprospecting part i es frequently pushed north

,but the

pol i cy o f the Hudson’s Bay company,which has grow n

rich from trad ing wi th the Indians s ince the t ime of

Charle s I I .,has been to di scourage white men from get

t ing a foothold .

Mr . Curran out l ined h is plans as fol lows :At E dmonton we w i l l purchase a dog team , and trav e lnorth with these sw i ft runners along the syst em o f lakes

and rivers wh i ch find the ir out let into th e Arct i c oc eanthrough the Mackenzi e river .

From some point on the upper Mackenz ie we wil l


1 96 T H E CH ICAGO . R E CO RD'

S

The things described,with pi ck

,shove l

,tool s and a

canvas canoe , wi l l compri se th e load wh i ch Mr . Curranexpects h i s dog t eam can haul over the track at the rate of

50 mile s a -day . A good dog team , he th ink s , shou ld b epurchased at E dmonton for $60 ,

unles s dogs h ave“boomed” s ince he pri ced them in that c ity . Mr. Curranest imates the expense of the tr ip at $60 0 . He wi l l purchase h i s ent i re outfit a t E dmonton and not try to ob

tai n anything from the stores and stat ions of the Hudson’s Bay company whi ch are scattered along the way .

The country through which he wi l l travel abounds withgame—deer

,moose

,e lk

,r ed deer, ducks and geese , and

b lack and grizzly bear are common enough , so that thetouri st

,armed with shotgun and rifl e

,need not want for

fresh meat .Mr . Curran i s o f the O p in ion that th i s overland and

fre sh - water route w i l l b e th e popular l ine of march when

gold - hunters become fami l iar w ith its merits .


C HAPTE R X I I I .

A YUKO N D E L lC AC Y.

O L D S E E KE RS who take the al l -waterroute to the d iggings wi l l have p lenty of

opportuni ty of eat ing a del i cacy that i scharacteri s t i c o f th e Yukon river . A part

o f the regu lar fare on the Yukon steam

boats i s w i ld goose . At the firs t meal

one . i s l ike ly to approach th i s rare b i rd

wi th a fee l ing of thankfu lnes s that one’sl ine s are cas t i n such favored places . But th i s re spons ivecondi tion of m ind doe s not hold i ts p lace very long , forwi ld goose soon ceases to be a j oy

,and becomes one of the

hardsh ips of the country . The b ird i s taken during i t s

nesting season,or at i t s conc lus ion

,and i s preserved in

brine as pork i s p i ck led . The trade i n goose - breas ts ,as the product i s cal l ed

,and in the eggs has become a con

siderab le i tem of loca l commerce . Seven or e ight vari et i e s o f ducks and the d ifferent k inds o f swans al so aretaken and sold under the same comprehens ive name .

The summer haunts of the waterfowl o f North Ameri caextend over a wide area of B rit i sh Ameri ca and Alaska .

Wherever there are s tretches o f marsh land they comein greater or les s numbers

,but the ir favorite nest ing

place s are along the shore o f B ering sea , where thereare many thousand square mil es o f low swamp or gras s

land,cal l ed tundra . The numbers of waterfowl o f al l

k inds are decreas ing,but i t i s on ly w ith i n the las t few

years that th i s fact has become more apparent . Variousgun clubs are becoming interested in the quest ion . The

1 93 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD ’

S

fi sh and game commiss ion of th e state of Cal i forn ia i smak ing an investigation i n the hope o f finding a remedyto save them from extermination .

Any one wi th an idea that the guns of the sportsmen

are any sort o f a factor in the exterminat ion of the b irdsshould v i s i t Alaska during the nest ing period . Fromtime immemorial th e E sk imos have taken eggs and fowlsduring the short season they were avai labl e . There i sno system of candl ing eggs to determine thei r gradein vogue among the nat ives . An egg is an egg to them

at any period of incubat ion,and as long as the season

last s they l ive in riotous pl enty .

Formerly they were contented with what they cou ldeat duri ng the s eason

,but s ince they have come into

closer contact with wh ite peop le they have learned morethorough methods

,and now they provide eggs and

'

b irds

to last the whole year through . They dry or p ickl e thefl esh

,and the eggs are preserved in barrel s of m u cka lu ck

walrus o i l . An add led goose egg kept about a year inrancid o i l appeal s strongly to an E sk imo’s pecu l iar ly cu ltiva ted taste .

O f late years the outlet for the product of waterfowlhas become extended and the eggs and geese have b ecome regular arti c l e s of sal e . I n addition to thei r natural craftines s in hunting

,the natives have l earned system

from the wh ite s . An egg taken at any time during the

season i s eatab le,but to be salab le i t must be fre sh

,so the

E sk imos d ivide the ir terri tory among themselves andmake a systemat i c round of the nests each day duringthe laying season . They get an egg every day from eachgoose’s nest

,and final ly

,when her

'

sp iri t i s broken andshe refuses to yi e ld longer , she i s snared with a nooseof s inew and goes into pi ckl e

,whi le her nest i s l e ft o ff

the route .


200 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD '

Sfl

local i ty. The lake s far inland are the ir favori te breed ingplaces . and nobody knows how many su ch

’

bo d ie s of

water there are in Alaska . They are a part of every riversystem—beauti fu l l akes

,with shores abounding in

grasses and succu lent herbage .

The only salvation for the waterfowl of North Am eri ca seems to be in the government of the United Statesco - operating with Canada for the ir protection . I f the

natives were prohib ited from taking the eggs at any t imei t wou ld change the present rate of exterminat ion into apercept ib l e increase in th e s ize of the flocks . E skimosare obed ient and law - ab id ing when they unders tand the i rduty , and a few game wardens could maintain the r e str ict ions O ver a great terri tory .

Archdeacon Canham of th e Church of E ngland miss ion at Rampart hou se on Porcup ine river

,has a curious

foss i l wh ich the I ndians found in the a l luvi al deposit s

a long the Porcup ine . I t was the skul l and horns presum ab ly of an extinct vari ety of b i son . I t d iffered insome respects from the head of an ordinary buffalo

,the

horns,for one th ing

,being stra ighter . The ir d iameter at

the base was 3 in ches , and the sku l l at the eyes measured1 3 i nches i n width .

The Ind ians c laimed to recogn ize i t as a spec i es ofwater buffalo

,s ea - cow or other animal of aquati c hab i ts

,

the l ike o f which,they as sert

,i s s t i l l l iv ing

,but th i s

assert ion may be classed with another that i s somet imesmade

,to the effect that there are mammoths st i l l a l ive

in Alaska,as being more than doubtfu l . But the val l ey

of the middle Yukon i s a vast bone—yard . From the greatvari ety of foss i l remains found in the country i t i s easyto imagine that i t once contained almost every an imal

known to s c i ence and more .

The traveler, standing upon the deck of one of th e


smal l s tern -wheel boats laborious ly pu sh ing i ts way

agains t the powerfu l current of th e Yukon river, wi l l be

struck wi th the immense area of al l uvia l soi l , which has

been carried bodi ly for centurie s and ages from the far

interior to the verge of B ering sea . T h e land there i s

be ing made and unmade constantly . The i ce - laden

freshet s of each retu rn ing spring never l eave unchanged

the contour o f th e shores whi ch but imperfectly confine

the rush ing waters . A sol id cake of i ce:caught i n aneddy and

'

s e t i nto swirl ing motion,grinds aga inst the

loose ly constructed bank and underm ines i t unt i l a mass

of sand or clay fal l s down upon it .

The impetus given by the precip i tated earth drive s the

i ce cak e out o f the eddy and sends i t adri ft upon the cur

rent , to be carri ed on and on , unti l s tranded aga in upon

the low beaches o f the de l ta or some di stant i s land ofthe sea

,when i ts cargo of soi l wi l l be depos ited as a gi ft

from the great Yukon . O n the other hand , l and making

i s going on j us t as constantly . The accidental lodgmento f one of the gnarl ed giants o f th e in land fore sts on it s

way seaward may cause the formation of a muddy baror i s land with in the space o f a few years .

Thickets spr ing up from twigs o f w i l low depos i ted bythe pass ing flood

,or from seed carri ed by the wind and

strengthen the new ground,b inding together i t s com

ponent parts w ith the ir roots unti l i t can res i s t the ord inary pre ssure of ru sh ing flood and grind ing i ce . E venthen a sudden ri se of a few feet i n the water

,or an u n

usual ly heavy formation o f i ce on the upper r iver m ay

undo in a few moments what nature has been years in

creating . The l itt l e i s l and wi l l then d issolve l ike snow

be fore th e sun and i ts componen t parts be ‘ torn awayand carried su spended in th e raging flood unt i l the neutra l izing action of O pposing tide s cause them to settl e

202 T H E CH IC AGO RE C O RD’

S

and scatter broadcast over the sh a l low bo ttom of Beringsea cont iguous to the great river’s mouth .

Under more congenial sk ie s th is vast accumulat ion ofthe ri chest soi l would doubtl ess attract a teem ing popu lat ion ; and who knows whether th i s mighty water powermay not be now bu i l d ing for the future , when some sl ightdev iat ion i n th e axi s of the wh irl i ng globe may unlockthe i cy fetters that now bind the land , compel l i ng man tore ly upon the products of th e sea alone for h i s subs i s tence

,

and teach ing him to look for but scanty favors from mother earth . Should that t ime come in some far dis tant per

iod,there wi l l be in the Yukon val l ey a fie l d for agr icu l

tu ral wealth and greatness su rpass ing i n range and poss ib i l it ie s that of th e ancien t Ni l e . The ve ry sea i s aid ing

bu i l ding up and enri ch ing th i s poss ib l e granary of fu turegeologic ages by s end ing i ts finny den izens by

countles s mi l l ions up into every ve in and artery of th evast surging and throbb ing water system

,impregnating

both soi l and water with minute depos i ts of h igh ly fertil izing qual i t i e s .

The few sett l ements scattered over the large,

flat i s

lands o f the Yukon del ta are perched upon the rare points

o f vantage to be found in th i s land of desolati on andperiod ical submersion . An elevat ion of from IO to 1 5

feet above the ord inary flood l ine i s cons idered suffi ci en tfor a vi l l age s ite

,especial ly when furth er protected by

adj acent s loughs,th rough which the waters o f freshet s

many e scape from the main channel and spread at wi l l overthe tenantles s tundra . The first sect ion of a s i te i s probably guided al so by the presence o i a protect ing (fiezra u x

a’e -f r z

‘

se of dri ft logs,afford ing part ial s ecuri ty from the

attacks of ice floes ; but th e sh i ft l e s s inhabi tants can not‘

withstand the temptation to u se up their safeguard , and inth e course of a few years thei r homes are unprotected



S

bright in the heavens , and under its genial glare the har

vest o f fish goes on without interruption , and as eversbody can once more revel in the r i chest food

, th e pangs

of hunger of the winter j us t past are forgotten Chi ldren

rol l and tumble over the mossy hummocks of the'

tundra ' s earch ing for eggs ; for nature , hav ing once thrown

o ff th e austere garb of winter,fai rly showers her b less ings

on the wards upon whom she grudgingly bestows her .

s canti est gi ft s for 8 months of the year .

Busy as they are,both man and beast

,gathering and

consuming food,they do not mis s the firs t faint whi st l e

of th e steamboat,st i l l far away , battl ing with the sh i ft ing

sh oal s that beset the entrance to th e river . Through the

s t i l l ness of the summer ai r the churn ing and puffing of

the boat can be heard far away , and as i t final ly rounds

the l ast bend the j oyou s shou ts o f women and ch i ldrenare j oi ned by the pierc ing but dolorous ye l l o f the dogs

,

who resent al l arrival s and departures .

The steamer to these people means tobacco , pow der,l ead and caps in exchange for mink and muskrat sk ins .I t al so means flour and some cal i co for the women

,with

th e few enterpri s ing indiv idual s who have pi l ed up a few

cords of wood on the river bank to sel l to the captain at

$3 a cord . The captain would gladly buy a great dealmore at that price

,but the supply i s l im ited by the

amount of energy and ambit ion latent among the menof these scattered communit i e s . The boat’s furnace s are

arranged for wood,and wood the captain must have ;

therefore he finds h imse l f compel l ed to carry a number of

axmen,some on smal l wages and some working thei r

passage,but al l to be fed .

With a crew numbering from 2 0 to 30 i t takes from 1 0

to 1 5 hours to wood up , and each cord of fu el i s made to

cost much more than $3 . With one - hal f the en ergy pos;


s e ssed by the T h l ingit tr ibes , th e men l iv ing on the low erreaches of the river

,where dri ftwood i s pi l ed up in huge

w inro w s, could earn money enough each season to bet

ter the ir cond ition in many ways and place them beyond

the reach of want and starvat ion . O n ascend ing the r iver,

winding s lowly throug h the innumerable bends , dry land

sti l l appears ins ign ificant in area when compared with

the boundless watery surface,unti l the first h i l l s appear

not many mi l e s below Andrea fsky stat ion . From thebluff

,qui te ins ign ificant in height

,above the smal l vil

l age of K a hmiu t can be seen,at a s ingl e glance

,t h e many

broad outlets o f the Yukon from th i s point .Andr ea fsky, formerly a fort ified trading post of the

Russ ians o f cons iderab le importance,and once the s cene

of summary vengeance infl i cted upon a band of Ingal ikfor depredat ions committed on the upper river , i s now bu t

a shadow of i ts former sel f . The strong stockade has

b een la id low and has probably fed the fires of th e Sean

d in av ian trader,who for many years co l l ected the furs of

the r iver and adj o in ing tundra , c laim ing as h is fie ld

of operations the vast triangl e between the Ikogm iu t

miss ion,the northern mouth of the Yukon , and

'

C ape

Vancouver .His large b ida r s,

‘ l aden with goods or sk ins , could

then be seen on river,slough and lake throughout th e

summer,and in the winter h i s dog teams were known

in every vi l lage .

~ Now what there i s le ft of the tradepas ses through native channel s to St . Michael

,the head

quarters o f th e Alaska Commercia l company in the Y u

kon d is trict,and the former trader , now a ful l - fledged

steamboat captain,with a gold band around h i s cap ,

passes h i s winters in ret irement at the scene of h i s former

act iv ity .

The summer trave ler who camps at Andrea fsky behold s13


S

a p icture of neglect and de solation , rel ieved by two orthree log cab ins kept in repair, with windows and doorsshuttered and barred . T h e su rrounding bui ldings are

wrecks,w ith fa ll ing roofs and gaping wal l s . A ware

house bui l t by the Russ ians of huge logs that st i l l res i stsdecay

,bere ft of i t s doors , contains a h e te rogen iou s mass

of rusty i ronware,o il ca

'

sks , coal - oi l cans , and broken

traps .From Andre afsky upward , th e hab itat ions o f the na

t iye s exhib it an enti re change in"

character and construet ion . They are nearly al l above ground , with wal l s o f

upright logs and planks and slant ing roofs covered withgras s and sods . The only entrance i s a round or sq uare

aperture i n th e center of the front wal l 1 8 i nches or two

feet from the ground .

‘

L ow plat forms l ine three s idesof the houses

, w hi ch are from 1 5 to 2 0 feet square . A fire

place and corresponding smoke - hol e occupy the center,

and al l th e avai lab l e space overhead i s fi l l ed w i th sti cksand rods

,from which dried fish are suspended

,making i t

imposs ib le to move about in an erect pos it ion u nder themalodorous festoons

,from which pe l luc id drops of o i l

fal l gently upon th e i nmates . Many of these attract ivehomes are al so provided with excavated addi t ions forplace s of refuge during extremely cold weather .The ku gga ts, or storehouses , i n al l these v i l lages are

large and stronglybu i l t, a sure s ign that food i s pl ent i fu l .

O ccupy ing a prominent pos i t ion midway between thedwel l ings and the beach

,th ese caches are al l that th e

passing travel er sees of a vi l lage,and as they are th i ckly

hung with dry ing salmon throughout the summer theyappear from a d istance l ike bright cr imson spots upon the

green banks of the r iver .The inhab itan ts of th i s region could eas i ly gain the i r

subs i st ence by’

devoting“

the ir t ime to the catch-ing and



curing o f salmon during the season,but they have many

other sources of supply . Both seal s and beluga ascend

the deep,wide channel s of the r iver . The marshes 0 11

both s ides o f the r iver are fa ir ly a l ive w i th w i l d fowl,

duck s,geese

,swans and cranes ; minks , muskrats , l and

otters and arct i c foxes y ie l d marketable furs,and bands

of re indeer st i l l pay occas ional vi s i t s to the i r o ld feed ing

grounds .Many populous settl ements are located 1n th i s vicin it\the largest be ing the vi l lage of K in egm agm iu t (the Raz

bo in itskaya , or robber’s v i l lage

,of the Russ ians). O n

approach ing the neighborhood of Ikogm iu t, the Ru ss ianm is sion

,l ong , wooded ridges come in s ight on the north

ern bank of the r iver , the v i l lages become more frequ ent ,and no eddy or oth e r poin t o f vantage a long the shoresi s wi thout i ts fish - traps

,for w h ich th e wil low th ickets of

the sandy i s lands furn i sh ampl e and most excel l ent ma

t e r ia l . B irch - bark canoe s here begin to make thei r ap

pea rance , and are us ed i n pre ference to kayaks for fish ing

or for gathering wood or berr ie s .

The Ru ss ian mis s ion bui ld ings nestl e among the h i l l son the right bank of the river

,l ook ing down upon the hal f

dozen large nat ive houses and a store and w arehouse onthe sandy shore . From Ikogm iu t upward the sceneryalong the main banks of the river becomes qu ite attraet ive

,alternat ing betw een wooded h i l l s and to w e r ing cl iffs

of sandstone w orn into fantast i c shapes by flood and

weather . The midd le o f the r iver i s dotted w i th low i slands , div ided by muddy s loughs and covered with denseth i ckets o f poplar

,“ i l low and stunted spruce .

From the confluence of the Yukon wi th th e C'

h ae c lnk

slough and Inn oko 1 ive 1 to th e mouth of i t s la 1 ges t t 1 ibutary , the Tanana , i t s banks are sett l ed by a branch o f th e\ tl1apa scan famil y known a s th e I ngalik . L

’

n l ikc the i r

2 1 0 T H E C H IC AGO RE C O RD'

S

kin 0 11 th e upper river and in the inter ior, these peop le

depend more upon fi sh for the i r subs i s ten ce than upongame . The close v i cin ity of the E sk imo

,with whom

they have i ntermarried (i n former t imes by forc ib le abdu ct ion) has affected th ei r mode of l i fe and to a certa in extent mod ified the i r tribal characteri st i cs

,although up to

a very recent t ime there was but very l i t t le fri endly inter

course wi th the i r ne ighbors . They have adopted the o i lo f the seal and beluga (which th e upper tribe s abhor) asan art i c l e of food

,and in many of the i r v i l lages are

found publ i c s tructure s correspon ding to the E sk imo

kashga .

In i ntel l igence , mechanical ski l l and ingenu i ty the I ngal ik excel the E sk imo .

.They manufacture c lay d i shes

and ves sel s,and weave straps for dog harness and smal l

t ats from the wool of the mountain goat, _o r from a ny

t exti l e material at the i r command . When furnished with

model s,they carve in wood with the most prim it ive tool s

very cred itab l e imitation s of art i s t i c ornaments or even

statuary . With proper teach ing the Ingal ik ch i ldren ofbo th sexes acqu i re th e E ngl i sh language in a very short

time,and

,unl ike the E sk imo

,they are not ashamed to

u se i t when once mastered .


2 1 2 T H E C H IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

only means at pre sent avai l abl e th e resu lt o f a season’sobservation by two of the most experi en ced observersm a y differ many hu ndred yards . Unfavorabl e meteor

ological condi ti on s are al so serious obstacl es to th e workin hand .

The first attempt at defin ing the Alaskan boundarywas made by L i eut . S ch w a tka

,who in 1 883 made a rough

and necessari ly crude survey of th e Lewes and Pel lyYukon rivers from the i r head to Fort Yukon

,s i tuated

near the mou th of Porcupine river,a di stance of about

50 0 miles . L i eut . S ch w a tka determined the pos i t ion of

th i s merid ian l i ne from h is survey and located i t at the

mouth of what i s now known as Mi s sion or Ameri can

creek,on the headwaters of whi ch valuabl e d i scoveri e s

of“

gold were made on the Alaskan s id e .

But in consequen ce of numerous representat ions tothe Canadian government and Bri t i sh demands for

c laims in th e gold fie l ds of the Yukon ba sm,1 t was de

te rm in ed to send in a j oint geograph ical and geologi calsurvey to thoroughly examine that portion of the Yukon

region ly ing in Br it i sh terri tory. For thi s purpose D r .

G . M . D awson,di rector of the geograph i cal survey o f

Canada,was deputed to make the geologi cal and Mr .

O gi lv i e th e geograph i cal survey . D r . Dawson’

s obse r

vat ions were confined to the Pel ly and Lewes rivers , butMr . O gi lv i e carefu l ly examined the entire country fromPyramid i s l and and Chi lkat in l et—a t the head of the

Lynn canal— t o the head of D ye a i n l et , thence over th eChi lkoot pass and down the l akes and rapids .o f th e

Lewes and Yukon rivers to the v ic in ity of the l 41 5 t me

r id ian . The resu l t of Mr. O gi lv i e’s obser vat ions was to

fix the merid ian fi fteen mil es h igher up the Yukon river

and nine mi l es farth er eas t than L i eut . S ch w a tka’

s“

determination

,which latter , however, i s not , from the natu re

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E K E RS . 2 1 3

of the survey,enti t l ed to con s iderat ion as a pract ical

In 1 889 our government dec ided to veri fy Mr . O gil

v i e’s determinat ion and di spatched two members of th e

coast - survey staff—Messrs . McG ra th and Turner— toAlaska to determine by astronomical observat ion th e po

si tion of the much - sought merid ian l in e on the Yukonand a lso on the Porcupine river . The resu lt of the o h

se rva t io n s was at first in favor o f Canada , as against Mr .

O gi lvi e’s determ inat ion,and located the boundary con

siderab ly farther west—otherwi se , into Alaska—than thelatter gentl eman had done . Lately

,however , a revi s ion

of Mr. McG ra th’

s computations loc ates the d isputed l in e

at a point far east of Mr . O gi lvi e’s , which circumstance

h as l argely contr ibuted to the presen t d ifficu l ty .

With the rap id development of thi s local ity i t i s u n fo r

tu na te that th i s l i ne has not been fix ed,but the real rea

son for the present uncerta in condition of th ings i s in

the i solat ion and lack of means o f communicat ion .

I n the meantime the Canadian mounted pol ice are

maintain ing order and making j udi cial awards in min ing

di spute s,without any parti cu lar regard for the l ine . I n

re lation to th i s ques tion the wi sh i s often expressed thatthe content ion wil l b e final ly sett l ed by our government

buying al l the Canadian terri tory west of th e Mackenzi e

and north o f Portland canal .

I t has always been currently reported and bel i evedthat the internat ional l ine cros sed at about Forty M il e

post , leaving’

th a t point j u s t w ith in Canad ian terri tory ,but instead of thi s Mr. O gi lv i e’s observat ions reveal that

the merid ian at th i s lat i tude i s nearly forty mil e s up the

creek,thus o riving to hi s government fu l ly one - hal f o f

th i s part i cu lar placer d istri c t . Much d isappointment i s

2 14 T H E C H ICAGO RE C O RD’

S

expres sed at th i s reve lat ion , as most of the miners are

Ameri cans .

The United States official s at Washington say that

there i s no nece ss i ty for the m iners in the Klondike di striet to mix j i ngoism with p lacer m in ing . They say

there i s no manner o f doubt but that th e Klondike diggings are far enough east

’

o f the i nternat ional boundaryl i ne to bring them whol ly wi th in the Northwest territory . The Domin ion cabinet ins i sts that there i s nonecess ity for any di scu ss ion whatever i n regard to the

location of the boundary l in e so far as the Klondik eregion i s concerned

,and th e Canad ian offic ial s are col

l eet ing a l i cense tax o f $ 1 5 from each prospector and wi l lcol l ect an annual fee of $ 1 0 0 for each claim worked in

the Klond ike di stri ct . The customs ofli c ia ls are col l ecti ng qui te a revenue by making the American miners payan importat ion tax on the personal belongings brought

into the Klondike d i strict .The boundary - l in e di spute

,whi l e i t i s a matter of l ive

interest to the peopl e of Alaska, has never been takenvery serious ly . I t i s freely conceded that the C anadiansmay change the ir maps any Way th ey l ike to su i t the i r

taste in such matters,and may afterward get what con

solat ion they can ou t of such maps . The l ine which hasbeen pract i ca l ly recognized in matters pertain ing to cu s

toms and to al l other front ier relation s begins at thesouth end of Prince o f Wales i s l and , at the natural d iv is ion afforded by D ixon entrance , and runs thence east

ward in open water to the entrance o f Portland‘

canal ,or

,as i t was termed in the original ag reement, Portland

channel . The l ine fol lows up th i s in l et to it s head , which

happens to be at i ts intersect ion with the s6 th paral le l ,and so that degree o f lat i tude was agreed upon as acorner . To th i s po int the boundary could bagdly admit


2 1 6 T H E CH IC AGO R E CO RD ’

S

and sti l l b e with in the corners mentioned,and varying

from twenty to 50 0 mil es in land . I n only on e o r two ins tances does i t approach to with in th i rty mil es of the

coast,and the average width of the Pacific slope would

hard ly fal l be low 1 0 0 mile s .

I t i s reasonab le,however

,to th ink that th i s i s the

natural l ine that both parti es to the convent ion thought

they were provid ing for a boundary,and i t i s obviou s

that i f they had posses sed fu l l knowledge of th e countryth e l ine would have fol lowed as nearly as possibl e thesummit of th e range

,giv ing Alaska a strip two or three

times w i der .As it was imposs ib l e to fol low the watershed , it wasl ikewi se impract i ca l to para l l e l the coast l ine . Alaska i s

indented by thousands of in lets,strai t s and arms . As it

was imposs ib le to describe a margin that woul d fol low

close ly al l these inl ets,th e boundary that has always been

recognized as a comparat ive ly even l ine based on po intsth i rty mil es in land from the heads o f th e princ ipal in l ets .To take anything le ss than that for a basi s—as

,for in

stance,a l i ne drawn from headland to headland—would

give Alaska only th e chain of i s lands and a few rockypromontorie s

,with the coast l in e broken in a hundred

Any conces sion that our government might make tothe C anad ians would be pure ly gratu i tous , and would

be detrimental to the progress of the country . I t wouldmake very l i ttl e d ifference in pract i ce to any individualwhether the country was al l owne d by Great Bri ta in orby the United State s ; I n pract ica l affai rs there would beno hardships experi enced in l iving under e i ther government . But th e people of Alaska are very loyal and in

tense ly American,and ou t of pure sent iment, i f for no

other reason,would oppose any concess ion whatever ;


and as ide from sent imen t they would h ave very pract i ca l

reasons for opposing a broken coast l ine .

Boundary l i nes are demoral iz i ng and expens ive anywhere , and are espec ial ly so in th inly se ttl ed and i solated

countri es . Customs regulat ions cannot be enforced,or

,

i f they are maintain ed,they cost much more than they

come to . As a pract ica l i l lustrat ion,some en terpr i s~

i ng individual s sh ipped by way of th e Ch ilkoot pas s,

through American terri tory,a consignment of 1 50 t en

gal lon kegs of l iquor in bond . A spec ia l office r o f the

revenue department was sworn in to accompany the sh ip

ment to th e B rit i sh Columb ia l in e at Lake Bennett ,where i t was re leas ed from bond . T here was absolu tely

no secret about th e whol e plan . There was enough

whisky in th e sh ipment to keep every man on the Canadian s ide h i larious ly drunk for fi fty years . When i t was

re l eased they loaded i t i n to barges at the i r conven ience

and qu iet ly floated i t down Lewes river to the Yukonand to Forty M i l e post

,and then . on into Ameri can

terri tory again to Ci rcl e Ci ty and al l the lower Yukon

mining di stri cts ,Where they reta i l ed i t to the miners andInd ians . Thus th ey evaded the federal cu stoms duty andal so defeated the l iquor regulat ions o f th e d i stri ct . I t i s

e st imated that,acqu i tt ing them of any intent ion of adu l

te ra ting the i r s tock , the sh ipment y ie lded

With a broken coast l ine th e revenue laws,th e l iquor

and immigrat ion restr i ct ions wou ld be almost a deadletter

,and Alaska

,in stead of being a valuabl e posse ss ion

to ou r government and an attract ive fie ld for legi t imateenterpri s e

,wou ld be a thorn in her s i de and a veritabl e

Cuba for corruption .

The cla ims of Great Bri ta in to a b ig share of Alaska

promise to occupy a large amount o f publ i c attent ion

for some time to come . The cla im is regarded by gov

2 1 8 T H E CH IC AGO RE C O RD ’

S

e rnm ent offic i al s here as preposterous . The senate , before which the boundary que s t ion was brought as theoutcome o i a treaty negoti ated by S ecretary O l ney andSir Jul ian Pa u nce fo te

,did not place i tsel f on record in

the matter,however . Before a vote was taken congress

adj ourned,so that th e locat ion of the d ivi s ional l ine

,

which has been in di spute s ince 1 884, i s no nearer settl e

ment than i t has been at any period in th e last th irteen

years .

A United States government official sa id in regardto the internat ional boundary l ine d i spute :

O n al l maps from 1 82 5 down to 1 884 th e boundary

l i ne had been shown as in general terms paral l e l to thewinding of the coast

,and th irty- five miles from it . I n

1 884,however

,an offic ial Canadian map showed a

marked defl ection in th i s l in e at i t s south end . I ns teadof pass ing up Portland channe l th i s Canadian map

showed the boundary as pass ing up Behm canal,an

arm of the sea some sixty or seventy mi le s west of Port

land channel , thi s change hav ing been made on the bare

assertion that the words ‘Portland canal ,’ as inserted ,

w ere erroneou s . By th i s change the l in e,and an area

of American terri tory about equal in s ize to the state o fConnect i cu t

,was transferred to Bri t i sh terr i tory . There

are three facts wh ich go to show that th i s map was in

correct . I n the first place,the B rit i sh admiralty

,when

survey ing the north ern l imi t o f the Bri t i sh Columbianpossess ions in 1 868, one year after the ces s ion of Alaska ,surveyed Port l and canal , and not B ehm cana l ,

'

and thu sby impl icat ion admitted th i s canal to be th e boundaryl in e . Second

,th e region now cla imed by Briti sh Colum

bia was at that t ime occupied as a mi l i tary post o f the

United State s without obj ect ion or protest on the partof Bri t i sh Columb ia . Third , Annette I s land , in th i s r e


220 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

expres ses the O pin ion that a ra ie ad can be eas i ly constructed from Takou inl et to th e Klond ike gold fie lds

,

'

a nd

bel i eves that the enterpr i s e wi l l be worth undertaking,

because of the richnes s o f the mines .The gold ,

‘

said General D u ffi e ld , has been'

grou nd

out o f the quartz by the pressure of th e glaci ers,which

l i e and move along the courses of the streams,exerting

a tremendou s pressure . Thi s force i s present to a moreappreciab l e extent in Alaska than e lsewhere

,and I be

l i eve that as a consequence more placer gold wi l l befound in that region than in any other part of th e world .

General D u ffi e ld th ink s the gold hunters on the Amer

ican s ide of the l ine have made the mis take of prospecting the large streams in stead of the smal l ones . When

gold i s prec ip itated , he said , i t s inks . I t does not floatfar down the stream . I t i s there fore to be looked foralong the smal l creeks and about the head wat ers o f thelarger tributari es o f the Yukon . There i s no reason why

as ri ch finds m ay not be made on the Ameri can s ide ofth e l ine as in th e Klondike di stri ct .

Prof . George Dav idson,for many years at the head of

the United State s geodet i c survey on the Pacific coast,

speaking of the boundary l ine di spute,sa id :

The main feature s of the boundary l ine between

Alaska and Canada are th e i rregu lar l in e extending from

the head of Port land inl et,i n lat i tude 56 degrees , around

the waters o f th e great arch ipelago Alexander at a d i s

tance o f not greater than ten marine l eague s from the

contin ental shore,to the 14I st meri dian west o f Green

wich,and the s traight l in e running thence to the Arcti c

ocean 0 11 that meridian . Where th i s i rregular l ine meets

the I4I S t merid ian r i ses th e great Mount St . E l i as , which

i s i n lati tude 60 degrees 1 7 min ute s and seconds and

longitude 140 degrees 55 minutes and seconds. Th i s

BO O K FO R GO LD- S E E KE RS .

peak i s about twenty - seven s tatute mi l es from the oceanshore . From a poin t on the l 41 st meri dian and probablyi n nearly the same lati tude as Mount St . E l ias

,the boun

dary l i ne runs through north to a demarkation po int onthe Arct i c shores

,a di stance of 660 statute mi l e s . I n th i s

great di s tance the l ine crosse s comparative ly few large

streams . At 1 0 0 mi le s i t cros se s th e headwaters of the

White river, a tributary of the Yukon , flowing to the

north - northwest ; at 2 0 5 miles an unnamed tributary of

the White river ; at the last d i stance on the boundaryl i ne th e Yukon river l ie s forty mi les to the eastward

,at

a point known as th e Upper Ramparts . The river continnes on a northerly cou rse

,nearly para l l e l wi th th e

boundary l i ne for seventy- five miles , to old Fort Re l i

an ce,near the Klondike , and thence trends seventy - five

mil es to th e northwest by north,where the boundary

l in e cro sses i t at 335 mile s from Mount St . E l ias .The headwaters of th e main tributary

,the Lewes

river,reach i nto Alaskan terri tory at the White pass

,the

Chi lkoot pas s and the Chi lkat pass,j u st north of Lynn

canal . The geograph ical pos it ion of Fort Re l i ance,an

ol d station of the Hudson’s Bay company,on the right

bank of th e Yukon river , i s l at itude 64degree s 1 3 minutes

,longi tude 1 38 degree s 50 minutes , or fi fty statute

mi les east of the boundary l in e of the 14I st degree . The

stream named Klondike creek enters the Yukon about

s ix or e ight mi l e s h igher up than Fort Re l iance,and 0 11

the same s ide of the r iver . So far as know n i t comes fromth e east - northeast for about 1 0 0 mil es , and i s reportednavigabl e by canoes for forty or fi fty m i l e s from its

mouth .

Whatever doubt has been cast upon the posi t io n of

th e whol e Klondike di strict being i n B rit i sh C o l i nn b ia

must have ari sen from a 11 1 isu ndc rsta nd i 11g o f th e dispute

2 2 2 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO R D’

S

exi st ing upon the proper location of that part of th eboundary l in e lying eastward and southward of MountSt . E l ias . The north

,or merid ian l ine o f th e boundary

has been accurate ly determined . The latest in fo rmat ion

place s the i ndependent determinations of th is merid ianmade by the two governments at the boundary l ine with

in the width of a San Franci sco pavement . So there cannot be much i f any friction between the two governments

upon thi s question . The only local d ispute that cou ldposs ib ly ari se wou ld be in the Forty -Mil e creek di stri ct

,

becau se the boundary l in e crosses sharp,s teep mountain

ridges of and feet e l evat ion,and in ferior in

strum enta l mean s might cause a s l igh t doubt o f the

d i rect ion i n some instances . However,no di spute has

ari s en in the d istri ct , nor i s i t l ikely that any wi l l occur .There i s no doubt that the l i ne has been sat i s factori lyla id down .

Canadian offic ial s say that recent publ i cat ions rela ting

to the claims of Great Bri ta in to a large share of Alaskaare due to a misconception of th e meaning of th e de s ignation

,Bri t i sh Columbia and undefined boundary as

printed on the map i s sued recent ly .

We refrained from plotting any boundary l i ne in thatpart of the terr i tory consti tut ing the coast stri p runn ing

south and east from Mount St . E l i as,sa id the surveyor

general o f'

C anada . I n fact,the map was i s su ed

,as i s

wel l understood in Toron to,at th e earnest demand of the

publ i c for re l iab l e data as to the location of the newly d i scovered gold fie lds and the best routes o f access thereto .

I t i s compil ed from the latest information and s urveysin our pos se ss ion

,and in so far as the physi ca l features

o f th e country are concerned may be taken as correct .

So , too , i s i t ab solutely correct as to th e boundary betw een Alaska and our Northwest terri tori es .



S

CHAPTE R x v .

C O LD W INT E RS AND S H O RT SUMME R S .

ND E R the di rect ion of Secretary of Agricu ltu re Wi lson

,Prof . Moore

,ch i e f of the

weather bureau , has made publ ic a statement in regard to th e cl imate of Alaska .

He says :'

The c l imates o f the coast and of theinterior of Alaska are unl ike in many r e

spe cts . and the differences are in

te n sified i n th i s as perhaps in few other countr ies by exceptional phys i cal condition s . The

fringe o f i s l ands that separates the ma in landfrom the Pac ific ocean from D ixon sound north

and al so a strip of the mainland for poss ibly twenty mi l esback from the sea

,fol lowing the sweep of the coast as i t

curves i n a northwesterly d ire ction to the western extr em ity of Alaska , forms a di st inct c l imat i c d ivi s ion ,which m a y be te rm ed temperate Alaska . The tempera

ture rarely fal l s to zero : winter does not set in unti l D ecem be r I , and by the las t of May the snow has d isap

pe a r ed ,except on the mountains . The mean winter tem

pe ra tu r e o f S i tka i s degree s—but l itt l e lower thanthat of Wash ington

,D . C .

T h e ra in fal l o f temperate Alaska i s noted the worldover

,not only as regards the quanti ty that fal l s , but al so

as to the manner of i t s fal l ing—in long and incessantrain s and drizzl e s . Cloud and fog natural ly abound ,

there be ing on an average but s ixty- s ix c l ear days i n theyear . North of th e Aleut ian i s l ands the coast c l imate


becomes more rigorous in winter,but in summer the d i f

ference i s much l e ss marked .

T h e c l imate of the interior , i nc luding in that de signat ion practi cal ly al l o f the country except a narrow

fringe of coast margin and the terr itory before re ferred

to as temperate Alaska,i s one of extreme rigor in winter ,

with a short bu t re lative ly hot summer, espec ial ly when

the sky i s free from cloud .

I n the Klond ike region i n midwinter the sun ri s es

from to 1 0 a . m . and sets from 2 to 3 p . m .,th e total

l ength of dayl ight be ing about four hours . Remembering that the sun ri se s but a few degrees above the horizon

and that i t i s whol ly obscu red on a great many days , the

character of the winter months may eas i ly be imagined .

We are indebted to the United States coast and geodet i csurvey for a seri e s of s ix month s’ observat ions 0 11 the

Yukon,not far from the s ite o f the present gold d i s

co ve r ie s . The observat ions were made with s tandard

instruments and are whol ly rel iab l e .

The mean temperature s o f th e months from O ctober ,1 889 , to Apri l , 1 890 ,

both inclu s ive,are as fol lows :

O ctober, 33 degree s ; November , 8 degrees ; D ecem

ber,1 1 degrees below zero ; January , 1 7 below zero ;

February,1 5 be low zero ; March , 6 above ; Apri l , 2 0

above . The dai ly mean temperature fe l l and remainedbe low the freezing point (3 2 degree s) from November 4,

1 889 , to Apri l 2 1 , 1 890 ,thus giving 1 68 days as the l ength

o f th e c losed season of 1 889 -

90 ,assuming that outdoor

operation s are control l ed by temperature on ly . The

lowest temperatures regi stered during the winter were

32 degrees below zero in November , 47 below in December, 59 be low in January , 55 below in February , 45 be lowi n March and 2 6 below in Apri l . The greates t C ontinu

ous cold occurred in February,1 890 , w hen the dai ly

2 2 6 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

mean for five consecutive days was 47 degrees belowzero

Greater co ld than that here noted has been e x per i

enced i n the United States for a very short t ime,but

never has it continued so very cold for so long a time .

I n the interior of Alaska the w inter sets in as early asSeptember

,when snowstorms may be expected i n the

mountains and passe s . Headway during one of those

storms i s imposs ib l e,and the travel er who i s overtaken by

one of th em is fortunate i f h e e scape s with h is l i fe . Snow

storms of great sever ity may occur in any month fromSeptember to May

,inclu s ive .

“The changes of temperature from winter to summerare rap id

,owing to the great increase in the length of

the day . I n May the sun ri ses at about 3 a . m . and setsabout 9 p . m . In June i t ri ses at o’c lock in the morning and set s about o’clock , giving about twentyhours of dayl ight

,and diffuses twi l ight the rema in der of

the t ime . The mean summer temperature in the inter ior

doubtl e ss ranges between 60 and 70 degrees , accord ingto e levation be ing highest in the middle and lower Y ukon val l eys .

The average tem perature at Fort Cudahy , as reported

by the North Ameri can Transportat ion and Tradingcompany

,during the months of November

,D ecember,

January and February las t year , was very close to 2 0

degrees below zero . The average for November was1 74degrees below zero ; for D ecember and January, 2 2be low , and for February about 2 0 be low . The lowest

temperature recorded was 70 degrees below zero .

” Thetemperature for th e month of September was about zero .

The snowfal l i n the vi c in ity of Fort Cudahy is onlyabout two feet during the winter

,al though it i s as much


2 2 8 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S

a few feet . During the winter months the cold i s intense

,with usual ly cons iderabl e w ind .

A heavy mist r i s ing from open places i n the r iver

se ttl e s down ‘ i n the val l ey in calm extreme weather . This

dampness makes the cold to be fe l t much more and i s con

du c ive to rheumati c pains,co lds

,etc .

Miners are a very mixed class of peopl e . They rep

resent many nat ional i t i e s and come from al l c l imates .Their l ives a re '

ce rta in ly not enviabl e . The regulation‘miners’ cabin’ i s twelve by fourteen fee t

,with wal l s

s ix feet and gab les e ight feet i n height . The roof i s

h eavi ly earthed,and - the cabin i s general ly very warm .

Two,and sometimes three or four men

,wi l l occupy a

house of th i s s i ze . The vent i lat ion i s usual ly bad . Those

miners who do not work thei r cl aims during the winterconfine themse lves in these smal l hu ts most o f the t ime .

“Very often they become indol ent and carel es s,only

eat ing those th ings whi ch are most eas i ly cooked or pre

pared . Du ring the busy t ime in summer when they are“shove l ing in

,

’ they work hard and for long hours, sparing

l i tt l e t ime for eat ing and much l e ss for cooking .

This manner of l iv ing i s qu ite common amongst beginners

, a nd soon l eads to deb i l i ty and som e tim e s

'

to

scurvy . O ld m iners have l earned from experi ence to

valu e heal th more than gold,and they there fore spare

no expense in procuring the bes t and most vari ed 0 11t

fit of food that can be obtained .

I n a cold cl imate such as th i s,where i t i s imposs ib l e

to get fresh vegetables and fru its,i t i s most important

that the best subst i tutes for these should be provided .

Nature helps to supply these wants by growing cranbe r

ri es and other wild fru i ts i n abundance , but men in summer are usual ly too busy to avai l themselves of theseThe d isease s met with i n thi s country are dyspeps ia ,

S NO W S TO RM IN T H E


23 2 T H E C H IC AGO R E CO RD’

S

or cure th e di sease,which i s a dreadful one i f not

checked . The symptoms come on gradual ly , be ing rec

ogn ized by a fai lure o f strength and exhaust ion at sl ightexert ion . The countenance becomes sal low or dusky ,eyes sunken

,and constant pa in s are fel t in al l the mus

cl es . After some weeks utter prostrat ion ensues ; theappearance i s most haggard ; great troubl e i s e x pe r i

enced with th e mouth , sore gums , and teeth fal l ing out ;the breath i s extremely off ens ive ; final ly come swel li ngs and dark spots on the body , with bleeding fromthe mucous membrane ; then painfu l , extens ive and destruct ive u lcers break out on the l imbs ; final ly diarrhoea

,

pulmonary or k idney troubl e may give fatal re su l t . Buteven in desperate cases a return to fresh vegetabl e d iet

wi l l cure,as wi l l al so , usual ly , l ime j u i ce . L ime ju i ce

has driven scurvy from the ocean , where it once countedi t s d ead i n every far- going ship’s annal s . I t i s now aslang term to de scribe an old salt

.Sai lors at sea are

given a smal l dai ly al lowance of l ime j u ice (which i s gen

e ra l ly badly adulterated), and they swal low it with a

l i tt l e water at mea ls .


CHAPTE R XVI.

PR O F . SPUR R’

S R E PO R T .

ARLY in 1 896 the Uni ted State s government sent Prof . J . S . Spurr

,H . B . Good

ri ch and F . C . Schrader,of the G e o log

i cal Survey,i nto th e Yukon d i stri ct . The

chie f o f the survey was Prof . Spurr .Soon after the n ews from the Klond ike

was rece ived i n th i s country Prof . Spurr

ant ic ipated the report he i s to make to

the chi e f o f h i s department by wri ting a statement for

the in format ion of those who were s e ized wi th the goldfever. The statement reads as fol lows :

Much has been wri tten o f late concern ing the pos s ib il itie s of Alaska a s a gold - produc ing country . As a

matter of fac t,the product ion of th e present year may

be roughly est imated at thi s amount,h o w

ever,comes from an immense region of hal f a mi l l ion

square mil es,or about one - quarter as large as the United

States . O f the mines wh ich produce th i s gold,some are

i n th e bed - rock,whi l e others are placer d iggings .

The bedrock mines are few in number and s ituatedon the southeast coast

,wh ich i s the most acce ss ib le part

of the terri tory . The chi e f one i s the great Treadwel l

m ine near Juneau,and there are al so important m ines

at Berner’s bay,at the I s land of Unga and other places .

The latest strike i s the Klond ike . Most of these m ines ,however

,are in low - grade ore , and the production i s

only made profitabl e by means of care fu l managementand operat ion s on a very large scal e .

VA R AY


2 36 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD ’

S

rock cannot be worked , except on a large scal e with improved mach inery

,and even such O perations are impo s

s ib l e unti l th e general cond it ions o f th e country,i n refer

ence to transportation and suppl ie s,are improved .

'

Through the goldbearing rocks the streams have

cut deep gu ll i e s and canyons,and in the i r b eds the gold

wh ich was contained in the rocks which have been wornaway i s concentrated

,so that from a large amount of

very low - grade rock there may be formed in places agravel suffic i ent ly ri ch i n gold to repay washing. Al l

the min ing wh ich i s done i n th i s country,there fore

,con

s ists in the washing out o f these grave l s .I n each gulch on the Ameri can s ide prospectors are

at l ibe rty to s take out c la im s not already taken,the s ize

o f the c laims being determ ined by vote of al l the miners

i n each gu lch , according to the r i chness o f th e gravel .The usual length of a c la im i s about 50 0 feet along thestream and the total width o f th e gulch bed

,which i s

ordinari ly narrow . When a prospector has thu s stakedout h i s claim

,i t i s recorded by one of the miners , who

i s e l ected by his fel lows in each gu l ch for that purpose ,and th i s secure s h im suffic i ent t i tl e . The miners’ l awsare pract i cal ly the entir e g ove rnm ent i n these d i stri cts

,

for the remotenes s prevents any systemati c comm u n ica

t ion being carri ed on with the Unit ed State s . All quest ions and di sputes are settl ed by miners’ meetings

,and

the quest ion in d ispute i s pu t to popu lar vote .

I n prospecting the el ementary method of panning i s

u sed to d i scover th e presence of gold in grave l , but aftera c laim is staked and systemati c work begun

,long slu i ce

boxes are bu i l t of boards,th e miners be ing obl iged to

fe l l the tree s themselves and saw out the lumber withwhip saws

,a

,

very laborious k ind of work .

The depth of gravel i n the bottom of the gulches


vari e s from a foot up to twenty or th irty feet , and when

i t i s deepe r than the latter figure i t cannot be worked .

The upper part o f the grave l i s barren,and the pay

d irt l i e s d irect ly upon the rock beneath , and i s general ly

very th in . To get at th i s pay - d irt al l the upper gravelmust b e shovel ed o ff, and th i s pre l im inary work often

requ ire s an enti re season,even i n a very smal l c laim .

When the gravel i s deeper than a certa in amount—sayten feet—th e task o f remov ing i t b ecomes formidable .

I n th i s case th e pay- d irt can sometimes be got at i n thewinter season when the gravel s are frozen hard by s ink

ing shafts through thes e gravel s and dri ft ing along thepay - dirt .

"

The pay—dirt thu s removed i s taken to th e surfaceand washed out in s lu i ce s when the warm weather begins . Thi s underground working i s done by burn ing ins tead o f blasting and pi cking . A fire is bui l t c lo se to

the frozen gravel,and when i t i s suffic i ently thawed i t

i s shovel ed out and removed . The stri pping o ff of the

upper grave l s , which has been mentioned , can be doneonly i n the comparative ly sh ort summer season when th esurface thaws .

T h e ord inary method of gett ing into the Yukon country i s by c ross ing the Chi lkoot Pass from Juneau down

the Lewes and Yukon rivers to th e gold d i stri cts . Theusual t ime for s tarting i s in Apri l , and a large part o fthe j ourney i s made over i ce whi ch fi l l s the lakes andrivers at th i s t ime of year . By th i s early start ing a large

part o f the season avai labl e for work ing i s obtain ed .

Not eve ry comer can find new diggings which are profit

able,and many of th em are glad to work for wages .

The ord inary wages in summer are $ 1 0 per day , but

s ixty days i s cons idered about the average for summerwork ; so that the total earn i ngs are not so great as wi l l

238 T H E 0 1 1 1 0 40 0 RE CO RD ‘

S

appear at firs t s ight,and the prospects for work during

the remainder o f the year are s l ight . The j ourney over

the pas s and down the Yukon i s one of great diffi cu ltyand hardship

,espec ia l ly as al l suppl ie s have to be carri ed

a long . The pass itsel f i s d ifficul t to cross,the lakes are

subj ect to v iol ent gale s,and there are a number of very

dangerous rapi ds . O nce in th e country th e newcomerfinds h imsel f no more comfortabl e .

"During the summer season,w hen the days sometimes

are real ly hot,there are swarms of mosqu itoes and gnats

wh i ch have not the i r equal in th e world,and whi ch are

enough alone to d iscourage most men . I have heardstori e s

,which I can readi ly be l i eve to be true

,o f strong

and hardy men being so tormented by these pest s wh i l eon the tra i l through the swamp to the B irch creek d iggings

,that they broke down and sobbed in utter di s

gust . The method o f reach ing these and other diggings

cons i sts part ly in pu l l ing a loaded boat aga inst a swi ftstream

,and often over rapid s

,and partly i n trudging

through the swamp or over a rough mountain trai l wi th

a h e avv load on one’s back . I n winter th e thermometer

fal l s so low that i t cannot be measured by any ava ilabl emeans . I t i s certa in , however, that i t reaches 70 degreesbelow zero . During al l th i s w inter season very l i tt l e canbe done

,and as darknes s ex i sts most of the t ime l i fe often

seems intol erable .

The actual expenses o f getting i nto the country arecons iderab le . I ndians must be h ired to do a part or the

whole of the transportat ion of suppl i es across the Chi lkoot Pass at very h igh wages , and the cost o f the ne ce s

sa ry outfit i s i n i tse l f cons iderab le . O n arriv ing at thed iggings provi sions are often not obta inable at any pri ce ;or

,i f they are to be had

,the vari ety i s s l ight . The sup


240 T H E CH IC A G O RE CO RD ’

S

make the attempt . The hundredth man must be a minerand fronti ersman by nature

,s trong and pat ient

,

‘

a hardworker

,and a lover of s ec luded l i fe . E ven such a man

wi l l very l ikely fai l on account of the large e l ement ofchance

,and the most success fu l m i ner obtains only a few

thousand dol lars in profi t after a number of years’ patient

work .

Any great i ncrease in the number of men going intoth e Yukon distr i ct wou ld be d i sastrou s , on account of the

s tri ct l imits o f the food supply and faci l i t i es for trans

po r ta t ion . The resul t would be famine , di sorder , andfai lure . Several years ago thi s actual ly happened whenal l the Fo r ty-Mile miners were without food and wereob l iged to trave l down the Yukon over the i ce to St .

Michae l i n the dead of winter,a te rr ib le j ourney of nearly

mi l es . At that time there were only a few menin the country

,but i f the number had been very much

larger,even th i s resource would have been imposs ib l e .

“My general advice to th e average man intending togo to the Yukon gold di stri ct i s - to stay out . Manymen go there every year and suffer hardships , fai lure , lossof capital and somet imes of h ea lth . I f anyone undertakes the trip he shou ld take with h im enough suppl i esto last as long as he intends to s tay—one year, two years ,or whatever amoun t . He shou ld have money enough tolas t h im into the country and out again , i f nece ssary , andshou ld start early enough in the season to enab le h im toreturn up the r1y er i f he intends to come out the sameyear

,for th e fac i l i t i e s for transportat ion by steamer are

l ikely to be ent irely inadequate .

NO TE —Since Prof . Spurr sounded thi s note o f warning a smal l army of Klond ikers has s tart ed for the goldfie lds

.Reports from D awson Ci ty indicate that the

labo r m a rke t is glutted by miners who left other d iggings


"for the Klond ike,and that day wages dropped from $ 1 0

and $ 1 5 to $2 and $3 .

I n speak ing o f th e m in ing condi t ion s o f Alaska , Mr .

Spurr sa id :'

W e examined al l o f th e known placer depos it s and theorigin o f the go ld i n them was traced to th e ve ins ofquartz along the head waters of th e various streams en

te ring the Yukon . Suffic i ent data were secured to establ i sh the presence of a gold bel t 30 0 miles in l ength inAlaska

,which enters the terr i tory near the mouth of

Forty M i le creek and extends w e stward acros s th e Yukonval ley at the lower ramparts . I ts further exten t i s un

known .

It is the op in ion of the geologi st in charge o f the ex

ped it ion that i t i s ent i rely pract i cab le to prose cute quartzmin ing throughout the year i n th i s region . He also d i scovered a long the river large areas or rocks contain inghard b itum iou s coal .

“Runn ing in a d i rect ion a l i t t l e west o f northwest

through the terri tory examined i s a broad,cont inuou s

bel t of h igh ly altered rocks . To the eas t th i s be l t i s know nto be cont inuous for 1 0 0 mile s or more i n Bri t i sh terr itory . The rocks const i tut ing th is b e lt are m o stly

'

crys

ta l line sch i sts,assoc iated with marb les and sheared

quartzi te s,i nd i cat ing a sed imentary origi n for a large

part o f th e seri e s . These altered sed imentary roc ks havebeen shattered bv volcan i c act ion ,

and they are p iercedby many d ikes of eruptive rocks .

"

I n the proces s of mountain bu i ld ing the sedimentaryrocks have been subj ected to such pressu re and to sucha lterat ion from att endant force s that they have beensqueezed into the cond it ion o f sch i st

,and often part ly or

w ho l ly c ry sta l l i zed , so that the i r original character has 1 11some cases en t i re ly d i sappeared . I n summariz ing , i t ma y

242 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S

be said that the rocks of the gold bel t of Alaska cons i s t

l arge ly of sed imentary beds o lder th an th e carboniferousperiod

,that these b eds have undergone extens ive altera

t ion,and have been e levated into mountain ranges and

cut through by a vari ety o f igneous rocks .Throughout thes e altered rocks there are found ve ins

of quartz often carry ing pyri te and gold . I t appears thatthese quartz ve ins w ere formed dur ing the d isturbanceattending the up l i ft and al terat ion of the beds . Many o fthe ve ins have been cut, sheared

.

and torn into fragments

by the force that has transformed the sedimentary ro ck sinto crystal l ine s ch i st

,but there are others , containing

gold,s i lver and copper , that have not been very much

di sturbed or broken .

These more con tinuous ore - bearing zones have not

the character of ord inary quartz ve ins,al though they con

ta in much si l i ca . I nstead of the usual wh ite quartz ve ins ,the ore occurs in a sheared and altered zone of rock , andgradual ly runs out o n both s ides . So far as yet known ,

thes e cont inuou s zones of ore are of re lat ive ly low grade .

Concern i ng the ve ins of wh ite quartz fi rs t mentioned, i ti s c ertain that most of them whi ch conta in go ld c arry iton ly i n smal l quanti ty

,and ye t

’

som e few are known tobe very r i ch in p laces

,and i t i s extremely probab l e that

there are many in wh ich the whol e of the ore i s of com

pa ra tive ly high grade .

The general character of the rocks and of the ore de

pos it s i s extremely l ike that o i the gold - bearing format ion s along th e sou thern coast of Alaska , i n which - theTreadwel l and O ther mines are s i tuated , and i t i s p robab le

that the ri chnes s of the Yukon rocks is approximatelyequal to that o f the coast belt . I t may be added that the

resources of the coast be lt have been only’

part ial ly ex

plo r ed .


244 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD'S

quanti ty to encourage the hope of su cces sfu l extractionat some future t ime

,when the work can be done more

cheap ly and with su i table mach inery . The extent o f thesegravel s , which are of poss ibl e value , i s v ery great .I t may be stated

, th e r e fo re , ,

a s a general ru l e , that th e

profitabl e gravel s are found in th e v i cin ity o f the goldbearing rock . The gold - bearing bel t

"

forms a range of

low mountains , and on the flanks of thes e mountains , tothe northeast and to th e southwest

,l i e variou s younger

rocks whi ch range in age from carboni ferous to very r e

cent tert iary,and are made up mostly o f

'

conglomerate s,

sandstones and shales,with some vo lcan 1c materia l .

These rocks were formed sub sequent to the ore depos i

tiOn ,and

'

th e refo re do not contain metal l i ferous veins .They have been partly derived , however, from de

tr itu s worn from the gold - bearing bel t during the longperiod that i t has been exposed to eros ion , and some ofthem contain gold derived from the more anci en t rocks

and concentrated in th e same way as i s the gold in th epresen t river gravel s . I n one or two places i t i s certain

that these conglomerates are real ly foss i l placers , and thi s

source of supply may eventual ly turn out to be very im

portant .

The report on the Yukon go ld’

r eg ion by Mr . Spurr ,givi ng new fact s and figures about the inte r 1o r of the terr ito ry, was made pub l i c recently . I t i s a comprehens ive

document,and rev i ews in detai l the work

'

i n the variou sd i stricts . I t says as to the Forty M i le gold di strict

,that

i n the latter part o f 1 887 Frank l in gulch was struck , andthe first y ear the creek i s est imated to have produced

E ver s i nce i t has been a constant payer . T h e

character o f the gold there i s nuggety,masses worth $5

being common . The yie l d the firs t year afte r the di s

cove ry of Forty Mile has been variously est imated a t

S LU I C ING .


248 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD '

S

creeks by the hydraul ic proces s,the water to be obtained

by tapping Mi ll e r and Mastodon creeks near th e head . I twil l b e several years before the scheme can be operated .

beca use both of the present gu l ches are paying wel l , andwi l l cont inue to do so at l east five years .

The Klondike p lacer m iners are only gathering thedust washed o ff nature’s great gold re serve in the Alaskanmountain s . This dust i s found in the gravel of the l i ttl es treams . I t comes from a format ion cal l ed the co nglom

crate,which is i ncomparably richer in nuggets and par

t icle s of gold than the gravel . When the m iners find i tno longer profitabl e to wash out th e gravel

,they can a t

tack the conglomerate,where they wi l l b e abl e to aecom

pli sh someth ing by hand labor . Final ly,there i s the

original source o f , go ld—the ve ins i n the hi l l s . These

must be of enormous valu e . They must l i e untouchedunt i l th e proper mach inery for obtain ing th e gold i serected .

A clear,s c i ent ific and authoritat ive explanat ion of th e

geologi cal cond i t ions of th e Klond ike and neighboring

gold - bearing rocks was furn i sh ed by Profe ssor S . F . E m

mons,of the United States geologi cal survey

,to the New

York Herald . Profes sor E mmons said '

'

The real mass of golden wealth i n Alaska remains as

ye t untouched . I t l i e s in the v i rg i n rocks , from which th epart icl es found in the river gravel s now being washed

by the Klond ike miners have been torn by the eros ion ofstreams . These parti c le s , be ing heavy , have been deposited by the streams whi ch carri ed the l ighter matte ronward to th e ocean

,thus forming by gradual ac cum u

l ation,a sort of auri ferou s concentrate . Many of the bi t s ,

e special ly i n certa in local i t i e s , are b ig enough to be cal lednuggets .

“ I n spots the gravel s are so rich that , as we have all

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E K E R S . 249

heard,many ounces of the ye l low metal are obtain ed

from the wash ing of a s ingle panfu l . Th at i s what i s mak

ing the people so wi ld—th e prospect o f p i ck ing moneyout o f the d irt by the handfu l l i tera lly .

But al l th i s i s merely the skimming of grease fromthe pot ; th e soup remain s , the prec ious ri ch soup i t i s .The bulk o f th e weal th i s i n th e rock s o f th e h i l l s

,waiting

only for proper mach inery to take i t out . For you mustremember that the gold was original ly stored i n ve ins

o f the rocks,wh ich are of an exceedingly ancient forma

tion . Nobody can say how many mil l ion s o f years ago themetal was put there

,but it must have been an enormou sly

long time back .

“The stream s wore away the rock s , carry ing gold withthem

,and th i s process continued for ages

,making im

mense depos it s of r i ch,gold - bearing gravel s . E ventual l y

these depos i t s were th emselves t ransformed into rocka sort o f conglomerat e in whi ch pebbl e s small and b ig arem ixed with what was once sand . To - day the strata com

posed o i th i s conglomerate are o f'

imm en se extent andunknown th icknes s . The formation c lose ly resemble sthat of th e auri ferous ‘banket

’

or pudding stone of the

South African gold fie lds ; bu t the South Afri can puddingstone was i n far remote anti qu ity a sea beach , whereasthe Alaskan formation i s a deposi t made by steams

,as

I have said .

I n a later epoch the stream continued to gnaw away

at the hi l l s , bringing down more gold and leav ing it behind in th e grave l s of thei r bottoms . I t i s these compara

tive ly modern rivers wh ich are re spons ibl e for the pay

d irt of the Klondike d i stri c t and of al l that region . Natu ra lly, because i t was eas i ly got at and worked , th e miners have s truck th i s su rface a l luv ium first . The streams

at various t imes have fol lowed d ifferent course s,and it is

2 50 T H E CH I C AGO RE CO RD '

S

i n the gravel s o f the dry and di su sed channel s that th e

gold miners dig with such fabulous profit .

Yo u wi l l obse rve from what I have sai d that th e gold

of that region ex is ts under th ree widely d ifferent condi

t ions—in the gravel s , in the conglomerate or puddingstone and in the anci ent rocks of the h i l l s . When themodern stream deposi t s

,now being w orked, are used up ,

the miner can tackle the conglomerate , which representsthe gravel s of ages ago . Final ly

,when they are prov ided

wi th the requ is i te mach inery , they wi l l b e in a pos i t ion toattack the masse s of ye l low Weal th that are s tored in theve ins of the mountains . At present we can hardly cons ider that the first b i te has been taken of the golden feastwh ich Alaska offers to hungry man .

For many years Ind ians have brought out of the Copper river di stri ct i n Alaska furs

,copper and gold . The

Copper I ndians are a ferociou s tribe , much resemb l ing

the S ioux in stature,and during the las t few years have

become we l l equipped with guns and ammunit ion .

Knowing the value Of the i r r i ch s takes,and that the

i ngress of white men would mean the ir re t i rement,the

Ind ians have s teadfast ly re fused to permit a s ingle whiteman to explore the i r country . E very man

“

making the

attempt has been told to keep out,and when he pers i sted

has been ki ll ed .

The Copper river trib e numbers nearly and as

they have been wel l abl e to carry ou t the i r th reats,no

attempt to molest them has been made in recent years .Now, however, i t i s proposed to teach these nat ives thatwh ite men must eventual ly be al lowed to prospect and

take out the mineral ri ches of the i r domain.

O ne hundred men,thoroughly armed

,wil l go to Cook

inlet from Port Townsend . They wi l l be l ed thence intothe Copper river sect ion by Judge Joseph Kuhn

,who has


2 52 T H E C H IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

CHAPTE R x vn .

MAIL S E RVl C E IN T H E KLO N D I KE .

AILY mai l de l iveri e s are somethi ng that can

scarce ly be expected by the Klondikers .

Arrangements , however, have been madeto carry the mai l between home and the

gold d iggings in the Yukon di s tri ct . A

mai l serv i ce has been establ i shed be

tween Juneau and Circl e Ci ty,and doubt

l es s th i s soon wi l l be extended to the Klondike di stri ct .

As the mai l s “pass backwards and forwards across theboundary l i ne , postage paid in the United State s takes

mai l acros s the boundary l in e , and v ice versa .

Postmaster Charl e s U . Gordon of Ch icago,i n response

to a request from the CHICAGO RE CO RD for info rmation regard ing the sending of l etters to the Klondike

region,repl ied :

Letters cannot be sent by United State s mai l to Dawson City, Forty M i l e or othe r towns in B ri t i sh territory .

Mail matter for D awson City,Northwest terri tory

,not

be ing a known po stoffice , shou ld be addres sed‘v ia’ some

United States po stoffi-cc,viz : D yea , Alaska ; Unalaska,

or Ci rcl e Ci ty,Alaska . Sent to one of th ese Alaskan

po sto ffice s, i t goes to Circl e Ci ty by way of D yea ,over

the overl and route ; by way of Unalaska by the Yukonroute .

"

A mai l steamer l eaves Seatt l e every five days forJuneau

,1 2 0 m i l es from D yea ,

and every fourteen days

from Sitka for Unalaska . A Canadian Pac ific steamer


wil l l eave Victoria for D ye a , by way of Juneau , eve ry

few week s during th e fal l . The route overl and by wayof E dmonton , Northwest t erri tory , i s not feas ib l e , as yet ,although th ere appears to be some trave l com ing th i sw ay .

Five carrie rs have been appointed for th e Juneau

Circl e Ci ty route,and one wi l l l eave each end of the mai l

route on or about the fi rst o f each month . The carri ers

are P. C . R ichardson,F . W . Hoyt , J . W . D emars , G .

P . Sproul and John Brauer . Thi s mai l serv i ce i s for

United States mai l addres sed to Circl e Ci ty . Mai l of

Dawson,Forty -Mil e and Fort Cudahy wi l l not be car

ri ed in th is mai l,as these po ints are in Canadian territory

Comm uni cat ion wi th these points i s i rregular and d iffi

cult,but arrangements have been made to forward mai l

from Circ l e Ci ty by the Arcti c expres s company .

The schedu le for carr iers b etween Juneau and Circ le

Ci ty is as fol lows :

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Since July 1 , contract s for mai l ove r what i s known asthe overland route from Juneau to Circ l e City havebeen made by the po stofli ce department . The round tri p

over th e Chi lkoot pass and by way of the chain of lakes


S

and the Lewes river takes about a month,the d istance

be ing abou t 90 0 mile s . The cost i s about $6 0 0 for th e

round trip . The Chi lkoot pass i s crossed wi th the mai lby means of I ndian carri ers . O n the prev iou s tr i ps the

carr i ers , after fini sh ing the pas s,bui l t the i r boats

,

but they now have the ir own to pass the lakes and theL ewes river .I n the winter transportation i s carr i ed on by means

of dog sl eds,and i t i s hoped that under the present con

tracts there wi l l be no stoppage , no matter how low thetemperature may go . The contractor has reported that

h e was sending a boat,i n sect ions

,by way of St . Michael ,

up the Yukon river,to be used on the waterway of the

route , and i t i s thought much time wi l l b e saved by th i s ,as i n former t imes i t was necessary for the carri ers tos t0 p and bui ld boats or rafts to pass the lakes .I n add iti on to th i s for

,

the summe r season contract shave been made with tw o steamboat companie s for twotrip s from Seattle to St . Michael

,and three from there

to Seatt l e . When the steamers reach St . Michael,th e

mai l wi l l be trans ferred from the steamers to the flatbottomed boats runn ing up the Yukon as far as Ci rc l e

City . I t i s be l i eved the boats now run furth er up .

The contracts for the overland route cal l for only fir st

class matter,whereas the steamers i n the summer season

carry everyth ing up to five tons a trip .

Some extracts from the offici al report o f the secondass i stant postmaster general for the fi scal year endingJune 1

,1 896 , wil l prove of interest . Under date o f Sep

tember 2 3 , 1 896 , Contractor Beddoe wrote to the department concern ing the trip to Circ l e City

,the establ i shment

of that po stoffice hav ing been authorized March 19 ,1 896 ;


25 6 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

dest i nat ion , Circ l e Ci ty , was reached and the mai l s del ivered in good order .The quest ion now was to get the return mai l to Ju

neau the qu ickest moment . I t was imposs ib l e to startup the river in consequence of the rapid water

,th e cur

rent ave raging '

e igh t mil e s an hour for 50 0 mil es . I f Iremained in Ci rcle Ci ty unti l Ju ly 30 i t woul d probably

take forty - five days to pole the boat up the r iver. I there

fore dec ided t o go down to St . Michae l and come out

through Bering sea . I was fortunate in gett ing therein t ime for the steamsh ip Portland

,which sai l ed from

that po int to Seattle,v ia Unalaska mi l es . At

Seatt le I took the Alki and reached here in du e course,

having trave l ed m il es i n addition to the regular

trip , and saving th ereby over a month of t ime in the del ivery o f the return mai l : and I owe i t to mysel f to saythat I was the last trip man into the Yukon and the first

one out th i s season , which i s ev idence that no unnecessarydelay occurred .

This Yukon trip i s a terrib le one , the current of the

river even atta in ing ten mi les an hour . Miles canyon i s a

veri tabl e death trap into whi ch one i s l ike ly to be drawn

wi thout.

not ice,and the Whi te Horse rap ids

,known as

the miners’ grave,to say nothing of the Five Fingers and

R i nk rap ids,both of whi ch are very dangerous . All of

these dangers are aggravated by reason of th e de fect ive

maps and reports of the country“ I t i s my intent ion to submit to the department a map

w i th many correct ions , al though in the absence -

o f a

proper survey i t wi l l n ecessari ly be only an approximaterefl ect ion of the r iver’s course . You are probably notaware that for a di stance of 1 50 m i l e s , commenc ing at

C i rc le Ci ty , and going north , th e river i s .fifty miles be


tween banks,and conta ins thousands of i s lands

,very few

of which appear on any map .

I t i s imposs ibl e to perform thi s mai l contract w i thout

having at l east three part i es fu l ly equ ipped , the di stance

be ing so great and i t be ing out o f the question for th e

first party to return in t ime to depart with th e succeeding mail

,and the expens e of each wi l l b e about the same .

I shal l have made fou r round tr ips by the end of th i smonth . The last mai l i n should arrive at Ci rc l e C ity in

one week from now . The return mai l s I am looking for

dai ly . At the end of th i s month the north end of the

Yukon river wi l l freeze and the i ce wi l l gradual ly form

to the south,and the same

,as a waterway

,wi l l become

impassabl e and remain so unti l m idwinter .The Western Union te legraph company i s cons ide ringthe advisab i l i ty of stringing a wi re from Juneau to Daw

son Ci ty . A San Franci s co company has been formed

for the purpose o f connecting Juneau and Dawson Ci tyw i th a te legraph and te lephone w ire . The l ine

,accord

ing to the plan,i s to be constru cted on the same plan

as the ordinary mil i tary l in e used by armies i n the fie ld .

The wire w i l l be a quarter o f an inch th ick,and covered

wi th a certain k ind of in su lat ion which i t i s sa id hasproved thoroughly able to wi th stand the r igorous c l imati c condi tion s prevai l ing in Alaska . The w ire i s towind upon large ree l s

,and these ree l s are to be placed

on dog sl eds and dragged over the i ce and snow . It i sproposed s imply to pay out the loose w i re and le t i t l i eon the ground

,with th e expectation of running the l in e

th rough from term inal to terminal in s ix weeks .The route by w ay of Chi lkoot and the Lew e s and Y u

kon as far as th e Pe l ly river has been thoroughly ex

plo r ed bv th e Western Union te l egraph company . Mike

2 58 T H E C H IC AGO RE C O RD ’

S

L eBa rge , after w hom Lake L eBa rge was named , was engaged by the company to explore the river and adj acentcountry for the purpose of connect ing E urope and America bv t elegraph through Brit i sh Columbia and Alaska

and acros s Bering strai t to As ia,and thence to E urope .

Th is explorat ion took place in 1 867 , but the successfull aying of the Atlantic cab le in 1 866 put a stop to th i s

proj ect .


2 60 T H E C H IC AGO RE CO RD '

S

B lankets, good , per pair , from $ 1 6 to

Hudson Bay blankets .

~

L i nen shi rtUnderwear

,per sui t

Canvas overal l sBoots

,from $ 1 0 to

Stogi e shoes , from $5 toClothes

,su i t ready made

,from $30 to .

Fur o vercoats,from $2 5 to

Dogs for s leds,from $ 1 0 0 to 30 0 0 0

Home -made bread,per loaf

Lumber,per feet

,from $ 1 0 0 to

Wages , per day , $5 to .

Meal s in restaurant,each

A dressmaker , who was in Circ le Ci ty when th e str ikeon the Klondike was made , went to Dawson Ci ty , and inthe first three days c leared $90 with her need le . Mrs .Adam

'

s,th e dressmaker

,said she was the first woman in

th e d igg ings that cou ld fi t a dre ss , and wh i l e there wereno “bones” or wai st b ind ing or canvas or other arti c le sabout whi ch women know everyth ing and which go intoa dress

,Mrs . Adams said pri ces are kept up

,ranging

about as fo l lows : Five to ten dol lars for a plai n MotherHubbard , $6 to $ 1 2 for an empress , $8 for a pla in woo lsk i rt

, $ 1 0 to an ounce” for a wai st . These pri ces were

s imply for making the goods up,and Mrs . Adams sa i d

she and her partner had more work than they cou ld do .

Dawson City i s located on the bank of the Klond ikewhere the latter s tream empti e s into the Yukon river . Thetown s i te o f 1 60 acres i s owned by Joe Ladue

,and D aw

son City i s la id out in a square,and div ided into c i ty lots

after the most improved manner of th e real e state deal erwho plats new subd iv i s ions . The populat ion i s unknown .

Good guessers put the number of inhab itants o f th i smu shroom town anywhere from to Somet ime next spr ing it wi l l b e known j ust what the winter


popu lat ion of Dawson City has been during the winter.

The city was born in August, 1 896 , a few days after the

Klond ike strike was made . Many peopl e are under thimpres s ion that Dawson City i s i n the very center of theri ch placer depos it s of the Klondike d i str i ct

,when as a

matter o f fact , th e gold bearing creeks are from 1 2 to2 5 mi les from Dawson City .

Dawson Ci ty i s a Canadian town , although its founderand most of i t s inhab itants are qual ified voters i n th e

United Sta te s when they are at home . Dawson City i s notonly a mushroom town , but , to u se another s im i l e borrowed from the vegetab le k ingdom , i t i s a sucker” town .

When it sprung up Circ le Ci ty Forty M i l e,Fort Cudahy

,

and other min ing towns north of i t were depopulated sorap id ly that no one save th e agents of the tran sportat ionand trad ing compan ies and the Hudson

’

s Bay company

were l e ft.

E very man , woman , ch i ld and dog scurri ed to DawsonCity as fast as poss ib le . Before the estab l i shment of Dawson Ci ty there were I

,5O O peopl e in Ci rc l e C i ty . A recent

l e tter from Circ l e Ci ty re late s th e sad fact that there arethree men

,two women

,one ch i ld and four ye l low curs

le ft . From al l report s Dawson City i s an orderly place ,al l th ings cons idered . The Northwest te r r ito rv mounted

pol i ce and the Canadian land offi cial s thus far have suc

ce eded i n mainta in ing law and order to a degree that can

scarcely be apprec iated by one who 18 fami l iar wi th the

so—cal l ed typi cal m in ing towns .The people as a ru le a r e law - ab id ing and attend to thei r

own bus ines s . I n fact al l are too busy looking after weal th

to resort to any lawle ssness . Joe Ladue , the fathe r ofDawson City

,i s authority for the statement that steal ing

is pract i cal ly unknown in that town . Gold dust , gra in sand nugget s are kept i n t in cans , i ron kett l e s , worn o u t


S

rubber boots , oi l cans , and left in tent s and cab ins without

watch or guard be ing plac ed over them . Thi s was theDawson City up to the t ime the flood of gold - seekersoverwhelmed i t th i s year. The Canad ian authorit i e s bl i eve that they w i l l b e ab le to smash al l tradi t ions

,so far

as min ing towns are concerned,by mak ing and keep ing

Dawson City a highly moral fronti er town .

Joseph Ladue,the owner of D awson City

,i s one of the

fortunate men who made a large strike . He says he does

not know how much he is worth , but those who are asso c ia ted with h im place hi s figure s up among th e

,m i l lions .

He is a res ident,when at home

,o f Schuy le r Hal l s

,Cl in

ton county , New York . He has great hopes for thefuture o f the c i ty he owns . I n speaking of h i s pos sess ionsLadue said that the summer for Dawson City O pens aboutMay 1 5 and by June I , no snow i s seen anywhere .Gra in i s planted or sown about May I 5 , and he has

ra i sed barl ey and oats there for two years . Potatoes do

not mature in Dawson . O n the h igh lands the frost strikeseveryth ing each year . So the farming i s a l l done on thei s lands . McQu e st io n ,

the Hudson’s Bay trader at Fo rtvMile

,has rai s ed potatoes

,barl ey

,oats

,turn ips , l ettu ce ,

radi shes and cabbage . He se l l s h i s produce to the m inersand get s good pri ces for i t . Turnips , for in stance , bringten cents a pound . At Ft . Selk irk , 1 78 mi le s south o fDawson

,i s another garden

,owned and cul t ivated by

Harper,somet imes cal led the grand old man of the Y u

kon .

The summer last s from the m idd le of May to September I . The longest day in Dawson City i s June 2 2 ; o nthat day the Klond ikers have the sun for twenty hours

,

c lear , warm sun , as Joe Ladue expressed i t . Wintersets in September I

,and th e ‘

co ld comes on gradual ly .

September and O ctober weather i s fin e,

'

O ctobe r being


2 64 T H E CH ICAGO R E CORD ’

S

p iano , and everyth ing i s 50 cents a drink . There we re1 0 saloons and only 3 restaurants in D awson City whenLadue l e ft . O ne o f the restaurants was an attachment toa barber sh0 p .

A ta é le d’lzote dinner cost $ 1 .50 and consi sts of bacon ,

beans,b read

,coffee

,a p iece of cheese and dried fru i t .

And the re staurant keepers se l l everyth ing that can bemade into a warm meal for th e miners who have been l iving on hardtack and sa lt pork for several months . Thelaundr ie s charge 2 5 cents a p iec e for everyth ing that goesinto the washtub

,from towe ls to b lu e sh i rts . The stew

ardess on the s teamer W i ll ipaw forsook the raging Y u

kon and took to wash ing in Dawson City,and she d id first

rate . She al so started a bake—shop , and one smal l loaf ofher home made bread so ld for 50 cents .Gambl ing i s carri ed on at Dawson City to su it al l con

d it ion s of persons ; no stake les s than a dollar i s al lowedand j ackpots frequent ly run up to enough ounces” of

gold'

dust to represent severa l thousands of dol lars . I t i sc la imed that there has not be en

'

even a fir st - c lass fi st fightover a gambl ing game in Dawson City s i nc e Joe Laduela id out the town s i te . From al l ac counts gambl ing isal l

"

s tra ight” i n Dawson City , for cheat ing i s regarded asakin to s teal ing , and steal ing i s put down as a worsecr ime than murder in that se ct ion of the globe .The Canad ian authori t i e s have estab l i shed a po sto ffice

at D awson Ci ty . This makes three Canad ian po sto ffice si n that portion of the Northwest te rr i tory . The o thertwo offices are at Forty M il e and Fort Cudahy . The mai l

i s carr i ed by the mounted pol i ce from D yea .

Robert Krook , a Swedi sh Klond iker , tel l s stor ies somewh at d ifferent from the average of those tha t h ave comefrom the l ips of retu rned miners. He said :

Unt i l th i s spring the men never put locks on the doors


o f the i r cab ins , and nothing was sto len . You might gointo any cab in and see a glas s or a t in or two on the shel f

fu l l o f gold and no one would th ink of touch ing it . Any

one cou ld steal i f h e wanted to do so , but there werereasons why they d id not . I t was only after the mountedpol i ce arr ived that locks and bolt s became a neces si ty . Be

fore that there were what we cal l ed ‘miners’ laws.’ Fortyor fi fty o f the m iners would cal l a meet ing, se l ec t a chai rman

,and then if a m an a cou ld make h i s own ‘ta lk’ he did

so or he wou ld get some one to make i t for h im . Whenboth s ide s of th e case had been heard the chairman would

cal l for a vote . The dec i s ion was final . I f a man gavetroub l e he had to go . Now they do not have mi ners’

l aws any more . We had no troub le during three years ,because al l quest ion s were sett l ed at these meet ings of

m iners. Al l d i sputes about c la ims were argued and ad

ju dica ted i n the same way .

Some amus ing detai l s were given o f the way in whi chthe m en spend the long n ights i n the winter . As eachc laim extends only 50 0 fe et up and down th e s tream ,

thecab ins are c lose together an d the men v i s i t one anothe r .I n the Klondike , or for that matter at Forty Mi le creekor any of these faraway mining camps , the men are expertchecker p layers

,because that i s the princ ipal amusement

,

with wh ist as the favorit e card game .

“N0 paper i s too old,

” sa id Mr . Krook,to read . we

read al l the advert i sements and al l the can labe l s . Therewas a supply of canned lobsters at the camp and someman used to put up wi th the cans wrapp ings of sheets

from the b ib l e . We used to commit the chapters to memory and see who could repeat them first wi thout a m istakeT h e food i s ne ither extra choi ce nor p lenti ful . But i t

i s expensive . Bacon , ham and beans are the general ru l e

266 T H E C H IC AGO RE C O RD ’

S

— no French wine s or champagnes . The suppl i es a r eshort at b est and a man must often take bacon that hewould not throw to a dog or go without . There i s u sual lymore whi sky and hardware on hand than anyth ing el se .

A man on ly needs a certain amount o f hardware,and the

le ss whi sky he can get on w ith the better he i s o ff.Somet imes a man has to watch h i s suppl ie s pretty

c lose,and they usual ly

.

bu i ld a ‘cache’—that i s , a l i tt l ep latform set h igh up on l ight poles . H e can then hau lup h i s bacon and ‘grub ’ and cover it with a tarpau l in .

T h e r i sk of l eaving the ‘grub’ i n the cab in i s that the bearsget at i t . They wi l l even tear the roof o ff to get in ,

‘ andthere are p lenty of the animal s . They won’t c l imb the th inposts

,part i cu lar ly when the bark has been peel ed o ff.

'

In regard to c loth ing, a man does not need much in

summer,and i n w inter he s tudi e s comfort , not looks . I n

w inter we wear moccas in s and in summer whi le s lu i c ing

gumboot s . I have no t'

h ad l eather on my feet s i nce Il eft . O veral l s co st $2 .50 in Klondike , and everyth ing e l s ein proport ion , but i t i s a great country to make money in .

W'

. D . Johns,the spec ial correspondent of the CHICA

G O RE CO RD ,who has been in the Yukon country for

two years , sent a l etter to the RE CO RD descr ib ing golddigging in winter in the B irch creek d i stri ct . Thi s letterwas wri tten D ecember 2 1

,1 896 , and was pu b l i sh ed

‘

Ma r ch

2,1 897, and was th e first announcement

,to be publ i shed

in any newspaper,of the Klond ike find . Mr . Johns’ l e

'tterreads as fo l lows :

“L i fe,c l imate and work in interior Alaska

,c lose to the

arct ic c i r c l e,i n winter i s vast ly different from that whi ch

the popular be l ie f supposes i t to be . Whi le not as de si rable a place o f w inter res idence as countri es farther south ,i t i s one in which men trave l

,

” work and l ive,tak ing S uitab le precaut ions

,without seriou s troub le or danger - unle ss


BO O K FO R GO LD- S E E KE RS . 2 69

general ly true and they are troub led much l es s wi thwater than here , but even there i t cause s trouble . Anothergenera l ly rece ived fa l lacy i s that i t ‘never rains’ here . O n

the upper r iver th e c l imate i s dry , with but l i tt l e ra in , butwhen one gets as far down as Forty M i l e one has almostas much ra in as in North Dakota

,and i t increase s down

the river . So that here there i s a good deal of ra in . Upin the mountains th i s ra in turn s to snow

,which i s not in

frequent a t the diggings i n midsummer . Thi s ac count sfor the m i l l ions of mosqu i to es , which are actual ly dangerous to l i fe here i f a man’s face and body are not protected .

O n the upper Yukon they are not one - tenth as bad asdown here , owing to the dri er c l imate . Many a

‘

ch ech a co’

(tenderfoot)on h i s way to the m ines , with a pack on hi sback , has thrown down everyth ing and struck back fortown and gone on down the river without delay

,curs i ng

the country and i ts mosqu itoes . Not one - th ird o f thoscoming in stay over winter.To those who stay and work the country offers great

rewards in compari son with what the average man canmake be low

,and the chance of a

‘

fortune . In th i s d i stri c tth e mines off er the only source now

,for Circl e C i ty i s

fu l ly bu i l t,and the men who worked at i t last summer

wil l have to do someth ing el se,for there wi l l be no bu i ld

ing to speak of . At the presen t t ime i t i s very quie t .Many men went out

,and almos t al l th e res t have go ne

to the d ifferent creeks to s ink prospect hole s or to dri ftou t pay d irt

,which in some creek s does not have to be

burned,as there i s no frost after they ge t down to the

pay . Last summer w a s taken out of B i rch creek

d istr i ct , and th is winter they expect to take out

a l lowing $50 0 to th e man , a very low est imate. As the

country h a s no t yet been thorough ly prospected th i samount wi l l probab ly be i ncreased next year and for some

2 70 ‘ T H E C H IC AG Ow

RE C O RD ’

S"

years to come . Part i e s are now out and more a r e go in -

g .

to prospect creeks over the range,and before spring new .

di scoveri es w i l l undoubted ly be made .

“The new Klondike str ike i n th e Northwest terri tory

(Canada) i s an exampl e of how l itt l e i s known of th i sregion . O nly 50 miles up the Yukon from the old Forty

M i le post , where the Canadian government now has a pol i ce force , i t has been casual ly gone over several t imes bVprospectors who kept to the main creek or r iver . Lastsummer a squaw man was i nduced to go up a s ide creekof the Klond ik e by h is I nd ian brother - in - law

,and they

found the gold on what i s now asserted to be the r i ch estcreek in the gold region , and one o f th e r i ch est ever s tru ckanywhere . I myse l f have panned and seen panned somewonderfu l ly r i ch prospect s on the surface

,as h igh as $3 to

the pan . I f the reports now coming down from Klond ike are true they have i t ri cher sti l l on the bed rock .

I t i s a great di str i ct,with many r i ch gulches

,and wi l l

support an immense m i ning populat ion when opened upin a vear from now , though the news wi l l br ing in a hostof men who wi l l be unab le to find work and who

,unl e ss

they have money,wil l have to go out , as the com pan i es

ha ve absolute ly shut down on the cred it they used to give .

I t i s a matter of regret with Ameri cans that these d iggingsare under the paw of the B ri t i sh l ion . Many be l ieve

,. in

deed,that th e maj ority - o f the r i ch strike s - o f the future

wi l l b e 0 11 Canadian soi l ,“

near the main cha in of theRock ies

,which sends only spurs westward into Alaska .

The Klond ike d igg i ngs are on the same spu r'

i

o f. theRock i es as those of B irch creek , 2 60 mile s down th e river ,but they are' only about 60 mile s from the main range . Anumber of m inor creeks were stru ck on the same rangebetween Circ l e City and the Canadian l ine last summer.

E very one com i ng in th i s spring ought to bring a



S

up there and be happy .

” The women of the upper Yukonseem to be o f th e same O pin ion , j udging from the l ettersthey send h ome .” The fol lowing interes ting letter w a sre ce ived by John C . Hessian , a wel l - known attorney 1:

Duluth , Minn , from his s i s ter, whose husband i s a hardware merchant a t Fort Cudahy. She wri te s as fol lows :I w a s the n inth white w oman in th i s country , and

three out of the n ine arr ived on ly a month ahead of me .There are about two dozen now . I know e ight of them

,

and w e get along ni ce ly together . There are about twothou sand white men scattered through th i s part of theco u ntrv and a carload of girl s wou ld go l ike hot cakes .I n coming into th i s p lace we came from Seattl e out toCape Flattery

,through the northern waters of the Paem e

O cean,the Bering sea and up the Yukon r iver . We were

s ix weeks en route . I s tood the trip wel l,and was the

only passenger able to eat three or more t imes a da y.

At the mouth of the great r iver , the Yukon , we took theriver boat

,which i s very fine , with splendid accommoda

tion s . The scenery i s beauti fu l al l the 1 60 0 mi les toth i s camp .

The Yukon i s about two thousand mi l e s long,and h a s

a great many good - s ized rivers flowing into i t . I t doesnot freeze up before O ctober 1 0 , although we have somevery co ld weather before that t ime , but i t takes coldweather to s top these swi ft s teamers . When i t doesfreeze up

,i n stead of freez ing smooth the huge cakes of

i c e seem to be stand ing on edge from 1 2 to 1 5 feet h igh

in places . I don’t know 11 0 W to descr ibe i t any better thanby l iken ing i t to an ice - hou se b lown up with dynamite .

We are l ivi ng on Briti sh so i l, 30 mile s from the Alaska

l i ne,n ine block s or thereabouts from the north po le , andmil es from a rai l road . Unti l the la s t few months

we have had no mai l route , but persons coming in in th e


spring and summer usual ly brought in the letters that accumulated at Juneau . They brought in l etters on ly.

”

Mining i s the on ly industry . Gold can b e found in thegravel on nearly any river , creek or gu lch . Two obstacl e sthe m iner has to contend wi th are the short seasons andthe frozen condit ion of the country . The earth

,i n sum

mer,only thaws two or three fe et , and that only in p laces

exposed to the sun . There i s no coin or currency i n th ecountry to speak of . Al l busin ess i s transacted with golddust . No laws are recognized here except those made bythe m iners themselves . There i s a good class of men here ,pretty wel l m ixed ; goodhearted , hard workers . The Ind ians are very numerous here and throughout the country . They are peaceab le and se l f - support ing . They look

as much l ike th e Ch inese or Japs as they do l ike Ind ians .They try to imitate th e white man in dres s . Fre ig h ting i s

done ent ire ly by dogs . These an imals resemble the Wol f

i n appearance , and are sold at $75 , $ 1 0 0 and $ 1 2 5 each .

The large game of the country i s bear , wolves , moose andcaribou

,a spec i es of the re indeer . The last two are fine

eat i ng .

The mercury goes somet imes as low as 80 degrees below zero . At su ch a t ime a bas in fu l of hot water thrownup in the air wi l l come down in i c i c l es . We are abou t 30mi les sou th of th e arct i c c i rc l e . During the short days i tbegins to get dark at 3 p . m .

,dayl ight appearing about

a . m . During the very shorte st days the sun dropsent ire ly out o f s ight , and i s invi s ib l e for three weeks .During the long summer days we have cont inual dayl ight . You can s ee to read or write at n ight as wel l as atany t ime during the day . The sun ri ses and sets in thewest in Ju ly

,and during the shorte st days i t r i ses and sets

i n the east . The moon acts in the same manner . Thenorthern l ights

,during th e winter months

,are beaut i fu l

2 74 T H E CH IC AGO RE C O RD ’

S

to look at . They move so rap idly and form into suchbeauti fu l sh ape s

'

and co lors that you cou ld wish for nothing e lse more interest ing . I t would be utterly u se le ssfor me to attempt to explain these wonderfu l b eaut ies ofnature . The seasons of the year are 9 month s winter

and 3 l ate in the fal l .Just l i s ten to the buzz of the mosqu itoes ! I t i s my

op in ion there i s on ly one fl ock,and that covers the en ti re

country,for there are mosqu itoes in every p lace you can

go or th ink of. They are as th i ck as snowflakes in“ asnowbank . They get into act iv i ty and stay r ight wi thyou . They do bus iness day and night . A mosqu ito ba ri s as e ssential i n summer as an overcoat i n winterWhen they qu i t, a smal l gnat shows up . The latter i sfu l ly as bad and far more numerous .

“The river boats have scarce ly four month s in the yearin whi ch to run . There are four boats running , and tw omore are bu i ld ing . E ach of th e 'bo a ts can bring , 350

tons o f fre ight , but the amount of provi s ions that i s

needed for the d iff erent ports the fu l l l ength of th e r iveri s immen se

,and there i s always a shortage in some th ings .

O n the B ering sea,from our steamer

,about 1 5 miles

d is tant,we saw a mountai n feet h igh

,of so l id ro ck

,

and on top of that a statue o f rock,a perfect representa

t ion of a bi shop in h i s robes , cros i er in hand , as perfectand r ea l as anything you ever saw . The immense rockstands al l a lone , not another th ing to b e seen but water .O n th i s r ive i also there are two immense ro cks s tandingal l alone , one on each s ide of the r iver . They are cal l edAdam and E ve . You would trave l the world over andnot be ab le to meet with pret t i er s cenery than can be seenalong th i s r iver . Whi le at Circ l e Ci ty we saw a rainbowat a quarter to midnight .

Fresh vegetabl es are hardly known here . T h e sea



S

cost $ 1 0 pe r pound—bone , tr immings , fat, horns , andtai l

,al l the same pri ce . We got , by chance , 2 50 pounds

of nat ive potatoes—w e are the only ones with that many .

The sh ip’s potatoes are on the s teamers with the rest o fthe eatabl es . We had to ki l l our ch ickens , as the ch i ckenfeed d id not get here . I have them frozen

,and wil l have

ch i cken for Chri stmas and New Year’s .T here was a new mining di stri c t d i s covered

, 50 mi le sup the Yukon from here , two months ago . I t i s turn ingout to be a great th ing. There are over s ix hundredcla ims already staked , and a new town started cal ledKlond ike . Pat went up wi th th e firs t exc i tement andgot thre e town lots . O n e o f them he has already beenoffered $ 1 ,50 0 for , but wi l l not se l l . He also staked twoclaims and bought another th is week for Theseare al l p lacer m ines . I al so have a c laim . Pat and Ihave men prospect ing on our claims . We may neverget a cent out of them , and we may get thousands . Weare running that ri sk .

'

I have been wri t ing th is by lamp l ight,but j u st now

,

at 1 0 o’c lock a . m ., the sun i s j u st coming over the moun

tain tops , with two sun dogs accompanying i t . I t i s 40below

,with a strong wind b lowing .

We got your papers and c l ipp ings and passed themaround . You don’t know what a treat i t i s to s ee printin here . Pat wou ld give h i s head to know somethingabout the e lect ion . He s incere ly hopes B ryan i s pres i

dent,and tri e s to consol e h imsel f by th ink ing he actual ly

must be the man .

I am knitt ing socks and stock ings . I only wear twopairs at a t ime

,with a pair of Dutch socks and a pai r

of fur boots .”


CHAPTE R X IX .

O G I LVI E’

S R E PO R T O N T H E YUKO N

D I ST R I C T .

YUKO N D I STR ICT in whi ch th e

Klond ike p lacer m ines are located

was traversed by traders o f th e Hudson Bay company as far back as1 840 . Will iam O gi lv i e the land sur

veyo r o f th e Domin ion of Canada ,commis s ioned by the D epartment o fthe Interior o f the Domin ion gov

e rnm ent to survey that di str i ct,returned from there i n

the early summer of I n h i s report h e

des ignate s the Yukon d istri ct as that part o f the

Northwest terri tory ly ing west o f the water- shedof the Mackenzie river

,most o f i t be ing drained by th e

Yukon river and i ts tributari e s . I t covers a d istance ofabout 6 50 miles a long the r iver from the Coast range ofmountain s .

I n 1 847 Fort Yukon was establ i shed at the mouth ofthe Porcup ine river by A . H . Murray

,3 member of the

Hudson Bay company . Seven years prior Robert Campbel l explored th e upper L iard river and the Pel ly riverdown to the confluence of th e Lewes r iver .I n 1 848 Campbel l e stab l i shed Fort Se lk irk at th e con

flu ence of the Pe l ly and Lewes rivers ; i t was pl underedand destroyed in 1 852 by the Coast I nd ians and only theru ins now exis t of what was at one t ime the mos t important post o f the Hudson Bay company to th e west o f th e

Rocky mounta ins i n the far north . I n 1 869 the United


S

States government expel l ed the Hudson Bay company’soffices at Fort Yukon

,as it was found that the post was

not located in Bri ti sh terr i tory . The officer in chargeascended the Porcup ine r iver to a point whi ch was supposed to be with in B rit i sh j uri sdi ct ion , where he es tab

l ish ed Rampart House ; but in 1 890 J . H . Turner of the

United States coast survey found that post was twentym il es with in the l ines of the Uni ted State s . Consequently

in 1 89 1 the post was moved twenty mi l es further up theriver to b e within B rit i sh terri tory . The next people to

enter the country for trading purpose s were Harper and

McQue stion . They have been trad ing in the countrys ince 1 873 ; Mr . Harper i s now located as a trader at

Fort Selki rk,and Mr . McQu e stion i s in th e

'

employ_ o f

the Alaska Commercia l company at Circl e C ity,which i s

the d i stribut ing point for the vast regions surround ingB irch creek

,Alaska . I n 1 882 a number of miners e n

te r ed the Yukon country . The next year L i eu tenant

S c h w a tka of the Un ited States navy ascended the Lewesand Yukon rivers to th e ocean .

I n 1 887 Thomas White , the mini ster of the Interior ofCanada

,authorized the organizat ion of an expedi t ion h av

i ng as i ts obj ec t the explorat ion o f that region of the

Northwest terri tori es of C anada that are drained by theYukon river . The work was intrusted to D r . George M .

Dawson,now the director of the geological survey of th e

Domin ion government , and Wi l l iam O gi lv i e , the wel lknown explorer and su rveyor . D r . Dawson devoted th ewhole o f that season

,and Mr . O gilv i e a period covering

nearly two years to obtain ing geologi cal,topograph ical

and general i n formation,chi efly respecting the tract of

country ly ing adj acent to the 14I st merid ian of longi tude ,which

,by the treaty o f St . Petersburg

,was des ignated as

the boundary l ine from the ne ighborhood of Mt . St . E l ia s



S

but th e longest route , and the d iggings are not reachedunti l a cons iderabl e port ion of the short summer seasoni s passed . Mr . O gi lv i e

,i n h i s report

,says as a ru le i t i s

not safe to enter Norton sound (i n which the i s land of

St . Michae l i s located) on account of i ce before the firs tof Ju ly .

“St . Michae l i s e ighty mi l es from the no rth ly mouth

of th e Yukon ; th e pas sage up the r iver takes from eigh

teen to twenty days,and the round trip about a month .

The firs t boat does not arrive at Fort Cudahy and Dawson City unti l late in Ju ly

,and the river closes i n Sep

tember,so that the arrival of the las t boat i s somewhat

uncerta in ; la st year they are said to have been frozen in

at Circl e Ci ty . Two round trip s in a season are al l that

can be re l i ed upon .

Many persons pre fer going by Lynn cana l,the Taiya

(D yea) pass , and down the Yukon . The distance from

the sea to Cudahy i s on ly 6 30 mil es , and to Dawson City

a l i tt l e over 575 miles, and by start ing in Apri l or May

the diggings are reached by the beginn ing of June . Theupper part of the river opens several weeks before thelower part i s free from ice . After cross i ng the pas s the

trip to Cudahy can be accompl i shed i n e ight days . An

other route i s now being explored between Telegraphcreek and Tes l in lake

,and wi l l soon be opened .

Telegraph creek i s the head of s teamer navigat ion onthe St ik ine river

,and i s about 1 50 miles from Tesl i n lake .

The Yukon i s navigabl e for steamers from its mouth to

Tesl in lake,a d i stance of mi l es . A road i s be ing

located by the Domin ion government,and a grant of

has been made by the province o f B rit i sh Colum

bia for open ing i t .

J . Dalton,a trader

,has used a route overland from

Chi lkat i nl et to Fort Selk irk, going up the Chilkat and


K la h e e la rivers . He crosse s the d ivide to th e T a h ke enariver

,and cont inues northward over a fa irly open country

pract i cable for horse s . The di stance from the sea to FortSe lk irk i s 350 mi les . I t i s proposed to estab l i sh a winter

road somewhere across th e country travel ed by Dalton .

The Yukon cannot be fol lowed,the i ce being too much

broken , so that any winter road wi l l have to be overland .

A thorough explorat ion i s now being made of al l thepas ses at the head of Lynn canal and of th e upper watersof the Yukon . I n a few months i t i s expected that th ebest route s for reaching the di stri ct from the Lynn canalwi l l be defini te ly known .

Under date of Fort C udahy , September, 1 896 , Mr .

O gi lv i e wri te s o f the d i s covery of gol d on Bonanza creek

a branch of the Klond ike . He gives as the corre ct name

of the now famous stream “Thron - D i uck,and says i t i s

marked on the map as D eer r iver , and j oins th e Yukona few m il es above the s i te of Fort Re l ia nce . I n th i s l etterMr . O gi lv i e says : Between Thron - D i u ck and Stewartr iver a large creek

,cal l ed Indian creek

,fl ows into the

Yukon,and rich prospect s have been found on i t

,and

no doubt i t is in th e gold—bearing country between ThronD iu ck and Stewart rivers

,which i s cons idered by al l o ld

m iners th e bes t and most extens ive gold country ye t

found .

Re ferring to the Klond ike region,Mr . O gi lv i e wri tes ‘

I th ink I can expend more i n th e interes t of the coun

try by remain ing here and making a survey of th e ‘Klon

dak’ of the miners—a mispronunciat ion of th e Ind ian

word or w ords ‘Thron—dak,

’ or ‘D iu ck ,’ wh ich means

‘plenty o f fi sh,

’ from the fact that i t i s a famous salmon

stream . I t i s marked ‘

T o ndak’ on our map . I t j o in s the

Yukon from the east a few mil e s above Fort Re l iance ,about forty m i le s from here (Fort Cudahy). As I have

282 T H E CH IC AGO R E CO RD ’

S

already intimated , rich placer m ines of gold w ere d i s

covered o u the branches of thi s stream . T h e di scovery

I bel i eve,was due to the reports of I ndians .

A wh ite man named George W . Carmack , who worked

w ith me in 1 887 ,was the first to take advantage of the

rumors and locate a mine on the first branch,which was

named by the miners Bonanza creek . Carmack located

late i n August but had to Cu t some logs for the

mi l l here to get a few pounds of provi s ion s to enab le h im

to work on h i s c la im . The fi sh ing at Thron - D i ‘uck having total ly fai l ed .him

,he returned with

,i n a few Week s ,

provi s ions for h imsel f,h i s w i fe and brother—in - l aw (In

dians), and another I ndian in th e last days of August , and

immed iate ly s et about working h is c la im .

The three men,work ing very i rregularly

,washed out

in eight days . O n th e same creek two men rockedout about $75 i n fou r hours , and i t i s asserted that twomen in th e same creek took out in two days with

on ly two lengths of slu i ce boxes . This last i s doubted,

but Mr . Leduc assure s me he weighed that much gold

for them,but i t i s not pos it ive where th ey got i t .

'

A branch of Bonanza,named E l Dorado

,has pros

pected magnificently , and another branch named Ti l lyhas prospected wel l . In al l there are some four or fivebranches of Bonanza wh ich have given good prospect .A few mi les farther up B ear creek enters Thron - D iu ck

,

and i t has been prospected and located on . Comparedw ith Bonanza i t i s smal l

,and wi l l not afford more than

twenty or th irty c laims , i t i s said . About twelve mi lesabove th e mouth

,Gold - Bottom creek j oins Thron -D iu ck

,

and on i t and a branch named Hunker creek,after the

di scoverer,very ri ch ground has b een found . O n Gold

Bottom creek and branches there wi l l probab ly be 2 0 0

or 30 0 claims. T h e Indians h ave reported ano th er creek


BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS .

fee t o f pay dirt and the width yet undete rm ined , buti t was known to be th ir ty fee t even at that ; figure theresul t at n ine to ten pans to the cubi c foot , and fivehundred feet long ; nearly at $5 per pan

one - fourth o f th i s woul d b e enormou s .

Another claim has been prospected to such an extent

that i t i s known there i s about five feet pay d irt averaging

$2 per pan and width not l es s than thirty feet . E nough

prospecting has been done to show that there are atl eas t fi fteen mi l es of th i s extraordinary ri chnes s ; and the

indi cation s are that we wi l l have three or four t imes that

extent,i f not al l equal to the above

,at least very ri ch .

Mil ler and G la c i er creeks on the head . of S ixty M i l er iver

,were thought to b e very ri ch

,but they are poo r

,

both in qual i ty and q’uanti ty,compared with the Thron

D iuck . Chicken creek,at the head of Forty M i l e in

Alaska,di s covered a year ago

,and rated very high , i s

to - day practi cal ly abandoned . Some quartz prospect inghas been done in Thron - D i u ck region

,and i t i s probable

that some good veins wi l l b e found there . Coal i s foundon the upper part o f Thron - D iuck

,so that the faci l i t i e s

for working it,i f fou nd

,are goo d and conveni ent . A

quartz lode,showing free gold in paying quanti t i e s

,has

been located on one of the creeks,but I cannot yet send

part i cu lars . I am confident from the nature of the gold

found in th e creeks that many more of them—and ri ch,

too—wi ll b e found .

I have j ust heard from a re l iab l e source that th e quartz

mentioned above i s ri ch,as te sted

,over $ 1 0 0 to the ton .

The lode appears to run from three to e ight feet in th i ck

n ess,and i s about n ineteen mil e s from the Yukon rive r .

Placer prospects continue more and more encou raging

and extraord inary. I t i s beyond doubt that three pans


S

on di fferent c laims on E l Dorado turned out $2 04, $2 1 2

and $2 1 6 ; but i t must be borne in m ind that there were

only three such pans,though there are many running

from $ 1 0 to $50 a pan .



S

i t was reported that gold had been fo und on top of amountain which i s two mi les across the bay . A miner

who went by the name of French,Pete staked o ff a

c laim on top o f th i s mountain . John Treadwell,after

i nves tigating th i s locat ion,purchased French Pete’s

c laim for $40 0 . He firs t bui l t a 5 - s tamp mil l,and the

development was so promi s ing that he was ab le to in

te r est cap i ta l‘

suffici ent to bu i l d a 1 2 0 - stamp mil l . Sevenyears after the first d i scove ry th is was enlarged to 240

s tamp,making the Treadwel l property the largest mi l l in

the world . Since th en th is immense mi l l has been pounding out gol d almost night and day wi thout cessat ion .

The ore i s known as very low grade,yie lding only about

i n bu l l ion to the ton o f ore,but s ince the 240

stamps were put in,the Treadwel l m ine has been turning

out from to a month .

Free g old has been found on Prince o f Wales i s landand north on Annette i s land

,and many claims have been

located,the assays of whi ch i nd icate large and ri ch de

posi t s o f the precious metal. At Sum Dum th e BaldE agle m in ing cla im is located

,and a I o- stamp mil l i s a t

work there . The ore i s valued at upward o f $ 1 0 0 a ton .

Ten mil es from Juneau on Sheep creek i s the S i lverQueen m ine

,with a I o - stamp mi l l . Within

‘

a radius offour m i le s of Juneau there are nine mi l ls i n operat ion

,

i nclud ing the great Treadwell m ine .

The four mi le s of country drained by Gold creek seemsto be covered by ri ch l edges of gold quartz ; a numberof stamp mil l s are work ing in th i s d i stri ct about e ight

mon th s out o f the year . I n what i s known as the basina large sum of money has been spent in gett ing ready

to deve lop the p lacer mines by t h e process o f hydraul i cmining . O ver the bay which adj o ins the Treadwel lm ine i s the Mexi co mine

,which has a 1 2 0 - stamp mil l .


Sixty mi l es from Ju neau toward Lynn canal i s the B erner’s B ay min ing property

,and on the Admiralty is l and

i n Funta bay i s a group o f ri ch l edges .

R i ch indicat ions o f s i lver have been found at G l ac i erbay

,and on Wi l loughby i sl and are ri ch galena depos its .

For several years prospect ing has been carri ed on atUnga

,and a large mi l l has been ere cted by the Alaska

Commercial c ompany at that point .

The gold depos it s i n southeastern Alaska requ ire ex

pens ive machine ry to work them,for th e ore i s low grade .

I n th i s sense th i s i s not a poor man ’s country . Thereport o f th e governor of Alaska for the year end ing O c

tober 1,1 896 , shows that in go ld bu l l ion was

taken from the gold mines with in the terri tory of Alaska

during the year ending'

O ctober 1,1 896 . The greater

part o f th i s amount was th e product o f low grade ores ,much of whi ch yie l ded l es s than per ton . The

average cost o f min ing and mi l l ing the quartz rock at

the Alaska- Treadwel l gold m in ing company’s mines onDouglas i s land i n 1 896 was a ton .

I n 1 88 1 gold was firs t d i s covered i n paying quantit i e sin the Yukon bas in . A party o f fou r m iners afte r cross ing

the range descended the Lewes river as far as the B igSalmon

,which they explored

,prospect ing al l the way

,

for a d i stance o f 2 0 0 mi l e s . They found gold on al l thebars of the B ig Salmon . The next three or four years

the Pel ly and Hootal inqua rivers were prospected,and

in 1 886 the gold finds at C a ssia r bar on the Stewart river

were made .

Geographers d ivi de the Yukon secti on into three princ ipa l div is ions . The upper d ivi s ion l ie s enti re ly with in

B ri t i sh terri to ry and embraces th e Whi te,Stewart

,

Pel ly , Lewes and Hootal inqua rivers , which , with the i r

s everal branches and tr ibutarie s,form the head waters


S

of the Yukon ; the middle divi s ion includes th e Yukonbetween Fort Rel iance and the mouth of th e Tananariver ; the lower d iv i s ion the Yukon from the Tanana to

Norton sound and Bering sea .

Before the Klondike di scovery the most important

pla cer mines were located in the m iddle d ivi s ion of th eYukon di stri ct ; on Fo r ty Mi l e , Sixty Mi le , Mil l er, G la

c i er and B i rch creek and Koyukuk river . The Forty

M i le and S ixty Mi l e creeks have the ir source in theRatze l mountain

,flow ing into the Yukon from the west .

The streams wh ich flow into the Tanana , which start

from the other s ide of the Ratzel mountains,h ave not

been thoroughly explored,but gold i n paying quanti ti e s

has been found along the banks of the Tanana,and some

of the bars have been worked with profit . O n e of therichest of the gold - bearing creeks so far d i scovered in

th i s m iddl e d iv i s ion is M i l l e r creek,a tributary o f Sixty

M i le creek . G lac i er creek,another branch of S ixty M il e

creek,i s a l so rich in gold . Thi s middle d ivi s ion i s the

poor man’s” min ing territory,for the mines are p lacer

mines .

R i ch gold di scoveri es have been reported from Ind iancreek

,wh ich flows into th e Yukon 30 miles below Sixty

M i l e creek . Fo rtv Mile creek was not di scovered unti l1 887 . I t enters the Yukon from the west

,drains the

country ly ing between the Yukon and Tanana river , i s

a bo u t . 2 oo miles long,and i ts tributari e s are numerous .

The mouth of th i s creek i s i n Canadian terri tory .

O n Forty Mi l e nearly al l the avai lab le ri ch groundhas been worked out

,but ' on the banks of the stream

are many h igh bars,wh ich are known to be r ich , but

which have not been worked because of the d ifli cu lty i ngetting water through them . The find of gold O n Forty


292 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD’

S

mining crazes pas sed over the country,unt i l th e country

from the Mexico l ine to Alaska had been explored andfound to contain ri ch mines .The firs t rush was to the vall eys of the Klamath

,the

Columb ia and the Frazer,and final ly

,the C a r ibo o , Peace

river and S tike en were invaded and proved more orle ss ri ch . Thousands flocked to these streams , a few

made fortunes and the many,after enduring hardship s

and sufferings,retu rned poor

,naked and hungry . The

swarms that i nvaded Cal i forn ia in 1 849 flowed over into

O regon . R i ch d iggings were d is covered around Jacksonv i l l e

,and the miners pu shed the ir way up the Colum

bia into Idaho and Montana,the only route to those

region s being the val l ey of the Columbia . R i ch m ineswere found at Salmon rive r

, O ro Fino and many other

p laces,and in th e B itter Root mountains and farther on

in MontanaThese were the days when the O regon Steam Navigat ion company was formed , and Ladd , Reed , Ainsworth ,Thompson

,Kamm and others laid the foundations o f

the ir fortun es . Then in 1 856 and the years fo l lowing

came th e Frazer river exci tement,which brought ri ches

to some and di sas ter to many . Peopl e went wi l d al lover the coast , and flocked in crowds to Victoria

,then

princ ipal ly a fort o f the Hudson’s Bay company .

Most of them had but l i ttl e i dea where the Frazerriver was or how they were to get there . There wereno steamers running on the Frazer

,nor any for some

t ime from Victor ia to th e Frazer . Al l the boats , canoes

and dugouts avai lab l e could only take a few o f the peopl ewho wanted to go

,and they col lected i n camp at V i ctoria

t i l l there were,i t i s said

,people there to ce l ebrate

the Fourth of July in 1 858, o r'

th e re abou ts .

D epos its o f gold were fonud along the Frazer from fifty


mile s above the mouth to the Rocky mountains some

60 0 miles , and at place s diggings as rich as those r e

ported a t Klondike were found —as a t C a r ibo o,Antler

creek and many other place s . Later there were ru shesto O m in ica , Peace r iver and many other d istri cts . Probably about the last great rush , and one o f the most di sastrou s o f a l l

,was to the S tike en river

,sometime about

1 875 . Hundreds begged thei r way home from S tikeen,

barefooted,hungry and ragged .


S

CHAPTE R XXI.

T H E H U D SO N’

S BAY C O MPANY .

H UDSO N’S BAY CO MPANY ,organ

ized for the purpose of turn ing into O ldworld gol d the pe ltry treasures of the

new world,dates i t s h istory from the

year 1 6 68 . Under the d irect ion of

Prince Rupert,Count Palat in e of the

Rhine,an experimental trip had been

made into the wilds of Brit i sh Amerthe year named the prince ,

with seventeen ‘

other nob lemen and gentl emen,formed an assoc iat ion to

deve lop the new land . Two years late r King Charle sI I . granted the associat ion corporate powers under acharter which styl ed the pr i nce and h is fe l lows the “Gove rno r and Company of Adventurers of E ngland Trading

I nto Hudson ’s Bay . By the terms o f th i s in strument

one of the greates t monopol i e s of h i story was createdone

,indeed

,of the latent poss ib i l i t i e s o f wh ich its pro

m o te rs scarce ly dreamed .

This charter of 1 670 ,i n the nominal cons iderat ion of

the annual payment of two black beavers and two e lks

granted the company of gentl emen adventurers t h e

sol e trade and commerce o f al l those seas,strai ts

,bays .

rivers , lakes , creeks and sounds , i n whatsoever lati tude

they shal l be,that l i e with in the entrance of the strait s

commonly cal led Hudson strait s,together with al l the

lands and terr i tor ies upon the countri es,coasts and con

fines o i th e se a s , ba vs, etc .

,afore said

,that are not al ready

actual ly posses sed by or granted to any o f our subject s,



S

met opposit ion at th e hands of the French . I n 1 6 2 7 a

French company had been organized under a charter

conferred by Loui s X I I I . The terms of the French charter were almost i dent i cal w ith thos e under whi ch theE ngl i sh company operated

,and in the inev i tabl e r ivalry

between the tw o corporat ion s there was dest ined to be nolack o f b loodshed . The losses suffered by the E ngl i shcompany were not alone commerc ial , due to compet i t ion ;the French sent numerous m il i tary expedi tion s against i t sforts

,and losses suffered on th i s account amounted up

to the year 1 70 0 toThe successors of the French i n making trade u ncom

fo r table for the B rit i sh company were large numbers of

fur traders who spread over Canada after the ces s ion ofthat terri to ry to Great Britain

,and who finally encroached

on the lands of the H udson Bay corporat ion . The h i s

tory of the company from th i s t ime on was one of romance

and tragedy . The rival s for trade employ ed every art ificefor outwi tt ing one another

,and the l iquor wh ich they in

trodu ced among the Indian s for the furthering of the i r

ends wrought the demoral izat ion of the savages . Backers o f the company in E ngland became alarmed at i t s fa i lu re to real iz e the i r expectat ions . The independent trad

ers w ere outwi tting the company’s factors at the i r owngame . The managers in E ngland were anxious to havethe Ameri can agent s push inland

,but the latter were

afraid to venture into a region of unknown peri l s ; so i t

happened that i t was more than 1 0 0 years before thecompany’s agents penetrated the Red r iver region , whichlater on became the center of the ir act iv i ty . The independent traders

,o n the other hand , s ent the ir agents year

by year from Montreal up the O ttawa and on by boatand by portage through Lake Nip i ss ing , Lake Huron ,

Lake Superior,Rai n lake and Lake of the Woods, and


down Winn ipeg river and lake to the base of the Rocky

mountains .These traders ingrat iated themselves w ith the nat ive sand as a re sul t s ecured th e best o f th e furs wh ich th eI ndian s had to offer

,whi l e the Hudson’s Bay company

was deal ing m a in ly i n otter and beaver sk in s , and those

o f an in ferior qual i ty . I n 1 783 th e independent fur trad

ers combined under the styl e Of the North -West companyof Montreal . I n its s ervi ce about men were employed

,and al though the fierce competi t ion that imme

d ia te ly broke out impaired the revenues of th e Bri t i shcompany for a t ime

, ve t from the springing up of oppos i

t ion date th e inte l l igent management and the larger suc

ces s of the company . Under stres s of new difficul t i e s theaffa irs at the posts on Hudson Bay were managed

with greater prudence and i ts traders i n the interior O perated w ith more di s cret ion . The traders of th e North

West company had sea led the Rocky mountains and werebartering w ith th e I ndians along Peace river . Tradersof the B ri ti sh company fol lowed . The North—West company bu i l t forts . The Hudson’s Bay company bu i l t fort s

to match them or exce l them . Fraud met fra ud,art ifice

art ifice,and when one struck a blow the other never was

known to turn the other cheek .

About th e t ime the rival ry was at i t s most intense p itch,

Lord Se lkirk,a Scotch peer

,obtained

,i n 1 8 1 1 , a grant

from the Hudson’s Bay company in what then was known

as the d i stri ct of O ss in ibo ia . With a vi ew to provid inghomes for the su rp lus population of th e Scott i sh h igh

lands , hi s agent , Mile s Macdonel l , i n 1 8 1 3 ,planted a set

tlem en t on the banks of the Red river. Fort Daer atPemb ina was the firs t fort ificat ion . I n one year’s t imethe colon i st s numbered 2 0 0 . But the North -West com

pany wanted those ferti l e p la in s along the Red river for

298 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD’

S

i tse l f . I t des i red them preserved as hunting grounds,and

consequently i t s agents began a sys temati c campaign of

int imidation,which somet imes did not stop sh ort of actual

viol ence,with the hope of driving out th e unwelcome

settl ers . As the Scotch co lonization scheme prospered ,i ts promoters bu i lding forts and extending the ir comm e rc ia l operat ions

-

the oppos it ion and,i ndeed

,the des

pe ra tio n of the North -West company grew more intense .

The French—Ind ian hal f—breeds were inflamed to commitdepredat ions on the property of the High landers andtheir homes and mi l l s and store—houses were burned .

The E arl of Selk irk hastened to th e re scu e,reorganized

the community and addres sed h imsel f to th e task of

s trengthening the colon is ts’ means of defense and offense .

I n th i s he was successfu l and the co lonv rema ined in thecontrol of h i s fami ly unti l 1 835 , when hi s claims over a

terri tory colon ized by not l ess than sou ls weretransferred to the Hudson’s Bav company .

To return,however

,to the t ime of th e fifth earl of Sel

ki rk,the compet it ion that was aimed at h im reached its

cl imax in 1 8 1 6 i n a batt l e in front of Fort Garry , theHudson’s B ay company’s ch i e f post

'

i n the Red riverregion . I n th i s confl i ct twenty men

,i nc luding several

officers and Governor Sempl e h imsel f,l ost the ir l ives .

Th is w as not the end of the fighting,but the fight ing

proved the death of trade,and not unti l the bu s iness of

both the rival companies was ent irely destroyed , so far

as profi t was concerned,did the offi cers of each awake

to”

the fol ly of such a course . Then,i n the year 1 82 1 ,

under act o f parl iament a coal it ion was effected . The

North -West company ceased to exi st and thenceforth th eHudson

’

s Bay company possessed the vast fie ld withoutrival . Not long after the coal i t ion George Simpson , ayoung Scotchman of great abi l ity was given control in


BO O K FO R GO LD- S E E KE RS . 3 0 1

North America with th e t it l e o f governor - i h —chi e f o fRupert

’

s land . For forty years he managed the affai rs o f

the consol i dated compani es,winning wealth and honor.

Under hi s government the company prospered,unti l

,i n

1 860 ,i t was O perat ing 1 55 establ i shments with twenty

five ch ie f factors in charge and employing twenty - e ight

chie f traders,1 52

' c l erks and other employe s,be

s ides many thousand Indians .I n 1 869 , at the demand of the Domin ion of Canada ,

the company surrendered i ts monopoly of the northwestin cons ideration of the payment of sterl ing

,and

the trans fer to i t o f one - twenti eth of the land with in the

fert i l e bel t,bes ide s acres immediately surrounding

i ts posts . Thus th e Hudson’

s Bay company surrenderedi ts monopoly to begin i t s latter day career as an immensecommercia l corporat ion .

I n a l l the vast terri tory th e fu r trade of whi ch i s i n

the hands of th e Hudson’

s Bav company th ere are on lya few real fort s . These are surrounded w i th stone wal ls

,

and are veritabl e strongholds . All the rest of the poststo w h ich the name of fort has been given are m e re lv tradi ng stations

,fort ified to an extent

,i t i s true

,but only so

much as the wil dness o f the country makes ab so lu te lv

necessary . At these trad ing stations al l exchange i s bybarter . Skins are th e standard of valu e

,the beaver sk in

being the uni t . I n trade with the Indians the officerso f the company have never made any pretense o f giving

the actual value o f the more valuabl e sk ins . I t i s presumed that they have sat i sfied the i r consci en ce s with th eexcuse that to

'

pay more for a valuab le sk in than for acheap one wouc l ead to the speedy ext inct ion of the rarerfur - bearing an imal s

,s ince th e Indians wou ld trap the

valuabl e to th e negl ect of the more plent i fu l . I t i s not onrecord

,however

,that th e company eve r has evened

302 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD’S

th ings up by paying the s impl e savage more than the

value o f the cheap skin s .

Methods of trade in the northern and-

southern port ionsof the Hudson bay region are radi ca l ly different . TheIndians of the north are a race of sol i tary trappers

,whi l e

thos e o f the south go in bands and hunt and make therounds of the i r traps on horseback . The finer furs comefrom the former ; th e coarser furs , the buffa lo hides andthe leather from the Ind ians of the south

,whose homes

are along the Saskatchewan . The Indians of the nor thern d i stri ct are practi cal ly in a state of peonage to the

Hudson’s Bay company . Throughout the spring andsummer the company makes advances to the Indians of

such suppl ies as they need for the ir su stenance,the se to

be pai d for at the end of th e hunting season . Being con

stan tly i n debt they are constantly dependent, but what

ever may be said against the system ,i t i s none the l es s

tru e that the company’s ru l e i s as paternal as i t i s au tocrat ic . I n the case of the southern I ndians

,however

,that

sort of transaction wi l l not serve . Those who l ive in thesaddl e are not eas i ly kept in subj ection ; consequently

trade with these nat ives has more of the character of commerce among equal s

,and so unfe igned i s the re spect in

wh ich the company’s agents hold th ese Indians that in thecourse o f trade many gi fts are employed to keep the redmen in good humor

,whi ls t stout stockades and firearms

in r eserve are provided against a poss ibl e day of badhumor.T h e supreme authority in the re s ident government ofthe Hudson’s Bay company 1s the governor

’

s counci lwhen i t i s in se ss ion . Apart from the two or three days ineach year when th is . co u nc i l i s s i tting the governor i ssupreme

,and that funct ionary

,whose offic ial title is gov

e rno r of Rupert’s l and

,holds h i s authori ty from the o ffi



S

ers al l a long the l i ne,only fewer in number than the ani

mal s in whose pelts they trade . Between the company’s

pos ts at Fort S impson and Saul t Ste .

’

Mari e i nte rvenes aspace o f mi les

,and al l th i s terri tory i s managed

from one centra l office and tributary to one corporat ionof stockholders .The company’s o riginal chartered terri tory

,together

with the immense region into which i ts i nfluence extends,

i s d iv ided i nto four departments . These departments orsect ions are known as th e Montreal , the Northern , West

ern and Southern . The Northern department l i e s be

tween Hudson bay and the Rocky mountains . The Montreal department embraces al l o f Canada . The Western de

pa r tm en t i nc ludes al l to the west of the R o ckv mountains ,whi l e the Southern compri ses the terr i tory between Jamesbay and Canada and al so inc ludes E ast Main on the eastern shore of Hudson bay . I n thes e four departmentsthere are fifty

—three subdiv i s ions,known as di stricts

,and

each d i stri ct has a fort ified supply house and a su pe r in

tendent . To th is depot the necessary suppl ie s for the di strie t are i s sued and it const i tutes al so th e coll ect ing station from which the furs and other produce of the di striet are sh ipped to the home warehouses i n E ngland . I nth ese di stri cts there are i nnumerab le smal ler e stabl i sh

ments,al l tributary to the main di stri ct supply house . In

each fort or post there are from two to fi fty servants ofvarious sort s

,bes ides an officer in general charge . The

rivers and minor streams navigable on ly for canoes,which

rami fy throughou t the Northwest terri tory teem withcompany employes

,known as voyageurs

,who const i tute

the last and ind ispensab le l ink in th e chain that connectsthe Indian trappers w i th th e c iv i l ized cu stom e r fo r hi swares .

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E K E R S . 3 05

CHAPTE R XX I I .

E L I G AG E’

S YUKO N JO U R N E Y .

NE O F T H E fi rst p ersons to bring re l i ab l e , authenti c news of the ri ch gold

finds on the Klond ike was E l i A . Gage,

son of Lyman J . Gage , s ecretary of thetreasury . E l i Gage i s an officer of th e

North Ameri can Transportat ion andTrading compa ny ,

which operate s on

the Yukon r iver . I n August,1 896 , he

le ft Seatt l e,bound for Circl e City . At that time the out

s ide world w a s ignorant o i the w onderfu l depos its o fgold

.

i n the Klondike d i str i ct . Circ le City , Fo rtv Mile .

and the B irch creek d i stri ct w ere the centers of attract ionfor Yukon gold—seeke rs then . Mr . Gage retu rned homein the spring of 1 897 , and soon after wrote a s eri e s of

three art i c l es fo r the CHICAGO RE CO RD ,w hich con

ta in so much that i s of i ntere st and valu e re lat ing to theKlondike and Yukon di str ict s that they are reprinted , i na condensed form , i n th i s book . Fol low i ng i s Mr . Gage

'

s

s tory of the Klondike :'

What i t w a s that made the Uni ted Stat es pay over toRuss ia some for Alaska some years ago might

be a hard question to answer now , for at the t ime of the

purchase hard ly a nvth ing but contigu ity to the United

States , i t wou ld have seemed , cou ld have made su ch acountry valuab le to us . Recently . however . the attent ion of the peopl e has been draw n more and more to ‘ourArct i c province ,

’ and each year has seen an increas ingnumber o f prospectors make the ir w ay into th i s country

,


S

unti l now the papers are fu l l of glowing accounts o f the

ri chnes s of the Yukon country,and there i s every indi ca

t ion that th i s year, there wi l l be almost a stampede ofminers for what promise s to be a new E l Dorado . LastAugust the writer l eft Seatt l e for St . Michael i s land

,the

place of embarkment for the Yukon river boats . The trip

along the Paci fic through the Unem ak pass and into

B ering sea was made upon a boat chartered by one of thetrading compani es

,and heavi ly loaded with food

,c loth

ing and tool s,al l o f Whi ch was bound for the m ines .

A t St . Michael,the first stop we made

,our fre ight was

trans ferred to the river boats,and we made the start for

the Yukon mines . St . Michae l i s land i s about s ixty mi l e s

from the mouth of the Yukon,in N orton sound

,and one

of the most forsaken places in the world . The trip outinto the sound for the river boats—which are o f th e

'

ste rn

wheel,Miss i ss ipp i k ind—i s attended wi th much danger

from squal l s,and it was with much rel i e f that we went

smoothly over the bar at the mouth of the river .Steaming up the river

,whi ch has much the consi st

ency of the M i ssouri and is about as crooked,we stopped

occas ional ly for wood,which the nat ives had cut

,spl it

and p i l ed,and for whi ch they were pa id i n flour

,tobacco

and cal ico . We passed any number of I ndian vi l lagesand mis s ions

,and final ly reached Fort Yukon

,the first

place o f importance . Thi s i s a pos t owned by a tradingcompany

,and i s supposed to be exact ly on the Arct i c

c i rc l e . From here to Circl e Ci ty i s e ighty miles . Whenwe got there i t was al ready cold

,and

,tho ugh only O cto

ber I,we had had several snowstorms and there was

an inch of snow on the ground .

As we drew near we coul d see that the whole townwas coming to th e

'

land ing place to welcome us , for a

steamboat arrival at a town in the Yukon general ly


308 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD ’

S

ne ighbors demonstrated that such ‘doings’

were not tol

crated . A ‘bad man’ or a ‘gun fighter’ has 11 0 chance

here . When such a one arr ives and shows hi s procl iv i

t i es h e i s warned to qu it ,'

a nd a second such evidencegeneral ly finds h im very shortly—i f he i s lucky—in anopen boat in the river . I f he i s unlu cky—that i s , i f thereare no boats—h e wil l be l ike ly to take passage on a logbound down stream

,with emphati c in struct ions to ‘move

on and keep away from here .

’

As winter settl e s down and the snow becomes deepenough for good s ledd ing

,many miners start out for the

‘diggings,

’where the more th r iftv put in the winter ‘dri ft

ing’ and ‘burn ing,

’ when the cond i t ions of the groundpermit . Many

,however

,remain in town

,preferring

the congen ial a i r and the companionsh ip of th e saloon

and dance house to the i so lat ion of the mines .“The saloons and the two stores are the only places

to go . Whenever one i s look ing for a fri end and he is

not in hi s cabin he i s pretty sure to find h im in a saloon ,i f h e care s to track h im to h i s l ai r . Here al l the mem

bers of the colony congregate and play cards , te l l yarnsand occas ional ly get drunk . I n the even ing the dance

houses O pen and the faro box i s produced , and a man

has hi s choice o f dancing or ‘bucking the t iger’

to varythe monotony . I n th i s way the miner in town gets h i s

re laxat ion .

Among these miners one must make h i s l i fe a s pl eas

ant as poss ib l e . They come from everywhere , and theco l lege man i s no better there than the son of a day

laborer.All are there to bette r the i r financ ial condit ion

by the hardest manual labor , and here , i f anywhere , trueequal i ty seems to exi st . Almost al l are wel l b ehaved .

O ccas ional ly a fight i s started,but as the weapons are fist s

l i tt l e damage is done .

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E K E R S . 309

Law i s en forced by what are known as ‘miners’ meetings .’ O n the Ameri can s ide there i s no authori ty exceptthat of th e miners themse lves , and through these meetings j u st ice i s dealt out . A man having a di spute withanother involving money or land posts in conspi cuousplace s a noti ce that there wi l l be a meet ing at a givenhour and place to sett l e a dispute between h im and a n

other,whose name i s posted . At the appoin ted hour

nearly every one crowds into th e meet ing, a chairmanand secre ta rv are appointed and the assemb ly i s cal l ed to

order .The cha irman cal l s upon the plainti ff to s tate h i s case

,

and when th i s i s done th e defendant i s h eard from . Whenthe principals have te st ified witnes ses are heard from

,

and th i s evidence i s heard and digested by the audi ence .

Questions a re asked by any one who cares to do thi s , andthen motion s are in order . Any one can mak e a motionfor the di sposal of the case

,w h ich

,when s econded

,i s put

to a vote , and in th i s way the matter i s adj usted . A comm itte e i s appointed to see that th e verdict i s carri ed out

,

which general ly i s done . This seems to be the on ly w ayi n wh ich j ust i ce can be deal t out . The system seems to

have had its or igin i n a man ly des ire to give every one a‘fai r show

,

’ but i t i s general ly the more popular man whogets the better of i t . At the mining camp these cases gen

e ra l ly are matters relat ing only to min ing matters , butin the towns they embrace al l sort s o f quest ions

,and i t i s

here more than at the ‘diggings’ that the popu lar one has

As winter settl e s dow n and the days grow shorter andshorte r the monotony of l i fe becomes i rksome . The coldi s intense

,th e mountains s eem a pri son

,and the knowl

edge that one has no choi ce but to stay i t out , unl e ss hetakes the long overland trip

,makes l i fe dreary . The

3 1 0 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD ’

S

mai ls are uncertain and far apart . No newspapers find

the ir way in except in the summer . A man i s ou t of the

world, and almost as far removed from i t as i f he werei n the moon . To a man who loves h i s home

,h is wi fe

,h i s

ch i ldren and hi s fr i ends the sense of i solat ion and helpl es snes s i s depress ing . I t s eems to him that i t wou ld notbe so bad could he hear from home and know how they

al l were , but the long months drag slowly by unti l thefirst of the year

,when mai l sometimes finds i ts way in

,

having le ft th e states some three or four months before .

To see the exci tement that the mai l from the outs i de

makes,to see the eagerness w ith whi ch men press up to

th e postmaster’s desk for the ir l et ters,and the trembl ing

hands as they are opened , and the fi l l ing eyes as they areread

,touches the heart . The first two or three days after

th e mai l ’s arr ival find the moral s of a town vast ly improved

,but th i s soon wears away , and the o ld habi ts are

resumed .

D ec . 1 9 the wri ter, after carefu l ly making al l need

ful arrangements,with twe lve dogs

,three s leds

,two In

d ians and pounds of ‘grub,

’ bedd ing and camp out

fit,started on the overland trip , a d i stance of mi le s

,

to th e sea coast . We left Ci rcl e Ci ty at 9 o’c lock

,j u st as

day was break ing, with the thermometer at 46 degreesbelow zero . As we went through the town with th e dogsyelp ing and our men yel l ing

,every saloon door opened

,

and al l insi de came out to wi sh us good lu ck and a safej ourney .

I t was turn ing the face away from many good fri end s—many whom I hope to meet again—and tackl ing agreat unknown

,but the many delays which had kept us

back for two weeks made every one l ight- hearted andhappy at gett i ng started at last

,and we soon passed

through the tow n,down the river bank

,and on to the i ce


3 1 2 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

head . The dri ll ing ‘parka’ has around the hood a l in ingof two fox tai l s . When the wind b lows these dri l l parkasare put on and the hood

"

i s drawn over the head,which

i s a great protect ion fo r the face . The fu r one i s u sedfor 50 - degree and 6o - degr e e

'

w ea th er .

O u r first ha lt was made for lunch about noon . O n e

I ndian took an ax and started for th e middl e of th e river,

where he chopped a hol e through the i ce for water. Afterfi l l ing the teapot he returned to where the sl eds were

,the

other I ndian in the meant ime having gone up the bankfor drv wood . I n a few mi nute s we had a roaring fire

,

the water was boi l ing,beef tea was made

,and th i s

,wi th

hard tack , consti tuted our first meal . The cups and

spoons w ere qu ickly put away in tli e grub box,the sl ed

l ashed and with in hal f an hour we were again push

At o’clock i t was getti ng dark,but a fu l l moon

and a c lear sky made i t nearly as bright as day,so we

kept going unt i l 6 O ' c lock , w hen we stopped for the n ight ,having made tw entv- five mil es and overtaken a party twodavs ahead of u s . The Ind ian s went up the bank l ikesqu irrel s

,and having picked out a good place for the

tent,c l eared away the snow and began fe l l ing some fir

tree s . Th e se were soon cleaned of the i r boughs , wh ich ,being spread down on the ground where th e tent was togo

,were to serve for our beds . O u r t ent , an 8 by 1 0

wall tent, w as soon put up ; the stove (bui lt e specia l ly

for the trip,1 8 i nches wide and 30 i nches long)was in

pos i t ion ; the p ipe (of the te l escope k ind) was in place ;a fire was soon going and camp was made . The dogswere unh itched and were le ft mous ing around for a good

place to make the ir bed,whi l e we prepared supper . Bacon

was s l i ced up and fri ed,beans (al ready boi led) were

warmed,baking- powder bread was baked , the tea was


s et bo i l ing . Then vi ctual s were al l d iv ided into equalparts

,and when supper was over there wasn’t enough

left to feed a snow bird .

O u r t i n plate s,cups and cutlery having been washed

,

a b ig square bucket about two—th irds fu l l o f water,was

put on to th e stove . When thi s was boil ing flour,dried

salmon and bacon were thrown in,the whole mess boi led

a l i tt l e,then coo led and d iv ided into twe lve equal part s

fo r the dogs . When th i s was consumed and the dogssat i sfied

,robes were spread down

,thi ck n ight caps and

socks made of caribou sk in were drawn on,every one

crowded under h i s robe,th e cand le was put out and the

first day of Arct ic trave l was at an end . As the fire wentout and the heat with it

,the cold began to get in

,and i t

was not long before robes were drawn over the head and

the camp was as l eep .

Six o’clock found us asti r,and i t was not long be fore

a pi le of flapja cks were fri ed , the se w ith coff ee being ourbreak fast . When th is was d ispatched the bedding wasrol l ed up and t i ed

,caps

,moccas in s and mi tt s were put on

and the ten t was struck and fo lded i nto a smal l bundle .

Al l th i s w a s carri ed to th e s l eds by some , whi le othershunted up the dogs

,no w scattered around under th e

trees,where they had passed th e n ight .

A S iwash dog i s the fou le st , meanest , l az i e st and mostprofan ity - provoking animal I ever met

,and I suppose

that i t i s th e most abused animal that comes under th ewhi te man

’

s lash . I n Al aska these dogs answer the pur

pose o f the horse in Ameri ca , be ing used both for packing and for haul ing . A good dog was worth $ 1 50 whenwe le ft C i rcl e Ci ty

,and almost anyth ing that h a d fou r

l egs brought not l es s than $75 . I have seen white menbeat the i r dogs so unmerci fu l ly that one had to inter

fere , A heavy wh ip or a b ig stick sat i sfie s th e driver fo r


S

a t ime, bu t When on much of a trip a chain seems to fi t

th e i r needs better . When a dog i s beaten ove r the bodyand - h ead wi th a chain i t i s pretty brutal

,and many a dog

h as had ribs and l egs broken and eyes knocked out .

Strange to say,however, th e whi te man as a ru le i s i nte l

l igen t enough to provide for h i s dogs,'

even though he

beats them more unmer c i fu l ly than do the natives .

Around an Indian vi l lage th e dogs subs i st almostent ire ly on refuse

,as the nat ives at al l t imes are e ither

too hard up or too indifferent .to give the i r dogs anyfood that a human be ing c an eat . They wi l l h i tch up ateam and start ou t for a j ourney wi th dogs looking soth in and weak that one doubts th e ir ab i l i ty to go fivemil e s . I f he fol lows them a day

,however

,he wi l l be

m ighti ly t i red at n ight . Talk of'

the l ives o f a cat !They are not to be cons idered in the same instant withthe tenaci ty with which a Siwash dog hangs to l i fe . Without exaggerat ion

,I have seen an I nd ian start out w ith a

team of dogs and travel e ighty mi l es in three days,and

there was not a dog but h a d to l ean against a bu i ld ingto howl

,so th in and weak were they . With al l t he ir filth

in e ss and meanness they are , as a ru le, hard wo rkers and

fai th fu l . When they once understand that th e driver i sgoing to do the driving they get over long di stances andhaul b ig loads . I n ord inary weather, when i t i s notcolder than 2 5 degrees below zero , they can go for tendays without eating anyth ing but snow , and st i l l keep

pretty s trong and fat .Having made the morning start with much yel l ing,

some urging and j ust a l i tt l e profan ity , th e process ionwas soon under way

, and'

w ith the good trai l whi ch w e

had a three mi l es an hour gai t was not hard to keep up .

E very few mi les we wou ld pas s smal l p i le s or a cache of

flou r, bacon. and canned goods wh ich some h uskym iner


BO O K .FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS .3 1 7

was slowly moving up th e rive r. The fai lure o f the las tboats to get farther up th e river had le ft qu ite a shortageof flour and bacon above, and the thri fty ones were

‘pul ling the i r fre ight’ fromCirc le Ci ty to the Klond ike , a d i stance o f 30 0 miles . Most of them had only three or four

dogs,and in consequence were compel l ed to double and

trip l e trip it . O n e l oads h is s l ed to the l imi t o f the dogs’

endurance in th e morning and trave l s unti l about 2

o’clock in the afternoon,when he unloads and pi l es h i s

stuff near the trai l and retu rn s for the re st o f the load,

s tay ing for th e n ight at th e place where he started i n themorning . The next morning he tak es the res t o f h i sload , or as much as h e can haul , and goes ahead to thepoint where th e firs t o f the load was l e ft . The next dayhe pushes on in the same way

,unt i l eventual ly h i s des

tina t ion i s reached .

O n e can imagine how much pati ence and hard workth is entai l s

,but stranger than thi s i s the Yukoner’s fee l ing

of securi ty that h i s cache when he leaves i t wi l l not b ed i sturbed . Travel ers pass right by these caches every fewdays

,and there would be no one to oppose one’s help ing

h imse l f and passing on with but l it t l e danger o i'

everbeing caught

,but every one l ives up to th e one command

ment on the Yukon,

‘Thou shal t not steal ,’ even though

he breaks the others dai ly . . There i s some chance for amurderer up there

,but when a th i e f i s caught he i s a

goner,and hi s death i s unmourned . Thi s i s the one

great unchangeable law up there,and i t i s un iversal ly

upheld . Whether from fear or whether from the knowledge that each man i s o ften at th e m e rcv of h i s ne igh

bor,I don’t pretend to know , but the fact remains that

s teal ing in the Yukon i s a crime that se ldom has to bepun ished .

O ur course as day succeeds day is mu ch the same .

318 T H E C H ICAG O R E CO R D ’S

O ccas ional ly we strike a bad place where snowshoes a reneces sary , and where the trai l i s los t , and then every onegoes stamping aro und the snow

,

‘fee l ing’ for the tra i lwi th th e feet . I t i s surpri s ing how qui ckly one can te l l

a fter a l i tt l e experi ence where the trai l i s when i t i s covered up by snow . O ccas ional ly we pass a cabin

,but it i s

a lways at the wrong t ime of day for . us to u se i t for acamp . When a cab in i s seen about t ime to camp theheart of the travel er i s made happy

,for he knows that

there i s a lot o f work saved,because no tent goes up that

n ight .E very miner i s the soul of hospi tal i ty

,and as glad to

see you and as cord ial i n h i s we lcome as he can be . H e

won’t l i sten to your putt ing up vour tent,even when h is

cab in i s smal l . He won’t l e t you cut any wood or fetchany water . He ins i s ts upon do ing th i s h imsel f

,and re it

e ra tes,

‘The shack i s yours,pardner ; make yourse lf at

home .

’ He wil l often ins i s t upon your sl eeping in hi sbed

,and i s content with the floor for a bed

,say ing to

your protests against rou ting h im out,

‘Now,look here

,

pardner ; I can s l eep in that bed al l day to -morrow,i f I

want to, but you can’t , so get in there .

’

Such hospi tal i ty warms a man’s heart, because i ti s ent i re ly dis interested . To offer to pay for any aecomm oda tions real ly would hurt your host

,and

,though hi s

quarters are rough and crude,the warmth of h i s we lcom e

makes h i s home a ‘ palace . When supper i s d ispatchedhe wants the news and goss ip of the p lace you have left

,

and that i s al l . I n the morning he wi l l go with you toshow you a short cut

,i f th ere be one

,and the strong

grip of the hand, th e

‘Good - by l Good luck,old m

'

an !’

s ends you on your way happy in bel i ev ing that the country i s ful l of j ust such men .

R ough and uncouth are some of th em ; profane , and



S

didn’t come down on hi s face he wou ld sure ly get on h i s

knees . Then,too

,the s l ed had 41 2 different mot ion s

which kept the hand and arm that were on the ‘gee st i ck’

or guide pol e waving back and forth , up and down , i n

an effort to keep the sl ed from overturn ing . This lastedfor about e ight mi l es

,and I honestly th ink i f i t had b een

140 degrees b elow zero , i nstead of 40 ,I should have been

pl enty warm enough . As i t was,I was soon dripping

wet,a dangerous condi t ion to be i n

,as one ch i l l s very

qu ickly after persp i ring . After the rough i ce was overthe trai l was magnificent

,as hard and as smooth as a

board,for Klondike

,th e new E l Dorado , was only fi fty

mi l es from Fort Cudahy,and the many men who had

pass ed over th e road before u s had made the going good .

We reached a cabin that n ight , where we found a stove ,dry wood and four bunks

,and you may be sure we ocen

pi ed i t .“The miners of th i s s ect ion had ‘ch ipped in’ and pa id

for having two of these houses bu i l t . They were placed

s eventeen mi l e s apart,so that th ey could be eas i ly reached

in a day’s j ourney . They were open for every one who

came along,and were a source of great com r t and con

ven ience to al l travel ers . The next day we reached D awson City

,which i s the town at the mouth of the Klondike

r iver,and the supply s tat i on for the mines . There was

l i tt l e there bes ides a bunk house,a warehouse and a

saloon,but we were wel comed royal ly as we ascended

the bank,and warmly inv i ted to ‘come in and have some

th ing warm .

’

I t was here that we became accustomed to associat ingwith mi l l ionaires

,for every one who was in the town had

from one to three c laims each on the new terr i tory , andwhil e many of them had to ‘hang up

’

the drinks when

th ey bought, they consi dered them se lves everyi nch mil


l io na ire s, j us t the same , for they had the ground and thegold was there , and they Were only wai t ing for spring toget i t out . O ne man I knew

,who had started for D yea

th irty days be fore we le ft , had made hero ic efforts to getby thi s p lace

,but the temptat ion was too strong

,and he

abandoned h i s party,stru ck o ff up the c reek

,and

,having

found a man who was wi l l i ng to part with an interes ti n h i s cla im

,my fri end went down into h i s sack and

weighed ou t for a quarte r i nterest i n the property .

Many were the happy men in th i s part o f th e country,

for prospects had been wonderfu l ly ri ch .

A dol lar and a hal f to the pan in three feet of grave l

was held to indi cate that cou ld be taken fromthat cla im

,for ‘bed rock’ was from twelve to tw entyfive

feet . deep . O ne young man had repeatedly panned out

$5 and $6 from one pan , and by‘dri ft i ng

’

and ‘burn ing’

had got to the surface what was rough ly est imated at

E very one who passed his cab in was offeredan hour to help h im work

,but he had succeeded in

gett ing only four he lpers,every one el se be ing bent on

gett ing ground of hi s own .

Two young ‘tenderfoots’were work ing in an ignorant

sort o f way at burn ing thei r ground , th ink ing that i t wasnecessary to ge t to ‘bed rock

’

be fore they could expectto find gold . An ‘old t imer

,

’ pass ing,asked them what

prospect s they were having, and was surpri sed when he

was told,

‘We haven’t got to bed rock yet , and can’t tel l .’

Bed rock ? you bloody fool , you don’t have to wait

t i l l you get there to s ee whether you have struck pay dirt

or not !’ sa id the old - t imer. ‘Here,my son, give me that

gold pan and I’l l show you how to find Ou t whether you

are in i t or not .’ The young men were del ighted to do

th is, and watch the old man‘pan out’ a shovel fu l of d i rt .

T h e‘old t ime-t

’

w as paralyzed wh en h e roughly est imated


S

the pan at $2 , and with a‘Well

,by pardner ! th i s i s

good enough for me ,’ he cut some stakes and became

thei r ne ighbor .

He watched the young men the next day unti l they got

to ‘bed rock’

(they didn’t know they were there t i l l h e got

into th e hole h imsel f), when he went down , and in a shortt ime had scraped from the bed rock seventeen ouncesof as pure gold

'

as he ever saw .

Well, I am he said .

‘

If I ’d been told of th i s Inever wou ld have bel i eved i t ! I am pretty old youngmen

,but i f I can’t make a day shovel ing into a

s lu i ce box alone (and I am a pretty poor shovel er), with

such ground as that I hope I may never make another

c l ean - up!’

I don’t suppose would buy these cla ims today . Such was the news we heard when we had been

in Dawson a l i t t l e whi le .

“I t was hard work to pass by such a chance,bu t we

were a long way from D ye a , and had no chance to getany more grub than we had unti l we were ou t

,and grub

goes awfu l ly fast s i tt ing around a camp . The next morning at 6 o’clock we were o ff i n a bl inding snowstorm .

The trai l was covered,the wi nd blowing l ike the dickens

,

the dogs lazy and u g ly'

and every man in the party onsnowshoes

,plunging more O r l e s s b l indly ahead . I t made

one i n c l ined to turn back .

Al l our footsteps had been toward the sea and we

did not begin then to do any ‘double - tripping .

’ Havingpicked up a wh ite man who wanted to get home , in sp i teof a l l the new E l Dorados in Alaska , we l eft the town of

rosy dreams and l ight hearts behind .

“We wal lowed and sweat and swore and ye l l ed andwallowed and swore many t imes unt i l 1 1 o

’c lock , when we

crow ded in behind some dri ft w ood , and a fter many atr



S

i ng . Five and one—hal f days brought u s to Fort Selk irk,

or Pel ly river post,and here we rest ed a day and a hal f.

From Pel ly r iver to D yea we had noth ing ahead of u sto look forward to should we need succor unt i l we reached

the coa s t,bu t the knowledge that we were hal f way and

all doing wel l made the 50 0 remain i ng mi le s not so much

of a t error after a l l .


CHAPTE R XX I I I .

T H E M I N E R S’

T H E R MO M E T E R .

IT T L E BO TTLE S fi l led with mercuryare carr ied by old - t imers on the Y u

kon . These are handy substitutes forthermometers

,for when the mercury i s

so l id,the w ise trave le r in that country

seeks shelte r . E li Gage des cr ibe s th i sfeatu re of arct i c t rave l ing as fol lows :At 6 o

’

clock on Jan . 1 5 , with abeaut i fu l fu l l moon ,

.a cl ear, blue sky

with mi l l ions of stars,streaks upon streaks o f the aurora

flash ing from one hori zon to the other, and the thermo

meter 52 degrees be low zero , we started on the last stage

of our jo u rn ev. When we struck the river agai n therew a s no trai l , and so out came th e snowshoes , which w e

wore al l that day,th e next day find ing us on a better tra i l .

We went stead i lv for ward past Five Fingers . as five b igrocks which stand in th e middle of the Lewes river arecal l ed : on past McC a rm ick trad ing post , now desertedand forlorn ; past the L i tt l e Salmon ,

where the i ce wasrough and the going slow , and so on t i l l the B ig Salmonw a s pass ed and 1 60 miles had been covered s ince leav ingPel ly .

That morn ing when we woke up i t was to find thetent covered i ns ide with frost

,our robes over our heads

stiff with i ce,where our breath had come through

,and

cold as—Alaska . We started a fire . and soon had the

stove red—hot . O ne cou ld keep warm by gett ing c lose

up agains t th e’

stove , but then only that part o f th e body

32 6 T H E C H ICAGO R E CORD ‘

S

w a s warm which was next the fire . We had struck somearct i c weather for a certainty,

and when I went out tos ee how things looked i t was to find al l the dogs shivering as i f they had the ague . The thermometer was out ofs ight

,so we cou ld not te l l how cold i t real ly was

,but we

knew that i t was lower than 60 degrees below,and that

was enough .

'

O ld - t imers on the Yukon regu late the i r travel ing bythe cons istency of th e mercury . A smal l bottl e of th is

i s always carri ed,and they keep on travel ing unti l thi s

freeze s,when

,as a ru le

,t h e maj ority of them go into

camp and wai t for i t to moderate,for th i s i nd icates a

temperature of at l east 40 degrees below zero . The condit ion of our supp l i e s made i t imperat ive that we push on ,for a cold snap frequently lasts for ten days

,and were we

to try to wai t for warmer weather our food soon would begone . The order to break camp cau sed a deal o f rapi dtalk ing on the part of our I ndians

,and final ly one of them

came in and dec lared h i s in tent ion of going back to Ci rc leCity . Thi s was al l we cou ld get ou t of h im , for, with thestubbornnes s o f h i s race

,he was ‘

just going .

’ We were

in an unenviab le pos it ion . Three hundred mi l es from

our j ourney’s end

,2 0 0 mile s from the last trading post ,

the temperature at l east 60 degrees below zero, th e tra i lobl i terated

,th e on lv I ndian who could be rel i ed upon to

gu ide us out about to turn back—al l these th ings , withthe dep leted condition of our larder was di smaying.

Mr . Indian made a pack of h is c loth ing and h i s robe ,and when ready to start asked for some dried fish , whichhe didn’t get . He made a start , but got only a l i tt le waywhen an argument with a loaded and cocked revolver ,and the choice la id before h im of returning to the tentand tak ing us ou t or try ing to beat five bu l lets, which we

promised would be s ent after h im at th e first s ign he gave


328 T H E C H ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S

after five days we reached Mud lake,after passing safe ly

through the White Horse rap ids and M iles canyon,the

most dangerous part of the Yukon,both in sum-mer and

winter, and the most awfu l and insp iring five miles oftravel I ever have been through .

At many place s the river was open and great cloudso f s team soon envelop everyone in a su i t of white frost .The seeth ing

,rushing w aters of the rap id s were grand to

look at , but the pl easure of such a mani festat ion wassharply t inged wi th anxiety as to whether the i ce was

‘th i ck enough to bear u s . I f we broke through we would

go down that river about 40 0 t imes faster than we came

up,and we would be under th e i ce instead of on top of

i t,to boot

,which brought smal l comfort even though our

progress promi sed to be without effort . About three mi l es

of th i s brought us to the canyon . Here were two routeswh ich we coul d take—one up a h il l about fi fty feet h igh

,

with a pi tch of about 6 0 degrees and along the wal l s of

the canyon . To take th i s route meant pack ing on our

backs most o f our s tuff , and the tak ing a good hal f- day

to make the portage . The other way was through thecanyon

,i f the i ce was sol id enough to hold us . We chose

th e latter and s tarted . Imagine a canyon about fi fty feet

w ide at th e broadest p lace,and narrowing down to about

twenty—five fee t to i t s smal l es t point, with perpendicu lar

wal l s o f red g ran ite about fi fty feet h igh . A torrent ofwater rush ing and roaring through thi s l im ited channel

,

the only foothold for t ravele rs b e ing the i ce,

which had” formed against the wal l s by the spray as i t dashed agains t

E ven the dogs showed thei r fear and d i sl ik e o f sucha s i tuat ion

,and as we progressed farther into the canyon

it was with d ifficul ty that they cou ld be urged forward ,fo r the narrowing ridge of ice brought u s nearer and


n eare r th e water. At places one m an had to get on thes ide of the s l ed neares t th e r iver and brace the s l ed fromthat s ide

,as

,on account of the s lan t ing formation o f the

i ce,the s leds were i n danger o f s l ipp ing into th e water .

O ne can get an idea of the rap id i ty of th i s stream here

when he i s told that boats go through here i n the summert ime in about three—quarters of a minute , which meansa speed of more than s ixty m il es an hour . When final lywe got through al l right our hearts were l ight , for we

knew the worst and most dangerou s par t of our j ourney ,unt i l we shoul d reach the mountains

,was beh ind us .

At Lake Le Barge,before entering th e rap ids, we

found an Indian v i l l age,where we hoped to get some

fresh meat and some dri ed salmon for our dogs,but we

found them out o f everyth ing,and so hard up themselve s

(so they said) that they had no flour and no tea . They

told u s we cou ld get dri ed fi sh at th e Taki sh house . AtMud lake our suppl ie s were so low and our dogs so th in

that Sam volu nteered to push on acros s Mud lake (orMarsh lake , as some cal l i t), and keep going unti l h ereached the Taki sh hou se . He was to buy up thei r supply , i f they had any, and i f they were out he was to offer

them plenty of money to get out and hunt for moose,

which he hoped they might get i n a day or two at the

latest . We watched him set out,hoping he would be

su ccess fu l,and i t was not long be fore the glaring

,whi te

surface of the lake hid him from view . About 2 o’c lock

we could see ahead of us someth ing on the tra i l,but what

i t was cou ld not be dis tingu i shed unti l we got nearer,when

we saw i t was Sam with two men and a dog team .

When we got together he to ld u s that h e had met themai l carri er from Juneau , who in turn had met a partyfarther back , who had to ld h im that in case he ran short

o f grub to go up the McC l intock river, at the foot of Mud


S

l ake , where there were s ix prospectors who had‘pl enty of

everyth ing .

’

This made every one happy except the dogs,who

cou ld not understand , so we al l went into - camp together

and got some news from the'

postman as to matters 0 11the outs ide . He tol d us that McK in ley had been el ected ;that Sharkey had got a dec i s ion over Fitzs immons in

the ir fight , and , as he put i t,‘t imes have been (I (1 hard

al l winter .’

He had some newspapers whi ch he l et u sread , but bribes , threats or persuas ions would not make

him open h i s sack and give us our mai l . I h ad‘

h ea rd

noth ing from home s ince I l eft ; whether my family was

dead or al ive I knew not,and yet here was th is man with

l etters for me from them which would te l l me al l about

them,and yet the fel low would not open hi s pou ch . Talk

about your Tantalu s cups ! Thi s beat i t to death . Thenext morning, with three o f the best dogs , an empty s l ed

and one Ind ian,I started to find the prospectors . We

found the tra i l l ead ing to th e r iver,and went along it at

a good rate,be ing consumed wi th j oy at h aving heard

of them and fear that they had gone .

We cam e upon th e ir cab in afte r awh i le , and saw smokecoming out o f th e i r ch imney , and so with a shout and a

whoop we started for i t on a run . They came tumbl ingout to wel come u s

,and I honest ly think they were as glad

to see us as we were to see them . When they heard ourstory every one went to work gett ing u s

'

up a feast . Wehad beans with sal t s i des

,chocolate

,boi l ed rice with rais

i n s,and stewed peaches . These

,with some sour—dough

bread,was a meal I wi l l never forget . They gave u s a

l i tt l e bacon , some flour and cornmeal , and some,

sugarand sal t

,and thi s was al l they could spare , but I never

have fe l t so grateful for food before in my l i fe . They

were to l eave the next day, so we had come pretty near


332 T H E CH ICAGO R E CO RD’

S

only hope being that i f i t b l ew to - night i t would be qui eton the morrow .

At th e firs t streak of dawn every one was up,and al l

the th ings were l eft beh ind in th e tent except the d ispatches and mai l

,one b ig fur robe

,i n case we got caught

on top of the mountains and had to s leep there,the axes

and the teapot to get water in . O u r other s l ed was put

i n the tent,and n ine dogs were h i tched to the one s l ed

and we started . I t seemed quiet on top , so we had hopeso f gett ing through

,but the soft snow

,the discouraged

dogs and the steep ascents ahead of u s,the fear that th e

I ndians didn ’t know where they were,kept every one

pretty qu iet . O ccas ional ly we would strike an ascent orp itch that was l ik e a perpend i cu lar wal l , and up th i s we

had to boost and haul th e s led,the dogs being absolutely

u sel es s . About noon we got to what looked l ike a l evelp lace

,and the snow being harder here

,we made pretty

good headway . I n stead of being leve l,however

,thi s

ground was a s eri es o f a scents,which

,because of the u n

broken whi tenes s o f th e snow , looked flat . When thesurface was broken by the snowshoes

,however

,and on e

looked back , i t was with surpri se that he saw a cons iderab l e ri s e . After gett ing over these

,the soft snow indi

ca ted that th i s spot actual ly was l evel , and the dogs sinking in again , we final ly had to cu t them loose and pul l

th e s l ed ourse lves,i ntending to get th is as far as th e top

and hoping that th e dogs wou ld fol low along. We pu l l edr igh t ahead

,l eav ing the dogs and Sam (who fooli sh ly had

neglected getting snowshoes) beh ind .

“About o’clock we came to the las t p i tch , thes teepes t of them al l

,and after getting the sl ed about hal f

way up we had to unload,and by tack ing or going at

r igh t angle s to our intended direc tion we were ab le at

last to reach the top. Away down be low were th e dog‘

s


and Sam coming slowly and laboriou s ly along. Thepanorama of gli ttering wh ite whi ch S pread out before u swou ld have been beauti fu l indeed at any O ther t ime

,but

with twelve mi l es of descent s t i l l ahead of u s,the ‘dogs

two mi l e s back , and the wind blowing great guns on top ,nature looked anything but beauti fu l .The Indians returned to where th e dogs were and

gave Sam my snowshoes . Then after awh i l e they al l gotup to where I was .

~

The Ind ians said they found Samcoming along al l right

,but that h e was coming on hi s

hands and knees,as he was pretty wel l pl ayed out walking

in snow up to h i s knees . Having hi tch ed the dogs together again

,we started to go down . The wind was

pretty strong on top,but after gett ing to th e bottom of

the firs t p i tc h i t was terrib l e . I t was on our backs no w ,

but,whi l e th i s was more comfortabl e

,i t was more dan

ge rou s on the s teeper p itches , as one was l i ab l e to loseh i s balance and s l i de with ever - i ncreas ing rap id i ty into th erocks whi ch l i ned the road . After getting succes sfu l lydown one p i tch and ascending another

,we unh i tched the

dogs again . and , l eav ing one I ndian with the s led , wemanaged to drive the dogs

“

down to the bottom of th i sp it ch . The Indian th e n cam e dow n with h i s s l ed

,s teer

ing i t from beh ind,and qu ick ly reached us . Here the

wind and driving snow were worse than ever . The dogswould not go . They ins i s ted upon wandering to the s ideand lying down

,so we had to abandon them to get down

ourselve s,as i t was getting dark fast .

Snowshoes cou ld not be u sed,as one cou ld not get

a foot ing firm enough to remain standing . The onlyway to break through the crust and keep from sl i d ing waswith the foot . For some d i stance one would s ink to th e

knee and make fa i r progress . Then,without warn ing

,

h e would s trike a hard place that was so l id , h i s feet would



S

would be ab le to return,su ch i s the recuperat ive power

of th e S iwash dog .

Alaska has a gre a t fu tu r e before i t . - Min ing wi l l b ethe only industry there of any consequence

,and whi l e

th is i s confined entire ly to placer m im ng at presen t , i nt ime quartz mines wi l l be opened

,and in spit e o f th e

hard cl imati c cond it ions there w i l l b e many people there .

O n e has to go into Alaska to see how much superior to

th e United States i s E ngland in the care o f i t s co lon i es andi ts peop le . At Fort Cudahy

,on the C anadian

'

s ide , there

i s a force of mounted pol ice,who look after Canada’s

interest s and are there to represent and preserve law andorder . O n the Ameri can s ide th e only officer our government has sent in i s a customs official .The compan ie s upon whom every one i n th e country

must depend for suppl i es s end in yearly hundreds o fthousands of dol lars’worth of merchandi se

,and have ab

so lu te ly no protect ion at al l . They have -a t two or three d i ffe r en t t ime s fe l t th e ir helpl e ssness , and the peopl e haveforced them into doing th ings that were mani fest ly un fairand improper . Shou ld a few lawles s men , at any t ime ,as immigrat ion i ncreased

,make a determined rush upon

them when condit ions were favorabl e , there would be noprotect ion for the companie s except the ir own men . Suchthings never have occurred yet

,but every one knows

there i s noth ing to prevent i t . I f i ndiv idual s can be broadenough and ‘nervy’ enough to send year after year intoth i s country goods to the value of hundreds of thou sandsof dol lars

,i t would seem as i f th e ‘government which

owned th i s country could wel l afford to have a ‘r epr e se n

tatiy e there and enough force,e ither ‘ c ivi l or mil i tary

,to

insure protection for every one .

By the expend iture of a l it t l e money a good trai l could

be e stab l i shed into th e country,and by jo i nIng with Can


ada , which wi l l ingly would perform it s share , a ser ie s of

relay s tations,or supp ly stat ion s , could be bu i lt , whi ch

would insure easy and reasonab ly prompt comm u n ica

t ion between the Yukon and the outs ide . I t i s to behoped that the present admin i strat ion wil l do someth ing

for th is country,and open up a region that for years wi l l

offer gol den opportuni ti e s to the poor man who i s wi l l ing

to work .


S

CHAPTE R XX IV.

T H E WO R LD’

S G O LD PRO D UC T .

L AS K A’

S GO LD product and i t s effecton the world i s conci se ly treated by

R . E . Pres ton, director o f the mint at

Washington , i n an interest ing comm u n ica tion to th e New York Herald .

He gives the est imated gold producto f 1 897 of th e United States with theprobab le output from other fiel ds . His

communicat ion reads as fol lows :That gold exi sts i n large quant i t i e s in the newly di s

covered Klondike di str ict i s suffici ently proved by thelarge

“

amount re cent ly brought out by the s teamsh ip

companies and miners return ing to th e United Stateswho went into th e d i stri ct with in the las t e ighteenmonths . So far, i n gold from the Klondikedi stri ct has been deposi ted at the m ints and assay office sof th e United States

,and from in formation now at hand

there are substantial reasons for bel i eving that from

to add it ional wi l l be brought outby the steamers and return ing miners

,sai l ing from St .

Michael the l ast of September or early O ctober next

O ne of th e steamship compan i es state s that i texpects to bring out about on its steamer sai ling from St . Mich ael September 30 (1 897)and has askedthe government to have a revenue cutter act as a con

voy throu gh the B ering sea . I n v iew of the fact s above

stated I am just ified in est ima ting tha t th e Klondike dis



S

creased product ion,and that the . i ncrease for the year

wil l aggregate The gold product of Afri cafor 1 896 i s e stimated to

' have been For thefirs t s ix months of 1 897 th e output of the W itw ate r srandt

mines,as shown by official re turns , was ounces

,

an increase o f 333 ,92 8 ounces, as compared Wi th the firsts ix monthsof 1 896 . There 1 5 no doubt that the rate ofproduct ion in the W itw a te r srandt mines wi l l b e main

ta in ed for the remainder of the year, and the ir output

of gold for 1 897 wi l l be fu l ly greater than that

o f 1 896 .

The depos its o f gold at the Austral ian mints for th e

first five months of the year cl early indi cate a substant ialgain i n 1 897 over 1 896 . Upon the bas i s of the depos i tsfor the first five month s at the mints the Austral ian In su rance and Bank ing Record for th e month of June es t imates that the gold product for 1 897 of the several coloni es wi l l aggregate ounces , of the value of $52 ,

Thi s would be an increase of overthe product of 1 896 .

The gold produ ct of Mexi co for 1 896 i s e st imated tohave been The informat ion rece ived indicates that the produ ct for 1 897 wil l approximate

0 0 0 ,an increase of

“The Russ ian product for ‘

1 896 was for1 897 i t i s e st imated at an increase of

The gold product of B ri t i sh India for -

1 896 , from o ffi

c ia l in formation received , i s e st imated at Thereturns o f th e m ines for the first s ix month s of 1 897

i ndi cate an i ncreas ed product ion over 1 896 ofFrom the data above given i t i s safe to estimate that

the seven countri es above named wil l show an increas e

in the i r gold output for 1 897 over 1 896 of

BO O K FO R GO LD- S E E KE RS . 341

and that th e worl d’s . product for 1 897 can there fore be

e st imated at not l ess than There i s no

doubt that the world’s produ ct of gold wi l l continue toin crease for a number of years to come

,as new mine s

wi l l b e O pened up in al l parts of the world,and

,with

improved appl iances for min ing and methods of extract

ing the gold contained in th e ores,I bel i eve that by the

clos e of th e present cen tu rv the world’s gold productwi l l closely approximate, i f not exceed ,I have spoken above of the add it ion l ike ly to be made

in 1 897 to the world’s s tock of gold by the Klondike di s

tri et,by the Transvaal

,by the

”

United States,Austral ia

,

R u ssia , .Mex ico ,I nd ia

,et c . O f al l these gold - produc ing

countri es,O f course

,the Klondike i s at present the one

of most obso rb ing i nterest . I t strike s the imaginat ionto - day as Cal i forn ia d id th e m inds of the ’

49ers . I t wi l l

add i n 1 897 poss ib ly to the gold treasure of

the world .

N ow as to th e influence of su ch add it ion to th e world’s

gold . The influence i t. wil l exert depends main ly onhow m anv years the Klond ike d i stri ct shal l cont inue aproducer and how large i t s annual i ncrement to th eworld’s exi st ing stock of gold shal l be . There i s everyreason to be l i eve that Alaska and the adj acent B rit i shterri tory are poss ib ly as ri ch i n gold as was Cal i forni a

O r Austral i a when first d i scovered . I have es timated thatthe Klondike di stri ct wi l l i n 1 897 produce

worth of gold . I t wi l l add to th i s product from year toyear probab ly for a min imum of one or two decades .

And whether the gold comes from American or B rit i sh

te r r i to rv i s a matter of ind ifference , except to the owners

,and

,to some extent

,to the countrie s producing i t .

T h e effect of th e increas e on the economi c cond it ion ofmankind

,on th e rate o f d iscount , the rate o f interest , the


S

rate o f wages,on prices and on moneta ry pol ic i e s

,of a

n ew lv d iscovered gold fie ld of wonder ful r i chness i s thesame

,whether the fie ld be located ‘ i n American

,Briti sh

or Chinese terri tory .

No'

w,the first i nfluence that the new addit ion to the

world’s exi sting stock of gold wi l l have wi l l be fe l t bysi lver . I n fact , i t has al ready been fe l t by i t . G old i s th enatural compet itor—w e migh t almost say antagon i st

of s i lver as a monetary medium , and every ounce ofgold newly placed on the market deprives from 1 75 to

35 ounces of s i lver o f a poss ib le“

employment as moneythat i t m ight have . I say th i s becau se gold

,weight for

w e ight , i s now worth thirty - s ix and s ix - tenths t imes as

much si lver,and because

,at most

,hal f o f the gold d is

covered finds indu strial employment .The new addi tions to the world’s stock of gold

,

whether they come from the Klondike,Cripple Creek or

the Transvaal,from India

,Austral ia or Russ ia

,wil l ren

der b imetal l i sm by the United States a lone more difficu l tand more improbabl e than ever , and wi l l even seriouslyimperi l the s l ender chances that international b imetal l i sm

now has ."

B imetal l i sts have long been asking the quest ion

where the gol d i s to be found that i s to take the place o fthe s i lver demoneti zed . The di scoveri es at CrippleCreek

,i n the Transvaal and on the Klondike are a su ffi

c i ent answer to th i s ques tion . The mines o f the worl dhave been turn ing out gold of l ate years in greater profus ion than ever before . The year 1 893 marks an epochin thi s re spect . I n the report of the director of the m intupon th e production of the prec ious metal s in the UnitedStates during the cal endar year 1 893 I cal l ed attent ion

to the fact that the worl d’

s outpu t of gold i n th at yearwas the largest in h i s tory , amounting to


344 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD’

S

Hence my bel i e f that the first effect of the new addit ions o f gold to the stock already in exi stence wi l l bean eff ect detrimental to b imetal l i sm

,whether national

or i nternat ional . There are some,I know

,who th ink

that the in creased product ion of gold wil l have the contra ry effect , and that i t wi l l l ead to the remonetizat ionof s i lver . They base the ir argument on th i s

,that the

increased produ ct ion of gold wi l l b e fol lowed by a deprec ia t io n of i t s value . Thi s might be i f th e new demandfor gold di d not increase more rapidly than the supply .

But the former i s l ike ly to exceed the latter.There i s

,i n fact

,at the present t ime

,no l imi t to th e

demand for gold . The tendency of nat ions i s towardthe s ingle gold standard . Apart from the United States ,th ere i s not , I bel i eve , a co u ntrv on the face of the earththat would not adop t gold monometal l i sm i f i t had theab i l i ty to do so

,with s i lver as a subs idiary or token coin

age . There i s not a country in E urope with any ful ll egal tender s i lver coins but would replace them by goldco in s i f i t coul d do so without too great a sacr ifice . Germany would gladly put in c i rculat ion

,in

stead o f i t s s i lver thal ers . France and al l the countri es ofthe Latin Union would rep lace the i r fu l l l egal tender

5—franc p i ece s by gold could they easi ly get i t . Russ i a’s

demand for gol d i s unbounded . Austria- Hungary cannot get enough

,and so o f every other country in E urope .

Japan wants gold now that i t has adopted the go ld standard . E ven China shows an incl ination to fol low the ex

ampl e o f i t s conqueror , but that , of course , is out of thequest ion . All South Ameri ca i s cry ing for gold . Chil iwants i t

,Colombia wants i t

,Peru wants i t . Venezuela

has some,but wants more . Central Amer i ca wants i t .

E ven Mexi co, th e last strongho l d of si lve r, is fee l ing th e


burdensomeness of i ts pres ent system in the he ight of

i t s rate of exchange .More than thi s . The nations of E urope want gold

not on ly as currency,but as war material

,for they have

come to understand that gold—gold , not al l k inds o fmoney— i s the s inew of war . Germany has a gold fundlocked up in a fortress

,and the accumulat ions of that

metal made by other governments,ostens ib ly for di ffer

ent purposes,are real ly only so much war material

,which

th e nat ions o f E urope can no more d ispense with than

they can wi th a standing army or a navy . And where

no,

such fund Can be actual ly pointed to , as in E ngland ,there i s fe l t the confidence that i t can b e had at any timeon the cred i t o f the nat ion . Then it must be rememberedthat al l great loan s are now made and must be made ingold . O nly home loans are made in any other medium .

Thi s d i sposes of the content ion that there i s l ike ly tobe any deprec iation i n the

.

value o f gold consequent 0 11the increased supply .

W’

i l l the new addit ion s to the gold stock of the world

have any effe ct on pr i ce s ? Should the increase o f theworld’s product ion due to the y ie ld of gol d in the Klon

dike d i str i ct,as wel l as i n th e Transvaal , be any way

near as large as that due to the mines of Cal i forn ia andAustral i a i n the years immediate ly succeeding the d i scove ry of the metal i n those countri e s , i t probably wi l l ,i n t ime

,espec ial ly i f the new addi tions bear the same

proportion to the al ready exi sting stock of gold in theworld as d id those o f Cal i fornia and Austra l i a . But anyincrease o f pri ces that m a y th e rebv be caused wi l l be grad

ual and may not be noti ced for some y ears to come . I tcannot b e not i ced unt i l gold begins to deprec iate invalue , and of that there i s no present prospect .Sh ortly a fter th e d i scovery of gold in Cal i fornia and

346 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

Austral ia there was a very marked ri se i n the generall eve l of prices

,which writers on th e subje ct have g ener

al ly attributed to the decl ine o f the value of gold at thatt ime . French publ i ci s ts were the fir st

’

to cal l attent ionto th i s phenomenon . Thi s was in 1 85 1 , 1 852 , and 1 853 .

Cheval i er wrote about i t i n 1 857 . I n 1 858 another emi

nent French wri ter pub l i sh ed a book , ent i t led‘The Ques

t ion of Gold ,’ i n which he showed the greatnes s of the

ri s e and the consequen ces,favorab le or otherwi se

,which

i t m ight have for ind iv idual s or for state s . The fol lowing

year Cheval i er took up the subj ect anew and endeavoredto forecast the commercia l and social effects whi ch the

decl ine o f gold might have in the future . I n E ngland

several s tat i st i c ians noti ced the same depreciat ion about

the same time . New m a rch and Maccu l loch doubted i t.But in 1 863 Stanley Jevons demonstrated i t i n h i s essay ,‘A Seriou s Fal l i n the Value of Gold Ascertained and I t sSocial E ffects Se t Forth .

’ Ten years l ater D e Fovi l l e,

after a long and laborious invest igat ion,came al so to the

conclu s ion that there had been a decrease i n the purchas ing power o f money .

Whil e the value of gold was thus decl in ing there wasa sudden and extraordinary increase in the supply of themetal . From 1 83 1 to 1 840 the annual production hadnot exceeded

,on an average , ki lograms

,or $ 1 3 ,

From 1 841 to 1 85 0 ,after the ri ch auri ferous

depos i ts of the Ural,and espec ial ly of S iber ia

,had begun

to be worked,the average annual product rose to

k i lograms,or The annual average was

abruptly rai sed by the d i scove ry of the gold diggings ofCal-ifO rn ia and Austral i a to ki lograms , or $ 1 32 ,

from 1 85 1 to 1 855, and to an annual average’

of ki lograms,or from 1 856 to

1860 . The product ion subsequently averaged



S

crease of the number of consumers . As a final result hefound that th e greater abundance of gold had caused ari se o f 2 0 per cent in pri ces . A decl in e in the valu e of

money thus amounted to per cent . “

I n 1 863 Stan ley Jevons reached a conclus ion almostthe same . He bel i eved that the decl in e of gold could notbe l e ss than 1 5 per cent, and that i t might be more . I n1 863 , or thereabouts, th e consequences of the decl in e began to be less apparent than in 1 858 . The general ri s e

of pri ce s was succeeded by movements of a very differentk ind . Several cause s which Mr. Levas seur had already

drawn attent ion to began ei ther to counteract or “ tostrengthen the effec t s of th e plentifulness of the standardmetal

,so that in th e case of certain commoditi e s there

came a dec l ine instead of a rise,whil e in others the de

cl ine became greater st i l l .

I n 1 873 , when Mr. D e Fovi l le pub l i shed th e resu ltso f h i s i nvest igat ion s concern ing pri ces

,the movement

,

wh ich in 1 850 was faint ly out l ined, became very markedand wel l defined . That wri ter showed that th e pri ce s o f

1 873 presented , as compared with those of hal f a century

before,a ri se o f 90 per cen t for foods of an imal origin ,

of 30 per cent for vegetable foods , and 45 per cent for

domest i c l i quors . He showed , on the other hand , a de

cl ine of pri ces o f 35 per cen t for mineral products , of 50

per cent for texti l e s and 45 per cent for chemical products,glassware and paper .By a combinat ion of ri s es and decl ines o f pri ces

,a c

cording to the method whi ch he cal led that of budgetaverages

,Mr . D e Fov i l l e came to the conclu s ion that

th ere had been an increase of 33 per cent i n the pri ces of

commoditi es,c orresponding .to a decrease of 2 5 per cent

in th e purchas ing power of money from the period 1 82 0

2 5 to 1 870 -

75 .



S

would l ead one to bel i eve that there would necessari ly becaused thereby a grea t

'

r ise of pri ce s . But as a matterof fact th e contrary has , on the whol e , been the case . Ageneral dec l ine of pri ce s began in 1 873 , and no tw ith standi ng the vast increase in the world

’s stock of gold j ust r eferred to

,th e decl in e st i l l cont inues . E conomi sts and

stati st i c i ans of great meri t b el i eve that th i s general de

cl ine i s due to what they cal l the apprec iat ion of’

gold ,although how there can be an apprec iat ion of gold whenthe world’s outpu t of the metal s ince 1 87 1 has been about6 0 per cent of its total product from 1493 to 1 870 they donot expla in .

Thi s vast increase in the gold stock of th e world hasfound expres sion in the lowness of the rate of d i s count

,

In the faci l i ty with which munic ipal i t i e s - and state s effect

loans o f great magnitude at a rate of interest lower thanever before in the hi story of th e world

,and in the vast

accumulat ion of gold and si lver bul l ion i n the great banksof the world . The fact that pri ces have not r i sen as a consequence of the increase i s undoubted evidence that th ecauses of the ir decl in e have the ir source e l sewhere thanin the scarci ty of gold or of money in general . For

,as

remarked above,there i s now more gold avai lab l e for

monetary purposes than there was gold and s i lver beforeth e decl ine o f pri ce s began . Not only th i s

,but the substi

tu te s for money with whi ch every business man i s fami l iar

have vastly increased s ince 1 873 . With the development

of cred i t that now obtain s in the world the quanti ty ofthe media o f c ircu lat ion can have no control l ing influence

on the pri ces of commodi t i e s .I know i t i s almost a despa iring view to take that ,

notwithstanding the vast addit ions yearly making to th e

gold stock of th e world , there i s no immediate prospect

of a general r i se o f pri ces from that cause ; and yet, con


side r ing th e s impl e fact that the add it ion to th e worl d’s

gold s tock s ince 1 87 1 has been nearly 60 per cent o f theworld

’

s output o f thi s metal from the d i scovery of America up to 1 870 , and that the product s ince 1 886 up to th eend of 1 897 (an est imate o f $24o,ooo ,ooo be ing made for

that year) was nearly 2 5 per cent o f the tota l productfrom 1493 to 1 885 , I can reach no other conclus ion . The

great addit ion to th e world’s stock of gold since 1 873 i s

a demonstrated fact,but so also i s the conti nued decl in e

o f pri ce s .“The advocates o f s i lver mainta in that the decl ine i s

due to the demonetizat ion of that metal and the co nse

quent s carc ity o f money . Yet money was never moreplen ti fu l , rates o f d is count and interest n ever lower , accumulat ions i n th e banks never greater .These facts conclus ively re fut e the ir content ion .

May not the true cau se b e found in the stabi l i ty of

th e va lu e of gold— th e mos t des i rab le qu al i ty i n a moneymetal—and in the improvement in techni cal proces se sand the cheapening of transportat ion—an improvement

and a cheapening s t i l l go ing on —as wel l as in the almostun iversal subst i tut ion of machine for human labor ?

I t i s reported from London that Russian expedi tionshave di scovered gol d field s i n th e vi cin ity of the sea o f

O khotsk and that the government i s about to send to

the pen insula o f Kamchatka to develop the supposed goldregion th ere . Th i s report caused great interes t i n th e

country,espec ia l ly among those who are fol lowing close ly

the enormous gol d developments of th e world whi ch haverecently occurred . An examination of the map of NorthAmeri ca wi l l show at a glance that the great gold fiel dof Alaska

,which i s now be ing developed

,i s a part of the

same general l in e of mountain s wh i ch suppl ied the enor

mous gold produ ct ion of Cal i fornia ; i ndeed , th e-

same


S

general l in e wh ich produced the gold of Peru,of Cen

tral America,of the United State s and now of Alaska

and the Klondike . This mountain“range seems to cros s

from the North American cont inent to Asia at the B ering

strai ts,and the extension of thi s general range a cros s

into Asia covers the very country into wh i ch .the Russ iangovernment i s pres s ing gold developments and the gen

eral s earch for gold . The report announces that a Russ ian expedi tion has d i scovered 1 2 gold regions i n thev ic i n i ty of th e sea of O khotsk , and i t bel i eves that thewestern peninsu la of Kamchatka wi l l develop gold fie lds

whi ch wi l l,as th e di spatch puts i t , be a second C a l ifo r

Marcus Baker,of the United States geological survey ,

comment ing on the news from London , said :

Whether the predi ct ion of the Russ ians that they are

to develop gold field s in Kamchatka which wi l l r ival the

early h i story of our Cal i fornia gold fie lds i s to b e real i zed

or not,certa in ly there can b e no doubt that the gold of

the world has enormously increased and is'

now i ncreas ing

wonderfu l ly . There are two di stinct gold fie lds to - daywhich are producing gold in very great quantit i e s

,South

Afri ca and North Ameri ca . The Alaska fie lds are,of

course , a part o f the same general l ine o f mountainswhi ch developed such wonderful gold depos its i n our ownterri tory l es s than hal f a century ago

,and whether the

mountains of Kamchatka and Siberia are a part of thesame general system or not , i t wou ld not be surpri s ing i fthese reports of large gold deposi ts there shou ld al so beconfirmed . The fact i s , there i s a gre ater incent ive tothe production of gold to - day than ever before .There are two or three reasons for th i s . First

,

s i lver i s so cheap that there i s l es s incent ive fo r i ts production , and the people who had formerly given thei r atten


35 6 T H E CH IC AGO RE C O RD’

S

0 0 0,being nearly or qu i te three t imes as much as i t w as

50 years ago . Had there been no increase in the pO pu la

t ion meantime there would thus be three t imes as muchgold for each person now as there was hal f a century ago .

But th e population of th e world has increased 50 per cent

i n th a t'

t im e,so that the amount of gold for each ind ivid

ual i s there fore about tw i ce what i t was at that t ime . Thi s ,however

,relates to gold in bu lk and not gold money .

A further study of stat i s t i cs shows that the increas ei n the product ion of the gol d which i s co ined into money

has been as great as the increase in the product ion ofth e meta l i t sel f . Fi fty years ago only 33 per cent of thegold in the world was coined ; now,

66 per cent i s co inedmoney . So i t appears that whi l e the amount of gold inthe world for each indiv i dual has b een doubl ed in 50years

,the proport ion of that gold wh i ch has been turned

into co in has al so been doubl ed,thus making the gold

money of the world four t imes - as much per indiv idualas it was 50 years ago .

Thi s increase i n gold , coupl ed with the increase in percentage of that metal wh ich i s coined i s one of th eimportant fact s to be taken into cons iderat ion in the determination o f th e cause of the fa l l ing o ff in - the demandfor s i lver and the consequent fal l ing o ff i n i ts pri ce . .


CHAPTE R XXV.

A MO D E L I N D IAN T O WN .

L ITTLE CITY of Me tlaka h tla, i n Alaska

i s owned and governed entire ly by I nd ians ,and i t has a h i story that i s not paral le l ed

in any other part of the world . Wil l iam J .

Jones , who has been sent to the Klondike

country by the CHICAGO R E CO RD ,

v i s i ted th e I ndians’ c ity on h i s way to the

country and sent back a l etter,describ ing the inter

est ing community . H e wrote :Me tlaka h tla i s ne stl ed on the east s i de of Annette

is land and i s one of th e first ports o f cal l on the south

east coast o f Alaska . From two mountains with frowning peaks wh ich profi l e the c lear western sky comes dash

ing down from the i r snow - capped summits a volume of

wate r which i s on e of the scen ic attraction s of th i s p i ctu re squ e coast . The ci ty i t s el f i s in an advanced state

o f improvement,and the inhab i tants

,whose ances tors

some forty years ago were b lood - th i rsty savages,have

developed a remarkabl e character for ut i l iz ing the mod

ern arts o f c iv i l i zation .

A l ittl e ove r two score o f years ago the Rev . Wil l iamDuncan

,represent ing the Church of E ngland

,first went

among th i s tribe o f Ind ians and sought to plant the firs t

seeds of Chris ti an i ty i n the i r savage natures . They werethen l iving on the Skeena river

,i n B rit i sh terri tory

,and

what few white men had up to that t ime dared to invadeth ei r terri tory of savagery h ad been pu t to death . I t

requ ired nearly th irty years to wean them from the teach


S

i ngs of the i r ancestors of centuries gone by , and manytimes

,so Mr . Duncan in formed me , h i s l i fe was in great

danger ; but never once did he betray the sl ightest sus

pic iO n of fear for h i s own or Mrs . Duncan’s safety . By

kind acts,re l igiou s t each ings and trust ing them in al l

th ings,the good miss ionary was success fu l i n winning

the whole tribe o f some 50 0 peopl e over to the appr ec iat ion of the advantages of rel igious and commercia l c iv i l

iza tion .

At the opportune t ime he appl i ed to th e domin iongovernment for th e exclus ive reservat ion of the s i teoccupi ed by the tribe and asked for protect ion agains tthe encroachment of the whites . The request was re fusedand the proposit ion was laid before th e Ameri can congress

,and one of the last ofli c ia l act s of Pres ident Arth ur

was to s ign a b i l l for the absolute transfer of Annettei s l and to the tribe o f Me tlaka h tla I nd ians . I n 1 888,

under the direct ion of Mr. Duncan , the“

I ndians moved

to the i s land,la id out and began the occupation of th e

town s i te o f Me tlaka h tla . What was then a w i ldernessi s now a thriv ing l i tt l e ci ty , and i s pol i ced and governed

in much the same manner as the municipal i t i es of thestate s . An Indian magistrate, e l ected by the householders

,adj usts al l d i spute s and decree s j udgments for v iola

t ion of any of th e c i ty’s ord inance s . A counci l o f ten

del egate s,which i s e l e cted annual ly by popu lar vote

,

adopts the laws and nat ive pol i ce officers enforce i tsdecrees . Not a drop of spiri ts i s a l lowed on the i s land ,and there i s only one man of thi s colony of 80 0 I ndianswho use s tobacco

,and he i s nearly 80 years old .

White people are d i scouraged from coming here ; the

Indians want to be l e ft alone to pursue the ir work . A

large salmon cannery affords employment for nearly 2 0 0

people in both cann ing and fishing, and every departs



S

played two or three t imes a week . The leader i s a fu l lb looded Ind ian by the name of Ben Halden , and i s 24years old . He can play a tune on any instrument on thei s land

,and the only ins truct ion he ever rece ived was

from Mr . Duncan . The string band i s excepti onal ly goodand affords music for al l dances and enterta inments . An

electri c plan t i s be ing instal l ed,and next winter every

dwel l ing wi l l b e suppl i ed with art ificial i l luminat ion .

Happy and contented as th ese people are in the irl i tt l e i s land homes

,surrounded with al l th e nece ssary

comforts o f c iv i l i zat ion,i t has not been thei r province

to escape from the attempted enforcement, or , rather,encroachment of what i s regarded as modern civ i l i zat ion .

Thei r l i tt l e i s land was invaded by prospectors ”i n th e i re fforts to find gold

,and some few mil es d i stant ri ch and

valuab le quartz ledges were d i s covered and at once a

company of r i ch men was formed in San Franci sco towres t the weal th away from the ri ghtfu l owners . Thegood guardian of the community

,the R ev . Mr . Duncan

,

went to Wash ington and to ld the pres iden t about h i sl i tt l e colony , i ts p rosperous cond i t ion , and asked to havethe ir i s land freed from the threatened invas ion of white

men . The appeal was not i n vain,and the secretary of

the interior has j u st instructed the United State s d istri ctattorney of Alaska to order th e

_ pro spe ctors to vacatethe i s l and under penal ty o f prosecu t ion for trespass ing.

The founder o f th is remarkab l e l i ttl e colony,and

wh i ch i s abou t the only tribe o f I ndians on the coastwh ich has not suffered or deter iorated great ly from theeffect s of re l igious contagion , i s a short , l i ttl e o ld manwho i s pass ing down th e shady s ide o f three- s core andten years . His eyes are bright , h i s step e last i c , and h i swhol e dem eanor denotes th e vast reserve and -

“contro l

Over an“

abundance of wi l l power . In h is every‘

effort


i n behal f o f h is charges he i s s incere,and the ir success

paral le l s h i s own happines s . Already h e real izes th e

approach of th e first golden rays of th e sunset o f h i s exi stence

,and i s now planning and laying out th e work for

the educat ion and gu idance of h i s successor, who wi l l

soon be nominated .

The E pi scopal miss ion at Circl e C i ty recen tly estab

l ish ed a hosp ital,a much - needed inst i tut ion in a place

where every man i s supposed to be for h imse l f alone .

B ishop Rowe of the Alaska diocese,recently gave some

intere sting facts about the fie ld of mi ss ion Work underh i s charge . The b i shop

,whose offic ial re s idence i s in

Si tka,personal ly make s th e round of al l the stat ion s of

th e interior,that he may get a better understanding of

the work,whi ch for the greater part i s among the Indians .

There are three miss ions—S t . James,Fort Yukon and

Circl e Ci ty— that admin i s ter to about nat ive s,

of whom are bapti smal members o f the ch urch ; and there

are several other stat ions bes ide s these . Much pains

taking work has been done i n off ering them the scripture

i n a way that they can understand . Many of th e I ndian scan read i n thei r own language , which , as printed , con

s i st s of a l i terature o f transl at ions of the b ib le,prayer

book and hymn—book . These Indians seem part i cularly

suscept ibl e to re l igious teach ing . At Anvik,near the

mouth Of the r iver,there are commod ious

,wel l - bui l t

miss i on bu i ld ings i n a beauti fu l l ocation . The Rev . J . W .

Chapman i s in charge . I n addition to re l igious teach ing

there i s a day and boarding school that has made noti ceabl e progress in enl ighten ing the people . A l i tt l e educa

t ion seems to show more qu i ck ly when appl ied to anInd ian than i t does on any other race . I t shows on thesurface . I t smooths out th e wrink l es on h i s forehead as

i f the tangled threads o f l i fe had been set aright . He

T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

l ook s much better, and no doubt the effect i s far- reach

ing.

The impress ive form of the E pi scopal s ervi c e i s rendered in church

,with some additions

,i n that the cate

ch e tica l part i s repeated over again in the I nd ian language . The responses by th e dark port ion of the congre

ga tio n are sol emnly and re l igious ly performed , even thel i tt l e ch i ldren giv ing almost painful attent ion and l i sp ingthe s trange words

,to the wonder of the wh ite contingent .

Th en as best they can they fol low somewhat laboriou slyi n the s inging .

A thousand mi les i s a s noth ing in B ishop Rowe’s j uri sdi ct ion . It i s more than th at far from Anvik to Circ l e

City,and yet they are spoken of as n eighbors . The Rev .

J . L . Prevost has charge spi ri tual ly o f the few hundredmi les of the river

,which in cludes the min ing towns and

the post at th e mouth o f Tanana river,which latter place

i s cal l ed Fort Adams ; the m iss ion i s des ignated St .James . Mr . Prevost has made that stat ion h i s resi dencefor two or three years . A boarding school for nat ives

i s there, and among other enl igh tening influences he has

started a smal l newspaper,whi ch i s i ssued red- hot from

the press twice a year,and i t i s a very interest ing l i tt l e

paper,for i t contains the n ews o f the country—someth ing

of al l that i s going on—from Hersche l i s l and to them ines and from B ering sea to Mackenzie river. Mr. Prevost h a s a smal l s teamboat at h i s d i sposal and i s enab led

to move thoroughly over h i s fiel d . The work of re l igiou s teach i ng at Fort Yukon for the most part has been

de puted to a native cate ch i st .

O ther protestant denomi nat ions have m i ssw ns on the

Yukon and along the coast o ff Alaska , notably the Pres

byte r ian s and the Method is ts , and bes ides these the Cath

o l ics and th e Greek church have long had a strong foot


BO O K FO R GO LD- S E E KE RS . 3 65

ho ld among the E sk imos and Indians . There are several

Cathol i c s chool s that have done much for th e native s .

The work of the prote stant miss ionari es wi l l b e faci l i

ta ted by the introduct ion of the l i t tl e S iberian re indeer,

provi ded the experiment proves a succes s,which now

seems l ike ly,al though i t w i l l be rather s l ow in pract i cal

benefi t s . The E skimos wi l l n eed to be pat i ently taughtn ew t rai t s . Their natural in cl inat ion i s to k i l l and eat .Thi s l ikewi se i s th e ru l ing pass ion of the i r dogs

,and

both must be trained and restrained .

The majority of the prote stant m is s ionari e s are married

,and

,of course

,have thei r fam il i e s w ith them . There

are those,especial ly o f th e Church of E ngland miss ion s

,

who have almost grown old in th i s parti cu lar fie ld . B i shop

Bompas of the Se lk irk d iocese has been in the country

s ince the establ i shment o f th e m iss ion,th irty years ago .

I t i s said he can tak e a slab of dri ed salmon in each pocket

and for a few days out - travel an I nd ian couri er. Andthe w o rth v b i shop , whi l e extending that sway of the

gospe l,has taken some thought at odd times of worl d ly

matters . His weal th i s e st imated at

D r. Sheldon Jackson,the ph i lanthrop i st o f Alaskan

fame,has been for nearly twenty years ident ified wi th the

Country,and h e has al so become a weal thy man and

owns valuabl e property in the United State s . The

Jesu i ts enter the fie ld,of cou rse

,to stay . Father Bar

num,a bri l l i an t man

,when asked when h e was coming

back to the world again,sa id :

O h , never, my ch i ld , to stay any length of t ime . A

Jesu it , you know,volunteers for l i fe . My place i s among

th e E sk imos .A story i s told o f two mis sionarie s

,both nominal ly o f

th e same faith , who were e stabl i sh ed at Point Barrow ,

which is the very northernmost po int o f land in Alaska,


S

j utt ing away out into the Arct i c ocean,and almost w ith in

signal ing d i stance of the north pol e . At the beginningof winter

,when the neares t other whi te men were 50 0

miles away,they fe l l out w ith each other

,and both got

so mad that they wouldn’t speak ; and i t was for keeps ,too . During the long winter they l ived in th e samehouse but ne i ther ever sa id a word or paid any attentionto the

.

other any more than i f h e was not there . Theyread a good dea l and stared at th e wal l right s traight

past each other,and when they got very lonesome they

went out and talk ed to the E skimos . When they cameback and met again th ey d idn’t even recogn ize eachother’s presence so far as to look di sgusted . Time passedvery s lowly with them . I n fact , the mi ss ionary that came

away in the boat when summer came admitted that i t was

the longest w inter he ever experi enced .


T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

Lower down the Yukon , at certain seasons of th e year,there i s abundance of game

,probably from 40 0 to 50 0

miles from the Klondike r iver . The moose i s a bout th el argest of the mammals

,wh il e the re indeer i s fairly plen t i

fu l . As the populat ion h as i n creased the game has corr e spo nd in

’

gly decreased , and in the winter the I ndian sthere have had hard t ime securing food

,as they are

very improvident . During the season when i t i s abun~

dant they never th ink of laying by a supply . There are

beavers on the streams and Various kinds o f deer,bear

,

and caribou . I n the winter months these go south anddi sappear almost entire ly . The polar bear i s found sev

eral degrees farther north,never appearing in that v i

In th e mountain streams which feed the Yukon river,

up toward i ts head,near the K a th u l mountain

,there are

mountain trout o f good size and fl avor . Many of thesestreams dry up in th e w inter , as they are fed by glac iers ,wh ich

,of course

,i n cold weather are frozen enti rely . The

salmon i s found in the Yukon , but on ly lower down , toward St . Michael . O ccas ional ly they are caught h igh upon th e Yukon

,but the water i s rather cold for them .

There i s a sort of fish known as the white fish which i s

found near the Klond ike river, and i s said to be excel l enteat ing . I t ranges in s ize about the same as our blackbass

,and i s one of the ch ie f mainstays of the Indian s . I n

winter,i f i t i s not too cold

,hol es are cut in the i ce and

the fi sh pul led out by means of bone hooks . They aremore plent i fu l than any other kind , and the i ce—Go l dwater appears to be th eir natural habi tat .

E arly in the spring water fowl , such as ducks , geese ,and swan

,put in an appearance

,but they do no t tarry

long,and wend thei r way after a stay of on ly a few days .

T h ey are very p lenti fu l when they do appea r, and th e


natives ki l l them by hundreds . The troubl e i s,however

,

that th ings of the kind do not last as they do in warmer

cl imates .

Re indeer formerly were s een in very large numbers

on the Yukon,some two or three hundred mi le s from

where the Klondike flows in to i t,and a gentl eman who

spent two or three winters there several ve a rs ago sa i d

recently that h e had seen a herd of at l east

cross the river on the i ce i n O ne,day . He also saw moose

and caribou in herds o f large number,but such an

occurrence i s an unusual rather than a common one .Will iam O gi lvi e had th i s to say i n h is report to th e

Canadian governmen t in regard to th e an imal s and fish

found i n th e Yukon di stri ct '

Game i s not now as abunda nt as be fore min ing be

gan,and i t i s d ifficu lt

,i n fact imposs ib l e , to get any

clos e to the river . The Ind ians have to as cend th e t ributary streams ten to twenty mi l e s to get anything worth

go ing afte r. Here on the uplands vast herds o f car ibousti l l wander

,and when the I nd ians encounter a herd they

al low very few to escape,even though they do not requ i re

the meat . When they have pl enty they are not at a l lprovident , and consequently are often in want when gamei s s carce . T hey often ki l l an imal s whi ch they know areso poor as to be use less for food

,j u s t for the love of

s laughter.An Indian who was wi th me one day saw two caribou

pass ing and wanted me to shoot them . I expla ined toh im that we had plen ty

,and that I wou ld not destroy

them usel es sly,but th i s d id no t accord with h i s i deas . He

fe lt di spl eased becaus e I d id not k i l l them mysel f or l end

h im my rifl e for the purpose,and remarked in a s good

E ngl i sh as he cou ld command :‘I l ike to k i l l whenever

I see i t .’

370 T H E C H ICAGO R E CO R D ’S

Some yea rs ago moose w er e very numerous alongth e r iver

, but now they are very seldom seen , exceptat some di stance back of i t . E arly in the winter of 1 88788 the I ndians remained around the miners

’ camps, andsubsi sted by begging unt i l al l further chari ty was re fu sed .

E ven th i s for some t ime did not s ti r them , and it was notunti l n ear Chri stmas that sheer hunger drove them o ff

to hunt . O ne party went up the Tat—on - duc some fi fteen

or twenty m il es,and in a short t ime was reve l l ing in

game , e spec ial ly caribou . The other party did not suc

ceed for some time in gett ing anyth ing, al though a large

di stri ct was searched over,but final ly went up Coal creek

about twenty mi l es,and there ki l l ed e ighteen moose i n

one day . They brought in two thousand pounds of the

mea t to th e post, and sold i t for ten cents per poundto the miners

,with whom i t was i n great demand on

account o f the preval ence o f scurvy in th e camp . A

boom in m in ing would soon ex term inate th e game in thedi stri ct along the river .

5

T here are two speci e s_

o f caribou in the country ; one ,the ord inary k ind

,found in mos t parts o f the northwest

,

and said to much resembl e th e re indeer ; the other, cal l edthe wood caribou

,a much larger and m o r e b eau t i fu l ani

mal . E xcept that th e antl ers are much small er,i t appears

to me to resemble th e e lk or wapi t i . The ordinary caribou runs in herds , often numbering hundreds . I t i seas i ly appro a ch ed,

'

and, when fired at,j umps around

awhi l e as though undecided what to do ; i t then runs asho rt d i s tance

,but j u s t as l ike ly towards the hunter as

from h im,stops again

,and so on for a number of t imes .

At last,after many of them have been ki l l ed

,the remain

der start on a cont inuous run , and probab ly do not stopunti l they have covered twenty or th irty mi les . When the

Indians find a h e rd th ey surround i t, gradual ly contract


BO O K FO R G O LD - S E E K E R S . 373

ing th e c ircl e thus formed , when the animal s , be ing too

t imid to escape by a sudden ru sh,are s laughtered whol e

There are four spec i e s of bear found in the d i str ictthe grizzly

,brown

,b lack

,and a smal l k ind

,local ly known

as the ‘s i lver t ip,

’ the latter be ing gray in co lor,with a

wh ite throat and beard , whence its name . I t i s sa id tobe fierce , and not to wai t to be attacked , but to attack ons ight . I had not the pleasure o f see ing any

,but heard

many yarns abo ut th em ,some of whi ch

,I th ink

,were

hunters’

tal es . I t appears,however

,that m iners and

Ind ians,unl ess t ravel ing in numbers

,or speci al ly wel l

armed , give them as wide a berth as they conven i entlycan . Wolves are not p l ent i fu l . A few of the common

gray spec i e s only are ki l l ed,the b lack be ing very scarce .

The Arct i c rabb i t or hare i s somet imes found,but

they are not numerou s . There i s a cu rious fact i n conn ection with the o rd inary hare or rabb i t which I have

obse rved,bu t o f whi ch I have never yet seen any sa tisfa c

tory explanat ion . Their numbers vary from a very few

to myriads i n pe riods o f seven years . For about threeyears one may trave l for days without s ee ing more thana s ign of them ; th en for two years they are numerous ,and increase for two years more

,unt i l final ly the country

i s al iv e with them,when they begin to d i sappear ; and i n

a few month s there i s none to be seen . I f i t i s an epidemic that carri es them o ff, i t i s strange that the i r car

casses are never obse rved in any number.I t appears the marten s are a lso subj ect to a period i ca l

increase and decrease,and in th i s case a sati s factory

explanat ion of the cause i s al so wantingThe princ ipal furs procured in the d i str ict are the

s i lver - gray and b lack fox,the number o f which bears a

grea ter ratio to th e number of red fox es th an in any

374 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO R D’

S

other part o f the country . T h e red fox i s very common,

and a speci es cal l ed th e ‘blue’ i s abundant near the coast .Marten , or sab le, are al so numerou s , as are lynx ; butotter are scarce

,and beaver a lmost unknown .

I t i s probable that th e valu e o f the gray and black foxsk ins taken o u t of the country more than equal s i n valueal l the other furs . I could get no stat i st i c s concerningthi s trade for obv iou s reasons . The mountain sheep (bighorn), and mountain goats ex i st everywhere in the territory ; but , as they general ly frequent the s ides of th eh ighest mountain s they are seldom seen from the river .

“B irds are scarce . A few ravens were s een along the

river,and three

'

o r four remained in th e v ic in ity of th eboundary al l winter . They were general ly more act ive

and noi sy on stormy days than at other t imes, and thei rhoarse croaks had a dismal sound amid the roar of the

el ements .A few magpi e s were seen near Norde nskiold river

,

and a few white- headed eagles were al so not i ced .

“Du ring the winter, near the boundary, numbers of

smal l b i rds , somewhat resembl ing the‘ch ickadee

,

’ wereseen

,but they were much larger and had no t the same

note. O f owls , no t a spec imen was met with anywhere .

Partridges were very scarce , only hal f a dozen or soof the ordi nary k ind being no t i ced ; but at the head ofthe Tat - on - duc and Porcupine , ptarmigan were abun

dant . Wild ge e se’

and ducks are plent i fu l in the i r s eason ,and of duck s there are many more speci e s than I haveseen in any other part of the terri tory . Most

'

o f thesewere observed on the head of the Porcupine ; bu t, hav ingno means of preserv ing the sk ins , I had to come away

without spec imens .“A very beaut i fu l spec i e s of loon o r diver w as met

wi th on the Porcup ine . I t i s smal l er than the gr eat no rth


376 T H E C H ICAG O R E C O R D’S

i ty o f in formation rece ived from the nat ives,who fr e

quently ne i ther understand nor are understood .

O n the w av down salmon were first s een twenty ortwenty - five miles above Five - Finger rapids . O n e caneas i ly trace the ir passage through the water by the sl igh trippl e they make on the surface and

,with c are

,th ey can

b e taken by gently plac ing a scoop net in the i r way andl i ft ing them out when they enter i t . After coming up theriver two thousand mil es they are poor

,and wou ld not

real ize mu ch in the market . At the boundary,i n the early

w inter months , the I ndian s caught some that were frozeni n on smal l s treams , and fed them to thei r dogs . Someof these I saw ; they were poor and spent .

BO O K FO R GO LD- S E E KE RS . 377

CHAPTE R XXVI I .

D O G S , IN D IANS AND R E I N D E E R .

R O S PE C T O R S and miners i n the Y u

kon country h ave to deal wi th two

proposi t ions dogs and I nd ians .

Both are hard to so lve . The dog popu la tion of the northwestern state s o f

th i s country has been reduced co n side rab ly s ince the Klondike fever set in ,and in Seattl e

,Tacoma and Portland

dogs , good , broad - footed,th i ck - necked

,shaggy - hai red

can ines,have be come more valuabl e than horses .

Thi s un ique cond it ion of affai rs resu lts from the great

and growing demand for dogs to be used i n hau l ing

sl edges in the Yukon country,Alaska . Whi le thousands

of horse s for which thei r owners cannot get $3 a headare roaming over the pl a in s of eastern Wash ington and

O regon , good - s ized dogs are bringing $ 1 5 to $30 each in

the local markets o f Seattl e and Tacoma . At Juneau thei r

value i s doubl e that sum and on the Yukon river a good

dog brings from $ 1 0 0 to $ 1 50 . To the Yukon miner the

dog has become what the re indeer i s to th e Laplander

and the pony to the cowboys of Texas and Mexico—a

beast of serv i ce,and a m o st valuabl e one .

E very steamer sai l ing for Alaska s ince the spring of

1 897 past has borne northward several dozen dogs dest ined for serv i ce i n front of heavi ly laden s ledge s . . They

are taken by boat to D ye a ,at the head of sal t- water navi

ga tio n ,and there are put in harnes s to ass i st i n hau l ing

the prec ious outfit s and suppl i e s over the Chi lkoot pass


S

and down the farther slopes to the ser ie s of fresh - waterlakes form ing the headwaters of the Yukon

’s tributari e s .Up to May

,when the i ce breaks up

,dog - teams sl ide over

the smooth surface s of these lakes wi th surpri s ing rap id

i ty,cons idering the loads they haul . There are portages

to be made around dangerous rapids,and here aga in

the i r s ervi ce s are invaluab l e . A rrived at the central posts,

such as Dawson C i ty,Forty Mi le or C irc le Ci ty

,both

men and dogs take a rest , but in most cases the dogs areput into harness again for a trip to the diggings .The sledge dogs are too valuab le not to rece ive good

care where that i s poss ib l e . Their owners’ first care inth i s respect i s to obtain plenty O f food for them ,

whichconsi st s princ ipal ly of fish

,u sual ly salmon

,caught in

the Yukon river by the nat ives . An ord inary dog wi l l

eat dai ly two pounds of dri ed salmon,whi ch equals s even

pounds of fresh fish . At Forty M i le last winter dried

salmon sold at 2 0 to 50 cents a pound , and bacon thatwas fi t only for dogs to eat sold at 37% cents a pound .

I n some of the larger camps on the Yukon dogboardinghouses have been establ i shed . Here the dogs are caredfor properly at from $6 to $ 1 5 a month , according to the

season and the pri ce o f the food .

The native Yukon dog is much more valuabl e than the

importat ions from Puget sound . The dogs must be a cc l imated in order to stan d the severi ti e s of th e winter.I t i s found that dogs - taken from Montana and Dakotaendure the Yukon winters w ith l ess suffering than thosebred in the mi lder cl imate of Puget sound . Two splend id

nat ive Alaskan spec imens were brought to Tacoma,thei r

owner finding i t cheaper to pay their passagei

on the

steamer than to have th em boarded at D yea during h i strip for suppl ie s . The animal s we ighed eighty—two andeighty - three pounds

,the larger one having cost its



S

buckles for fasten ing the traces . O n each col lar are placedrings

,to whi ch th e traces of a dog in the l ead may be

attached,making i t easy to drive teams in tandem . Trace s

to the harness for nat ive dogs are made of heavy webmater ial

,because the dogs eat the l eather harnes s . They

devour th e col l ars on s ight i f permitted . Thi s pecu l iarcraving makes i s necessary to keep the an imal s separatedwhen harnessed

,so they wil l not chew one another’s col

l ars . When the web trace s become oi ly the dogs cheweven them

,and i t i s only a matter of t ime when the web

trapp ings become food for the i r hungry wearers .Several in - going part ie s have taken in burros and

smal l horses ins tead of dogs for draft and general—servi cebeasts . I t i s said that one pony or burro wi l l drawpounds on the frozen surface of a lake . Another advantage claimed i s that they can be u sed more profitably aspack animal s during the summer . A Circle City firmworks a train of th i rteen horses , h a u l ing

‘

from 80 0 topounds each on sl eds and requ iring but three drivers .All returned miners

,however, un ite in declaring that the

dog i s hold ing hi s own wel l aga inst the competi t ion ofthe horse

,and they say th at large numbers wi l l be needed

on the Yukon for years to come . I t i s expected thatwi th in a few years the government wi l l be able to supplymany re indeer from the herd now establ i shed at ‘Point

Barrow .

E . M . McC la in e and A . M . Sterns,two eastern miners

,

have started north with a new kind of fre ight conveyance . I t i s a water and i ce craft combined . The mainpart i s a box

,bui l t l ike a large watering trough

,e ight

feet long,twenty - two inches wide across the . bottom

,

three feet across the top and twenty—two inches h igh.

Beneath the box are two runners , five inches - h igh and a

l i ttl e longer than the bed . The party had s ix of these con


veyance s , which wi l l be used as s leds on land and boats

on water. For use in the water two of th e s leds wi l l b e

j o ined together by blocks at the ends , making a stronger

water craft . To each s ide of th e conveyance a log wi l l

be attached to render i t more buoyant . The trough—l ik eboxes are made of galvanized iron , and i t i s in tended tose l l them on the Yukon for bath - tubs

,th e u sual pri ce o f

a bath there be ing $ 1 .

The standard dog s led cons i st s o f a narrow box four

feet long,the front half be ing covered or boxed in

,mount

ed on a floor eight feet long res t ing on runners . I n th i s

box the passenger s i t s,wrapped i n rabb i t sk ins so that

he can hardly move,h i s head and shoulders only proj ect

ing . I n front and beh ind and on top of the box i s placedal l the luggage

,covered with canvas and secure ly lashed

,

to wi thstand al l the j olt ing and poss ib l e upsets,and snow

shoes with in easy reach .

An important i tem is the dogw h ip,terribl e to the dog

i f u sed by a ski l l fu l hand and terrib l e to th e user i f he be

a novi ce ; fo r he i s su re to hal f s trangl e h imsel f or to

hurt h i s own face with the bus in ess end of the lash . Thewhip has a handle n ine inches long and lash th i rty feet

,

and weighs four pounds . The lash i s o f folded and

plaited seal h ide,and for five feet from the handl e meas

ures five i nches round,then for fourteen fee t i t gradual ly

tapers o ff, ending in a s ingl e thong hal f an inch th ick

and e l even feet long . A ski l l ed driver can p ick out a dog

and almost a spot on a dog wi th th is lash . The lash mus tbe trai l ing at fu l l l ength beh ind

,when a j erk and turn of

the wrist cause s i t to fly forward,th e th i ck part first

,and

the tapering end continu ing th e motion t i l l h is at fu l ll ength in front , and th e l ash making the fur fly from

the vi ctim . But often i t i s made to crack over the headso f th e dogs as a warn ing .

382 T H E CH IC AGO RE C O RD’

S

The dogs are harnessed to the front of th e sl ed,each

by a separate thong of seal h ide , al l o f d ifferent l engths ,fastened to a l ight canvas harness . The nearest dog i sabout fi fte en feet from the s led , and the l eader of an

el even - dog sl ed , with bel l s on her, about fi fty feet,the

thongs thu s increas ing in l eng th by about three feet .When the going i s good the dogs spread out l ike the fin

gers of a hand,but when the snow is deep they fal l into

each other’s tracks in almost s ingle fi l e . As they con

tinu a lly cros s and recross each other, the thongs get grad

u a lly plai ted almost up to the rearmost dog , when a hal ti s cal l ed

,the dogs are made to l i e down

,and the driver

care fu l ly di sent’

angle s them,taking care that no dog gets

away meanwhi l e . O ften one of the men must run aheadon snowshoes for the dogs to fol low him .

The Indians,as the nat ives of the Yukon are cal led by

miners,are sai d to be du l l

,and unre l i ab l e . Will iam O gi l

v i e,the Canad ian land surveyor , who studied nat ives

whi le he measured triangles , summed up hi s observationsof the I ndians of the Yukon in th e fol lowing languageI had very l i tt l e opportun i ty to l earn anyth ing of the

l anguage,manners

,customs , or re l igion of the native s on

my way through the ir country,my time with them being

so short,and none of the whi tes whom I met in the dis

triet s eemed to posses s any in format ion upon whi ch Icou ld draw . I got a few items

,but as they may or may

not be facts,I shal l not report them . The statements of

every one I met,however

,pretty we l l es tab l i sh that by

one of the i r l aws inheri tance i s through the mother .As far as poss ibl e I have obtai ned the numbers of the

various bands along the river . Beginn ing at the coast

the number of the . C h ilko o ts,as stated by Commander

Newel l , was 1 38 soul s, of whom about forty were fu l lgrown men .



S

had been given to them in exchange for fu rs by the coastI nd ians . I t is po ssib le they had got them from the I n

d ians on the tobacco , and were try i ng to swindle me,but I am incl ined to th ink not .

At Stewart river there are two Indian men , two women and two ch i ldren . O n e of the men had pi cked up a fewwords of E ngl i sh from the miners and traders the winterbefore

,and

,as far as could be , was very commun icat ive .

He informed me that there were about th irty fami l i es ofI ndians up the r iver twenty or th irty m il e s,

‘one day ,’

ashe expressed i t . They were l iving on salmon , and had no

trouble in catch ing al l they requi red .

‘Between Stewart river and Forty M il e river three fam

i l ie s were met with , but , as they knew ne ither E ngl i shnor ‘Chinook

,

’ no information as to the ir headquarters

could be got from them . I t i s probab le they were a parto f the band located at Fort Re l iance .

“Mr . Harper informed me that the band at the latter p lace numbered

about twelve famil i e s , or, say , 70 soul s . At Bel l e I sle ,fifteen mil es below th e boundary

,D avid’s band i s located .

I t numbers 6 5 or 70 soul s . About 1 0 0 mil e s below the

boundary Charl ey’s band has i ts headquarters . I t num

bers about twelve fami l ie s,i n al l abou t 66 sou l s . I came

more in contact w ith the last two bands than with anyo f th eothers , as D avid

’s band was only twelve mi l es frommy winter quart ers for some months

,and many of them

were frequently in the house wi th‘

me for a n ight or twoon the i r way to and from Forty M i l e r iver . A missionary

sent over by.

B ishop Bompas,who i s in charge of the

d iocese of Mackenzi e river for th e Church Mi ss ionary

society of E ngland , was stationed with Davi d’s band a ll

winter.

Some years ago,when Archdeacon McD ona ld

, now

i n charge of th e mi s s ion work at Fort McPh e rson ,on

PRO S PE C TO R S S TR IK ING A N E W C R E E K .


388 T H E C H ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

I had heard the s tatement made t‘hat slavery yet exi sts

among the Alaska I ndian s,but i t was a surpri s e to be

confronted with an actual remnant of the i nsti tut ion a l

most Wi th i n the shadow o i a federal court house . O f the

two Ind ians , the s lave and h i s master, to whom my a t

t ent ion was directed,the sl ave was rather th e better

dre ssed,and he was al so the more inte l l igent looking .

Since then I have observed the pair several t imes,gen

e ra lly work ing together on some trans i ent j ob , l ike saw

ing wood , apparently on an even footing, al though themaster seems to do more s i tt ing around . I would j udge

from appearances that the s lave i s the better contented

of the pair,for the other seems careworn with the r e spon

s ib i l ity of keep ing h im at work .

‘The custom of hold ing s laves , up to a few years ago

was very common among al l the trib es . Chi ldren stol en

from one tr ibe by members of another,and captive s taken

in battl e and the ir descendants,were held in bondage .

Some of the weal th i er ch iefs rec l ined in ori ental styl eas far as compatibl e with the fur and fi sh busines s—andhad scores

“

of sl aves to do the ir b idding.

“O f course the government has interfered as far as

pract i cable to put a stop to th e custom . A few years ago

the captain of the Wachuset,act ing under instru ctions

from the government,assembl ed al l the coast tribes with

i n reach and announced through interpreters that they

must give up the ir s laves,and offered to the latter fu l l

protection . Many of the ch i e fs compl i ed with the order ,but there are st i l l many others who by threats and ‘ghost

sto r ie s’

a re abl e to contro l the i r s laves . The Alaska In

d ians wi l l u nfl inch ing ly face many dangers , e specia l ly

those of th e sea,but they are parti cu larly afra id of be ing

ki l l ed—that i s,by thei r fe l low-man—and the ch ie fs take

advantage of th i s trait to breed and train into thei r sl aves


the idea that other I ndians and even white s wi l l k i l l them

i f they attempt to run away . This idea,togeth er with

the fact that th e'

slave s are general ly kept as much as pos

s ib l e from contact with th e white s,has served to pe rpe tu

ate the cu stom,and there i s s t i l l an aggr egate of s evera l

hundred Indians hel d i n bondage .

The Indians are not espec i al ly cruel masters . The

condition of s lavery seems to res t l ightly on i ts subj ects .

The natives are k ind l i er natured than are those farther

south,and Father Barnum tel l s me that the farther north

one goes the better natured h e finds th em . He says

that i n al l o f th e five years that he has been among the

I nnu i ts of the Yukon de lta he has never seen a fight or

viol en t di sagreement among the nat ive peopl e . He th inks

that the cl imate has something to do with i t,and i t may be

tru e,but it woul d be hardly fai r to draw the corre lative

in ference that th e bes t people or th e h ighest cu lture wi l lsomet ime be found in the v ic in ity of the north poleThe Klondik ers who wi l l take the overland route

to th e placer mines wi l l not meet the Bering stra it huskers

,as the E skimos are cal l ed . A correspondent of the

CHICAGO RE CO RD spent a season wi th th e B eringstrai t E sk imos

,and th e in tere st ing letter h e wrote about

them reads as fol lows

I n al l the years s in ce th e exodus from Lapland theB ering strait E sk imo has c lung to hi s prim it ive customs .

He sti l l l ive s in tents,though whereas formerly they were

made from walru s h ide s or deer sk in s,i n recent years he

has substi tuted the more conven ient dri l l or canvas,ob

ta in ed from whalers or trading stat ions . Six month s (May

to O ctober)he moves about the coast , fi shing , hunt ing orwholl y id le . The other s ix months are spent in h i s bara

boras or dugout . In Apri l,when the ground wi th which

h is hut i s covered on s ide and top begin s to thaw and drip ,


S

he again takes to h i s tent on the beach , and immediate lymakes preparations for h i s seal hunt, which prov ides him

with stapl e foods—seal oi l , blubber and meat—bes ides .

fur for c loth ing and for barter with the Whaler .Seal ing be ing over he returns home and engages i n

fishing unti l whalers and other ships col lect at Point Speucer

,some t ime in June or Ju ly , when he again launc hes

h i s om iak and departs for that place . Here he stays unt i lthe sh ip s l eave

,fi sh ing

,trading or enj oyi ng a general

good time . I n . accordance wi th hi s industry h e lays i n a

supply of sugar, flour,molas ses

,powder

,l ead

,caps

,

knives , axes , needles , thread, etc . Thi s done , he j ourney s

into the lakes through Grantly harbor and fini shes h i s

fi shing, retu rn ing some t ime in O ctober.I n the se days an extended trad ing goes on among

the E skimos”

of th e various d i stri cts . D eer sk ins and deerl egs and s inews are brought over from E ast cape in largequantit i e s and bartered for red fox sk ins

,i n great demand

on the S iberian s ide . O go r ooks, or large s eal skins fromth e Kotzebue sound

,u sed for sol es in the manu facture

o f the i r boots,are exchanged for powder

,l ead

,tobacco

and caps . Ivory and whal ebone i n great p lenty comes

from Indian point and K ing’

s‘ island

,and a re traded o ff

for tobacco,knives

,cal ico

,flour and th e l ike . From Golo

v in bay and Norton sound come the mink,lynx

,red fox

,

beaver and wol f skin s,al l

'

i n great demand among theAlaskans west and north of these two bays .I n the se le ct ion of a bu i lding site the strai t E sk imo

chooses a bank near th e shore,with a gentl e s lope to

ward the south . Here he excavates , with hi s whaleboneshovel

,a place ten or twelve feet square and about s ix

feet deep . Leve l wi th the floor he digs a tunnel thre e

and one - hal f‘or four feet square out to the hi l l s ide , and

h ere h e sets up a dri ftwood inclosure with an O pening at



S

from hi s c loth ing every part i c l e of snow . Then,tak ing

o ff h i s artiga,he s it s nude to the wai st

,chatt ing unti l

b edt ime . Bedtime i s any hour when the elders o f thehousehold feel l ike going to bed . When that t ime arrives

,

al l c loth ing i s removed and the family ret ire to the i r deersk ins . E xtreme fi l th troub les the E sk imo not .a t al l . Vermin he rather l ik es than d i s l ikes

,al though there i s a l imi t

to . al l th ings . When h i s art iga becomes unbearab le hehangs i t outs ide the hut on a cold night and the troub lei s remedi ed .

The hab its o f these people vary cons iderably in di ffe ren t di stri cts . E spec ial ly i s th i s d ifference noti ceabl e

between the Alaskans l iv ing on the coast and those l es sfortunate confined to the i slands . There i s a di st inc t

variat ion in appearance,hab i ts

,mode of bu i lding

,con

stru ct ion of s l eds and boats,manner of trave l ing

,per

sonal decoration and cloth ing . Whereas,on the main

land the Alaskans l ive in v i l lages of 1 0 0 or 2 0 0 in h abi tants, i n separate one—room underground dwel l ings, onSt . Lawrence i s land , for example , and el sewhere in theB ering sea

,they l ive i n large above—ground huts of an

oval or round shape,the i nterior of whi ch i s d iv ided by

walrus h ides into a number of sl eep ing apartments . I nth e center i s l eft a large l iv ing room

,used .as wel l for

storage . This room has a firepl ace i n the center , and the

square frame in the roof i s made removab l e . The firei s made somet ime during the day, and when a desi redtemperature i s obtained the st i l l - burn ing pi ece s of woodare thrown outs ide

.

through the square hol e in th e roof ;the smoke i s allowed to escape and the firepl ace in th efloor i s covered over with boards . Then no fire i s made

unti l th e next day .

The growing importance of the A l askan mines and

the development of the country along the l in e s fixed


by i ts principal i ndustri e s have j us t ified the experiment

begun in l 89 1’

by D r . She ldon Jackson of introducing

the S iber ian re indeer and instru ct ing the E skimos in th e

care o f them . For long j ourneys acros s a desert of snowdog train s wi l l not answer . Not only i s the i r progres s

s lower than i s that of the re indeer,but they cannot carry

,

i n addi tion to their own burdens,enough food for a long

stage acros s country . With re indeer i t i s d ifferent . Aftercovering from fi fty to n inety m i l es i n a day—tw ice orthr ice th e di stance to whi ch a dog team i s equal—thedeer may be turned out at n ight to seek the i r own fodderunder the snow . More than that

,with su ch a re indeer

herd as S iberia has,the natives of Alaska would have

that re source of food and cloth ing of whi ch they now

are i n so b i tter need .

Father Barnum of the Cathol i c mi s s ion at the del ta

o f the Yukon has spent five years in the far northtrave l ing

,teach ing and preach ing

,winter and summer .

Speak ing of the introduct ion of re indeer into Alaska,he

made the statement that the Catho l i cs are not considered

i n the i r d i stribut ion ; that the an imals al l go to Prote stant

mi ss ion s .Why i s your church not put on an equal foot ing with

other denominat ions ?” he was asked .

I know of no reason . Al l I know i s that the C a th ol i e s are not getting any favors from the government ;Do you th i nk the experiment o f introducing reindeer

wi l l succeed ?”

Yes,eventual ly ; but there are obstacl es , th e most

seriou s o f whi ch are the E sk imo dogs . The dogs and

the re indeer can never l ive togeth er,and now the dogs

have th e fie ld . They wi l l k i l l and eat th e deer . TheInnui t would not give up h i s dogs for anyth ing el se . Wehave. been trying to introduce the St . Bernard and other


S

breeds o f what we cal l ‘white’ dogs,but . th e same trouble

comes i n as with the re indeer— the E sk imo curs ki l l anddevour them .

They are strange an imal s , a s we are used to regardi ng dogs

,being more l ike wolves . They have no su ch

th ing as affect ion in thei r make - up, but , on the otherhand

,they are not part icu larly host i l e . When a strange

man comes into the camp they pay no attent ion to himwhatever . They do not b i te , ne i ther can they bark , andthere i s a funny thing in that c

’

onnect ion . When theyare brought into associat ion w ith ‘white’ dogs they tryto l earn i t

,and i t i s the most awkward and di scordant

attempt at bark ing that any one ever heard .

’ But they

are treacherous . They tol l ed poor Jack , my St . Bernard ,away from the house

,and then al l j umped on h im l ike a

pack of wolves and ate h im up,and they wi l l serve the

re indeer the same way .

Father Barnum remarked upon the prevalen t ideathat a re indeer i s nearly as large as a horse .

O n th e contrary , he said ,“ i t i s a v i ciou s

,malevolent

l i tt l e an imal,hardly larger than an ordinary deer

,that

wi l l s i t up on i ts haunches and strike savagely at a manwith i ts front feet . But there i s no doubt about it s usefu lness and adaptab i l i ty to the country and the requ i re

ments of the people .



S

to explore the immediate country and secure fre sh water .Soon after leav ing the vesse l , they passed around a rockypo int and di sappeared from sight . As they fail ed to r e

turn a t the appo inted t ime , another boat’s crew was sent

ashore . Soon a great smoke was seen ari s ing from theshore

,and two large canoes fi l led

'

w ith threaten ing nat iy es came out from the land . They refused to board thes trange sh ip

,and it dawned upon Chirikof that a l l the men

he had sent ashore had b een massacred . This reducedh i s crew to smal l numbers

,and Chirikof dec ided to r e

tu rn to the Kamchatkan coast .

The return voyage was attended with frightfu l hardsh ips and suffering . Scurvy attacked the men , manydied

,and the others were rendered helpl e s s by s i cknes s .

After weeks of th i s suffer ing,the ves sel reached the

Kamchatkan coast,with only the p i lot on deck . Chiri

kof was one of th e first str i cken with s curvy , but he r e

covered .

Bering’s party suffered even greater hardsh ips . Afters ight ing the coast and mak ing a landing

,Bering gave

orders to l i ft anchor and return to Kamchatka . Thesh ip became lost i n the maze of i s lands , and was wreckedupon a barren i s l and . The re the surv ivors pas sed thewinter , many of th em dy ing . Caves were dug in thesandy bank of a l i tt l e stream

,and a s canty and uncertain

food supply was obtained by k i l l ing s ea animals and r e

sort ing to the fl esh of dead whale s cast upon the beach,

Bering died on th i s i s land D e cember 8,1 741 .

I n the spring the handful o f surv ivors constructed aboat from thei r wrecked vesse l and succeeded in work ingthe ir way back to the Siber ian coast

,where they were r e

ce ived with great rej o ic ing,having long been given up

for dead .

Although the d i s coverer lost h i s l i fe on the first ex


ped ition ,hi s work was fol lowed up by h i s countrymen

,

and in the pursu it of the fur trade numerous sett l ementswere made by the Russ ians at various point s on the coast .

O f the se seal ing post s there were about forty , of whichArchangel was the most important . The terr i to ry hadbeen granted in 1 799 by E mperor Pau l VI I I . to the Russ ian Fur company

,and in 1 839 ,

when the charter was r enewed

,seal i ng had deve loped to such an extent that the

annua l exportat ions amounted to sk ins , bes ide smany sea otter and beaver sk ins

,and about sea

horse tee th . In 1 863 the exp irat ion of the charter o fthe company found Russ ia extremely des irou s o f beingre l i eved o f the anxiety to which the protect ion of it ssubj e cts and the maintenance of a government in a faraw ay arct i c region subj ected i t . I t has been as serted bysome that the nego t iat ions inst i tu ted by the United State s

for the purchase of the pen insu la contemplated reward

ing Russ ia , under the gu i se o f a nominal purchase , fori t s fr i endl ine ss to the Amer ican union during the c ivi lwar . This v i ew , however , i s hard ly tenab le , in v i ew o fthe lack of intere st Russ ia had taken in its Americanposse ss ions . The Russ ian - Ameri can Fur company forcommerc ia l reasons had been aggress ive

,bu t the Russ ian

government had confined itse l f,after the granting of the

charter of the company,to the protect ion of i t s Alaskan

subj ects and the maintenance of order among them .

Be the mot ive s for the purchase what they may,i n

1 867 the ent ire Russ ian posse ss ions in America wereceded to th e Uni ted States . The purchase was negot iated by Secretary Wil l iam H . Seward , who cons idered i tthe most important act o f h i s care er

,though he declared

that two generat ions would pas s be fore the value of theacqu i s i t ion could be apprec ia ted . There can be no doubtthat he was anxious to effec t the purchase

,bu t Russ ia


S

made the first advance . The state department negot iateda secret treaty

,which the senate afterward rat ified

,pro

y i d ing for the trans fer of Alaska to the United S tate s incons iderat ion of the payment of i n gold

,at

that t ime equ ivalent to more than in green

back currency . Notwithstand ing the fact that0 0 0 w a s a most in cons iderab le cons iderat ion for a transact ion so bIg w i th poss ib i l i t i e s

,Secretary B laine dec lares

that there i s li ttl e doubt that a l ike offer from any other

E uropean government wou ld have been rej ected ,”

i t

be ing a t ime when , i n the j udgment o f the people thelast th ing we needed was add it ional terri tory .

The state department’s negot iat ion and the senate’srat ificat ion were not the conclu s ion of the business , forin order to carry out the transact ion contemplated by thetreaty an appropriat ion by congres s became necessary .

There were obj ectors in congress who opposed the con

summation o f th e convent ion . Cadwalader C . Washburndec lared that when the treaty for Alaska was negot iatedno t a sou l in the whol e United States asked for i t .” Heasserted that th e treaty was negotiated secret ly , withoutchance for a hearing and that the country ceded was a h

so lu te ly without valu e . General B ut ler strongly r e - en

forced Mr . VVa sh bu rn’s argument

,declar ing that he

would rather give Russ ia for it s fr i endship pro

v ided i t would keep i t s pen insul a of i ce and the re spons i

b i lit ie s attached thereto . General Schenck and Mr. She llaba rge r a l so were i n the oppos i t ion , but the s ide that hadfor i ts s uppo r te r s General Banks and Thaddeus Stevensfinal ly was vi ctorious . There was much b i tterness again-st

Secretary Seward for having negot iated a star chamber” treaty

,but congress voted the requ ired appropr ia

t ion . Before th i s was done , however, Pres ident Andrew



purchase money for the ent ire prov ince,and s imply in

rent to the government they more than repa id the ir cost,

but desp ite these part ia l showings the fact remains that

the government’s bad bargain d iverted th e income froma ri ch property to the hands o f a few

,who were wise

enough to secure th e concess ion .

I n 1 890 the lands of the fur seal i s lands passed fromthe Alaska Commerc ia l company into the control o f theNorth Ameri can Commerc ia l company . The new le sse e went farther from the old estab l i shed trading post s fort raffi c with the nat ive s

,making such endeavor to develop

the country as never had entered i nto the des igns o f i t spredecessor. A monthly mai l route

,open seven months

out o f th e twe lve , was es tab l i shed between S i tka andB ering sea

,and the po sto ffice s that fol lowed the mai l

route opened up communi cat ion between the interior and

the United States .Prior to th e year 1 884 the government of Alaska wasessent ial ly mi l i tary , that i s to say , federal customs o ffi

c ers were sustained in the terri tory to prevent the s el l ingof l iquor to Indian s and white men . With only nat ive s togovern there was l i tt l e occas ion for a gE ve rnm en t . H o w

ever,as the wh i te re s idents of the southeastern coast in

creased in number a more pretent iou s government became desirab le

,but the matter was agi tated for several

years wi thout fru i t . A convention was held at Juneau in

1 88 1 and M . D . Bal l was sent as a del egate to congress .Congres s , however , would have none of Mr . Bal l i n anyoffic ia l capac i ty , and whi l e the matter o f Alaska

’s c iv i land economic condi t ion had been brought to the attent ion of the Amer ican government and peopl e , yet Alaskast i l l was without representat ion of any sort in congre ss .I n the next se s s ion of congre ss the matter was broughtup

,but no act ion was taken , and i t was not unt i l 1 883


S

that congress granted the province any semblance o f

c iv i l government . The b i l l whi ch became a law in thatyear was in troduced by Senator B enj amin Harri son andent i tl ed T h e O rgan ic Act of Alaska.” This b i l l pro

v ided for the appo intment o f a governor, a marshal , ac lerk

,and di str i ct j udge

,a clerk of the court

,and four

Uni ted States commiss ioners,the last - named to have

the ir res idences in four of the princ ipal c i t i e s of th e territory and the other offic ial s to have offices at S itka , the

t emporary cap i ta l . All were to be appo inted by thepres ident . The first actual representat ion of the t err itory thus const i tuted in the pol i t i ca l affai rs of the Un itedState s was in 1 888, when the D emocrats of Alaska sentde legate s to the democrat ic nat ional convention and thecredent ial s of these democrats were honored . The R epub l i can nat ional co mmittee hold ing office between 1 888

and 1 892 al lowed Alaska permanent representation thesame as the other terr i tor ies and the same recogn it ion wasaccorded bv the democrat i c convention of 1 892I n the spring of that year the efforts of representat ive

men of Alaska had resu lted in the enactment of a lawwhich for th e fir st

k

t im e provided for the su i tabl e trans fe rof land - t it le s in Alaska . By the terms of th i s act in

d ividu a ls or compan ie s were perm itted to purchase landat an acre

,and dwel lers in towns were permitted

to acqu ire val id t it l e to the ir hold ings . Up to th e presentt ime Alaska has no representat ive government

,but i s

admin i stered by the federal authorit i e s d i rect ly , i n thesame manner as i s th e D i stri ct o f Columb ia . Up to thelate d i scovery of gold Alaska has lacked part i sans toplead i ts cause in congress . Now ,

howeve r , that theYukon region i s drawing from al l quarters of th e UnitedStates the har diest and the bravest

,i t has much to hope

from an early sess ion of congres s in the way of legi s la


404 T H E CH ICAGO R E CO RD ’

S

wel l s have been dug through 60 fe et o f sol id i ce and th e

same i s true along the Yukon . The summit of Mt . St .

E l ia s,

fee t above the l eve l of the sea , i s coveredwith perpetual snow . From th e south s ide of th i s mountain e l even great glac i ers are s lowly trave l ing to the sea

,

and one of them , the Agass iz glac i er , i s twentymiles wideand fi fty long , cover ing an area of not le ss thansquare mi les . I n the interior the p lain s are coveredw ith i ce for e ight months in the year . O n the Aleut iani s lands , however, i s luxuriant vegetation . There are nolarge trees

,but the m in iature prairi e s are covered with

ri c h vegetab le mold and a ri ch’

growth of grass and shrubbery . Sc ienti sts pred i ct that from the Aleutian countrywi ll yet be d rawn the best supp l i e s o f butter and cheesefor the Pac ific coast . Along the southern coast o f themain land the cl imate i s balmy

,and even where the win

ter s are most r igorous and long- drawn- out the springand th e short summer are seasons o f rapi d growth ofvegetat ion and of endurab le temperature .There are th i rty or more volcanoes i n Alaska , aboute ight of whi ch are i n act ive erupt ion . S h ish a ldin

,a vo l

ca n ic mountain , fee t h igh , i s known to burn constan tly. O n e hundred mi l e s from Unimak is land

,where

th is vo lcano i s s i tuated , i s Pavlo f, another smokingmounta in . Mt . Makushin

,on Unalaska i s land

,i s about

a m ile in he ight , and also more or le s s act ive . There areother smok ing vol canoes on Un imak , Akutan , and Atkai s lands . Bes ides i ts

'

num e rou s vo lcanoes Alaska boast sthe highe st known mountain i n North America . Thi speak

,Mt . Wrangel

,has an e l evat ion of feet

,and

there are others that crowd i t c losely . Bes ide s Mt . St .E l ias

,with its alt i tude of mo re than three mi les , i s Mt .

Fairweath er , feet,

h igh ; Mt. Cri l lon , Mt .Perou se

,


The mountains at Cape Prince o f Wale s , from whichthe continent of As ia may be seen

,are barren and rug

ged . Toward the ba se'

th ey s lope out gradual ly and endin a long stretch of sandy beach . The proximity o f S iber ia suggests to al l who look acro s s the stra i t and see

another continent ri s ing before them the des i rab i l i ty o f abridge to span the str ip of water and j o in the bemi s

ph er es . D es i rab le i t c erta inly would be,but altogether

impract i cabl e,i t i s sa id . The curren t i s too swi ft

,and th e

va stq u antiti es of ice which fal l into the Arct i c ocean and ,i n the break ing - up s eason , bear down to the south , woulddemol i sh i n short order any abutments that m ight beerected . I t has been suggested that th e strai t might betunne l ed or that vast quanti t i e s o f the basal t i c rock might

b e torn out of the c l iffs on Cape Prince o f Wales and usedto form a h ighway between Asia and Ameri ca.To return to the subj ec t of the c l imate

,the coast coun

try of Alaska derive s great b enefi t from the Japan oceancurrent , which tempers the raw air and modifies the harshwinds that b low from the north . Throughout al l thecoast country the pre c ip i tat ion of ra in and snow i s veryheavy and seasons of excess ive ra in fal l are very l ike ly tocont inue for weeks at a t ime . Neverthel e ss th e Alaskanra ins are not so cold as are th e rains even i n the temperate zone , and wh i l e th e ai r i s coo l at al l t imes i t i s not rawat any season . I n the inter ior there i s le ss ra in fal l thanon the coas t

,and there summer heat r i se s to exces s ive

temperature . The mercury has been known to ri s e ash igh as 1 2 0 degrees , but the extreme cold o f winterqui ckly fol lows . Fi fty and 60 degrees be low zero i s theu sual m in imum temperature , although 70 degree s i s onrecord . I t i s the extreme humid i ty o f th e atmosphere

and the heavy prec ip itat ion at al l s easons that producesthe remarkabl e verdure al ready mentioned . All garden

406 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD’S

vegetable s thrive in th i s cl imate,and many smal l fru its

are indigenous to th e soi l . Up to the present,no stock

man has made a succes s of r a IS i ng e ither large or smal lcat t le . The c l imate i s try i ng to farm an imal s .

I n h is report James Sheakley,governo r of Alaska

,i n

1 896 transmi tted to the interior department the fol lowingpart i cu lars regard ing the seal catch

,the mines

,and the

fi sher i e s of Alaska,togeth er with facts tou ch ing civi l con

d ition s i n the terr i tory :'

The summary of the seal catch in B ering sea for theseason of 1 896 shows that male and femaleseal s were ki l led .

Season of 1 895 .

E ighteen Ameri can ves se l s caughtThirty - s ix Bri t i sh ves se l s caughtFifty - four ves se l s caught

Number of board ing operat ions,1 7 1 .

Season of 1 896 .

Twelve Amer ican ves se l s caughtFi fty - four B ri t i sh ves se l s caughtS ixty- s ix vesse l s caught

Number of board ing O perat ions,1 8 1 .

Total number o f miles steamed by the patro l fl eet to

date ,Number of Amer i can vesse l s s e i zed in B er ing sea , 2 .

Number of B ri t i sh vesse l s se i zed in B ering sea , 4.

“O f the s ixty - s ix vessel s engaged in pe lagic s eal ing

but twe lve were Ameri can . The number of fur seal s fr e i

qu enting Bering sea i s becoming steadi ly l ess everyyear ,and al l engaged in the indu stry of pelag i c seal ing a re be


408 T H E CH ICAGO - RE CO RD’

S

and seventy—nine case s of salmon were caught and

packed in 1 895 . We could not ascertai n the amount

packed for 1 896 , but i t w i l l be in excess of last year . I naddi t ion to the twenty - three canneri es in operat ion during

1 895 , s ix new canneri es were added th is summer , making in al l twenty - nine cann ing establ i shments in Alaska .

These canneri es employ white men,

I ndians,

and Chinese . The I nd ians rece ived in cashfor labor and fi sh during th i s season .

‘ A large amountwas al so d i sbursed in the terr i tory for lumber and boxes .The supp ly o f salmon seems to be inexhaust ib l e . Aftertwe lve years’ of fi sh ing in these waters and taking 2 88 ,

pounds,or tons of sa lmon

,there appears

to be more fish th i s year than at any prev ious t ime . I nJu ly las t at K a ra luk were caught at one hau l ofthe se ine . By an ac t of congres s approved June 9 ,

1 896 ,

the secretary of the treasury was authorized to appoint a ni nspector of fisheries in Alaska and two ass i s tants . “ Thesei nspectors were appo inted and immediate ly entered uponthe dut i es of . th e ir office . They v i s i ted nearly a l l thecanneri e s in the terr i tory .

’

The ir repo rts wi l l b e readwith interes t.The cause of educat ion throughout the terr i tory has

be e n wel l su sta ined by the bureau of educat ion with anab le corps of teachers . The Ind ian ch i ldren have beenmore punctual i n attendance and have made grat i fy ingprogress in acqu iring a knowledge of the el ementarybranches o f l earn ing . The new school houses at K e tch i

kan,Douglas i s land

,and Unalaska have been completed

,

and are no w occup ied for school purposes . A newschool has al so been estab l i shed at Circ le Ci ty , i n theYukon gold - mining region

,and a qual ified teacher sent

out to take charge . The fo l lowing tabl e gives the loca

t ion of each of the government school s , the number of


ch i ldren enrol led i n 1 895 -

96 , the average attendance , andthe names o f the teachers :

Te a ch e r.

S i tk a No . 1

S i tka No . 2

Ju ne a u No . 1

Ju n e a u No . 2

Doug l a s .

For t W ra ng e lH a i n e s

Ja cksonS a xm a n

58

1 44

493

44

39

MIS S IO N S CH O O LS FO R 1 894—95 .

Cape Pri nce o f W a l e s . 142

S t . Law r ence Is l a n d . 5 2

Po i n t C l a rence . 5 6

Go lovi n Bay . 49

Una l a kl i k 64

K o sor e ffsky (n o report)Nu n ivak (no repo r t) .

O u gav i g (noBe th e lC a rm e l

The Greco - Russ ian church sustains s chools at th e fo llowing plac es : Fort Kenia

,Nini lch ik , T o oyo u nok,

Alex

a ndro fsk ,with a comb ined attendance of s ixty scholars .

I t al so mainta ins orphanages at Unalaska , K adiak,and

S itka,i n whi ch there are now fo rty ch i ldren . The larg

sr Russ ian school in the territory i s located at Nu tch ik,

and i s taught by Mr . Andrew P . K a sh iva ro ff, who had

forty—tw o s cholars during the past year . The Greek m i s

s ion and orphanage at S i tka i s doing excel l ent work with

Ave ra geA tten da n ce .

2 7 Mr s . Ge r tru de Kn app.

32 M i ss Ca ss i e Pa tton .

39 S . A . Ke l l e r ;M i ss E l i za be th S a xm an .

35 L . A . Jon es .

37 M i ss A . R . Ke l sey .

6 R ev. W . W . W a r n e .

47 M i ss C . Ba ke r .1 6 J . W . You n g a nd

H en ry Ph i l l i ps .

2 9 A l be rt Jo h nson .

35 Mr s . M . E . H ow e l l .32 C . C . S o l t e r .2 2 Mr s . C . M . Ca l dw e l l .29 O . K . McK i nn ey.

3 6 M i ss E . Me l lon .

Th om a s H a nna .

V. C . Gam be l l .R ev . P . L . Brev i g .

A u gu s t An de r son .

Davi d Jo h n son .

R ev . P . Tos i .R ev . F . Ba rn um .

R ev . E . L . W e be r .M i ss Ma ry Ma ck .

M i ss E mm a H u be r.


S

R ev . Anatole as min i ster and A. Pro topopo ff as teacher .E ng l i sh i s be ing taught in al l these school s .

“The Si tka Industrial Tra ining School,founded by the

Rev . Sheldon Jackson , D . D .

,in 1 880 ,

i s now a permanent inst i tuti on

,supported by the Pre sbyter ian board of

home mis s ions . To the R ev . A . E . Austin,i t s first

t eacher and presen t chap lain,i s due much credi t for the

success of the school . The R ev . U. P . S Ti u ll i s now theeffi c ient superintendent

,and 1 60 chi ldren of both sexes

are taught,boarded

,and clothed at th is miss ion . The

Presbyterian board of home miss ions al so support s

schools a nd miss ions at Ch i lkat,Juneau

,H ow kan and

Fort Wrangel . The marked improvement in the condi

t ion of the I nd ians s ince the establ i shment of the scho'

ol sand miss ions i s reason suffic i en t for the ir exi stence and

continuance .“The miss ionary work of the Protes tant E pi s copal

ch u rch in Alaska i s now in charge of th e R ight Rev .

Peter Trimble Rowe , D . D .,who was consecrated b i shop

of Alaska i n St . George’s church , New York , November

30 ,1 895 . Since enter ing h i s d ioce se

,March 2 3 of th i s

year,he has made and completed a tr ip of m i le s ,

estab l i shing several m iss ions and v i s i t ing others .A miss ion has been estab l i shed at Juneau

,where a

rectory and church have been bui lt and p laced under thecare of the Rev . H . Beer . At Circ l e Ci ty property hasbeen purchased and arrangements made for m is s ionarywork

,which wi l l compri se a hosp ital

,native school and

church . Mr . Bowen has , for the present , been placed i ncharge .

Fort Yukon also has been occup i ed,a smal l log house

erected for re l igious uses,and an educated nat ive

,Nen

L a lo o, appo inted to conduct lay serv i ces . St . James m i s

s ion , Fort Adams , i s i n charge o f the R ev . J . L . Prevost.


41 2 T H E C H IC AGO R E CO RD ’

S

i ng l iquors in the D i s tr i ct of Alaska , except for medi cal ,mechani cal and sc i ent ific purposes

,i s proh ib ited by law .

I n theory,Alaska i s a proh ib i t ion country . I n pract i ce

i t i s not . Notwithstand ing the unceas ing efforts of al l thec iv i l offi c ial s

,l i quor can be obtained in any wh ite sett l e

ment of any consequence in the d istr i ct . And when i t i sremembered that not even a s ingle bus iness man here i si n favor of the enforcement o f th i s l aw , th i s condi t ion ofaffairs i s easi ly understood . The extens ive coast l ine ofAlaska

,with i ts innumerab le bays

,together with the sen

tim en t of its res idents,makes smuggl ing easy

,and load

after load of l iquor i s brought from Brit i sh Co lumb ia to

the d ifferent Alaskan towns .The co l lector of cu stoms and hi s deput i es and as

s istants do al l they can to prevent th i s i l l egal traffi c , as i s

e videnced by the amount of l iquor wh i ch has been se i zedduring the pas t year . But hi s force i s whol ly inadequate

to cover the ground and he is pract i ca l ly without transpor

ta t io n fac i l i t i e s . O nce landed , th e l iquor i s h idden insom e secure p lace

,to be taken th ere from and di sposed of

to the reta i ler as necess ity requ ire s . And the reta i ler al sohas h is pr ivate h id ing place

,and seldom has more than a

bottle or so of l iquor in h is saloon at one t ime,so i f he i s

raided hi s loss amounts to pract i cal ly noth ing .

“For many years the grand j uri es have refused to ind i c t saloon - keepers or even to al low ev idence to be presented of v iolat ions of the proh ib ito ry law . This

,how

ever , only appl i ed to sales to white men . The grandj uri e s of Alaska never have fai l ed to ind ict nor pe ti tj uri es to convict anyone proved gui l ty of se l l ing whiskyto I nd ians o r of se l l ing intoxicat ing l iquor without first

hav ing paid the United States internal revenue tax .

The peopl e of th i s d i str i ct take the s tand that congres s in pass ing th i s prohib itory law had in m ind th e


Indians, understood the i r cond it ion , and knew that i t was

neces sary for the i r wel l - be ing to keep l iquor from them ;that when i t was pas sed the wh ite populat ion in Alaskawas small and not taken into cons iderat ion ; that s i ncei t s pas sage th e white popu lat ion has large ly i ncreased andnew condi tion s have ari s en

,and that i n v igorously en

forc ing the l iquor law in regard to the Ind ians and praet i cal ly ignori ng it i n regard to

'

the whites they are carrying out the sp ir i t of the law and fu lfi l l ing the intent of i t s

makers . The c iv i l offic ial s , however , must take the law asthey find i t

,and have strenuously endeavored to enforc e

i t . Their efforts have been pract i ca l ly fru i t l e s s , as i sshown in prev iou s reports .

A t the last November term of our d is tr ict court , thegrand j ury ind ic ted al l th e saloonkeepers in the d istr i ct .T h ev thought i t better to plead gui l ty than to employ a t

to rneys and fight the indi ctments in court . They pleadedgui l ty and each of them was fined $50 . At the las t Marchterm of the d i stri ct court , the grand j ury again brought

i n i nd ictments aga inst a l l th e saloonkeepers in the d i s

tr ict . Thereupon one of th e i r number entered a pl ea o fgu il ty and the court imposed a fine of $50 0 upon h im .

The res t immediate ly comb ined,employed many of the

attorneys in the d istr i ct,and prepared to fight the indi c t

ments . D emurrers were i nterposed,but afte r argument

th ey were overru l ed by the court and the indi ctments he ldgood . United State s D i s tri ct Attorney B ennett moved

one of h i s bes t case s for tria l and presented h i s ev idence,

and the cas e was submitted to the j ury,which promptly

returned a verdict o f not gu i lty . The d i stri c t attorneymoved another case and aga in presented th e ev idence .The defense as be fore offered no evidence at a l l . Thi st ime the j ury fa i l ed to agree . I n each of the cases severa ldays were consumed in securing a j ury

,and i t was with

d i ffi culty that in the second case one was se cured at al l.


S

“The di st ri c t a tto rn e v fe e l ing that i t would be impo ssible to secure another j ury at th is term of court

,to say

nothing about s ecuring a convict ion at th i s t ime,or the

expense that wou ld be incurred in proceed ing further,

and evident ly th ink ing i t best to rest on a d isagreementrath er than absolute acqu i tta l s

,asked the court to con

t inu e the remain ing cases over to th e coming fal l termof court , and that each defendant be placed under $50 0bonds . Thi s was ac cordingly done . I nd i ctments are no wpending against forty - five sa loonkeepers

,located at

Juneau City , Douglas I s land , S itka , and Fort Wrangel .That a l l o f these defendants have sold l i quor in violat ionof th e existi ng prohib itory law is a matter of commonnotori e ty . That one of them wi l l b e conv i cted by a tr ia lj u ry i s , I am sorry to say , not be l i eved for a moment byany res ident of Alaska . The present d istri ct attorney hasshown commendab le zeal i n h is endeavors to enforce the

law , bel i eving that al l laws should be enforced unti l r epealed .

‘I t must not be in ferred from th e way j uri es stand inregard to th is c lass o f cases that Alaska i s in any sense ofthe word a lawles s community . The courts here s tandas h igh and are as ab le as in part o f the United States

,

and cr ime i s as sure ly pun i shed here as e ls ewhere . O u r

j uri es are not composed of saloonkeepers,but of miners

and bus iness men . The miner can always be re l i ed uponto mete out equal and exact j ust i ce to al l ; hard working,l arge hearted

,and j ust

,i t i s a l ibe l of the bases t k ind to

cal l h im lawl es s or the community in which he l ives a law

les s one,and I am glad to bear witnes s that i t i s on ly

mal i c ious and irresponsib l e persons who do so .

“As the matter now stands,as I said in my last annual

report,th i s proh ib i tory l iquor law i s most demoral iz ing

in its effect s . I t begets a d isregard for al l l aw , fo sters



smuggl ing,and causes a large c lass o f c i t izens

,who ought

to aid the c iv i l authorit i es , to,be against them , and crimes

that ought to be pun ish ed and would be , were i t not fo r

th i s law,go unpun i sh ed . Being against the govern

ment in th i s matter they are almost unknowingly againsti t i n others ; and a des ire to get even often outweighsal l other cons iderat ions . Meanwh il e the sal e o f l iquorgoe s on O penly , and none of the people i n th e d istri c tseem to be O pposed to i t .

Proh ibi t ion , unle ss supported by a large body of th ec itizen s of a commun ity , means here , as i t means every

where e lse , free w h iskv .

” Laws , to be enforc ed must b ej ust and reasonable , and must have the support of thepeople , and even though , as in th is d istr i ct o f Al a ska , theyhave no say in thei r making , i n the end they have al l tosay

,when they,

as j urors in the j ury box , are cal led upon

to pass upon l t s V i olators . T h e present law shou ld be r epeal ed and in its p lace a high l i cense law

,with proper

sa fe—guards . be enacted . The good effec ts wou ld be i 11 1med iate ly apparent . The saloons would decrease

,smug

gl ing would cease , sa le s of l i quor to Ind ian s would bel es sened (for every saloon and l iquor man wou ld be wi ththe go x e rnm en t to suppress i t), v i l e compounds anddeath deal ing mixtures wou ld necessari ly d i sappear

,and

the general government wou ld be benefit ed by col l ect ingi ts proper revenu e , which

'is'

now los t .“ The Indian pol i ce have proved to be an effici ent aux

i l ia ry i n th e pre servat ion of order and the execu t ion o f thela“ . They are pa r t icu la 1 1v valuable in report ing crimeto the c iv i l authorit i e s as wel l a s i n compel l ing the a t

tendance of Indian ch i ldren at the government s chool s

whi ch are provid ed for them . They are al so energe ti c

in prevent ing the manufacture of hooch inoo,or nat ive


S

wh isky . There are but 2 2 I nd ian pol i cemen in the terr i

tory . A greater number i s nece ssary .

"

The impo rtat ion of dome st i cated re indeer from Siber ia into Western Alaska appears to be successfu l. Theherds already in the terr i tory are in a flouri sh ing co ndition and a large number are expected to be added th i s

year. This wi l l be a valuabl e source of food and cloth ing

for the nat ive s of that par t of th e country .

The large influx of miners into the Yuk-

0 11 d istr i ctfurn i she s an addi t iona l reason why the introduct ion ofre indeer should be vigorously pushed . In that subarct i c

region re indeer transportat ion i s neces sary for supplying the miners wi th prov i s ions .



S

say,1 0 0 girls , and have the i r employers advance money

for the ir transportation from the states and re compenseme for my trouble bes ide s .

N 0 girl s w il l be accepted except such as can bring inthe highest recommendations as to character and respectab i l i ty . Arriv ing a t th e gold di stri ct

,each one wi l l be

ass igned to her place,but al l wi l l b e located w ith in

.

a

short d i s tance of each other,so th a t th ey may have as so

c ia tion and be abl e to counsel each other. Under thei rinfluence th e camp wou ld take on a homel ike appear

ance,and th e miners would not fee l that sense of i so lation

which sends so many to their graves . They would beserved with wel l - cooked food and the general health ofthe camp would be vastly improved .

While th i s Pi t tsburg man i s plann ing to bring j oy toth e hearts o f the bache lor fortune - seekers in the upper

Yukon d istri ct,another ph i l anthropi s t i s laying plans to

b ring much more j oy to every man in the gold diggings .

O n e of th e greatest p ests o f that country is the mosqu ito,

w hich from al l reports i s anywhere from one to five inches

long,and which i s the most industriou s , in s i stent , and

mal ic iou s i nsect in the world . The gal l inippers o f NewJers ey are mere gnats compared to those blood - suckers

of the upper Yukon .

The Klondike mosqu i toes travel in c louds,and when

they l ight upon a man he has nothing to do but drop h i swork , throw up hi s hands , and run from i t . I t i s given

as a cold,sober fact that so mal ignant are these pesti fer

ou s insects,and so utterly de fense l ess are th e miners

whom they attack,that great

,strong men drop to the

ground and sob in an agony of he lpl essness . But therei s a man who has decided to exterminate that pest of

pests . the Alaskan mosqu ito . He wi l l go to the Klondike and b eg in operat ions there next spring .


Thi s benefactor’s name i s D r . Armand Ravol , and h ei s the c i ty bacteriologi s t o f St . Lou is .

He read al l sorts of books upon the subj ect of fly exterminat ion

,and found that the M issou ri state board of

agri cu lture had murdered cinch bugs by the wholesal e

by inoculating a handfu l with a deadly germ which wascommunicated to the others and so had i ts des ired eff ect .So the doctor propose s to do the very same th ing to

the Klondike mosqui toes and wi l l s tart for the north earlyi n th e spring

,loaded to th e brim wi th germs warranted

to k i l l the most b lood - th i rsty mosqu i to that ever stung ahelpl ess man .

The X - ray man i s determined that h i s favorite shal lnot be d i stanced by any gold craze , no matter i f it i s act iveunder the Arct i c c i rcl e . He savs that no miner or pros

pecto r , tenderfoot or seasoned , can get along in theKlondike region without an X—ray apparatus . He declares that a Crooke s tube , a spark coi l , and a l l th eother part s of an X - ray apparatu s are as e s sent ial to th e

prospector'

s and m iner'

s outfit a s i s h is pan and corncob pipe .

The one th ing that the X - ray man seems to be sh y oni s th e e l ectri c generator w h ich wil l st i r up the cathod icray so that i t wi l l penetrat e through some tw enty - five fee tof muck and gravel and d i sclose to the enraptu red eveso f the go ld - seeker large chunks of yel low meta l andgreat big nuggets

,sti ck ing al l over h i s c laim l ik e rai s in s

in a fru i t cake . The X - ray man does not seem to care

whether the rad iographs are produced through th e

agency of an el ectri cal current or otherwise ; he seemsto take i t for granted that a miner can lug around enough

primary cel l s or storage batteri e s,or a smal l steam plant

with a dynamo suffi c i ent to give h im enough voltage to

42 2 T H E CH ICAGO R E CO RD’

S

shoot hi s rad iant nugget - seekers through several ton sof earth .

However , Nika lo Tesla i s quoted at length as sayingthat some of the X - rays are without l imit a s to l engthand radiography , and he adds that the X—rays cou ld bemade valuab l e in searching smal l beds o f sand andgravel that had been thrown up by a shovel for wash ing .

I t i s the op in ion , however, of a pract i cal man w h o

c la ims to be one g rade above a tenderfoot, that even alazy prospector cou ld wash that grave l and d irt and findthe gold i f i t were in there long before the X - ray mach ine

was put in mot ion . I f a u v miner or prospector wants totake a n X - ray outfi t along with him to help in h i s search

for nuggets and great slabs of gold he may be intere stedin knowing that on a radiograph

,which the shadowgraph

or photograph produced by an X - ray,gold in quartz wi l l

show up l ike black fl i es i n a sugar bow l . Fol lowing is thew a v to u se the X - ravs , accord ing to a so—cal l ed eminentauthority 0 11 th i s new school o f mini ng in New York

Two verti cal hole s,separated o n lv bv a very th in

wal l,could be sunk where i t i s suspected there are ri ch

depos it s of gold . Not on lv cou ld the d irt and stone,e t

from these holes be ex amm ed , but the th in wal l betweenthem

,one m iner manipu lating the X - ray apparatu s and

the other the screen . The accidental e lement from suchmining would be largely e l iminated . Then a row of shallow or de ep hole s cou ld fol low ,

and the wal l s and di rti n a large compass o f grou nd cou ld be gone over .There are four k inds of gold min ing . The first i s

the work of the man who comes along with h i s pan ,gathering up the sand and gravel and washing i t out in

th e stream . I t i s,as has already been seen , working

and wash ing unprofitab le d i rt that cost s h im so much .



S

the atmospheri c mai l carri er would have a good,long

rest after h i s fl ight .T hen there i s the bal loon man . He

.

h a s sprung up al lover the country , and with him are fly ing-machine men

,

both of whom are confident, accordingto the i r assert ions ,of tak ing a flying j ump o ff some mountain peak in Wash

ing to n or Montana and in a few hours land ing softly andneatly in the midst of th e startl ed gold - diggers i n theKlondike . Thi s i s the only real airl ine to the gold dig

gings that has been projected . I t i s not yet opened,

but a New York man,who cal l s h imsel f Don C arlos

Steven s,has in formed the world at large that h e has

under construct ion a bal loon that i s desti ned to tran sportpas sengers and freight from Takou pass to th e Klond ike

region s .Mr. Stevens i s authori ty for the statement that a coupl e

of women are engaged in sewing the gores together,

and then i t wi l l on ly remain to take the bal loon somewhere out of th e c ity of Greater New York and coal

i t . O ther bal loon men say that what Mr . Stevens meantto say

,or what the te legraph i nstrument should have

made h im say,was coat instead of coal . Thi s bal

loon,accord ing to Mr . Stevens

,wi l l be large enough to

carry 8 or 1 0 passengers and 6 or 7 ton s of fre ight .The b icycl e man

t

i s not go ing to permit the bal loonman to get ahead of h im on any proposit ion . So that oldstand - by, a synd i cate of weal thy New Yorkers , _ propose s to establ i sh trading post s and stat ions a long theroute from somewhere to the Klondike . Thi s route i s to

be a b i cycl e path,and the b icycl e

,of course , i s one of

the spec i al ly des igned kind,made on ly for th i s parti cu lar

purpose . A picture of the b icycl e i ndicates that i t hasa k ind of an out- rigger attachment at the end Of w hi chi s another b icycl e wheel

,but whether that whee l i s in


tended to hold up the b icycle on a mountai n s ide or to

get over an a ir- hol e on an i ce - patch i s not d i sclosed .

The b i cycl e syndicate al so announces that i t w i l l pur

chas e al l promi s ing cl a ims o n the market, and wi l l havenoth ing whatever to do with the common methods o f

transportation,su ch as rai l roads , boats , pack horses , dog

sl eds and Indians .

Another syndi cate of wealthy New Yorkers b e l ieve sthat the l i tt l e re indeer i s th e proper caper as a meansof transportat ion to the gol d diggings . Thi s synd icate

propose s to estab l i sh a re indeer post route,with relay

stat ion s and tra in ed re indeer drivers,who wil l b e abl e

to get a gai t out of the creatu re s,no matter what

the way and weather may be .

P . B . Weare , pres ident of the North Ameri can Trans

po rta t io n and Trad ing company , probably has l i stenedto more schemes produ ced by adventurers and cranks

who want to get someth ing out of the Klond ike withoutgoing there

,than any other man in the country . His

office in th e O ld Colony bu i ld ing, Chicago , has been agathering spot for men and women who are wil l ing tose l l brain product for Klond ike nuggets .O n e woman

,who cla imed to be a cla irvoyant

,took

Pres ident Weare into a corner of the room and w h i speredin h i s ear that sh e cou ld unerringly point out the h id ingplace s of gold nuggets , 11 0 matter how far beneath thesurface they m igh t be . Al l she wanted w a s to

be u sed in organiz ing a company to locate placer c la imsby occu l t power . When Pres iden t W

'

eare suggested

that she might u se her powers of cla i rvoyance in lo ca ti ng a backer she le ft .

She had scarce ly c losed the door beh ind her w hen a

man who i s recognized in Ch icago as a very amateuri shdetect ive o f th e penny - dreadfu l sty l e

,engaged Pres i

426 T H E

"

CH ICA G O R E CO RD ’

S

dent VVe a re’

s attent ion . Al l he wanted was a few thousand dol lars to take h imsel f and three or four brotherdetect ive s to the Klond ike country and there arrest ahundred or more notorious criminal s for whom big

rewards have been offered . He was posit ive,he said

,

that every one of those men who has a reward over h i s

head i s in the Klondike country at th i s minute wai t ing

to be.arrested .

O ther queer th ings brought out by the Klondike exc item en t were the barbers’ syndicate

,i n which a number

of barbers proposed to shave miners by the whole sale ; asettl ement company

,whi ch proposes to deve lop th e farm

ing poss ib i l i t i e s of th e gold region ; a“fro st

‘

cu re company

,which wants to take a sure r em e dv for t reating

frost - b itten spots to the l ond ike r s ; ear-muff traders :i ce b i cycl e makers ; bi cyc le skates , and al l sorts of patentfood preparat ions

,guaranteed to last forever and to con

tain enough nutriment in smal l packages to keep a hungry miner going

.

al l th e t ime .

A number of progre ss ive Ch icago gamblers,imbued

w i th the idea of gain ing fabu lou s ri ches at the expense

O f the unsoph i st icated tenderfeet of th e Klondike goldfie lds

,have packed up thei r roulette wheel s , faro lay

outs and other sure - th ing games i ncidental to the para

ph e rna l ia of the sport ing fraterni ty and departed for theland of the frozen north . Stori es of untold r ich es exceeding in magnitude the t ime wo rn gold - bri ck game fur

n ish ed food fo r thought to the manipul ators of the e lus ivepea a nd chuckaluck , and in the future they wil l p ly the ir

vocat ion on the i cy peaks adj acent to the c i ty of Dawson .

The men interested in the new venture , becoming fear

fu l of Chi e f K ipley’

s re form measure s in Chicago , decidedat a meeting held in a down - town saloon to cast o ff thei rcrash su i ts and start wi th al l poss ib le haste to the place


BO O K FO R’

GO LD - S E E K E RS . 429

where gold i s sa id to be had for the asking . The quest ionof a bank rol l d id not prove an obstac l e i n the way of th e

proposed trip , as each member has been conduct ing aqu iet game in Chicago for the last two months .Unl ike former expedi t ions l eaving th i s c i ty and e lse

where for the Klond ike,th i s se l e ct crowd wi l l not burden

i tsel f wi th p icks and shovel s , but wi l l take in place a

pair o f wel l - balanced s cal es wi th wh ich to weigh the“dust as i t i s wagered by the horny hands of th e miners

of the Yukon . At D yea the gambl ers w i l l purchase several (logs and sledges for th e purpose of convey ing a large

quanti ty o f dressed lumber wh ich they wi l l u se in bu i lding the ir house at Daw son City . Some of the membersof the combinat ion wil l make thei r headquarters at Seattl e

,where they wi l l act as steerers for the i r fri ends i n

the interior .They dec ided to depart for the Klond ike w it h the char

a cte r istic rapi di ty of the sure - th ing gambler,and three

hours late r th e entire party boarded the train 0 11 the

Chicago,Burl ington Quincy rai lroad bound for Seatt l e .

The only preparat ion made by the gamblers for th e longand hard trip was the purchas ing of several su it s of h eavyc loth ing .

But there are many enterpri ses whi ch have been ad

vanced by men who have someth ing that i s real ly worthconsidering . For instance

,there i s the company that

intends to prov ide ready—made houses for the Klondikem iners . The house s wi l l b e constru cted in sect ions , so

that they may be carri ed easi ly in boats up the Yukonor packed on sleds and carr ied through the rough country in baggage trains . A New York firm which makes a

special tyof such houses has rece ived orders for as manyas can be sent there .


S

The demand for houses in the Klond ike i s going to

create a b ig boom in our trade , sa id a representative of

the firm .

It wi l l be necessary for us to get right .to work andmake as m anv houses as poss ib le . A number

.wil l be

sent overland as soon as arrangements are made , and latei n the fal l we wi ll load a ves se l and send i t by way of CapeHorn around to Seatt le

,where i t wi l l arrive in t ime for

th e spring immigration . O ther vessel s wi l l doubtle ss

fol low so.

that we shal l have as much work as we canturn out to supply the gold hunters with she lter .My advice to carpenters and hou se bu ilders out of

employment would be . to go to the gold region s with aplenti fu l stock of tool s

,and i f th ev don

’t s trike gold inthe ground they wi l l find remunerat ive work at the i rtrades . I t’s rather late in th e season now to start from

eastern points , ~ but th e first men 0 11 the ground in thespring wi l l make the money . I don’t know much aboutthe t imber in that part of the world

,but I presume there

i s some fi t for bu i ld ing purpose s . I f there is not,l umber

wi l l be shipped there from O regon and Alaskan port s .At any rate

,carpenters need not lack employment . The

ru sh to the Klond ike in the spring wi l l be unprecedentedand ci t i e s must be bui l t i n th e wi lderness .

O ne of the largest schemes announced relate s to aplan for dredging gold - bearing sand from the bed s ofstreams . The scheme was born in Seatt l e , and a Com

pany has been formed to carry out the plans o f the

proj ect .The intent ion of the company i s to bui l d one of the

great earth and mud- eating machines that are convert

ing the t ide lands of th e upper bay end into the block sof redeemed land that have marked one of the unde rtak

ings ,th a t wi l l provide Seattl e w ith manufactur ing s ites,



S

bringing i t to the surface and del ivering i t at the dump .

There wi l l be no encroachment upon the cla ims of

others,say the promoters

,as the bottom of the rivers i s

be l i eved to be the place where the gold w i l l b e found .

The contract for bui ld ing the dredger w il l b e l et th i s fal l

and i ts construct ion carried on under pressure .


CHAPTE R XXX .

C ANAD A’

S YUKO N PO L I C Y .

O TWIT H S T AND ING th e hard w ord ssa id by Americans because o f th e imposit ion o f a tariff tax

,and the dec i s ion

to col l ect fees for lo cating claims onthe Klond ike

,the Canadian govern

men t i s go ing forward on th e l in e o fpo l i cy whi ch was laid down soon afterthe firs t reports from the Klondike

were confirmed . The interior departmen t o f Canada publ ish ed a statement , warning Canadian s not to try to getinto the Klondike thi s fal l , but to wai t unt i l the spring of1 898. Thi s has had the effect of check ing the fi rst flowof go ld—seekers from the eastern provinces . Meanwh i l eth e Domin ion cab inet held many meetings and decided

0 11 certain l ines of Yukon po l icv.

Regulat ions governing place s of min ing were prom u l

gated by the department o f the interior several months

ago,before there was the absolute knowledge of the enor

mous ri chnes s o f th e m ines in the Klond ike,and these

wi l l be amended in some part i culars . Steps wil l be innu ed ia te ly taken for the maintenance of law and order in th emining country . In addition to the tw e n tv mounted po

l i ce there a t presen t , the government wi l l at once send u pe ighty more .

T h e officers o f each detachment o f pol i ce w i l l be ap

pointed st ipend iary magistrate s , so tha t means. wi l l befurn i shed for th e admini strat ion of law and order prompthand sati s factori ly . A strong customs and pol ice post wi l l


S

be es tab l i shed a short di stance north of the 6o th degree

of lat i tude,j u st above the northern boundary of B rit i sh

Columbia,and beyond the h ead '

o f th e Lynn canal,where

the Chi lkoot pass and the Wh i te pass converge . This post

wi l l command the southern entrance to the whole of thatterri tory . A strong detachment of pol i ce wi l l be stat ioned

there,and the n ecessary barrack accommodat ions wi l l be

erected . Further 0 11 smal l pol i ce post s w il l be establ i shed,

about fi fty mi l es apart,up to Fort Selki rk .

I f i t i s poss ib l e to construct a tel egraph l ine from the

head o f the Lynn canal over'

the mountains to the firs tpost j u st north of the B ri t i sh Columbia boundary

,i t wou ld

overcome the great present drawback of lack of meanso f winter communication with the Klondike . I t 1 5 ac

co rd ingly the intent ion of the Canadian government toascertain the probable cost of the construct ion of such al i ne , and , i f the proj ec t i s found to be feas ib l e , to put i tinto execut ion . The government propo se s l al so at onceto get the approximate cost o f a wagon road and of a

narrow gauge rai l road over the terri tory between thecoast and the post beyond the mountains . The provi s ionso f the “Real property “ act o f the Northwest terri tori es

w i l l be extended to th e Yukon country by an order incounc i l

,a register wi l l b e appointed

,and a land ti tl e office

wi l l b e estab l i sh ed .

Meanw hi le,everybody i s d i scuss ing poss ibl e new and

shorter routes to th e gold fie lds . A company has beenorganized in Toronto which proposes to bui l d a l in e ofrai lway north from E dmonton

,on the l ine of the Canadian

Pac ific rai lway and by al ternate stretches of lake and rai l

to reach the Klond ike ent ire ly through Canadian territory

.The estimate of the probabl e cost of the proj ect i s

given as some and i t i s safe to say that i t wi l l

never get beyond th e di scuss ion stage . Another route



S

readings of temperature fo r the cold season ; but th ev

were able,from the flora and th e advance of vegetat ion

when they r eached the di stri ct , to draw fai rly ,

accurate

in ferences . The country i s not one flowing with mi lk and

honey ; but i t i s not the region which the exaggerat ionsnatura l in a m iner who has ‘stru ck i t r ich’ have painted

O f the cl imate Mr . Dawson reports : In its sou thern

portion (i n wh ich the Klondike region l ie s), s i tuated be

tween the s ixt i eth and s ixty - fifth degrees o f la ti tude , i s

compri sed a region of probably not l e ss thansquare mi l es su itab le for eventual agri cu ltu ral occupation

,

and present ing none of the characters o f a sub - arcti c region wh i ch have

,m advance of i t s explorat ion

,been a ttr i

buted to i t . The winter c l imate of the whol e of th i s great

region is known to be a severe one, but i t must be remembered that the cl imati c condi t ions on the eastern and west

e rn s ide s o f the continent are by no means comparabl e ,and that the i sothermal l ines

,as already approximate ly

drawn upon the maps , represent in a general ized form the

aggregate of the influences wh ich,working together

,pro

duce at the s i te of old Fort Selk i rk,on the 63d paral l e l

o f lati tude in the Upper Yukon bas in , an attractive landscape decked with wel l - grown forests and wi th inte rveni ng s lopes o f smi l ing meadow

,whi le in the same lati tude

i n Hudson strai t we find even at midsummer merely a

barren waste of rocks and i ce .The highest s ummer temperature he records i s 84

degrees ; and he quote s the observat ions at the old Hudson Bay company Fort Yukon , which i s two degrees further north and we l l with in the Arcti c c ircl e . The obse r

va tion s give a mean summer temperature of degrees ,a mean winter temperature of degrees, and a meanannual temperature of That i s cold enough

,but


fu el i s pl ent i fu l,and an abundance of white S pruce

,two

feet in diameter and admirab ly adapted for construct ionpurposes

,can be obtained anywhere in the Upper Yukon

di stri cts . There are , he note s , no areas of tundra , or

frozen morass,such as are s tated to be characte ri st i c o f

the lower Yukon .

The great danger during the coming w i nter wi l l befrom starvation ; but that i s not altogether the faul t ofth e country . I t i s st i l l customary in rural part s to takeyour basket a long when you go to a su rpri se party : and i ti s absolutely neces sary to import food when thousandso f men make a surpri s e party i n a h itherto unsett led country . Not even the most bount i fu l region in the world , i f i t

h as never been settl ed , cou ld provide for four thou sand

or five thousand newcomers . The country , according toMr . Dawson , could eas i ly feed a large population . G amei s abundant ; the caribou and the moose are pl ent iful , andnear skins are exported annual ly from the country .

The rivers teem with fish,and ‘Klondike

,

’

w e are told,

means ‘Salmon’ river. ‘The lakes and rivers general ly

throughout the country are wel l - supp l i ed with fish,and

a smal l party on any of the larger lake s would run l i ttl eri sk of starvat ion du ring the w inter i f provided wi th acoupl e o f good gi l l nets and ab le to devote themselves tolay ing in a stock of fish i n th e la te autumn

,

’ says the r eport . The troub le wi l l be that no one , when gold i s ins ight , wil l trouble e i ther to hunt or to fi sh unti l the winter i s far spent and starvat ion i s staring the mining com

munity in the face .

”

After the first w i nter there wi l l be no danger o f sta rvat ion

,and pri ces

,taking al l th ings into cons iderat ion

,wi ll

not be very h igh . The country wi l l cont inue to import

i t s food,but provi s ions could eas i ly be produ ced on the

spot . Mr . Dawson w ri t es of th e agri cu ltural poss ibi l i t i e s


S

of th e region in a way that would surpri se many persons .

He compares i t w ith th e di str i ct of Vo lovgda i n northernE uropean Russ ia , i n the same lati tude , which supportsa popu lation of a mi l l ion and a hal f

,al though i t has no

mineral s . ‘Taking into consideration al l the fact s I havebeen ab l e to gather ,

’ he says,

‘as wel l as those to be derivedfrom an examinat ion of the natural flora of the country

and the observed advance of vegetation,I fee l no hes ita

t i on m stating my bel i e f that such hardy crops as barl ey,

rye , turn ips , and flax can be succes sfu l ly cu l t ivated . Takenin conj unction

'

with the physi cal featu re s of the region,

th i s means that there exi sts an area of about squaremi le s of which a large proportion may—and doubtl e ssi n the future wil l— b e uti l i zed for the cu lt ivation of such

crops,and In which cattl e and horse s m ight be maintained

in suffici ent numbers for local purposes,w i th out undue

labor,as excel l ent summer grazing i s to be found along

the river va l leys,and natural hav meadows are frequent .

I do not maintain that the country i s su itab l e fo r ' imm e

diate occupat ion by a large s el f- support ing a gricul turalcommunity

,but hold that agricu lture may before many

years be succes sful ly prosecuted in conj unct ion with thenatural development of the other resources of th i s great

country .

’

These reports are more to the purpose than the random talk of returned miners

,and it i s probabl e that th is

in formation,and more that has not been publ i shed , was

before the Canadian cabinet when they made the ir de

c i sion regarding the regu lat ion of the mines . Had thecond it ion of the country been such as th e miners say ,there would have been much j u stification for the pol i cyof exclus ion whi ch many have advocated . I n that case ,there was no poss ib i l i ty of developing the country . I twas too barren and the cl imate too severe ever to permi t



o f permanent se ttl ement . The miners would come andgather the ir rich harve st and depart

,tak ing with th em the

ri ches o f th e nat ion . The mines belonged to Canada,

and there seemed wi sdom in exclud ing men of other na

t io na l itie s from the country . They d id not intend to r e

main i n th e country and had no intent ion of spendingthe i r gains in the country ; and there seemed every argu

ment in favor of a pol i cy of re stri ct ing the mines to Cana

dians . The regulat ions adopted,provided they can be

enforced i n a lawl es s , unorgani zed country, are devi s edwith the purpose o f developing the country . Whether theycan be enforced no one who knows the spl endid d l sc 1pl ineof the Northwest po l i ce can have a doubt . Provi s ion hasbeen made for the organizat ion of the d i stri ct . New roads

are to be bu i l t and communicat ion s kept open,and every

requ irement for the development of the d i stri c t w i l l be

secured . The re servat ion of every al ternat e placer cla im i s

only j ust to th e communi ty as a whol e , and wi l l tend topromote law and order . The res ervat ion of a royal tywi l l cause more troubl e

,but i t cannot be said that the re

qu irem ent i s unj ust .

The effect of the regulat ions wi l l be,should the d i s

cove r ie s continue and mining cease to be gambl ing andbecome an industry, the more qu ickly to encourage permanent sett lement in these regions and

,as M r . D awson

pointed out in h i s report,th e miner will be th e pioneer .

Whi le th e Yukon d i stri ct i s at present far beyond thel im its o f ordinary settl ement

,w e may be prepared to hear

(1 888)at any time of the d is covery of important m ineral

depos it s which wi l l afford the necessary s timulus and

may resu l t,i n the course o f a few years

,in th e intro du c

t ion of a cons iderab le popu lat ion into even i ts most di s

tan t fastnesses . To - day i t may wel l be characte rized byth e term which has been employed in connect ion w i th


S

th e Mackenzi e bas in , a port ion of‘Canada

’

s Great R e

serve .

’ I t appears,meanwhi l e

,eminently de s irable th at

we should fac i l i tate,i n so far as may be poss ib le, the

efforts of the miners and others , who const i tu te our truepioneers in the region,

and to whom , i n conj unct ion wi ththe fur compani es and traders

,the conquest of the whol e

o f the great northwest has been due . I n the future th erei s every reason to look forward to th e t ime when th i scountry wi l l support a large and hardy populat ion , a t

ta ch e d to the so i l and making the utmost of i ts re sources .

The Canad ian government has done wise ly in adopt

ing the pol i cy thus suggested for them by thei r geo lo

gists . The temptation was great , i n a country wherethe sent iment of actual posse s sion has not h i therto hadmuch to feed i tse l f on

,to fo l low a pol i cy of re stri ct ion

and cry , Canada for the Canadian s . They have not doneso and the ir wi sdom wi l l have i ts fru its in the organizat ion of a new terri tory .

I t i s w ith a certain fee l ing of di s sat i s fact ion that Canad ian s look upon the rush of prospectors and merchand ise r s to th e newly found gold field s in Alaska . The

routes al l he along the Pac ific coast and through Alaska,

and Canada gets no profit from the increase in travel .The Pacific route i s open only three months in the year .The proj ectors o f what i s known as th e Sau l t Ste . Mari e

and Hudson Bay - rai lway th ink that at a cost o f aboutthey wil l be able to open a route that wi l l

be open to trave l for five months out of the twelve .

The scheme,accord ing to the Toronto Mai l and E m

pire,has gone beyond the talk stage and two companie s ,

that already mentioned,and the Hudson Bay and Yukon

Rai lway and Navigat ion company , have been charteredby the domin ion parl iam ent . From Mi ssa r rab ie , th e

po int o n the main l ine of the Canad ian Pac ific rai lway


444 T H E CH IC AGO RE C O RD '

S

”

CHAPTE R XXX I .

KN EW YUKO N D IST R I C T YE AR S AG O .

E L IABL E in format ion comes from Prof .James D ryden of the Agricu l tural Coll ege of Utah to the effect that the Canadian parl iament knew of t h e gold minesin the Yukon d i stri ct some years ago .

Prof . D ryden acted a s_ ,se cre ta ry of a

se l ect committee of the Canadian parl iam ent i n 1 888 . Thi s committee was

appointed to invest igate the,m ineral r e sou r ce s o f th e

Northwest t erri tory . The report .o i the commi ttee i sprinted i n a volume of 80 0 pages , i l lu strated with maps ,and the Klond ike river does not appear in any of the

maps .

But that part of the Yukon d i stri ct now known asth e Klond ike figured extens ive ly in the invest igation .

Now,when every source o f information bearing in any

way on the gold—producing area of the Yukon riveri s be ing placed under tribute

,th i s report has assumed

an impo rtan ce not anti c ipated by the committee which

made i t .The report i s o f pe cu l iar interest in that i t deal s largelywith the minera l resource s of the Mackenzi e river bas in

,

for i t i s h igh ly probab le that th i s mighty stream wi l lcarry many Klondikers toward the Arct i c c i rc le nextsummer .Prof . D ryden

,i n giv ing a synopsis of the report

,writes

as fol lows :“As might be expected

,th e investigation

,as i t re lated


to m ineral resources , was les s sat i s factory than in otherd i rect ions ; gold fie lds are not d i scovered by committee s . But very much was el i c i ted . Before proceedingto give more detai l ed in formation

,l et me quote the find

ings,or conclu s ions

,of the committee in regard to th e

mineral resources :‘

O f the m ines of th i s vast region l i tt l e i s known ofthat part east of the Mackenzi e river and north of Great

Slave lake . O f the western a fflu en ts of the Mackenzieenough i s known to show that on the headwaters of thePeace

,L iard and Pee l r ivers there are from tosquare m i le s which may be cons idered au r ife r

ous,

‘ whi l e Canada possesses west of the Rocky mountains a metal l i ferous area

,principal ly o f go ld—yie ld ing

rocks,

miles in length,with an average breadth of

40 0 to 50 0 miles , giv ing an area far greate r than that o fth e s imi lar min ing di stri cts of the neighboring republ ic .

‘I n addi tion to these auri ferou s depos it s,gold has

been found on the w e st shore of Hudson’s bay,and has

be en'

sa id to exi s t in certain portions o f the Barrengrounds . S i lver on the Upper L iard and Peace rivers

,

copper upon the Copperm ine river,which may be con

n e cted with an eastern arm of Great B ear lake by a tramway of forty mi l es ; i ron , graph i te , ochre , bri ck and pot

te ry c lay , mica , gypsum ,l ime and sandstone , sand for

glass and mold ing,and asphaltum

,are al l known to

exi st,whi l e th e petrol eum area i s so extens ive as to

j ust i fy the bel i e f that eventual ly i t wil l supply th e larger

part of th i s continent and be shipped from Churchi l lor some more northern Hudson

’

s bay port to E ngland .

‘Salt and sulphu r deposi t s are l ess extens ive , but the

form er i s - found in crystal s equal i n puri ty to the bestrock sa lt

,and in h ighly sal ine springs , whil e th e latte r

i s found in th e form of pyrit e s , and the fact that these

446 T H E CH ICAGO RE C O RD ’

S

petroleum and sal t depos i t s occur main ly near the l ineof d iv i s ion between deep water navigat ion and that fittedfor l ighter craft

,gives them a poss ibl e great commercial

valu e . The extens ive coal and l ign i te depos its of the

lower Mackenzi e and el sewhere wi l l be found of great

va lue when the question of reducing its i ron ores andthe transportat ion of the products of th i s vast regionhave to be so lved by steam sea - going or l ighter river

craft . ’"

Some of the testimony upon whi ch these conclus ionswere based i s h igh lyi ntere st ing, though the investigation , of course , covered the whol e bas in o f the Mackenzie , and only i ncidental ly of the Yukon . But there

i s al so valuabl e testimony showing the great auri ferousvalue of the upper waters of the Yukon . Hitherto that

great - country up there was only of value as a fur preserve ; that has been it s ch i ef, i f not on ly , commerc ialvalue in th e past . The great the ‘Honorab le Hudson

’

sBay company’ enj oyed a monopoly of the fur trade

,and

its pol icy has b een to keep the country i n the d ark . They

at one t ime owned i t by grant from E ngland . They have

forts estab l i shed al l down the Mackenzie and other im

portant r ivers,where they purchase the furs by barter

from the Indian s,and the trade has run up to severa l

mi l l ion dol l ars a year . These traders were mostly E ngl i sh and Scotch ‘gentl emen s sons , many of them mar

ryingI ndian girl s or French hal f- breeds and spending

the i r l ive s in the great northern seclu s ion , unt i l ret iredin old age by the company . Some of these men wereexamined by the committee . They w ere very reti cent

about the fur t rade,but told what they k new about the

mineral and other resources of the country . At some

of these forts there are E ngl i sh church and Roman Cathol ic mi ssions establ i shed

,and a few mi ss ionari e s -were



S

Columbia,on the other s ide of the mountains . I shou ld

imagine,there fore

,that th ere i s considerab le gold in

th e Rocky mountains . ’'

D r. Dawson,who made geolog i cal explorat ions in

the upper Yukon region,te st ified as fol lows : ‘With

regard to th e gold on the L iard river, which i s a tributary of the Mackenzie

,I may state further that r em u ner

at ive bars have been worked east of the country downtoward the Mackenzi e . The whol e appearance of th i s

co u ntrv l eads to the bel ie f that important m ineral de

pos its wi l l be found in i t,bes ide s those - place

_

r mines .

There are large quant it i e s o f quartz ledges along ther ivers in many place s on the L iard river ; hal f the river

gravel i s composed of quartz and the whole country i sful l o f quartz ve ins

,some of whi ch are l ike ly to y ie ld

valuabl e mineral s . ’

Q .

‘I s i t a gold - bearing quartz ?"

A .

‘Yes, be ca u se w e find gold in the bars though

not,so far as I have di scovered

,in the loose quartz . I n

fact,the whole country at the headwaters of the L i ard

and running acros s to the Yukon forms part of the

metal l i ferous bel t which runs from Mexi co to Alaska

and includes a‘

great area of that cou n trv whi ch i s as

l ikely to be ri ch .in mineral s as any portion of that metal

l ife ro u s bel t . We should remember that in B ri t i sh C o

lumbia and on the headw aters of the Yukon we havefrom to m 11e s of that metal l i ferous bel t of thewest coast . Thi s i s a lmost prec i sely th e same length .

of that be l t conta ined in the United State s,and I think

there i s every reason to bel i eve that eventual ly i t wi l l

b e found suscept ib l e of an equal deve lopm en t'

from amin ing poin t of vi ew . From circumstances to whichI need not now refer

,i t has so far been more deve loped

in the United States th an on thi s s i de of the l ine .’


Q .

‘What i s the average width of that bel t of

or mi l es ?’

A .

‘About 40 0 miles , on the average . Fort Se lki rk ,or the ru ins of Fort Selk i rk

,at th e mouth of the Lewes

r iver,which i s one of the main branches of the Yukon ,

i s about mi le s due north of Victoria,without tak

ing into account ten degrees o f longitude whi ch i t i s

west,but i t gives an idea of the depth of the country

wh ich i s worth remark ing . You find a country here

mil es north of Vi ctoria in wh ich there i s no doubt

yo u can st i l l grow barl ey and hardy cereal s,a di stance

as nearly as poss ibl e ident i ca l wi th the whole width ofthe United State s on the Pacific coast from the 4othparal l e l to Mexi co , yet at Fort Selk i rk we are st i l l 750or 80 0 mil e s from th e Arct i c ocean—nearly twi ce as farfrom the Arct i c ocean as we a re here in O ttawa from the

Atlan ti c .

’

Q .

‘That would make a square area o f mi le s .I s that what the committee are to understand ?

”

A .

‘That wil l express the area of the metal l i ferou s

bel t i n a general way and may be taken as a min imum

figure . Thi s Yukon country was first prospected in 1 880

by miners who came acros s by th i s Chi lkoot pass.S ince

then a yearly increasing number of miners has beengoing in . I n 1 887 th i s l ast summer , there were about2 50 men , nearly 1 0 0 o f whom are winter ing at FortyM i l e creek , near th e internat ional boundary .

e“

The gold wh ich w a s taken out of that country las t sum

mer, not counting the C a ss ia r country to the south ,but

merely the Yukon di strict,was estimated by th e miners

at bu t that i s a very rough est imate i ndeed, be

cause there i s no way of check ing i t except by al lowing

so much per man on the average . There i s an almost

unpreceden ted l eng th o f river bars from which gold i s

“ 450 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S .

obtained i n that country . I have not tri ed to est imate

i t,but here and there on nearly al l thos e r ivers gold i s

found in paying quanti t i es . The gold—bearing river barsmust be reckoned in the aggregate by thousands ofm i le s in length .

’

Q .

‘All thos e rivers,meaning the Yukon and i ts

b ranches and the L iard and i ts branches ?’'

A .

‘Yes . ’"

Though the Coppermine river l i e s eas t of the Mac

kenz i e , and far from the - Yukon,i t may be interesting

to give here th e te stim o ny'

o f D r . Dawson in regard toC opper i n that river . He sa id

,speaking of the Copper

mine river part i cularly,that ‘th ere i s every reason to

be l i eve there i s a repeti t ion along that river and in i ts

v ic inity of those rocks wh ich contain copper on LakeSuper ior and which have proved so rich there . Butthat region seems to be beyond the reach of the pros

pe cto r at present .’

E nough has been said,I take i t

,to show that there i s

a country up north ri ch i n mineral resources . and the

ri ches are not,by any means , confined to one l i tt le trib

u tary of the Yukon . That the country i s ri ch in min

e ra ls , that i t covers an empi re in extent , there i s everyreason to bel i eve

,how rich no one can te l l . There has

been profitabl e placer min ing at Forty -Mile creek,near

the Klon dike,for some fi fteen yeasts , and Fort Re l iance

(long since abandon ed), which , I understand , i s right in

the immediate vi c in ity of the Klond ike,was bui l t away

back by the old Arct i c explorers . That th e ri ches of theKlondike could remain h idden for these many

“

years,

though miners have been work ing al l the t ime in the

near ne ighborhood , afford s some color to th e bel i e f that ,after al l

,the Cal i forn ia gold d iggings wil l dwindle by

compari son with those of th e Yukon . I t has long been



the opin ion that when the moss and timber are clearedo ff th e river s ide s and gu lches (s im i lar to what minerswere ob l iged to do in C a ss ia r), the diggings wi l l be exten s ive and ri ch .

"

The fo l lowing extract s from a report made by Capt .Will iam Moore i n January , 1 888, and whi ch was publ ish ed i n the report of Mackenzie basin committee

,i s

h igh ly interest ing as giving an idea of the min ingO perat ion s that were conducted at Fo r ty- Mile creek as

far back as ten years ago :‘Accord ing to information gathered from rel iabl e

sources : From the I st o f May to the 1 5 th o f Ju ly there

has be e n taken out at l east three - fourth s o f

which was taken out on Forty - Mile creek,as when a

party of men came out early last spring 0 11 the i ce and

confi rmed the statement of the strik e of coarse gold onFo r tv-Mil e creek , most o f the men from Lewes river

and the Hootal inqua went right down to the new strike,

which - only le ft e ight miners on the Hootal i nqua,and

seven 0 11 C a ssia r bar and the v icin i ty , fou r men on Pel lyr iver

,fi fteen on Stewart r iver and seven 0 11 S ixty -Mi le

creek'

With regard to the ri chnes s o f For ty - Mil e creek .

Miners wou ld not work $8 diggings ; they (l i d not con

s ider that amount as wages . They did make al l th e way

from $ 1 0 to $ 1 2 5 per dav .

>l<

'

E very stream entering into the Upper Yukon has

gold i n it . T h e best paying bars o f th i s sect ion , so far

as d i scovered,are s i tuated from the mou th of the Hoot

a l inqu a river down about seventy - five mil es . C a ssia r .

D ensm u ir’

s and McC o rm a c’

s bars , as marked on thesketch map , are the be st -paying ones . y i el d ing from $8

454 T H E CH IC AGO R E C O RD ’

S

to $40 per day ; also up the Hootal i nqua river at di f

fe r en t p laces the above pay has been obtained .

a

White river,1 2 5 miles below Pel ly river , i s navi

gabl e for about e ighty mi l es,and prospects o f $5 and

$8 per day h ave been found . The upper portion of th is

river i s a great resort for caribou,moose and beaver .

Stewart river,fi fteen mil es below White river

,i s naviga

b le for about 2 50 miles . The estimated amount of gold

taken out o f thi s river in the Seasons of 1 885 and 1 886

i s about There being very l i ttl e fal l i n th i s

river,miners experience cons iderable troubl e in working

s lu i ce s . Some part i e s are now negot iat ing to take steam

pumps up there,as there i s p lenty of fine gold diggings

on this stream which wil l pay from $ 1 0 to $50 per daywith s lu i ces . I t i s known that miners have made as

h igh as $ 140 a day with common rockers , although thegold was m inute ly fine .



S

D ecember 1 848, wash ing for . gold was going on al l along

the footh i l l s of the S i erra , a di stance of I 50 mi les .The first adventurers came from Mexico

,the South

Amer i can coast, and even from the Sandwich i sl ands .The exci tement eventual ly spread east

,and in the spring

of 1 849 the rush of emigrat ion acros s the plains and byway

“

of the I sthmus of Panama commenced .

The ep idemic reached the east in the fal l of 1 848, andbefore the w inter of 1 848-

49 the gol d of Cal i forn ia wasthe ru l ing top ic of conversat ion in every Atlanti c c i ty .

People were everywhere making ready to start for th enew E l Dorado . By January

,1 849 , ninety ves sel s , car

rying passengers,had sai l ed from various port s

,

bound for San Franci s co,and seventy more were a dver

ti sed to sai l . Pulp i ts resounded with warnings againstri ches as th e source of al l ev i l

,but the preachers

,when

they cou ld,took sh ip for the land of gold l ike other

people . E arly in 1 849 the populat ion o f San Franci sco

swel l ed from to Four hundred sai l ing ve s

se l s were abandoned by the i r crews at the ir anchorage

in th e bay . Labor was worth $ 1 0 a day . The firs t

Pacific mai l st eamer passed through the Golden Gate .

I n that year, 1 849 , 549 ves sel s entered the port , carrying

passengers,and immigrants arrived by the

overland j ourney acros s the plain s . I n the same year th e

y i e ld of the mines was probably not les s than

I t was est imated that men reached Cal i forn iadur ing that year

,i ncluding representatives of every state

of the un ion . The emigration to the l and of gol d continned with but l i tt l e abatement for three years, but the

exci tement fe l l o ff i n a marked degree in I854.

Cal i fornia d is coveri es gave ri se to a general search

for prec ious depos i ts i n the Pac ific states , and thi s was

BO O K FO R GO LD - S E E KE RS .457

fo l lowed by wi ld speculat ion s . A great deal of money

was sunk i n open ing new mines and in attempting to

develop old ones whi ch had never y ie lded anyth ing of

value .

Fi fty thousand men were engaged in mining for go ld

i n Cal i forn i a at the close o f 1 850 , and during 1 852 and

1 853 fu l ly were at work . At th i s t ime the Cal i

fo rn ia gold wash ings reached about in value

a year .At thi s period th e diggings for gold were chi efly along

the rivers . These were flum ed”—that i s , th e water

was diverted from i ts natural channel by means of

wooden flumes—and the accumulation of sand and

gravel i n the former beds was washed .

The first and ri chest p lacers,su ch as the bars on the

Am e r 1can,Yuba

,Feather , Stan i s lau s and other smal ler

streams in the heart o f the gol d region,yie lded each

miner as much as to a dav

The miners were excitab l e and frequent ly le ft valuabl el ocal it i e s in search o f something better . O ccas ional ly

a kind of frenzy would se ize on them and thou sands

would flock to some very di stant loca l i ty on the strengthof newspaper and other report s . Many wou ld then

peri sh from disease and starvat ion,the rest re turn ing

in poverty and rags .

The effect o f the gol d d is coveri e s i n Cali forn ia upon

the fortune s of that s tate and of the world at l arge aretoo wel l known to requ ire any descript ion here . I t w a sa revolut ion . Michael Cheval ier pred ic ted that i t would

cause such a deprec iat ion i n gold as compared withsi lver that th e former would pract ical ly be demonetized .

and i t needed energeti c efforts on the part o f E ngl ish

financi ers to check a tendency toward a general want of

confidence i n the yel low metal .


S

Before three years e lapsed the d i scoveri es in C a l ifo rnia were dupl icated in Austral ia . Some years before S i r

Roderi ck Murch i son had pred icted that gold would befound in the quartz and in 1 85 1 Hargreaves , who had

been at the diggings in Cal i forn ia,l ooked for i t i n the

Bathurs t d i stri ct o f New South Wales,and found what

he was look ing for . His d i scovery was at first rece ivedwi th incredu l i ty

,but when D r . Kerr found on the Turon

a lump of gold worth and a nugget was takento Sydney whi ch sold for there cou ld be no quest ion of the facts . Workmen of al l c l asses deserted th e i r

cal l ings to hunt for gold,and they were so successfu l

that in th e fal l of 1 85 1 th e average earn ings of pros

pe cto rs rose to $5 a day . Simul taneously al l arti c le s of

commerce advanced ; wheat quadrupled in value ; pota

toes rose from 7 sh i l l ings to 2 1 sh i l l i ngs a hundred

weight,and fre ight from Sydney to the mines from $ 1 2

to $ 1 50 a ton . When the news reached E urope thousands o f adventurers embarked for Austral i a, declaring

that i t s treasures cast in to the shade those of Cal i fornia .

Melbourne was j ealous o f Sy dney , and a generou s

reward was offered for th e discovery of a gold field with in

the province of Victoria . T h e resu lt was the d i scovery

in August,1 85 1 , of the diggings of Bal larat . Ten thou

sand adventurers flocked to the spot,wh ich maintained

it s reputation as the greatest gol d camp in the world t i l lMount Alexander and B endigo creek were di s covered .

Before New Year’s i t was said that there were

m iners a t B endigo,and Melbourne was depopulated .

Flour, which was worth $ 1 0 0 a ton at the seaboard , was

in demand at a ton at th e mines ; oats rose e ightfold , min ing tool s sold for any th ing the dealers . chose to

ask . I n that winter i t was said that an average of



r iver, and every bar for 140 miles of th e Frazer’s course

,

and a long the Thompson, w a s be ing prospected .

Two

flouri sh ing towns , Yale and Hope , sprang up on the riverbanks , and before snow fel l adventurers are sai d

to have l eft Cal i forn ia for th e new camps . O f these thegreat bu lk endured unto ld hardsh ips and found no gold .

They retu rned to San Franci s co di s couraged and penni

l ess and denounced Frazer river as a humbug,j u st as

some of the unlucky Yukon adventurers may poss ib lybe denouncing th e Klondike next year .But Frazer river was a real find

,which added

,i n the

course of twenty- odd years,more than twi ce as much

gold to th e wor ld’s supply as Spain had obtained from

the Ameri cas in the same space of t ime . E stimates o fthe y ie ld o f 1 858 vary so widely that i t i s d ifficul t to

ascertain th e truth . Good,the Canadian mini ster o f

m ines,reckoned that th e output o f that year was not over

but McD ona ld ,figuring from the reports o f

bankers and expres s compan i es , s e t i t down as

0 0 0 . Th is was ch iefly scal e gold , comminuted by ham

mering between boulders into fine flat scal es , and mixedwi th considerabl e flour gold . The yi el d increased i n

1 859 and again in 1 860 ; for th e th ree years th e tota l out

put was probably something l ike or

0 0 0 . I t d id not convul se trade , nor set the world crazy ,as the d iscoveries in Cal i forn ia and Austral i a had done

,

because th e di scouraging reports se t afloat by return ing

miners in 1 858 cooled popu lar ardor, and threw a bucket

of cold water on the spiri ts of the adventurers .

But the furor was rek indled in 1 86 1 by fresh d iscoveries in the Caribou mountain country , and at Quesnel

Forks d iggings , at the head waters o f th e Frazer andThompson . Here th e gol d found in the streams was

coarse , and th e mountains general ly cons isted of s late s ,

462 T H E C H ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

which,in lower lat itudes , had been found to b e au r i fe r

ous.The best fie lds for mining were the beds of buri ed

rivers below the l evel of the modern streams,as i n the

S ierra counti es of Cal i forn ia . I n th e depos i t on the beds

o f th ese preh istori c rivers were found ri ch ly coneentra ted gold l eads, which were reached by shafts and

level s . I t was from these that the ch i e f wealth of Cari

bou was extracted . I n 1 86 1 of gold was

sh ipped ; as much more in 1 86 2 ; an increas ed quanti ty

in 1 863 , and though after that year the excitement sub

s ided,the i nflux o f gold - seekers ceased

,and many miners

abandoned the country . Mr . Bancroft es timates th e

total y ie l d of the region in twenty years at somewhere

between and I t wi l l averagea year to - day .

But l iberal as the output o f Caribou was, i t caused nos t i r throughout th e world

,and from 1 86 1 to 1 88 1 the

min ing popu lat ion on ly averaged about I n the

beginn ing i t witnessed the inflat ion usual i n new mini ng

camps ; miners got $ 1 0 and $ 1 2 a day , and flour was $ 1a pound ; but afterward , though the actual yi e ld waslarger than i t had been in the early days

,and Antl er and

Wi ll iam creek s were pouring out the precious metal by

the pound,th ings sett l ed down to a steady bus ines s—l ike

bas i s,and the people did not get r i cher there than any

where e l s e . There was a bri e f period when Cariboufigured in the newspapers as a rival to Bal larat and

Frazer river . But i t d id not last,though i t may have

deserved to last .

The storie s tol d by old m iners who took part in the

Frazer r iver rush are on the l ines of th e tal es re lated byre turned Klondikers .

O ver the sides of th e Frazer canyon everyth ing had tob e packed on the backs of prospectors o r I ndians

,and



S

T h e di s coverers of the ri ch diggings at Antler creekwere three men—Rose

,D i ety and McD ona ld . What

became of McD on a ld , who was a French—Scotchmanfrom Cape B reton

,i s not known . D i ety died a pauper

at Victoria in 1 877 . Rose wandered away from campone day

,and for weeks no one knew where he was . A

party tramping through the snow one day came uponhi s body . His t in cup hung from the branch of a tree .

O n i t was scratched with the point of a penkni fe , Dying

of starvat ion . Rose .

Whil e there h as never been a year when the goldfever has not raged with more or l ess intens ity in

'

some

quarter of the globe , the next great era of intense excite

ment which attracted th e attent ion of the whole worldwas in the early ’

8o’

s , when the extraordinary gold fieldsof the Transvaal

,or South Afri can republ i c

,were di s

covered .

The quartz formation of th e famous Witwatersrandreef d iffered ent ire ly from any hi therto known gold - bearing ore , and at firs t many were skepti cal of i ts va lue .

But when i t b ecame known that the ree f extended inan unbroken hal f c i rc le for fo rty mil es and formed oneo f the ri chest fie lds i n th e world

,the rush acros s the

veldt began . Thousands traversed the mi l eswhich separated the Rand from the E ngl i sh colon ie s and th e peaceful l i tt l e Dutch republ i c was i nvadedby a wild , greedy exci ted mob of al l nat ional i t i e s . Thetown o f Johannesburg rose from a s ingl e hut to a c ityof nearly inhab i tants in les s than two years .

Fabulous fortunes were made in a few month s . Thesewere acqu i red , however, not by hard work in the m ines ,but by floating bogus companies when the fever was

at i ts height . There was no placer min ing, and beforeth e reef cou ld be made profitable immense mach inery


had to be carr i ed over hundreds of mi l es of rough country . But the gol d was there

,and the output las t year

equaled that of any other country of th e world .

The Un ited State s had i ts next great ep idemic of goldm ining fever early i n 1 889 , when the d is coveries in

Lower Cal i fornia caused intense exci tement along thePac ific coast . The Santa Clara di s tri ct , to which th ecrowds ru shed

,was about 1 2 0 mile s south of San D i ego ,

and forty west of R e sanaga . During March,1 880 ,

an

average of 60 0 men reached the mines each day . The

town of E nsanada was pract i cal ly des erted by males .

O n e of the firs t workers washed out worth ofgold in four hours near the Rancho Real de l Cast i l lo

:

The pan deposi t was main ly o f b lack sand,from which

th e gold was eas i ly extracted by the aid of amalgamatedcopper p late . A Mexican digger took out i n two

days i n the space of e ight fee t square .

T h e pri ce of provi s ions during March at th e diggingswas tremendously high . Five dol lars was pai d for afifty

- pound sack of flour,and for a ten - pound sack

of oatmeal . D rinks were 2 5 cen ts each .

I t was in th is same year,during the summer of 1 889 ,

that N . C . Creede who ki l l ed h imsel f recently , dis co-v

ered hi s famous Holy Moses mine in Colorado , andother r i ch depos its

,which attracted thousands to the

wi l dest regions about th e Wi l low creek,where the town

of Creede was sub sequently bu i l t .Meantime prospect ing had been going on in theCrippl e creek d i stri ct o f Colorado

,and i t was to th i s

v i cin i ty that the next great rush of gold - seekers was dest ined to be di rected .

“Bob Womack,a cowboy

,was the

first to find ore i n Poverty gulch . He took i t to Colorado

Springs late in 1 890 , and the float was found to yi e ld $240to th e ton . E dward de la Vergne , T . F . Frisb i e and D r .


S

J . P . Granni s then put up the B roken Box ranch onCrippl e creek , located a c la im under the name of E lDorado . Thi s was the first c laim registered in the di s

Next M . C . Lackford located the B lue B el l i n Squaw

gu lch , and“Bob Work , a D enver barber, located the

Rose Maud,which showed on one of the earl i e st assays

no less than per ton .

I n July , 1 89 1 , the Buena Vi sta and the Gold Kingmines were located . When the Buena Vis ta was sold toCount Po u r ta l is and T . . C . Parrish

,of Colorado Springs

,

the attent ion of the ent ire country was cal l ed to the Cripple Creek gold fiel ds , and the rush began . O ver thewind - swept Rocky mountain tops , or wais t—deep throughthe snow in the gu lches

,the determined body of treasure

seekers poured upon the di stri ct and c la ims were stakedi n al l d irect ions .From Mineral h i l l to the creek bed the mountain s ide s

were covered with cla ims,as was a l l the ground 0 11 both

s ides o f the l ine s , regard les s o f th e characte r of the rock .

Many hardsh ips were endured at Crippl e Creek inthese early days of i t s popu lari ty

,and to such as were

successfu l the l i fe was a rough and distaste ful one at best .O ne of the weal th i est men at Cripp le Creek at th e endof 1 893 was Winfiel d S . Stratton , who was accounted tobe worth from to He had tri edh i s luck in al l the camps of th e s tate o f Colorado

,and

was one of the first to enter the Cripple Creek di stri ct.

At that t ime he had no money at al l . After prospect

ing around,

he made up hi s m m d to pack h i s traps and

go back to h i s old work as a carpenter, when he discovered th e yel low metal on a p iece o f float pi cked up on

ground owned by D i ck Hou ston,the I nd ian scout, and

th e Father o f Crippl e Creek .



S

Doyl e and Burns agreed to give Harnan a th ird i f hefound the

,

pay rock . He found it . th a t afternoon,and a

year ago H a rnan’

s th ird of the mine was worth

0 0 0 i n the market .The Portland has produced several mi l l ions of dol lars’

worth of gold . Stori es such as these drove Coloradowi ld in the early days of Cripple Creek min ing

,and from

to people flocked to the fie lds . None ofthe s e p laces wh ich have been the obj ective points o f

gold - fever ru shes,however

,seem to have been as inac

ce ss ib l e a s th e new gold fie ld s of northwestern Brit i shColumbia , and whatever hardships were suffered by the’

49ers of Cal i forn i a or the bush diggers of Au stfa l ia may

be multipl i ed to a thousand fold for the excited hordeswho are flock ing to the Klondike .


CHAPTE R XXX I I I .

G O LD I N AM E R IC AN D E S E R T S .

O L D HAS B E E N respons ib l e for manycrazes

,but p robab ly th e . wildest a nd.

craz ie s t s tampede ever known in the south

west was that to the Rocky B el l e camp innorthern Ari zo na

,in th e region o f the

Moqui Indian reservat ion,i n D ecember ,

1 874. The region i s fee t above

th e s ea and l i e s among snow - c lad mounta ins . I twas an unusual ly cold winter when the news went

abroad that Hank B in ford and hi s compan ion had struck

a whol e mountain of gold rock that assayed over $90

to the ton . The report seemed incredib l e at first,but

when sample s o f th e ore were seen by miners in Tucson,

Albuquerqu e and Los Angeles they proved suffic iently

ri ch to sat i s fy the most skept i cal .

A week more and over m iners from every part of

Arizona and southern Cal i forn i a were moving day andn ight

,scarce ly stopp ing for food and s leep

,toward the

Rocky Bel l e camp . Hundreds o f men travel ed 70 0 and80 0 mi l e s on foot , and with mules and donkey s , to th e

new diggings , and nearly al l t raveled across desert andmountain for a di stan ce o f 2 50 to 30 0 mile s . As the

multi tude j ourneyed on the report o f the ri chne s s ofHank B inford

’

s find grew unti l i t s eemed as i f wagonloads o f r ich gol d ore awaited th e travel ers .Merchants and pro fess ional men in Maricopa and Tucson

,and that part o f southern Arizona , became imbued

wi th the sp i ri t o f the miners,and

,turn i ng thei r bus i

470 T H E C H IC AGO RE CO RD ’

S

ne ss over to others , j o ined i n the movement on RockyBel l e . The hardsh ip s that the fortune - seekers sufferedin the mounta in s w i l l never be fu l ly known . A large

number of men coming out o f the warm, balmy air ofthe semi - trop i c val leys los t the ir l ive s among the

snow - banks and ice in the mountains , and many a manwas made an inval id for l i fe by exposure to th e b i t ing coldduring the stampede .

A severe ‘bl izzard raged in the mounta ins for severaldays whi l e the m iners were s lowly trudging through

them . I n one party of over 1 0 0 men from New Mexico

four men were frozen to death one morn ing,and i t i s

thought that ful ly twenty more d ied in the same way

in the mountains at that t ime .

'

To th is day there are i nCal i fornia and Arizona gray - headed miners who lack

a finger,a toe or an ear lost i n the terribl e co ld of that

stampede .

When at last the “ Rocky Bel le d iggings were reachedi t was soon seen that there was no ore i n the d i stri ctworth the digging except in the cla ims held by HankB inford and hi s friends , and that the reports of the i r findshad been exaggerated beyond al l reason . B inford

’

s ownmine pete

’

red out a year or two later,and he got only a

few thousand dol lars from it . The specimens ofC

oreshown in Tu cson and Los Angeles w ere the ve rv choi ces tfrom the mine

,and not h i t or mi ss pi ckups

,as had been

said of them .

Along in the summer of 1 878 a miner named Steven swrote to a fri end in Phoen ix that h e had found a claimthat beat anyth ing in min ing th i s s ide of the Comstock

lode in Nevada,and that w ith a common iron mortar

and pestl e he had pounded out from $70 to $ 1 0 0 worth

of gold dust a day . The cla im was located 1 2 0 mile snorthwest from Kingman

,near the s ince famous Harqua



S

i ng the fortune th i s or that man or company was gett ing out o f th e h i l l s a nd mountains about the new camp

,

thousands started for Tombstone. Hundreds of young

men and youths in th e older states were wi l d withzeal to hasten to the new E l Dorado

,and started across

the contin ent with l i tt l e or no preparat ion.

I n less than four months after G i rd and the H aw kin se s

began gett ing several thousand dol lars a day fromthe i r m ines there were over persons in the camp

,

and several months later Tombstone had a populationof over men and 2 0 0 women . There n ever wasanother camp in the southwest l ike that at Tombstone

In 1 879 and 1 880 . I ndeed , there have been very fews im ilar communiti e s in the world . For over s even monthsth e dai ly output of prec ious metal averaged about $50 ,0 0 0 . O ver a dozen men went there penni les s and came

away worth over in l es s than a year,and 6 or 7

men stru ck i t ri ch and sold out for over

each . Fu lly hal f the populat ion walked hundreds o f mil e s

to get there .

No rai l road ran through southern Arizona in thosedays

,and the awfu l Colorado and Moj ave deserts had to

be crossed in wagons or on foot by the mult itudes of fortune seekers from Cal i forn ia . Desert sand storms wereencountered and for days trave lers to Tombstone en

du r ed'

a temperature of over 1 30 degrees in th e shade .

Many a man died on the hot,sandy pla ins . Miners on the ir

way to th e new camp from the east and south toi ledacros s the Arizona alkal i pl ains

,through immense

cactu s areas,and ri sked the ir l ive s in the then host i l e land

of the Apache Ind ians . But hardship , pain , suffering andr isk of l i fe were al l se condary to an early arrival i n Tomb

stone and the location of a m ining c laim . When Tomb

stone was reached there were new privations and more


physi ca l d i stress for the greater number , e spec ial ly for

those who had hastened from office s , s tores , shops , c l erk

ship s and the pastor’s study . O ver one—th ird of the menin camp had very l itt l e money or none at al l

,and knew

no way of earning i t except byth e hardest k ind of manual

l abor,to whi ch they were unused .

I t co st $ 1 a n ight to sl eep in a di rty , rough pine bunk .

Water sold at 2 0 cents a gal lon,a smal l d i sh o f beans at

50 cents , tal low candles at two—bit s (2 5 cents), commonoveral l s at $5 each , smoked hams at $ 1 2 each , and cow

hide boots were disposed of as fas t a s they could behau led to camp across th e desert from Los Angel e s andYuma for $35 a pair . I t was a ground—h og

” cas e wi ththese commoditi e s for the first 1 6 month s of Tombstone

take them at the pri ce asked or go without . I n 1 88 1

al l the Tombstone mines that paid wel l were in the hands

o f a few persons , and the population of the place had gone

down to In 1 883 the m ines , with two except ions .began to peter out

,and the populat ion dropped to

S ince then i t has gone down slowly to l ess than

sou ls .

Thousands of peopl e wi l l never forget the ru sh for th eHarqua Hala d iggings in th e spring o f 1 892 . The mines

were found in the northwestern part o f Arizona , c lose tothe Co lorado river

,and the boundary l ine s between Ari

zona,Cal i fornia and Nevada . For several month s in

th e winter of 1 89 1 - 2 there came almost every week , news

of th e b ig prospects that a hal f dozen miners , who had

been moving from one camp to anoth er in the terr i torie s

and in Mexico for nearly a generat ion , had at las t come

acro ss at Harqua Hala .

Along in March and Apri l quant i t i e s o f gold dust and

nuggets from the m ines came into the hands o f bankers

i n San B ernard ino and Los Angel es . The newspapers

474 TH E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’

S

publ i shed report s as to the prospects at Ha r qua Hala .and in a week or two there was another general rush for

th ed iggings . The ra i lro ads'

d id a l and office bu s in ess for

several weeks in carrying men as far as th e Coloradoriver: From there the travel ers to Harqua Hala packedthemselves on l i tt l e river steamboats at exorb itant rates

of t rave l . Hundreds of miners who had hardly a dol lartramped over the mountains I 50 and 2 0 0 miles to the

mines . Some men in the i r anxi ety to get to Harqua Halawith thei r camp outfit s and personal belongings

,packed

them i n barre l s and rol led the barrel s over 1 0 0 mil es tothe

‘

camp .

E ven the schoolboys caught the in fect ion from thei re lders, and ran away from school and home . Several

perso n s sta rved to death in the stampede . I n forty daysthe populat ion of Harqua Hala grew from 50 to over

-

2,

0 0 0 . As i s gene ra l lv th e case , the few good mines therewere taken up before the new s o f the find went abroad

,

and there was nothing for the de luded miners to do whenthey got to Harqua Hala but si t about camp and

watch the ir more lucky associates dig ou t th e rock . Price sfor al l k inds of food went to the top mark with rapi dity .

Atter'

a few weeks’ i d leness the mining populat ion atHarqua Hala dwindled away at the rate o f 1 0 0 or morea day . A large part of them are now searching amongthe mountains

,through the canyons

,on the desert

,and

in the footh i l l s for prospects o f the ir own . A good, a c

t ive miner wi l l locate hal f a dozen min ing cla ims in a year,

but l es s than 1 0 per cent o f these are ever worked .

Had not th e Klondike rush turn ed the undivided attention of gold - seekers to the arct i c p lacer m ines in theUpper Yukon bas in . i t i s h ighly probable there would

have been a rush of some magnitude to the gold fie lds i n

the Moj ave desert o f southern Cal i forn ia .



The ri ch fie lds o f the Randsburg di stri ct have been

known in Cal i forn ia for several years,but those who

knew of the depos i t s were carefu l not to advert i se the i rgood fortunes too widely . I t was not known unti l rece nt

ly that the d istri c t was as r i ch as i t i s .The Rand di stri ct

,as i t i s cal l ed, i s s i tuated i n Kern

county,south ern Cal i forn ia

,almost on the San Be rna r

d ino county l i ne . I t i s i n the heart of the Moj ave desert .The surrounding country i s a sandy pla in from which

ri se barren mounta in ranges and isolated masse s of vol

can ic rock . Pla ins and footh i l l s are scanti ly covered wi th

sagebru sh and mesqu i te . The di str i ct as now const i tu tedcontains 144square m i les , but the whol e country between

the Colorado river and Tehachap i mountains has th e

same characteri st i c s as the Rand di s tr i ct proper . Gold

i s most pl ent i fu l i n th e region from Moj ave to th e Panam int range

,1 1 5 mil es , the largest output being at th e

Rand .

The princ ipal towns,camps and mi l l ing point s are

Randsburg, Johannesburg , Garlock (or Cow Wel l s), Goler, Red rock, Black mounta in , Cuddeback lake , Gar

den stat ion,Slat e range and Panamint range . Alti tude

vari es from feet at Kramer to fee t at Randsburg and fee t in th e adj acent h i l l s . The first act ive

prospect ing date s back only th ree years ago—i . e .,early

i n 1 894. The firs t quartz lead was d i scovered i n Apri l,

1 895 , and the Rand min ing d istri ct was formal ly organized D ec . 2 0 ,

1 895 . The most important s trikes occurredin 1 896 , when the Butte , Kinyon , Wedge , King Solomon

and St . E lmo mines w ere brought to l ight . From thenon the town magi cally grew to it s present populat ion ofabout

The auri ferous depos it s are abundant,so far a s deve l

oped , and run suffic iently h igh grade to admi t o f min ing


S

with profit . The preciou s metal ex ists mainly as a freem il l ing, goldbearing quartz

,though so close ly associated

wi th sulphurets of i ron that treatment of resu l t ing coneentrate s i s neces sary . The free -mil l i ng qual i ty enables the

pro spe cto r'

by s impl e process to te st h i s finds . Miners,

specu lators,tradesmen and laborers are constantly going

to Randsburg,and most of them become permanent res i

dents . They come princ ipal ly from Cal i forn ia,Colorado

,

Montana,Nevada and Arizona , with scattering recru i ts

from othe r places .

Whi le more than claims have been located andrecorded

,the m ines producing considerab le quan

t it i e s of mi l l ing ore are l imited to about twenty—v iz,

th e Rand,O lympus , Tri lby and Yel low Aster (compri s

ing the Rand group); the Yucca Tree , Winn ie and Mer

ced (compri s ing the Stringer group); the Gol d CoinMinnehaha

,B lack Hawk , Good Hope or . Kinyon

,

Butte,Monkey Wrench

,King Solomon

,Val Verde

,Bul ly

Boy,St . E lmo and Tea Kay or Wedge . Shafts have

been sunk on these properti e s from 30 to 1 75 feet , and thevalue of ore mi l led up to March , 1 897 , was a th ird of ami l l ion dol lars . This does not take into account the immense quantity of valuable ore on the dump

,or the bod ies

O pened up but not m ined . The best sh ippers are sai d to

be the Rand,Butte

,Wedge and St . E lmo .

O wing to scarci ty of m i l l s the development of newmines has been somewhat retarded

,and there i s a large

quantity of ore from the earl ie st - worked shafts await ingreduction . There are n ine cu stom mi l l s i n th is

‘

sect ion,

s ix be ing at Garlock,one at Mesqu ite springs

,one at

K o eh n’

s springs and one at C u tte rba ck l ake . Their comb in ed capaci ty i s about 1 2 5 tons each twenty- four hours .The nearest stamp mil l s are at Garlock

,down hil l from

Randsburg , i n a val l ey where there i s a supply of '

w a te r .



S

A couple of men with thre e burr os and $30 0 or $40 0 incash can prospect for four months in the Panamint country , northeas t o i Randsburg, with exce l l ent chances ofbring i ng back a goodly p i l e . The more ready money onehas the better the l ike l ihood of getti ng hold of a promising prospect hol e close r to the settl ed d istri ct .Adjacent to Randsburg nearly every foot of ground i slocated, but some miners , whi le wai t ing for employmenti n the new shafts , are making $2 to $5 a day wash inggravel i n the placers near the St . E lmo mine . There aremany appl i cants for temporary work , and i t i s not a dvisabl e to depend too much on the chance of securing imme

diate employment .

The lack of water hand icaps th e Randsburg miner,and

the great neces s i ty o f the place i s Water for domest i c useand mi l l i ng. D rink ing water i s hau led from Garlock

,but

i t i s not first- clas s i n qual i ty . Some s ix mi l es d i stant i sa wel l

,which suppl i es gal lon s a day , which i s

pumped to a reservoi r and thence carri ed to Johannesburg . Water brought from the Ski l l ing wel l i s sold in

Randsburg at 4 cents a“ gal lon . Wel l boring i s going

on and i t i s b e l i eved an abundant supply of water wi l l besecured through arte sian wel l s .

I n the Rand group free m il l ing ores run $45 to $ 1 75a ton . I n one r i ch pocket the ore ran .

a ton . The

St . E lmo group of mines i s five mil es southeas t of Randsburg

,in a perfe ctly flat country

,wh ere the ground can

be loos ened by a plow and then handled by washer. Someof the ore has y ie l ded a ton . The first tria l sh ipment to smelter real ized $80 0 for 740 pounds , and a general average shows $ 1 0 5 a ton after subtracting fre ightand treatment charges . The surface dirt i s a gold - beari nggravel worth $2 a ton . At Gol er i n a canyon

,three mi l es

from Garlock, a nugget was found worth and a

BO O K FO R GO LD—S E E KE RS . 481

number of nuggets have been taken out ranging in valu e

from $35 to $2 0 0 .

Kramer stat ion , from where th e wagon road leads tothe gol d d iggings

,i s on the Santa Fe . Two four- horse

stages l eave Kramer for Randsburg ; di stance , 2 6 mil es ;t ime , 3 hours ; fare , $2 .

The day laborer can make fa ir wages,e i ther by work

ing in the mines (though that avenu e of employmentdoes not now cal l for many men), or by carpentering, orby hau l ing water

,or by tran spor t ing ore to the mi l l s

,or

by fre ighting to and from the rai l road stat ion . There

i s -a lways the chance to prospect for gold,e i ther on one

’

s

own a ccount or by be ing grubstaked .

L iv ing expenses are not unusual ly h igh . They areequ ival ent to Los Angel es pri ce s

,with

,say , 2 5 per cent

added . Re staurants charge 35 to 75 cents for a meal ,and a co t . fo r the n ight in a tent or dormitory costs 50

cents . Hay is sol d for $2 0 a ton , wood from $8 to $ 1 0 a

cord and coal $ 1 5 a ton . Mesqui te,which grows on the

desert,i s th e u sual fuel . The rate s for hau l ing fre ight

are low,being only $5 a ton from Kramer in carload lot s ;

l e s s than carloads, 30 cents per hundredweight . Fuel i s

at hand,i n th e shape of mesqu ite and sagebrush , su ffi

ci en t for the camp fire and miner’s hu t,but a poor de

penden ce for th e s team engine or even the regular houserange . Crude petrol eum is u sed to a l im ited e x ten t,

' bu t

costs rather more than coal .Gold exi sts i n larger or smal le r quant it i e s i n every por

t ion of th e world . I t has been found in a lmost every s tate

of th e union ; i n D evonshi re , Cornwal l , Wales and Scotland in Great B ri ta in ; on the sands o f the Rh ine , th eReuss , the Rhone , and the Aar ; at Salzburg, i n the Tyrol ,and at Z e l l ; i n the val l eys of Toppa, Sesi a and Nova rd i n

Pi edmont ; at Peschi era i n Lombardy ; on the Tagus in


S

Spain ; i n the rivers of Provence ; i n southern and eastern S iberia ; i n fou rt een of the n ineteen prov inces of

Ch ina ; i n the i s l and of Yesso in Japan ; i n odd spots inI ndia

,Thibet and in the i s lands o f Ceylon and Borneo ;

i n Abyss in ia,Kordofan and the Soudan general ly i n

North Afri ca,and the region watered by the Z ambesi

and L impopo in South Afri ca ; i n Austral ia , New Z e a

l and and Canada . But as a general rul e the preciousmetal i s found in such smal l quant i t i e s that i t wi l l notpay to work the mines or placers . I t i s only n ow and

then that i t occurs in i solated local it i e s i n abundance .

That there were such epochs of gold d is covery in an

c i ent h i story i t i s imposs ib l e to doubt , though transportat ion was so d ifficul t i n those days that rushes of go l d

seekers to the d iggings must have been l im ited . I t i s

hardly to b e supposed that the vast quanti t i e s o f goldwhi ch were in ex istence in Judea

,at B abylon

,i n I ndia

,

i n Pers i a and in E gypt were gradu a llv accumulated by

the working of l ean sands ; the bu lk mus t have been they ie ld of d i scoveri es of ri ch deposi t s . Gol d figures as anart i c l e of exchange and merchand i se as far back as thet ime of Abraham

,and when Solomon came to the throne

he fairly plastered the templ e with gol d . He had plentyof i t . The king of Tyre sent h im at one t ime 1 2 0 tal ent s

say,

—in gold ; h i s fri end , the queen of Sheba ,sent h im from O phir he rece ived and

in one year h e rece ived from al l sources . There

coul d have been no scarcity of the prec iou s metal at h i scourt .

Nor coul d i t have been rare in other parts of Asia . AtBabylon , where , i n the t ime of B el shazzar , they had godsof gold , and gold ves sel s for every guest of th e k ing todrink out of, or in Pers ia , where th e k ing h ad beds o f

gold and goblets of gold ; or i n Hindostan , where th e



S

E gypt was a ri ch country,and the women general ly

owned j ewel s of gold,which the Jewesses borrowed of

them , and which Aaron mel ted into the cal f that Mosesground up in hi s rage . But in those early times mostof the gold that was mined must have fal l en into th ehands o f th e monarchs of the day . The common people

could have had l i tt l e o f i t . I n Greece every man couldmint h i s own metal

,bu t i f h i s coin s were under weight

hi s l i fe was forfe i t . The i s sues of su ch mints must havebeen smal l . No gold co ins were in general c ircu lat ion

at Rome ti l l th e days of Jul iu s Caesar . I n th e m i ddle

ages a baron may have had a chain from which he twi sted

a l ink or two when he desi red to reward a fol lower,and

h i s wi fe may have had a gold p in,but there was no gold

i n general ci rculation . E ven at the time of the d iscoveryof America the ent ire metal l i c c i rcu lat ion of E ngland was

les s than the banks of San Fran c 1sco hold to—day .

The firs t rush of gold - s eekers to a land of promi se took

place from Spain to the countrie s d i scovered bv Columbus . O n the i s l ands he vi sited and those port ions of the

continent on which he landed there are and w ere then

no gold mines . But th e natives he met wore ornaments

of gold obta ined mostly from South America,and Cortez

found a good deal of i t,though ne ither he nor hi s people

undertook to mine . When Montezuma surrendered,the

treasure i n gold whi ch fe l l to the share of the conquerors

amounted to p ieces of e ight,equivalent

,accord

ing to Mr . Prescott,to a smal l sum i f contrast

ed with th e y i e ld of modern mining camps,

“but more;perhaps

,than the contents o f the coffers of any E uropean

monarch of that dav . and qui te enough to d is turb valuesthroughout th e world .

I t was l ess than the sum secured a few years later byPizarro in Peru . At Cuzco he d ivided among hi s men


pieces o f e ight,and the ineffectual ransom of

Ada h u a lpa cost the unfortunate Inca a sum exceedingof our m oney . The Spani sh army in Peru

rece ived and sent home four t imes as much as the fol low

ers of Cortez sent from Mexi co . I t i s d iverting to observehow the i l l - gotten gains operated prec i se ly as the d is

cove ry of a bonanza does in a m in ing camp . The chron

i cle r savs : E very arti c l e rose in value . A quire o f

paper sol d for ten p ieces o f e ight,a bottl e of wine for

s ixty,a sw ord for forty or fi fty

,a cloak for a hundred

,a

pa ir o f shoes fo r th irtyo r forty , and a horse for tw entyfive hundred .

’ A piece o f e igh t was equ ivalent to an

ounce of gold .

I t i s assumed that Spain drew from her Amer i can posses s ions in the first hal f o f the s ixteenth century

0 0 0 of gold,the estimate wi l l be l iberal ; but i t was e nough

to revolut ion ize commerce throughout the world and tol ead Spain to adopt the pol i cy wh i ch crippl ed her energies

,st ifl ed her inte l l ect

,and reduced her in three “ cen

tu t i e s to such a condi tion of decrepi tude tha t sh e h ecame the laughing stock of the nat ions . I n the meant ime

,

however, her bes t b loCd flowed acros s the ocean to Ameri ca and founded nation s which promis e to outstrip themother country in the true e l ements of greatness

.

From the spol iat ion of the South and Central American countrie s in the first hal f o f th e s ixteenth century tothe midd le o f the n ineteenth there w a s no startl ing di scove ry of gold anywhere . The world

’s s tock kept s teady,

th e loss from abras ion and acc iden t be ing just about balameed by the product ion of th e working mines.


S

CHAPTE R XXXIV .

WO M E N IN T H E KLO N D I KE C O UNT RY .

ANY WO M E N T O O have caught th eKlondike fever. The femal e popu lation

of the upper Yukon di stri ct wi l l be increased . by at l eas t I 50 highly respect

able , and in some in stan ces , well - known

women in soc iety . Many of these temale prospectors, however, l e ft shops ,stores and typewri t ing machines to seekfor fortune , and poss ib ly find a husband

,

somewhere with in 1 0 0 mi l e s o f th e Arct i c c ircl e.

T h e Klondike , however, has not been dest i tute ofwomen by any means . T h e firs t woman to reach therewas Mrs . Thomas L ippy , who i s now in San Franci s co ,sh e and her husband having said good - by to the Klondike for a vear . Mrs . L ippy and her husband have nottrodden the primrose path to any great extent

,and

,there

fore,the sudden competence wh ich has come to them

through Mr . L ippy’

s good fortune on E l Dorado creekfinds them rather ignorant o f the w ays of enj oyi ng l i fethat accrue to the possess ion of money .

When Mrs . L ippy was in the Klondike,near Dawson

Ci ty,at first there were no members of h er sex in that

sect ion of the world at al l with the exception of a few

I ndian squaws . The L ippy camp was on what i s cal l edE l Dorado creek

,a tributary of the Klondike . Unti l the

log cab in—which,by the way

,was the first on e in the

p lace—was bui l t,the hardy coupl e l ived in a tent . Al l

th e furni ture they h ad was made by Mr. L ippy, and their


BO O K FO R GO LD S E E KE RS . 489

s ib le ; otherwi se she would have to have al l the outfi t h e

possesses in th e way o f transportation fac i l i t i e s and provis ions . O uts ide the camping outfit and the food , carefu l inqui ry among the women who have returned fromthe Klondike region shows that the fol lowing should be

requ ired :

O ne medicine c ase , fi l l ed on th e advi ce of a good phy

sic ian ; two pa irs o f extra heavy , al l - wool blankets ; onesmal l pi l low ; one fur robe ; one warm shawl ; one fur coat ,easy fitt ing ; three warm woolen dresses with comfortabl e

bodices and sk irts knee length,fl anne l l ined pre ferabl e ;

three pa irs o f kn ickers or b loomers to match the dres ses ;three su its of heavy al l - wool underwear ; three w arm fla n

ne l n ight dres ses ; four pa irs o f kn i tted woolen stock ings :

one pai r o f rubber boots ; th re e gingham aprons .that

reach from neck to knees :small rol l o f flanne l for inso l es,

wrapping the feet,and bandages ; a sewing kit ; su ch toi l et

arti c l e s as are absolute ly necessary,i nclud ing some skin

unguent to protect the face from the i cy co ld ; two l ightb louses or sh irt wai st s for summer wear ; one oi l sk inb lanket to wrap her effects in

,to be secured at Juneau

or St . Michae l ; one fur cape ; two pai rs of fur gloves :two pairs of fur s eal moccas in s ; two pa irs o f

'

muclu cs ‘

wet- weather mocca s ins .She w ears what she p leases en route to Juneau or St .Michael , and when she makes her start for th e d iggingsshe lays as ide every c ivi l i zed travel ing garb

,i nc lud ing

shoe s and corse ts,unti l she comes out . I nstead of carry

ing the fur robe,fu r coat and rubber boots along

,they

m ay be purchased 0 11 entering Alaska,but the ex pe r i

e nced ones advise that they be taken along . The nat ive smake a fu r coat with hood attached cal l ed a parka ,

bu t i t i s clumsy for a wh ite w oman to w ear who has been

accustomed to fitted garm ents. Leggings and shoes are


S

not so safe nor des irable as the moccas i ns . A trunk i s

not the th ing to transport baggage in . I t i s much be tterin a pack, with th e oi l skin cover wel l t i ed on . Theth ings to add that are use fu l

,bu t not absolutely n ece s

sary , are chocolat e , coffee and the smal l er l ight luxuries .When a woman reaches the Klondike

,always provided

she has al l the th ings that are necessary,she wi l l find a

region that i s , as a rul e , as inhospitabl e as Ti erra de lFuego . To reach there she has encountered

,i f s h e has

come over the l and route from Juneau,any amount of

privation and very l i t t l e p leasure . I f her j ourney has

been by water, then she knows what i t i s to be week afterweek subj ected to the crowded accommodations of an i l lfitted passenger boat . Anyth ing wi l l s eem pl easant afterthat water j ourney , and there fore i t i s probab le that

whether her trip has be en by land or sea,sh e wi l l be

glad enough when she reaches a stopp ing place that i s

permanent .Another aston i shing case , something of wh i ch has

already been publ i shed , i s that of Mrs . J . T . Will i s of Ta

coma .

I n the spr ing‘ o f 1 897 Mrs . Wil l i s was poor. To

- day

she i s worth a quarter o f a mi l l ion , and al l on account ofthe Klondike . Two years ago Mrs . Wil l i s , whose hu s

band i s a b lacksmith,and a great sufferer from rheuma

tism,decided to try her luck among the gold fields o f

the frozen north . She set ou t alone , and vowed thatshe wou ld not return unti l she could br ing a fortune with

her . She has kept her word .

After two years of prospecting,and j ust when her

spi ri t and her fortune were at the lowest ebb , there came

a report to Circ l e Ci ty of a b ig placer strike on theKlondike

,

Jo in ing a party of cattl emen , Mrs . Will is



S

sl ender,de l i cate l i ttl e Kentuck ian , and says she wi l l

stay j us t as long as she fee l s l ike it .

Mrs . M . L . D . Keiser and her pretty niece , M i ssGeorgia O sborne

,both of Jacksonvi l l e , I l l . , bought the ir

c loth ing outfit i n Chicago and started for the Chi lkoot

pas s . Their outfi t cons i sted of the th i ckest of woolenhos i ery and gloves

,l eggings and furs

,fu r hoods

,can

va s s l eeping ba gs , l ined wi th sheepsk in , sweaters andseveral su it s o f the heavies t woolen goods obtainable .

Both wi l l w ear ski rt s as short as a modest b i cyc le dress .Mrs . Keiser boldly said

,j ust be fore l eaving

,that she

w a s going to the Klond ike to stake a cla im and makea strike and she expected to return ri ch .

O ne of the first w omen to l eave for the gold country

from the northwest started out with the definite pur

pose to open a restaurant at Dawson City . Thi s wasMrs . Bess i e Thomas of Seattle

,and she s tart ed o ff

alone . She bel i eves that a woman who has her l iv ingto make stands j u st as good a chance in a mining townas a man .

T w o prominent Cathol i c s i s ters arrived recently in S anFranci sco from Massachusetts on . the ir way to Alaska

.

where they wi l l e stabl i sh a convent of the order o f St .Ann , an extens ive Canadian organization founded byB ishop Bourget in 1 848 .

The s i sters who thus le ft thei r Massachusetts home andoffered the i r servi ces in th e . far north are known as S is terMary Magdalen of the Sacred Heart and S i s ter Maryof the Cross . I n an intervi ew in San Franc i sco , at thehome of th e Si sters o f the W H o ly Names , on e

of the S i ste rs sa id o f the contemplated trip and the work

in Alaska :'

W e a re going largely as pioneers , for the Alaskan

work is new to u s. T h e founder of th is work w as S i s ter


Mary Stephen , who has been in the far north for manyyears . We are es tabl i sh ing the fi fth home and school o fth i s characte r in Alaska

,and our headquarters wi l l be at

St . Michael . We shal l O pen a school for whi te ch i ldrenexclu s ive ly

,and the white ch i ldren from other mi ss ion s

wil l be brought to our school,for the purpose i s to

separate al l the whi te s from the Ind ian s . I have had agreat deal of experi ence in teach ing

,though not among

Alaskans , but ch i ldren are about the same the worldover . Where I taught last year we had chi ldreni n the parochia l school . My companion does not speak

very much E ngl i sh , as she i s French . Whil e I am I r ishI speak French

,and we get along al l right .

“We do not expect to find any gold nuggets there,but

we hope to win some sou l s to Chri s ti an l i fe and do somegood to our fe l low be ings . I wrote to the mother prov inc ia l that we were glad to come into the country and beof whatever servi ce w e cou ld to th e cau se . From whatI hear

,I bel i eve the Jesu its wi l l soon seek ai d for th e

estab l i shment o f proper hosp ital s i n th e Klond ike coun

try . There i s considerable s i ckness up there , and thereare many acc idents among the miners . I t i s probabl ethat si s ters from the far north wi l l come to the Klondike

hospital s,because

,as they are inured to the c l imate

,

they can do the work with far l ess ri sk than wou ld beincurred by si sters com ing from a temperate i eg ion .

You may fee l sure that as soon as there i s need of extrahospi tal fac i l i t i e s

,some of th e Cathol i c orders w i l l be

on the ground and establ i sh what i s needed .

We have made ampl e prov i s i on i n advance for thec loth ing and other suppl ies w e wi l l n eed temporari ly in

the new fie ld o f work . As our peopl e have had manyyears o f experi ence up that way , we were fu l ly in formed

of O u r needs . We th ink there i s a fine field for u sefu l


S

nes s up there,and we were curiou s to see the country

also . You see,no one in our pos i t ion i s forced to go

to any such serv i ce . Such matters are a lways left tochoi ce ;

Among the women who are l aying plans to go to theKlond ike next spring i s Kuehne B everidge , th e granddaughter o f E x—Governor B everidge of I l l ino is . Miss

Beveridge has more or l e ss reputat ion as a s cu lptres s,

with a studio in New York . She i s going to renounce

art , temporari ly at l east, to seek a material fortune i nth e Klondike . Another would - be Klondiker i s Mi ss

Pau l ine Kel logg of Chicago , the daughter o f the late

Judge Wil li am Kel logg, a Colorado pioneer and miner .As a ch i ld sh e l ived in a l itt l e Rocky mountain cab in near

h i s cla im , and knows something of the rough and readyl i fe of a miner. She i ntends to stak e ou t a c laim

,bu i ld a

cab in and pan her own gold .

I n 1 896 Miss Anna Fu lcom e r,a graduate o f the Uni

vers i ty o f Chi cago,went to th e Yukon country to take

charge o f the government school at Circl e Ci ty . A letterrecently rece ived in Chi cago from her te l l s someth ing ofthe l i fe of a se l f- support ing woman in that land of them idnight sun . MIS S Fu lcom e r

,under date o f May 24,

1 897 , writes as fol lows :Spring has real ly come at las t , and the weather i s

a l l that cou ld be des ired . No mosqui toes yet,for a won

de r , . th o ugh th ey are hourly expected—oh , I d id catchone i n my room three days ago

, 3nd he was s imply amonster—nearly an inch

'

l ong . I coul d not bel i eve my

eyes at first,but the fact was forced upon my under

standing.

The first week in May we had a baby b l izzard . I tsnowed steadi ly for thre e days and nights . More fe l lthan at any other t ime al l winter . I t was not co lder tha n



zero . The snow has been melt ing s lowly for two weeks ,and i t i s wretched gett ing around . I wade through s lushand mud

,going to s chool , above my ankle s .

I wear nat ive boots ,‘

m azinka s,

’ from Siberia,l ike

those model s vou fo lk have, on ly the sol e i s s eal fl ippe rThey are much better than rubber boots

,as they do not

draw the feet, and are not cu t up by snags and roots ofbushes

,which cover the ground here .

Last Sunday we had our firs t ra in,a good

,s teady

downpour for three hours . I t wi l l take snow away fast.

We have had no darknes s at al l s ince some t ime be foreMay I . I went to a party that evening

,came home

at a . m . , and i t was j ust as l ight as i t i s on a cloudyday . The sky was cl ear, overspread by a soft b lue t int ,and the ai r was de l ightfu l ly fresh . Just th ink

,n early

four months of cont inuous dayl ight !The Yukon has at las t broken

,but i t was not such

a great s ight as i t prev ious ly has been . The winter hasbeen mi lder than usual

,so the th in i ce has been worn

much th inner by the more rapid current . Sunday a fternoon , May 1 6 , i t started . E verybody ran to the bank

,

expect ing to stand there for hours , perhaps al l n ight, i fi t kept on ra in ing and the ‘j am’ came . I t must b e grandwhen the ordinary ‘j am’ does come , for the th i ck i ceflo e s are pi l ed up on one another almost mountain h igh

,

and the water ri ses , overflowing i s lands and the lowbanks . Bu t thi s year th e water d id not r ise , and the i ced id not p i l e up

,but remained qu iet after i t firs t broke .

For four days,though

,we could often hear i t rush ing

through the other channe l away o ff beyond the i s land .

I n fact,some peopl e were getti ng scared , and feared

that Ci rcl e Ci ty was l eft stranded high and dry , whil e

th e river had made a new channe l for i tse l f, as o ften happens

,mil e s away . But on May 2 1 th e i ce slowly dri fted

498 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ’S

out from here , water fe l l a tr ifl e , and the o ld - t imers

thought i t was j amming up above and'

would soon break

and final ly rush down , when 10 !and behold , at 4 p . m .

there dri fted in upon us a rowboat from Klondike .“The Ind ian s have been making canoes

,nets

,t ents

,

cloth ing , and al l e l s e , and are start ing out on thei r summer fish ing trip s . The steamer B el la came up to - davfrom Fort Yukon

,where she wintered

,and start s to

morrow for Klondike,tak ing along almost everybody

left i n town , white s and I ndians .There wi l l b e no one left in Circl e City for the sum

mer but three wh ite women,s ix white men and a few

I ndian s . Whether there wi l l be any more next fal l andwinter I know not . Circl e Ci ty i s dead—dead as a doorpost—wh il e s ix short month s ago I cannot conceive - howany place cou ld be l ive l i er

,with whites , a thea

ter,two dance houses

,publ i c l ibra rv and reading room ,

store s,t insh ops, blacksmith shops , photograph gal lery ,

etc .,etc . T h e B irch creek mines are as good as ever ,

but they a re s imp ly noth ing compared wi th Klond ikeKlondike

,th e ri chest d iggings found on earth .

I spent $75 on my man (a prospector , whom she outfitted) and he has stru ck nothing yet . He has threemonths le ft to prospect yet

,but I do not expec t a ny

th ing now . O ther men who went up about the same

t ime he d id have already washed out al l the way fromto I am not alone . O ne man spent

$240 as I did , and has nothing yet . E verybody thoughtthat my man would do splendidly

,as he i s an

“

expertbut i t i s s imply luck or chance .

During the past week about fi fty men have dri fteddown in boats—after prov is ions

,cloth ing

,e tc—and the

accounts they br ing down are startl ing,almost incredibl e

,

but neverthe less tru e . I t s imply cannot be exaggerated .



S

CHAPTE R XXXV .

N E LS SO R E NS E N’

S D IAR Y .

IAR IE S of Klond ikers are scarce .

Few of those who made the trip

through the Chi lkoot pass to D awson City took the t ime to j ot downdai ly th e deta i l s of the j ourney .

Nel s Sorensen,a motorman on a

San Franci sco street car l ine,ar

r ived at D yea March 3 1 , and ar

r ived in Dawson City June 1 0 . He kept a d iary and hi sgraph i c though s impl e account of h i s adventures i s as

valuabl e as i t i s i ntere sting . I t shou ld be carefu l ly readby want- to - be Klondikers . Thi s i s Nel s Sorensen’sd iary :March 3 1 .

—Anchored o ff D ye a at 2 p . m .,two mi le s

from the place , i t be ing low t ide . Smal l boats were

lowered and unloading commenced . We had to carryour fre ight pounds—anywhere from a quar ter toone and a hal f mi le s . Work ? Don’t ment ion i t .Apri l 1 .

—Pitched our first camp . Came very near

be ing flooded ou t by melt ing snow .

Apri l 2 .

—Steamer Mexi co i n a hurry to get away .

Commence p i l ing stuff on rock s anywhere oppos it es teamer . We were lucky to get al l our packages out ofthe confus ion the second day

,but our two packages of

s l e igh s fi l l ed with t inware and al l our tool s were on therocks . We hired I nd ians and canoes to get them . Cost


$4.However

,two other men came i n the same boat

with u s and they paid half .

Apri l 3 .

- Commence s l e igh ing to our next camp threemi le s aw ay . Weather very soft and mi ld for Alaska .

Snow very s lu shy in place s and shal low creeks have tobe forded by dragging s l ed acros s on rocks .Apri l 4.

—VVe fini sh ed moving th i s dav,and took one

load to mouth of canyon . Trai l soft and slushy,other

wi se easy grades .Apri l 5 .

—Moved camp to mouth of canyon . A great

camp assembl ed there , which i s the beginn ing of a terr ibly hard pul l through the canyon to Pl easant camp ,two a nd a hal f m i l es .

Apri l 6 .

—Took first load through to - night . Trai l i sbad and soft , and very heavy grade .

Apri l 7 .

—Took two loads through to - day ; hard work .

Apri l 8 .

—Took each on e load through . I n the after

noon we h i red two Ind ian s (th ey use dogs). They tooktwo loads

, 550 pounds , to Sheep camp , one and one - hal fm i le s past Plea sant camp . We fol lowed the ca mp outfi tand baggage and pitch ed camp in Sheep camp . Here i sa c ity of tents

,as th i s i s th e last camping place th i s s ide

o f th e summit . We stay here unti l eve ryth ing i s over .Apri l 9 .

—Pul l ed res t of outfi t from Pleasant camp to

th i s p lace .Apri l 1 0 .

—Took each two loads o f 1 0 0 pounds up toth e foot o f summi t . Thi s i s far worse than canyon , a l

most one cont inual steep grade for four mi les . I f thereare any peopl e back home who - th ink i t wi l l b e a fine

pl easure trip to go through Alaska canvons and moun

tains and depend upon themselve s for subsi stence—well ,I say

,

“ l e t th em try i t .Apri l 1 1 .

- This we figure out to be Sunday , though


S

it i s hard to keep track of e i ther dates or days . I am not

wri t ing these note s dai ly . I t has been mostly work sincewe started , but to - day we are resting and keep ing the

fire going . Henry and I are talk ing of having some ofour s tuff packed for us to th e top of the summit. I t wi l l

come h igh . Kal l th inks that by slow work we wil l beabl e to get i t up ourselves . We wi ll see to - morrow

.I

am doing most o f th e cooking so far . I can make pretty

good b i s cu i t and pork and mush and ri ce go al l r ight .Beans we scarce ly had time to wai t fo r as yet

,

“ thoughwe have tri ed them .

Apri l 2 5 .

—Started at 1 1 a . m . from Stone house withcamp outfit for summit . Packed up two trips

,h ired an

I nd ian for two tri ps . -When up we loaded s l e ighs sothat each of us had about 350 pounds, and started for

Lake L i ndeman . Left summit at 4p . m . with good down

grade . A li ttl e further on there i s a s teep grade . Wetied down our ropes and ran the sl eds down alone . Theygo l i ckety—spl i t down into Crater lake

,one - quarte r o f a

mi l e from summit . Quite a novel s ight . O ccas ional lyone would t ip over and tumble al l over i t se l f. Now thetra i l i s on the l evel

,about two mi le s . Then come some

bad ups and downs for a m i l e and a hal f. Then i t i s

nearly l evel to head of canyon,e ight m i l e s from sum

mi t . As we had a late start we were compel l ed to pitchcamp , and crawl in , five mi les away . I t be ing so late wecould not di st ingu i sh the trai l . This was at p . m .

Apri l 2 6 .

—Went to summit for rest of outfit . A heavyload , 560 pounds each , with wh ich we b id stormy oldChi lkoot pass a final farewel l . Arriving at camp

,we nu

loaded and took camp outfit,same as n ight before , in

t ending to move to Lake L indeman . The canyon i s aterrib l e rough and steep trai l . At o

’

clock we



p i tched camp three - quarters of a mi l e from the lake .

A more t ired set o f men i t wou ld be hard to find . After

a hurri ed supper we fe l t l ike ly ing down .

Apri l 2 7 .

—As we were late that n ight , we did not makea very early start . Start ing for load from pi l e we gotthrough canyo n

,but at head of same we found i t too

stormy to proceed . High winds and snow dri fti ng , mak

ing trai l very heavy . Here we placedp our s l e ighs and

went back to camp , taking a much - needed res t . At the

present moment I am cooking bean s . Have baked two

pans of bread . Talk about eat ing ! Why,we could

somet imes eat leather straps or rubber gloves . O n e

th ing we talk o f and are thankful for, i s that water inth e canyon i s now running the same way as ourse lve s .West o f the mountains i t was qu ite the other way .

Apri l 2 8.

—Went up canyon , got our s l e ighs and restof outfit from five mil es north of summit . We unloadedhal f at head of canyon and took rest to camp . Wentback after last load , so for the firs t t ime s in ce

’

Sheepcamp we have camp and outfit together at one place .

Apri l 2 9 .

—To—day we took two loads to head of LakeL i ndeman . Spent rest o f day in rigging up sl eighs withmast for sai l ing

,not in water

,but on good l evel tra i l .

When wind i s favorab le sa i l s are a great h elp .

Apri l 30 .

—Moved camp to head of Lake B ennett . At

foot of Lake L i ndeman we un loaded hal f o f load to beable to pul l through a three - quarter-mile rough trai l toBennett . Went back after re st . Thi s was our camp out

fi t .May I .

—(O ne month from D ye a .) Went to head o fLake L i ndeman for al l o f s tuff

, 560 pounds . We pro

ce eded w i th sai l s se t and good trai l . A bri sk wind b low

ing aste rn sent u s along wi th good speed . At t imes w e


S

were tak ing a seat on sl eigh ; a great l i ft . We unloaded

hal f at foot of Lake L i ndeman and took the rest to camp .

May 2 .

—Got up early , ate breakfast and went after lastload . Trai l good mornings whi l e snow i s frozen . Weexpected to move our ent ire outfit about noon

,but

weather has been calm al l day . Here m en usual ly wai tfor wind

,and qui t e a number stay here to bui l d th e ir

boats .May 3 .

-W e l e ft camp at head of Lake B ennett about

2 p . m .,having wai ted for a wind to spring up . With

enti re outfit,about 850 pounds each . a heavy load . As

we had only a very sl igh t breeze and tra i l soft, pi tched

camp four mi l es down .

May 4.

—Left camp with outfit at 5 a. m . on a good

frozen trai l , and a fai r wind . Made about twelve mi l esup to Pitched camp here

,as the sun makes the

trai l heavy . I n pass ing isl ands ten mi l es from head , we

struck open water for 2 0 0 feet ; had to portage stuff

around and then proceed again .

‘

May 5 .

—W e took th ings easy re st of day .

May 6 .

—W e were looking around for t imber and

found fa ir wood for boat bui ld ing, so concluded to stayhere and chop - down some trees .

May 7 .—W e got sawpi t in shape and log on same .

Sawed o ff two slabs and four boards . Henry wi l l b e thebu i lder .

May 8 .

—W e made another log look s i ck to—day . Gotout five boards and four r ib s trips .May 9 .

—W e worked a l i ttl e during the forenoon.Rain

set in about noon ; lay o ff. All wel l,hearty and a keen

appet i te .

May 1 1 .-Fine day ; doing some work . Lake i s now

show ing s igns of break ing up . We th ink that we wi llhave boat bu i l t in good time for open water.



S

rived here . We set up no sai l , but dri fted dow n to Cari

bou cross ing, foot o f Lake B ennett, as far as we couldreach for i ce . We made fai r t ime . This was the eas ies t

move we have made so far . Boat behaved wel l and d idnot l eak much . Quite a fl eet of boats are here wait ing .

May 2 7 .

—We broke camp th i s morning,and started

through slu shy i ce . But hal f a mi l e away we w ere com

pe lled to go ashore , dri ft i ce be ing too heavy . Slushcl eared out and down thi s afternoon

,so again we pul led

up stakes at 7 p . m . No wind , but a good current partway . By help o f oars we made about ten mi l e s downto near Windy arm

,on Tagish lake . Here we camped

at o’c lock . All we l l ; beauti ful weather. Nights

are short th i s t ime (and wil l be shorter); we can read atal l t imes

,provid ing we have anyth ing to read .

May 2 8.

—Moved again th is morning, about threem il es to Windy arm . Rather s low time . Weather calm .

At Windy arm and i sland of Rock are some dry mossand dry gras s ; inhabi ted by seagul l s . We stopped a fewminutes and found ten gul l eggs . Then we found that

Windy arm w a s about to prove i ts t i t l e . She began tob low ; water rough . We set hal f sai l , and

“Ave Mariafairly fl ew . We were much e lated at the fine showingshe made going about three mi le s . Wind hav ing changed

to north,we put i nto a cove and ate lunch . Start ing afte r

l unch,we found no improvement in wind . We used o ars

for two mi l es,and

'

al l wel l ; spl end id weather.

May 2 9 .

—Made a good run to - day , about twenty

mi l es.Firs t to foot of Lake Tagish, then five miles

through river and about e ight m i les down Lake Marsh .

We had fai r wind for sa i l s for about twe lve mi le s unt i lwe were stopped by ice . A great many Yukoners are

now caught . up with u s. I S h ou ld judge that 30 0 men


with the i r boats are now on thi s lake wai t ing for i ce tocl ear away . Splendid hunting and fish ing here . We

caught two five—pounders coming down . Had one forsupper

,a treat , being the firs t fre sh meat s ince steamer

Mexico . I fired four t imes at ducks,but fai l ed

.We

sleep on boat to—night , be ing too marshy to land andmake good camp .

May —Lying around Wait ing for the sh i fting iceto move downward . At noon we pu l l ed out and madetwo mil es to I ce camp .

May 3 1 .

—This was our best record day for di stancecovered . We m ade foot of Marsh lake and about twenty

mi les downward toward Grand canyon . Good wind forsai l ing . Made about th irty mi le s .

June 1 .—Two months out from D ye a . T hi s has been

the most exc it ing, at same time intere st ing , day of ourtrip . We started on the five mi l es remaining of river

,

Reached mouth of canyon about 1 0 a'

. m . Very rockycurrent toward the mouth , but a smal l eddy , cove , gave

u s reasonably good land ing . We then went around to

take observat ions of work to be done . We previous lyagreed that only one of the fami ly should make the trip

,

and Henry wanted to go through, and be ing the be ststeersman

,he and Kal l took her through . There i s a

fi fteen or twenty - mil e current , and some 50 0 fee t verytumbl ing and rough . They came through in fine shapewi th nearly al l o f our stuff

,our persona l effects and a

very l i tt l e food being al l l e ft for packing around threequarters o f a mi le . After lunch we started for head ofWhite Horse rapid s

,two mi l e s away . A very strong

current runn ing . Bump ! We were on the rock , but

rode o ff with no damage . Very dangerous dri ft i ng , asrocks cannot be seen . Bump ! Another rock .

“Ave

5 1 0 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD '

S

Maria stops suddenly on top of a great bou lder, careen

ing some to one s ide . The current being so strong,she

turned complete ly around , but luck ily i t i s a great ,smooth , rounding rock . I stepped out on i t

,and we

sh oved'

th e boat o ff. No apparent damage . We were ona few more rocks and gravel bars

,the same as al l. boats

pass ing down . Two miles below canyon i s Whit e Horserap ids

,a di rty p i ece o f water . We landed safely hal f a

mi l e above the rapids . From here we roped around . fora cove a quarte r of a mi l e . Roping was done by menwalking on shore wi th long ropes , and one or two men

in boat po l ing , keep ing boat c lear of rocks and shore .

Here i n th i s cove w e unloaded most o f th e stuff a nd

camped for the n ight . Al l wel l .

June —Thi s morning we packed most o f our goodsdown below rap ids

,about three - fourths of a mi l e . After

l unch we doubled up with another party to get both

boats down the rap ids . Down al l r ight . We pul l ed boatup on a bank of snow and ice

,and dragged i t over be low

rapi ds,about 30 0 feet . From there we again roped boat

down to stuff,loaded up and away . About one mi l e

below rapids we struck shal low water . Stuck on a gravelbar . With a few minute s

’ shoving we were again afloat .

Went down four or five mi l es and camped for n ight .

Very glad that our goods and boat went safely through

experi ences of l ast two days wi thout e ither loss or damage

,e i ther personal o r otherwi se . The accidents wh i ch

some part i e s met with were four,so far as I know . O ne

l arge s cow struck wal l s of canyon,smashed in .one end .

She sank j u st below canyon in three feet of water . They

had also two horses aboard . E veryth ing damaged andspoi l ed

.Another scow struck

,but her upper part ; no

damage to stuff. The peop le in one large scow thought


5 1 2 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD’

S

down . He had dri fted s ideways on a rock and smashed .

Lost everyth ing, save one sack of flour and one of gro

ce r ies. Hard lu ck . This happened near Hootal i nqua

river . We made some mi scal cu lat ions in regard to di stance travel ed the day we went through bare p i ece o friver from Le Barge . Think we made about seventymi l es that day and passed Hootal inqua without s ee ingit . To - day we passed L i tt l e Salmon river a nd wentthrough Five Finger rap ids and R i nk rap ids . With difficu l ty we made land ing and camped at 1 I p . m .

,with eigh

ty- five miles to our credi t for the day . We wi l l have nomore bad waters ; smooth , swi ft sai l ing . Mosqui toe s fairlysu ffocat ing us ; make camp and eat ing miserab l e . W ea th

er i s gett ing warm . An old gentl eman on steamer “Mexico said A man wi l l earn every dol lar he gets in theYukon . I bel i eve him . Al l wel l

,and looking ahead

to more comfortab le ci rcumstances , though there wi l l beno d isappointment i f we come back with noth ing morethan heal th and expenses cl ear .

June 8 .

—Up and away from the swarms of mosqu itoes .A number stayed with the boat . I cooked breakfast onboard . Going down a good s ix -mile current . We havemade a forty- five -mil e run today to Pel ly river and ol dFort Se lk i rk . Here are qu ite a number of log houses and

a trad ing post . The Pel ly and Lewes rivers from the Y u

kon at th i s po int,so we are now on the Upper Yukon .

June 9 .

—Thi s has been our banner day for coveringd istance . We have made from Pel ly river to five milesb elow White river

,1 0 1 miles . We are nearing our des

tina tio n . All we l l .June I o .

-Started at a . m . Passed Stewart riverin an hour ; reached S ixty -Mile post at We arenot making as good time to - day . We have head winds .


At Dawson City we wi l l probab ly spl i t up partnersh ip .

Kal l desire s to go up Klond ike , whil e Henry and I th inkof going up Stewart river. We arrived at Dawson City8 p . m .

,s eventy- five mile s for the dav .

June 1 1 .

—An immense crowd of men and boats were

here . They te l l u s that the Klondike creeks are very ri ch .

Kall went to work to help bu i l d a log house th i s morning

, $ 1 0 a day . Henry and I are divid ing up stuff , pre

paring to start up Klondike .

5 14 T H E CH IC AGO R E CO RD ’

S

CHAPTE R XXXVI .

PR E PAR I NG FO R T H E SPR ING R USH .

UND R E D S O F ME N were jus t too lateth i s year to s ecure pas sage on the last

boats to l eave the Pacific seaports forD yea or St . Michae l . These men have

dec lared they wi l l be on .th e ground

brigh t and early next spring prepared

to rush to the gold d iggings . Back ofthese men are thousands o f others i n th i s country

,w h o ,

for one reason or another,were unab le even to lay out a

feas ib l e p lan for going to the Klondike di str ict th i s year .

They too have their eyes fixed on the spring days of 1 898.

E very i ndi cat ion points to a tremendous immigration toth e 'Uppe r Yukon bas in next year . The first boat thatwi l l carry gold - seekers to St . Michae l , there to be transferred to the Yukon river craft, wil l sai l from the Pac ific

coast port s somewhere about June 1, 1 898. Boats wi l l

be leav ing for Juneau and D yea , Wrangel and otherpoints

,where an overland j ourney to the gold diggings

may begin,al l winter long

,but every effort wi l l be made

by government official s and influent ial men to hold backthe t ide o f immig ra t ion un t i l spring opens good andstrong . I t i s said that a man may begin a trip over th eBack - Door route by March 1 , but th i s statement i smod ified by the assert ion that a man wou ld be several

k inds o f a fool to start then .

I f a l l the pl ans that are on paper and in the mind sof energeti c men are carr ie d out , a

'

go ld- seeker wi l l have

a comparat ive ly easy task in reach ing the Upper Yukon



distri ct i n a year or so . Rai l roads and wagon roads,

r iver boat l in es , narrow - gauge roads,etc .

,are be ing

proj ected to cover pretty nearly every route that looksi n any way practi cal . Here are some of the rai l roadproj ects which have been inspired by the rush of goldseekers .I t i s proposed to bu i l d a rai lroad from Skagway

to the Upper Hootal inqua river,and i t i s sai d that work

wi l l begin‘

on the construct ion next year,for the survey

ha s been made . The money for th i s enterpri s e i s to be

furn ished,i t i s sa id

,by a syndicate o f Canad ian cap ital

ists. Thi s proj ec t i s s everal years old . I t was firs tbrought out when the gold s trike was made on FortyM i l e

,but the Klondike . furore apparently has given i t

new l i fe . The engineer who made the su rvey has th i s to

say regarding the enterpri se :

The j ourney from D yea to Dawson City wi l l b e apart ra i l l ine and part river

,steamers ply ing up the

Yukon river above Dawson City . The route wi l l b emuch differen t from that now in u se , be ing by way ofLakes Tagi sh and Atl in and the Hootal inqua river

,

avoid ing the White Horse rap ids and the dangers o fM i l e s canyon

,where now portage s o f from one to three

mil es have to be made and whe re many a miner has beenwrecked .

The route for the new road , as surveyed and la idou t

,runs from Skagway bay , acros s the new W

’

hite tra i l

to th e upper arm of Lake Tagish . Here a trans fer tolake s teamers i s to be made

,

By steamer the route i sacros s the h ead

'

o f Lake Tagish and through Three - Mileriver to Lake Atl in . Across Lake At l in to i ts northernextremi ty i s abou t th irty m ile s . Here the rai l l i ne i s

resumed for a d i stance o f th i rty - one mi les to the head

waters o i Hootal inqua river .

5 1 8 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD '

S

D i sembarking at Hootal inqua river,passengers and

fre ight wi l l b e trans ferred to river steamers to be O perated by the company from Dawson and Forty Mi le upthe Yukon and Hootal inqua rivers .

This route i s perhaps 75 or 1 0 0 m i l e s longer thanthat at pre sent fol lowed by i ngoing miners and goldhunters . T h e tra i l over White pass was made as a prel iminary to the survey for the new rai lroad .

I n bu i ld ing the road , the company expects to seethe whol e o f the Upper Yukon bas i n developed duringthe next few years . I ts promoters be l i eve that the country wi l l produce a l arge amount of gold in the next hal f

centu ry,and that the d i scoveri es o f r i ch placers w i l l ex

tend to other s treams forming the upper end of theYukon bas in . I n th e terri tory now unexplored

,i n

whi ch the Klondike has i t s source,there are great l edges

of quartz,and smal le r s treams ri s ing in the same terr i

tory form the head waters of other streams empty inginto the Yukon above the Klondike

,and therefore are

l ike ly to be as product ive of r i ch placers as i s the newregion .

I t i s reported on wha t s eems to be good authority thatthe offic ial s of the Canadian department of the int eriorare cons idering the advi sab i l i ty of opening a wagon roadfrom E dmonton to Dawson City . I t i s sa id that the d i stance i s between 80 0 and 90 0 miles , and that the routeto be trave led i s through an auri ferou s country . Those

w h o favor the scheme say that the open ing of such aroute wou ld greatly reduce the cost of reaching the goldfie lds

,remove a large el ement o f danger , open a way of

communi cat ion which could be used al l winter, and thusenab le prospectors and investors to reach or leave th egold country at any t ime of year. I t i s reported from

O ttawa , Canada , that before a second winter settl es over


5 2 0 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD '

S

says he can O pen up , at a smal l expense , a route from the

south of the Copper river by which the Klondike may bereached by a j ourney of not more than 30 0 miles from

the coast . The route wh ich he proposes wi l l start in land

from th e mouth of the Copper r iver, near the Twentymi l e glaci er

,about twenty - five mile s east of the entrance

to Prince Wil l i am sound . He says the Copper river i snav igab le for smal l s teamers for many mi le s beyond the

mouth of i ts prin cipal eastern tributary,which i s i t sel f

navigable for a cons iderab le d istance .

From th e head of navigat ion,Mr. Lewis says

,e i ther a

h ighway or a rai lroad could be constructed without greatdifficul ty or very heavy grades

,through what the nat ives

cal l Low pass,probably the S co lo i pass . .From th i s

pass the road wou ld fol low the val l ey o f the White river

to the point where i t empt ies into the Yukon on the edgeof the Klondike fie lds .Another proj ect contemplate s the bu i ld ing of a narrow gauge rai lroad from S kagaw ay bay over the Whi te

pass,6 2 miles , to the head waters of the Yukon . Here

i t i s proposed to put on steamboats drawing only e ightin ches o f water when l ight and twenty inches whenloaded , to steam down the Yukon to Mil es canyon ; al ine o f larger boats to be ru n from Miles canyon to the

mouth of the Yukon,thus making a competi t ive route by

way of St . Michael .

Canadians want to bu i l d a rai l road from Missanab ieon the Canad ian Pacific rai l road

,675 mi les west of Mon

treal,north to Moose Factory

,2 50 miles . There i t i s

proposed to put a boat on Moose r iver to cros s Hudsonbay to Chesterfie ld in let

,a di stance of about mi l es ;

to sai l i nto Chesterfie ld in let 2 0 0 mil es ; there to bu i ld

a rai lroad to Great Slave lake 2 0 0 miles , and there to

take boats down the Mackenz ie r iver to the Arcti c ocean ;


bu i ld a ra i lroad 50 miles or so to Porcupine r iver , and

then take boats down the Porcupine river to th e Yukon .

This would requ i re th e bu i ld ing of 50 0 or more mil es ofraflro ad .

The Canadian government i s obtain ing e stimate s ofthe cost of bu i ld ing a wagon road

,or a narrow gauge

rai l road , from the h ead of Lynn canal , over the mountains 80 miles

,to the head waters of the Yukon .

A rai lroad , which according to the op in ion o f menwho are fami l iar wi th the country

,not only is great ly

needed but i s eminent ly feas ib l e,i s under cons iderat ion

by the . Bri ti sh Columbia D eve lopment company. Thi s

company proposes to bui ld a saw - mil l at the headwaterso f th e Yukon

,construct boats for sal e to miners

,and

bu i l d a narrow gauge rai lroad, 36 mil es long, around

the various rap ids wh i ch are dangerous to navigat ion .

Another rai l road proj ect contemplates the construe

t ion of a l i ne,

'

1 50 mi les long or so , from Telegraph

creek to Lake Tesl i n on what i s known as the S tike e nriver route . According to the promoters o f th i s enterpri se the road wi l l s tart from G l enora on Telegraphcreek 1 2 6 mile s from the mo uth of the S tike en r iver ,and fol low a newly d i scovered path to Lake Tes l in . FromLake Tesl in to D awson City i t i s proposed to put onriver boats

,but no provi s ion s eems to h ave been made

to get around the Five Finger rap ids . The promoters

o f th i s enterpri s e say that th e Canad ian government wi l lappropriate a sum of money to blow out the dangerous

rock s at th i s po int .The number of ocean and rive r transportation com

pan ie s that have been formed and synd icated ru n up

into the hundreds . I n al l probab i l it i e s there wi l l be several steamboat l ines p lying the waters of th e Yukonfrom St . Michae l to t h e gold diggings . Thi s wi l l off er

r0 22 T H E CH IC AGO R E CO RD ’

S

competit ion to the Alaska Commerc ial company and the

North Ameri can Transportat ion and Trading company,

which have,heretofore

,vi rtual ly held a monopoly

.

on

Yukon river bus iness . Both of thes e estab l i shed compani cs intend increas ing the ir river fl eets . O rders a l

ready have been given for material to be taken to St .

Michae l,where r iver boats wi l l be bu i lt . E ach of these

e stab l i sh ed companie s has placed orders with large sh ip

yards for new ocean vesse l s to run between the Pacificseaports and Juneau

,Wrangel

,D yea and St . Michael .

During the rush th i s summer al l sort o f craft waspressed into serv i ce to carry gold—seekers to the gatewaysfor the overland routes and to St . Michael . Some o f theboats used were old

,and i t i s al l eged a few of them had

been condemned previous ly by the federal inspectors .

As a b ig ru sh i s expected next spring, capi tal is ts arebending every effort to prepare for i t . This means thata large number of vessel s wi l l be put into commiss ion

in t ime to handle the early ru sh .

A chain of banks i s to be estab l i shed in th e Alaska

country and the various trading posts of one of the tran s

po r ta tion and trad ing companie s wh ich has been es tabl ish ed i n that country for several years . I t i s the des ign

of the company to rece ive deposit s of gold dust,i s sue

drafts and , i n short , carry on al l the bus iness o f a bank .

Before coming to a defini te conclu s ion regarding atrip to the Klondike th e prospective gold - seeker wou ldbetter drop in and see hi s l i fe in surance agent .The general manager of one of the largest New York

l i fe insurance compani es i s quoted as saying : We decl ine, for the present , to take any ri sks upon th e l ive s ofpersons who are going to the Yukon min ing di strictbecause th e severi ty o f the cl imate and the privationsto whi ch they are l ike ly to be subj ected ser ious ly e h


524 T H E CH ICAGO RE CO RD ‘

S

be that n ine out o f ten of the adventurers would succumb

to the rigors of the c l imate , to acc ident, or di sease .

Some companies have announced that they wi l l fixan extra rate o f insurance for Klondikers When Prof .Chamberl in made h i s arcti c trip he secured l i fe i nsuranceby paying an extra $5 to a ri sk

,and thi s rate may

be imposed on gold—seekers by insu rance compan ies .Some pol i c ie s fix restri ctions regarding travel and ocen

pa tio n ,and such pol i c i es

,doubtl ess

,wi l l b e forfe i ted i f

the holders take a trip to the north land gold di stri ct .

O wing to the widespread attempt that was made on thepart of gold - seekers to prote ct thei r fami l i e s by l i fe in

surance,many companies have given not i ce that al l pol i

c i e s taken out by person s who soon after l eave for theKlondike or Alaska gold fie lds

,wi l l be canceled on the

ground of attempted fraud .

At l eas t 1 0 0 co—O perat ive associat ions have beenformed in variou s parts of the Uni ted States

,most of

them having the magic word Klondike i n the name .

These associ ati ons are bu i l t on l i ne s s imi lar to those followed by bod ies o f men and women who began

,i n 1 892 ,

to get ready to go to the World’s Fai r in Chi cago in1 893 . I n form ing one of these co - operat ive organiza

tions,the members e l ect the i r officers

,board of di rectors ,

and the al l—important treasurer . E a ch week or each

month each member pays into th e treasury a certainamount of money

,thu s making a common fund

,which i s

to be u sed next spring,e i ther to send a few men to locate

and work cla ims for al l,or to take al l to the K l ond ike .

O n e of the most amb i tions of these co—operative associ at ion s i s a B rooklyn proj ect . Fol lowing i s the plan asoutl ined by the man who started th e enterpri se :

“When the gold talk was firs t publ i shed in th e papersI conceived of the idea of e stabl i sh ing a colony in the


Klondike regions . I spoke to a number of my fri ends

and acquaintances in th e neighborhood , among thembeing several people connected with the B eecher Memoria l church

,which I attend . The idea seemed to take

right away and I got several person s to agree to enter

the scheme and agitate i t among the i r fri ends . As a r e

su lt,we have about th irty or forty peo pl e who are wi l l ing

to go . They are nearly al l men,although some of the

men who are marri ed intend to take thei r wives along .

My wi fe wi l l accompany me . As far as we can figure at

th e present t ime i t wi l l cos t each man about whi ch

wi l l be used i n buying outfit s and provi s ions . We also

propose to take along portab le houses that we can erectas soon as we arrive at our dest inat ion .

“ I t has not been

decided whether we wi l l go by way of San Franci s coor by the al l water route around Cape Horn . I f we de

cide on the latter way we wi l l charter a boat in New Yorkfor the coloni sts . Thi s we wi l l s tock wi th provi s i ons for

a year’s supply . We wil l a l so take along horse s and

mules and guns and ammunit ion and everyth ing that i s

l ike ly to be needed .

Where we wi l l locat e i s not altogether dec ided upon .

But we th ink on the Uni ted States s i de o f the borderl ine at a mountain whi ch i s sai d to be th e fountain head

of the gold fie ld . We know j ust about th e longitude andlat i tude and we are wait ing to hear from Wash ington asto certain part i cu lars i n regard to the same . The agree

ment so far as entered upon in re fe rence to cla ims i sthat each member of the party wi l l be given 50 0 feet ,whi ch wi l l b e worked by the ind ividual , who wil l reapal l the good luck in gold nuggets that may be h i s lot tofind . We intend to lay out part of the cla ims for street ,re s idence and bus iness pu rposes . I n connect ion wi thth e latter we wi l l e stabl i sh a general store , where good s


S

wi l l be sold to the colon i sts at New York pr Ice s , with

the fre ight added,but to al l others that wi l l apply for sup

pl i es we wil l charge Klondike pri ces . A church and anewspaper are al so some of the th ings connected with

c ivi l i z ed l i fe that w i l l b e features of the s ett l ement .

I n gett ing together a party .o f colon i sts we have been

carefu l to en l i st only those of good mora l character, who ,i f poss ib le , have a church standing, although the latteri s not a necessary requ irement . In the establ i shment of

a church denom ina tio na l‘

l in e s wil l be obl i terated , and i twi l l be known as a people’s church . I f we cannot get a

mini ste r to come along wi th us one of the party wi l l con

duct the s ervi ces . There i s no doubt that we cou ld geta large number of peop le to go along, but we do not wanteverybody

,and the character o f the appl i cant wi l l be wel l

we ighed be fore he wi l l be accepted . I t i s ou r intentionto advance Chri s t i an ity as wel l as c iv i l i zat ion , and , of

course,at the sam e t ime to make money . So we wi l l be

part i cu lar abou t the personne l of our party .

We fee l very confident that our colony wi l l increasevery rapidly after we are once settl ed

,for i t w i l l be a

great i nducement for peopl e,part i cu larly of Brooklyn , to

go to the gold field s when they know that there i s aco lony there of people who wil l we l come them , and they

wil l not be among strangers . Tel egraph , tel ephone and

po sto fficeaccommodations wi l l soon fol low , and w e fee l

that i t wi l l not be long before we have direct comm u n ica

t ion between Brooklyn City,Alaska

,and our o w n City of

B rook lyn .

Several persons desi red to have the settl ement cal l ed

Greater New York,but it was dec ided that B rooklyn

Ci ty would more close ly connect us with our home city .

As unders tood at pre sent the new se ttlem en t’

w il l be



governed by a boar d o f officers as fol lows : Pres ident,

v i ce - pres ident,s ecretary and directors .

Reports have come down from the Klondike co u ntfythat al ready the nimbl e witted sharpers who

,pass ing as

o ld miners,l ay in wai t for tenderfee t

,are salting

mines . O n e of the s imple st ways,

of salt ing such a mine

originated in Colorado and has been worked severalt imes wi th marked success . The old miner has two

claims , one a hal f day’s j ourney in the wi ldern es s and the

other near the main group . The latter,he frankly says

,

i s the ri cher o f th e two and demands hi s ful l t ime . He

wi l l s el l th e d istant o -n e ve ry cheaply after i ts valu e has

been. determined by a practi cal te st . He offers to goout with the stranger and spend a day on th e claim ,

panning the sand,the proceed s o f the day’s labor to be

equal ly divided .

This i s a fa i r propos i t ion,and i f the stranger i s fai r

game he goes . Long be fore dayl ight the comrades start ,and reach th e cla im in t ime to put in a fai r day’s work .

The cla im pans only moderate ly we l l,and at the end of

the day they have about five ounces o f gold dust,worth

about $90 . They go back to town , the stranger and the

old miner d iv ide th e proceeds,and the newcomer imme

dia te ly see s v i s ions o f mi l l ion s . He figures that he can

take $40 or $50 a day ou t o f the m ine without any outs idehelp . The old miner says he wi l l take spot cash

for the c laim,and he usual ly gets i t .

Bright and early th e next morning the new owner

i s back on the claim panning the sand l ike a steam e n

gine . E veryth ing runs splendid ly for the first few hours,

and then the d irt grows rapid ly poorer,and u sual ly be

fore n ightfal l th e amount o f dust found becomes infin ite simal . The next day i s worse than the preced ing after

noon The bottom o f th e gold end o f th e mine seems to


S

have dropped out , but the innocent keeps on work ing

plucki ly, and at th e end of a week has about three ounces

to show, two of them being the frui ts of h i s first day’s

labor. I f h e i s wi se he goes back to town in search of

i n formation and to talk over th e errati c showing of h ismine . Then the first honest man of experience that hestrike s wi l l laugh and shout the melancholy word

,sa l t

How did th e old m iner sal t the mine ? E a s i ly

enough . The common method i s to take a shotgun,put

in a moderate charge of powder and a quarter of anounce of gold du st on top . Then the sharper fire s thegun into th e dirt

,the gold dust s catte ring w idely . R e

pea ting th i s a dozen or e ighteen times the old miner’s”

mine i s ready for the innocent . The old miner can te l l

j ust where he fired th e gold dust, a nd the firs t day’s

work i s sure to l ead to the recovery of most of the salting .

This i s one way the min ing confiden ce man works,but

there are others . I n . one of the northern states of Mexico an E ngl i sh synd i cate narrowly escaped paying $80 0 ,

0 0 0 for a m ine that wasn’t wort h $80 . T h e money wassent over and deposi ted i n a San Franci s co bank andthe payment was abou t to be made when a hal t was cal l edby an American mineralogi st . The E ngl i shmen had firs t

s ent over an expert , who made a most carefu l i nvestigation . He spent two months on

‘

th e work , and h i s findings ful l demonstrated th e truth of the se l l er’s statements.

Without noti fy ing the fi rs t expe rt,a second expert

was sent over,and he spent some six months i n the work .

First he v i s i ted several large American mines,and then

he made a close study of the Mexi can people , with there sul t that h e dete rm ined to trust non e '

o f them . He decided to get the ore h imsel f

, breaking i t o ff with a pi ck



S

of trusted men at once made an examination,and there

,

between the ce i l ing and the roof,they found a Mexican

with severa l glass j ars of gol d dust .

The fe l low had bored a hol e the ent i re l ength of the

post runn ing into the battery , and through th i s he hadbeen pouring j u st enough gold dust to keep up the highcharacter of the ore . That ended the trade . Later i twas di scovered that the second expert had b een fooledby the old bl ind man

,who had dropped ri ch sampl e s

into the ore box wh i l e the expert was working with thep ick . I t was bel i eved that the first expert was swind ledin a s imi lar manner.


CHAPTE R XXXVI I .

SO L I D D R I N KS AND H AR D FO O D .

NE YE AR’S SUPPLY of provis ions foran ab le—bodi ed man doing the hardes tk ind of outdoor work and subj ectedto the exposure in c ident to an Arct i cc l imate i s a formidable bu lk . The

dieta ry of such a m an wil l not b e at al l

exces s ive,i f i t amounts to five pounds

of foo-d per day—that i s , a pound eachof meat

,bread

,vegetable s

,milk and fru it . A year’s sup

ply a t th i s rate would amount to over pounds net

of food .

Making al lowance for the weight o f the mater ia l inwhich the food wou ld be packed

,th e Klond iker would

have to struggle through the Chi lkoo t snows with certain

ly over a ton of commissary suppl i e s , to say noth ing ofthe other port ion s o f h i s outfit . With shovel s and pick scost ing from $ 1 2 to $ 1 7 ap iece in th e gold diggings , and

al l othe r tool s and neces sari e s i n proport ion,the m iner

wil l natural ly want to bring’

as many suppl i es o f thi s k indas poss ib l e from the land of c iv i l i zation .

Now,what i s wanted i s food in such a condensed form

that the equ ival ent in nour ishment to pounds inbulk may be so reduced in weight that a man can carry i ton hi s back . A writ-er , i n the New York World , i n th i s

connect ion,specu lates as fol lows :

Sci ence has done a great deal towards accompl i sh ing

th i s.The armies o f the United State s , E ngland , France

and Germany i n the i r ‘emergency rat ions’

have aecom


S

pl ish ed marve l s in the matter of condensation . O u r own

war department has proved i t pos s ib le to condense a loaf

o f bread into a space no larger than a pack of firecrackers ,a pound of beef i nto a hard chunk an inch or more square ,a cup of coffee into a cough lozenge and a quart o f soup

into an oblong packet o f about two cub i c inches . Thefood i s al l the re

,al l i ts nutr i t ive e lements preserved .

“Here is a part ial l i s t o f th ings that might interest th eKlondiker :

Saccharine,a coal—tar product

,put up in t iny tab lets

,

each 2 0 0 t imes as sweet as sugar .“Pemmican , a mixture of dri ed bee f, fat and sal t, hal f a

pound of wh ich goes a long way .

D ri ed mixed vegetab les,a French preparat ion of cab

bages , turn ip s , beet s and other th ings . O n e - t enth theoriginal we ight .

“

D e s i ccated beef b locks,one ounce equal to five ounces

o f fresh beef .

D es i ccated soup , three ou nces sol id to a quart of w a

ter sal t included .

Beef tabl et s , two - ounce s ize,containing most of the

valuabl e el ements of a pound of beef .Coffee lozenges

,

“

a hal f cup each,sugar included ; tea ,

Kola , put up with chocolate i n cakes , st imulatingrather than nouri shing .

“Malted nuts,a h ighly concentrated form of food , -made

digest ib l e,or said to be .

Lemon and l ime tab lets,one

,vest - button s ize

,to a

glass o f water . Frui t tab le ts of various other sorts,l e s s

valuab le for the miner .Celery tab lets

,an appet izer a man who digs for gold

wi l l hardly take,except as a luxury .

Strawberry tablets,useful mainly for flavoring .



S

bugbear of Arct i c miners . The Klondike man wantsplenty of lemon and l ime tablets .

He wants o i l , al so . He may think he doesn’t but hedoes . Just at th i s s eason

,and in the lat i tude of New

York , oi l dosen’t appea l to a j aded palate

,but the Klon

dike has a Russ ian cl imate,and i t i s known that in Rus

sian towns poor peopl e used to sh in up the lamp - posts

and drink al l the oi l des igned for l ight ing the streets,unt i l

the dis covery of petrol eum enabl ed hard—hear ted mun ic i

pa lities to substi tute a brand of i l luminat ing flu id l es s fayored by connoi s seurs as a beverage . Nowadays

,poor

Russ ians with long memori es look wi stfu l ly up at the gaslamps

,shake thei r heads

,s igh

,and curs e the government .

The miner who wants to carry h is own pack over the

pas s wi l l have to l ive on nourish ing soups and savorystews a good deal of th e t ime after reach ing the Klond ike .

Mos t concentrated foods Id se the ir fiber . There i s noth

ing to chew on . Almost everyth ing comes as a powder o r

a paste,and needs noth ing but boi l ing water and an ap

pet i te to make a meal .

O n e way to get along with l ess food in the Klondike

region i s to keep warm . This i s general ly managed bybui ld ing one’s cab in righ t over h i s claim and diggingdown through the frozen ground underneath . Here , i na great p i t

,shel tered from the wind , th e miner works i n

a degree of d i s comfort perhaps not greater than that ofthe Canad ian lumberman out of doors . I t i s a usefu l

pointer that the lumberman’s favori te d ie t i s pork and

beans,and that pea soup comes next in favor.

The Klondike miner wi l l do wel l to cul t ivate a sweet

tooth i f he has i t not . Sugar i s one of the most condens ib le o f foods

,and i s al so almost entire ly a fue l food and

cheater of the cold .

The accompany ing table of a year’s food , which may


be carri ed into Klond ike 0 11 a man’s back

,i s based part ly

on Pro f. W . O . Atwater’s table s o f food values and foodneeds

,and upon the supposed strength of the various

table ts and extract s . I t i s based,also

,i n part

,upon the

U . S . army ration and other standard d ietari es . I t i s not‘guaranteed to give sat i s faction ,

’ but i t i nc ludes noth ingthat i s not eas i ly poss ib l e , and noth ing wh ich wi l l not beone of the commonplaces o f modern l i fe with in a very fewyears . I ts total weight equ ival ent in ordinary food i son ly a l i ttl e over 50 0 pounds , but the ingred ients are carefu l ly chosen to avoid waste .

Arti cl e .

War b readBean and pea tabletsB eef

,des i ccated

Potatoes and mixed vegetables,des i ccated and con

densed

Saccharin eMi lk tab let sCoffee tab lets (with saccharine)Tea tab lets (with saccharine)Pressed ol ive s

,stone les s , des i ccated

Lemon and l ime tabl ets (almost pure ac id)Malted nuts and nut mealCelery tabl etsDes i ccated fru i t sSal t (i ncluded in most of the food tablets).

Total

These t abl ets , wi th th e n ew s i lk rubber su i t o f cloth

ing,i nvented by a man in Kokomo , Ind , whi ch is as l ight

as ai r and warm as bu ffalo robes, s impl i fy the probl em of

the argonauts . Thi s new garment i s said to be qu i te im

perv ious to wind and water, to be so firm of texture thati t wi l l never wear out , and to render th e convent ional su i t

538 T H E CH IC AGO RE CO RD '

S

of c lothes necessary only as a concess ion to establ i shed

custom . As soon as the new triumphs of food tab letsand Indiana sc i ence shal l be perfected and find thei r way

to market,the Ameri can ci t izen who wants to go to the

Klondike country may snap h i s fingers at the Canadian

impor t dut i es,the pack mul e prob lem and the grocery

b i l l .”

There i s a man in Seattl e,Wash

,who says he i s going

to make mi l l ions out of the Klondike treasure s without

going to Klondike—in fa ct,'

by stay ing right where h e i s .

This man has a long head, and he says that the gen iuswho solves the food probl em wi l l b e r i cher than the manwho strikes the r i chest find in the gold fie lds . He be

l ieve s that h e i s that gen ius .

Why,man

,he says

,i n an ordinary val i se I can put

enough food to last a healthy man a year and give h im a

menu j ust as vari ed as he could find in a fir st—c lass hote l .He can eas i ly take another one of those val i se s

,

- and whenhe reaches Dawson City he can se l l i t for That’s

w hat a year’s supply of good food i s wor th there . I f he

wants to load h imse l f down with a good - s ized burden he

can take fou r or five suppl i es , and he wi l l be a comparat ive ly r i ch man the moment h e reaches h i s dest i nat ion .

Why, one o f - those val i ses wi l l buy a hal f i nterest in aclaim pann ing $2 0 0 a day . I am sel l i ng them for $2 50each and they cost me $50 . I make 40 0 per cent profit ,and the man who takes th emmakes at l east 70 0 or 80 0 percent . That’s a pretty b ig scheme

,i sn’t i t ?”

Two years ago the speaker was one of a partythat inte re sted the Uni ted States government i n a condensedfood s cheme to be adopted in case of war . A commiss ion

,appointed by the secretary of war

,and composed of

experi enced army officers,made thorough investigations

,

and the i r subsequent reports were largely favorable . I t



S

i s put into tablets,to say nothing o f Boston baked beans ,

oysters,fru i t and vegetab le s .

A good cup of coffe e or tea i s crow ded i nto a mass as

th in and as smal l as a medium - s i zed button . I t i s al ready

swe etened with a saccharine produ ct of coal tar and a c

co rd ingly requ i res but a very smal l amount . O n e of

these buttons dropped into a cup of hot water becomesimmediately a cup of good coffee or tea.All k inds of soups are prepared in the same way . The

buttons contai n a mixture of meat and vegetabl es,ful ly

seasoned and ready for the hot water . A sausage - l ike

affai r, not as large as frankfurt er, and made of pea meal ,fat and bacon , makes twelve plates of nutrit iou s so up .

Thi s has been used in the German army for nearly ‘th i rty

years , i t s effi cacy be ing determined during the Franco

German war, when the German sold iers , on their qu i ckmarches in the enemy

’

s country,had l i t tl e e l s e to eat

.

Mince pi e , plum pudding, apple dumpl ings and k indred

del icaci es are al so to be had in forms not larger or heavi erthan a s i lver quarter . But th i s i s not the k ind of food thatthe gen ius proposes to put up in the m iner’s k i t . He isgoing to us e the sub stant ial s only

,and prepare h i s prov

e nder on the l i nes of that u sed in th e army .

O n e of the es sen tial s w i l l be des i ccated bee f, an ounceof which i s e quival ent to five ounces of fresh meat . I t i sput up in hard l i tt l e chunks—so hard that an ordinarykni fe makes l it tl e h eadway against i t . A tiny mach ine

l ike a coffee mi l l grinds i t i nto fine shav ings , whi ch canbe spread on bread or used for soup making .

A loaf of bread is compressed i nto a mass not much

b igger that a soda cracker . When soaked in water i tswe ll s up l ik e a sponge

,and when d ri ed out makes very

fa ir.eat ing . A “ loaf of the same s ize i s composed of a

preparation of flour,beef

,fat and salt and contains al l the


es sent ial s o f a p la in but hearty meal . Thi s i s somewhat

s imi lar to the pemmican rat ion'

used in th e Briti sh army .

Ten pounds of onions , carrot s , potatoes , turnip s , cabbage or any other vegetable are , by the condens ing process

,crowded into one- pound cans , and for soup -making

purposes are sa id to be exce ll ent .

The man who counts upon be ing a m i l l ionai re through

hi s scheme does not expect to do anyth ing th i s season,as

th e t ime for l eav ing for the Klondike i s pract i ca l ly over.

He expect s,however, to be in shape to launch h is proj ect

early next spring, when the firs t steamer sai l s and when

the food supply in the mining d istri ct i s pract ical ly ex

hansted .

The question as to what suppl ie s are necessary to betaken in by those preparing to go to the Yukon i s one

over whi ch there has been cons iderab le di s cuss ion.The

estimates made by some of the most experi enced minershas been cons idered by others equal ly experi enced as e ut ir e ly too large . I t has been suggeste d that the emergency rat ion as adopted i n the Uni ted State s army , supplem ented poss ib ly by some dri ed fru i ts and des i ccated vegetabl es

,would b e a very good guide in treat ing on th i s sub

The emergency rat ion as adopted for the Un ited State sarmy i s composed as fo l lows : Bacon

,1 0 ounces ; hard

bread,1 6 ounces ; pe a'm ea l

, 4ounces , or an equ ival ent inapproved material for making soup , coffee, roasted andground

,2 ounce s ; or tea , 4} ounce ; saccharine , 4 grain s ;

sal t,64

- 1 0 0 ounce ; pepper, 4- 1 0 0 ounce ; tobacco , 4ounce .For use th e bacon i s wrapped in tough pa ra ffine paper .

The hard bread i s inclosed in ai r and grease - proof car

ton s ; th e pea meal prepared in cyl i ndri ca l packages and

the other components in sui tabl e packages .

The rat ion i s not intended for continuous u se , but sol e

542 T H E CH ICAGO R E CO RD ’

S

ly for occas ions ari s ing in act ive O perations when the u se

o f the regularly establ i shed ration may be impracti cab le,

and never for a longer per i od than ten days at a t ime . I ts

nutr i t ive qual i t ie s permi t i ts u s e on hal f al lowance,fur

n ish ing a fu l l (min imum) subs i stence diet, so that in extreme emergency five days

’

rat ions'

may be made to las tfor ten without any impairment of health resu lt i ng from

the tempo rari ly restri cted di et . Not more than five days’

emergency rat ion s are a l lowed to be carri ed on the personof th e so ldi er at any one t ime .All the component parts of th i s rat ion were made thesubj ects of thorough invest igation and experiment byboards of offi cers convened in each mil i tary departmentbe fore adopt ion ; and the rat ion , as a whole , has been usedby troops in the fie ld with sati s facto ry resu l ts wi th in the

c ircu i t o f the t ime above stated . H ow i t woul d stand thetes t of use during a long period and exclus ive o f other

suppl ies—an end for which i t w a s never intended—i s amatter o f doubtfu l quest ion .

I t wi l l b e s een at. a glance at i ts components that theemergency ration of the army i s j ust about what a miner

,

prospector or explorer would natural ly se l ect for h is trip .

An army officer said that there can be no doubt as to theent ire w h o lsom en e ss of al l i ts components , and in h i s

O pinion i t wou ld be suffic i en t to preserve health and bodi ly v igor dur ing a far longer period than ten days, and in

defini te ly,with th e addit ion of su ch canned vegetable s

,

etc .,usual ly form ing part of every campaigning outfit .

Whi le the condensed ration,i n many forms and of

many manufactu res,fore ign and domest i c

,was extens ive

ly experimented with by the various boards of offi cers

above re ferred to,none was found that appeared to meet

al l demands,and none recommended for adopt ion . C o f~

fee and tea i n shape of ex tract,e ssence , tabl et s or paste ,


IND EX O F C O NT E NT S .

Pa geAcci dent insu r ance 525

Adam s cr e ek . 14Adam s Mr s . (Da w so n 260

Adve r se c la im s 1 05

Afr i ca , S ou th , go l d r u sh 455Agr i cu l tu r e ,

Yu kon d i s tr i c . .437 , 449Al l C a na d i a n r ou te 434, 442ALA S KAAt tem pt to de fine bou nda ry . 21 1

C ivi l gove r nm en t , la w e r e

.a ti ng

C l im a te

Fu tu r e of

Lan d depa r tm e n t d i st r i ctc r e a te d 1 1 9

La nd o ffice ofii c i a ls 1 99

La nd off i c e r egu la t i on s 1 01

Ra in fa l l "

2 24Tem pe r a tu r e 224

ALA S KA,H I S TO RY O F 395

Be r i ng ’

s e xped i ti on 395D i scove r e d by 395

Ru ss i a n se a l in g pos ts 397

Ru s s i a n Fu r C om pa ny 397

Pu r cha sed by U . S 397O ppos i t i on i n congr e ss 398De r iva t i on o f

“ Ala ska 399

E xten t of t e r r i to ry 399F i r s t pe r i od 399

Fu r se a l i s la n ds 401Ju n ea u conve n t i on 40 1O r ga n i c a ct of Ala ska 402

Tr a n s fe r o f la n d t i t le s 402

Fe de r a l o ffi c i a ls i n Ala ska . 403

C l im a t i c 404Vo lca noe s a nd m ou n ta i n s . . 404Tem pe r a tu r e 405G ov . S h e a k l ey

’

s r e por t .406 to 41 8Ala ska C omm e r c ia l C o .

279 522

Ala skaMine r , T h e (a na lys i s ofpa n va lu e s) 1 79

Ala ska p la ce r m in e s ,p r oce ss . 1 6

Al e u t i a n Is la nds 20

Al lu v i a l d e pos i ts (m in e s) 97

Al lu v i a l gro u nd , cha ra cte r 96Am a lgam 1 07

An d r e a fsk i 2 1

Anv ik 2 1

Anv i k r i ve r 291

Ap- h u n (m ou th o f Yu kon) 203

Ap ro n (m in ing) 1 09

Ar i zon a go l d r u sh 45 . 469

Ar sen i c e ffe ct on go ld 97

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o

Pa geAspha ltum i n C ana da 445

Assa y, for go l d q u a r Lz 1 01

Assa y,ha ndy m e thod 1 0 1

Assoc i a t i ons , co - ope ra t ive 524

Atha ba sca La nd i ng 29 , 1 77Atha ba sca r ive r . 29 ,

1 76 , 1 77 , 1 78 , 182At la n ta , G a r ai l r oa d r a te s to

Pa c i fic s e a po r tsAu r i fe rou s lo des (m in ing)Au str a l i a ,

go l d r u sh

Ba ck door r ou te, cost o f t r ave l . 86

Ba ck doo r r ou te fr om Fa rgoN . D 189

Ba ck door r ou te ,r a i lr oa d fa r e 91

Ba ck , exp lor e r 1 82

Ba ck tr enche s (m i n i ng) 96

Ba gga ge , pou nds a l low e d83 , 87 , 88, 89

Ba ke r M a r cu s (w o r l d ’s pr o

du c t i on o f go ld)Ba l d E a gle m in in g c la imBa l t im or e , r a i l r o a d r a te s to Pa

c ifi c se a po r tsBa l loon , pr o j e cte d r ou te

‘

Ba nks ,syst em

’

fo r Yu kon d i s

t r i ct 522

Ba r n um , Fa th e r 365

Ba r - room s , Da w son C i ty 2 63Be a r c r e e k 14, 282Be a ve r r i ve r 73 74

Be ddoe ,m a i l con tr a ctor 254

Be e be c r e e k 41Be d r o ck (m i n ing) 94

Be l l . D r . Robe r t 447Be ri ng s e a 20

Be r ry, C la r e nce 1 54, 1 55

Be r ry, Mrs . C la r en c e 1 55 487Beve r i dge .

M i ss Ku ehn e 494B i ch e (Atha ba s ca r iv e r) 1 77B i cyc le r ou te to K lond ike 424

Bi g S a lm on r iv e r 69 , 289

B im e ta l l ism , e ffe c t on o f K ton

d ike ou tpu tBIRC H C RE E KD i gg ings i n w i n te r

Go l d ta ken ou t

BO AT SBa ck doo r r ou te

H ow to bu i l dKnock - dow n fo r po r ta geM a cken z i e r ive r

R ive r u se

Ta ka u i n le t

546 IND E X O F CO NTE NTS .

BO AT S—C on t i nu e d .

Yu kon r ive r

F i r st n ext ye a r

T o b e bu i l tBO NAN Z A C RE E K t .

1 3 , 14, 81 , 146 , 148 , 1 50 282

E s t im a te d go ld p r odu ct ion 1 50

Pa n va lu e s c lai m s . . 148, 1 50 , 1 60

Big st r i ke s . 1 55 , 1 57

Bom pa s , B i shop 263

Bos to n , r a i l r oa d r a te s to Pa

ci fi c coa st po r tsBosw e l l , T . , de sc r i bes Tes l i n

too r ive r

Bo u nda ry l in e ,i n tern a t i ona l

Bu ffa lo , r a i l r oa d r a te s to Pa

c i fi c se a -por ts . 88

Br i t i sh C o lum b i a , go l d 283

C a lc spa rC a l ga ryC a l i for n i a pum p (m in i ng)C a l i fo rn i a ,

go l d r u sh . .

C am p on th e Yu kon .

C am pbe l l , Robe r tC am p i ng ou tfi t (se e ou tfit)C ANADAAtt i tu de boundar y l ine d i spu te 222

Re po r t on Yukon 444Fe e s 1 33

Ge o log i ca l su rvey 447

Go ld p rodu ct 339

Ma g i str a te s a ppo in te d 433

M i n e r a l 445

M i n ing la w s

M i n in g r egu la t i ons . 433Po l i c e 433

Pos i t i on on K lon d i ke i ssu e . 435Roya lt i es (c la im s) 1 33

Ta r i ff ta x on ou tfi ts . . 53 , 54, 84

T o loca te w a gon 51 8

T o open S t ik e en r ou te 35Yu kon po l i cy 433

C a na d i a n Pa c i fic r a i lr oa d 86

C a nham ,Ar chde a con 200

C a n o e s . 86 , 1 84C ANYO N SGr an d 1 68M i l e s 25

C a rm a ck ,Ge or ge 1 53 , 282

C a r i bou (C a r i b oo) d i ggings . . 1 66 , 1 78

C a r i bou ,po r ta ge . 58

C a r r“ Ja ck a dv i ce 1 74

C a r r Ja ck , ou tfi t . 43C a ssm r go l d d i s tr i ct 289

C a tho l i c m i ss i on a ry s i s te r s 492C h a g e l u k s lou gh 209C ha n d in du r ive r 77

C ha pm a n , R ev. J W 361C ha r l e ston , S . C r a i l r oa d r a te s

to Pa c i fic s e a po r tsC h e - ch a - cos

C h i cken cr e ek .

C h i lka t r ive r

C h i lkoo t in le t

Pa geC H ILKO O T PA S S 84

Dan ge r s o f 1 68D e scr i be d by E . A . Ga ge 332F i r s t e xpe d i t i on thr ou gh 32

C h i ppew aya n Fo r t 29C hu r ch , Daw son C i ty 263C i n c i nna t i , 0 r a i lr oa d r a tes to.

Pa c ifi c sea por ts 90 , 91C i tr i c a c i d , r em e dy for scu r vy 43C IRC LE C ITY 2 1

C os t o f ou tfi t 83De scr i be d by E l i A . Ga ge 30 7E xodu s fr om 1 54

C LA IM S (m in ing)Bou nda r i e s ofH ow to fi l eH ow to lo ca teK lond ike , a l l ta kenLoca ti on—C an a d i an r egu la

t i ons 1 33Num be r on K lond ike 282 , 283S u rvey o f 1 01 1 02

C la y i n C a n a da 445C le a n i n g u p p r oc e ss 1 1 6C lea n i ng u p s lu i ce s 1 1 5C le a r w a te r r ive r 1 82C l im a te , Ala ska 405C lo th i ng , se e O u tfi ts .

C lo th ing , co st o f Da w son C i ty 259C loth i n g , Yu kon 31 1C lu t , Isa dor e (B i shop)C oa l i n C a na da 446C oa l i n K lond i ke d i s tr ict 285C oa l in Yu kon d i st r i ct 241C oa st r ange m ou n ta i n s 277C o lony, B r ook lyn p r oj e ct 5 24C o lon i e s to b e fo rm e d 524C o lum bi a r i ve r , go l d r u sh 292C omm i tte e

’s P u n ch bow l 1 77

C one h i l l (For ty—M i l e ) r i ve r 78C on sta n t ine Fo r t (C u da hy) 78C oo k i n le t 235C c - ope r a t ive a ssoc i a ti on s 524C opp e r p la te s in s lu i c ing (m ’

n

i n g) 1 1 5 , 1 1 6C o ppe r pyr i te s 97 1 00

C oppe r i n C a n a da 447C oppe r r i ve r 235 250

C o ppe rm i n e r ive r 445C O S TBe e f a t For t C u dahy 276

C la im s pe r a c r e 1 05D inne r , Da w son C i ty 264Fr e i ght to go l d d i gg ings 239

O u tfi t 42 49 86

O u tfi t,C i r c le C i ty 307

Tr a ve l , ba ck door r ou te

86 , 1 88 1 89

Tr ave l , a l l w a ter rou te 83

Tr a ve l ove r lan d 85

C RADLE (m in i ng) 1 09

H ow to u se 1 09, 1 1 0

Whe n to u se 1 1 1

C r a d li ng , n ot econom i ca l 1 1 1

C ra ze s ,go l d 455

C r e e de ,go l d r u sh 455 465

C r e eks (se e r i ve r s)


INDE X O F CO NTE NTS .

Fa rgo N .

Fe de r a l o ffic i a ls ,

Fe e s ,m i n ing ,

F i r st le ft - ha ndF i sh , Ta kou r i ve r

F ive F inge rF loa t r ockF lu o r spa r (m in i ng). .99,FO O D , se e O u tfits.

C ondens e dC os t , Daw son C i tyDa nge r of sh o r ta ge ”

For s ledge dogsH a r dPemm i ca n (j e r ke d be e f). 1 83

Re qu i r e d b y pr ospe ctor sRe qu i r e d Ba ck Door r ou te

Requ i r ed pe r m an pe r dazy4

R equ i r e d for ye ar

S hor ta geT r a ppe r s an d Ind i a n sWe i ght , yea r ’

s su pp lyFo o l ’s go l dFor ts , se e T r a d ing Posts.Fo r ty M i leFo r ty M i le ,

Fr a nk l i n,S i r John

Fra ze r r i ve r , go l d r u shFu lcom e r , Mi s s Anna .

Ga ge,E l i A . , a ccoun t Yu konjou r n ey

G age , Mr s . E l i A . .

Ga len a , depos i ts .

Gam b l i n g , Daw son C i ty .

Gam b le r s , C h i ca go for K lon.

d ikeGAM E

D r . Da w son’s r epor t .

In K lon d i ke cou n t ry .

O gi lv i e ’s r e po r t on .

O n Ta kou r i ve r .

In Nor thw e st

In Yu kon di st r i ct .

Ga st in e a u chan n e lG la c i e r cr e e k .

Gn a tsGO LDAfr i caAnc i en t fi e l ds ”

Ar i zon a.

455,A s pow de r (m in ing)Au str a l i a 455 ,Al lu v i a l de po s i ts .

B i r ch c r e e k

1 0

537

1 84

1 95

533

464. 482

46997

45897269

B i r ch cr e ek d i s tr i ct 247

B r i t i sh C o lum b i a go l d be l t . 283

B r i t i sh Ind i a 333

C a l i for n i a 455 , 45 6

C ana da 339

C ha r a ct e r of i n p la ce r s 95

C ha r a cte r qu a r tz Yu kon . 241 . 242

C a p i ta l r equ i r e d by go l dse eke r s

C re ede,

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

GO LD—C ont i nu e d .

C r i pp le C r ee k r u sh 455 , 465Fr a ze r r ive r r u sh 455 , 461H o r qu a H o la r u sh 455 , 469, 473Ke rn cr e ek r u sh 452

Low e r C a l i fo r n i a r u sh 455 , 465T o dr e dge r ive r be ds by

steamDu st , fi n eE ffe ct of a r sen i c a nd su l

phu r 97F i r st ru sh 484Foo ls 95For ty M i l e d i str i ct 244

Fr e e , h ow to de te c t 96Gu i d ing tes t for 97H ow s tor e d i n th e K lon d i ke 1 52H ow to sepa ra te fr om sa nd 1 07In Am e r i ca n de se r ts 469K lond ike , cha r a cte r of 147Le a dv i l l e 471L i s t b i g str i ke s 1 64Mex i co 339M i n e r ’

s gu i de 94M in i ng r equ i r e s ca p i ta l 91Mothe r lode 95Mo ja ve de s e r t 474Nu gge ts ,

w he r e fo u nd 96Pr ospe c to r ’

s gu i de 94Pr ospe c tor ’

s pa n 1 05Pr odu ct , w o r l d ’

s 339Qu a r tz 1 00Qu a r tz i n K lon d ike 1 51

Ra ndsbu r g d i str i ct 477Ru ss i a 339S om e h i stor i ca l c r az es 455T o de ve lop Kam cha tkan

fi e ldsTom bston eUse o f X - r ay to fi nd

GO LD , WH E RE FO UNDAdam s cr e e k 14Adm i r a l ty i s la n d 289Ala ska , sou the a st 287Am e r i ca n cr e e k 2 1 2

Ann e tte i s la nd 288

Ba r r en gr ou n ds 445Bea r cr e e k 14Be r n e r ’

s b ay 233

Bi g S a lm on r ive r 289B i r ch cr e ek 235 , 243 , 290Bon a n za cr e ek 1 3 , 1 4, 1 5

C a r ibou (C a r i bo o) d i str ic tC as s i a r d i str i ct 1 5 40 66 283 449C h i cken cr e ek 285

C oppe r r i ve r 235 , 250

C r ooke d cr e e k 291Da v i s cr e ek 247D e nsm u i r

’

s b a r 453Dom in i on cr e e k 1 66

Dou gla s i s la n d 289

E l Do r a do cr e ek 1 3 14F i r st le ft - han d for k 14F i sh cr ee k 291

For ty M i le c r ee k235 , 243,

INDE X O F CO NT E NTS . 549

Pa geGO LD ,

WH E RE FO UND—C on t in ’

d . Goodr i ch , H . BFra nk l in c r e ek 247 Gr ay, Albe r tG la c i e r c r e e k 285 , 290 Gr a nd can yon

Go l d c r e e k 287 Gr a ph i te , i n C a na d aGo l d Bottom c r e e k . 1 4 Gr ea t F i sh r ive r

H oota l i nqu a r i ve r Gr e a t S la ve r i ve r

14, 1 66 , 283 , 289, 454 Gypsum , i n C ana daH u dson BayH u nke r 14 H amm e r , p rospe ctor ’

s

Ind ia n 281 , 283 H a r pe r , H u dson ’

s Bay C o . tr adJu ne a u d i s t r i ct . 287 278K e tt le son fo r k 14 H a r r i sbu r g (Ju n e a u) 287

K lond i ke r i ve r H a r ri s , R i cha r d 2871 3 , 1 5 , 94, 146 , 281 , 450 H ea rn e , S am u e l 1 76

Kooten a i d i s tr i ct 1 67 H em ing , A . H . H . 86Koyu ku k r i ve r 290 H i gg ins , C r o ft W 184Lew e s r ive r 289 , 449 H oppe r (m i n ing) . 1 09

L i a r d r ive r 1 66 , 445 , 448, 450 H orn spoon .

Ma cke nz i e r ive r bas in H or q u a H o la , go l d r u sh .455 , 469 , 4731 86 , 445 , 448 H o r se s , C i r c le C i ty . 380

Mas todon cr e ek 247 H ou se s , r e a dy m a de 429

McC o rm a c'

s b a r 453 H o ly c r o ss 2 1

Mi l le r cr e e k 285 , 290 H oota l inqu a (T es l i n too) r i ve r

M i s s i on 21 2 35 , 63 , 66 ,Mo ja ve dese r t 477 H UD S O N ’

S BAY C O .

Mo lym u te c r e e k . 291 29 , 31 1 76,1 77 , 1 86 , 1 93

N i su la n ti n e r i ve r 41 H i story o f 294No r th For k (B i r ch c r e ek) 291 294N or thw e st 445 C om pe t i t i on 296

O m i na ca d i str ic t 1 86 C o lon i e s 297

Qu a r tz c r ee k 14 Fo r ts 30 1

Pea ce r i ve r 445 Ind i a n s 302Pe e l r i ve r . 445 Adm 1n i s tr a ti on 30 ?

Pe l ly r ive r . 14, 283, 289 T h e Fu r T r a de 303Ph i l c r e e k 14 Ter r i tory 304Pr ince of Wa l e s 288 T r a de r s 446Ra ndsbu r g d i st r i c t 477 Tr a ppe r s 182Ross la nd d i s tr i ct . 1 67 H u n te r c r e ek 1 50 , 282S he e p c r e ek . . 287S i lve r Bow ba s in . 247 205, 206S i x ty M i le cr e ek . 290

S ou th For k (B i r ch cr e e k) . 291

S tew a r t r ive r

14, 235 , 283 , 454S um D um 288Ta n a na r i ver 290

Te l ly c r e e k 281T e s l i n too (H o ota l in qu a) r iv

Th r on - D i u ck (K lond ike) r i v

T oo -m u ch - go l dTre a dw e l l m i n eUnga fi e l dW i ld cr e ekWh i te r ive r

Yu kon a nd b ra nche s5 6 to 80 , 450

Yukon d i s tr ict . . 235 , 241 , 447 , 450 31Yu kon 450 , 453 327

Go ld , w he r e fou nd , G en . D u i 1 99

fi e l d 7 1Go l d , w he r e i t e x i s tsGo l d Bo ttom c r e ekGo l d c r e ekGood H ope Fo r tG Pt d O“, C h ar les U O I O O O C O Q Q Q O O D O O Q O ’ O O O O O Q O O o o o - o

'

Ikogm i u t m i ss i onIND IAN SBe n H o l den m u s i ca l ge n i u s 330C h i lka t 64C h i lkoot 24C h i nook 64C hu r ch 359C oppe r r i ve r 250

D i scove r e d go l d i n K londi ke 146E du ca te d 359

Inga le k 209Me t la ka h t la 358

Mode l tow n 357O g i lvi e 's r e por t on 383P i l la ged For t S e lk i r k 72S choo ls 359

Ta g i sh 59 , 1 64T h l i ng i t 205T o pa dd le ca no es Ba ck D oo r

r ou te

Tre a che ryYu kon

Inge r so l l i s la ndsINLE T S

C ookD ye a

Ta ko u (Ta ku )Ta iya (D ye a)

550 IND E X

.

O F CO NTE NTS .

Pa geInd ia n 235 , 281 , 283

i nn ok o r i ve r 209

i nsu ra n ce , a cci de n t 523In su r a n ce , l i fe 522

INTE RNAT IO NAL BO UNDARYD i spu te 21 1

Loca ti on 214, 21 5I r on , in C a na da 448

I r on pyr i tes (m i n i ng). 96 ,Iskoo t r ive r 40

Te rk ed be e f. l im tow n 35

John s,W . D r i chne ss p la ce rm ine s

Jon e s,W . J de scr i be s m ode lIndi an tow n . .

Ju n e a uJu ne a u r ou te

K a tu ne cr e e k .

Ke i s e r , M r s , M . L D .

K e l logg , M issK e r n r ive r , go l d r u sh . .

Ke tt le son fo r kK i negm a gm i u t

K la h e e la r i ve r

K lam a th go l d r u sh

KLO ND IK E GO LD D I S TR IC TC ha r a cte r go l d str e a k . 1 5

C la im s , va lu e of , 149

C l im a te 436D i se a se s 231 , 232

E st im a te d go l d produ ct i on . . 338

Ge o log i ca l cond i t i ons . 248

H ow a nd w hen go l d w a s

fou n dIn fl u en ce ou tpu t on w o r l d

341 , 353

L i st o f b i g 1 64

Loca t i on 1 3

Ma i l se rv i ce 252

Ma tr im on i a l a gen cy for “ . 41 9

N a tu r e of go l d de posi t . 94

Pa n va lu e s c l a im s 147 , 1 59Pe rm a ne n t va lu e 1 64P rodu c t i on a n d deve lopm ent 1 6 1.

R i chn e ss o f c la im s 283

R i ch pay . 147S u n r i se 2 55

S umm e r a n d w i n te r w ork . . 1 5 1Tem pe r a tu r e 436

Wa ge s 1 5 1

Wom en 486

Qu a r tz ve ins 1 57 , 285

K lond i ke r ive r . 81 ,Koo ten a i go l d 1 67

K o s e r e fsky 21

K oyk u k r ive r . . 235

K r ook , Rober t 264K u t l i k

'

0 0 0 0 0 2 1

La du e , 260 , 261LAK E SAtha ba sca 1 78

Be nne tt 24, 28, 57 , 58, 63.

BQve (T agi sh ) 58

o ooo o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LAKE S - C on t inu e d .

C omm i tte e’

s Pu nch bow l 1 77Dea s e 35 , 40 , 1 79Gr e a t Be a r 445Gr ea t S la ve 29

, 1 77 , 1 78K a u ki tc h i e 41L e Ba r ge 25 , 28, 64, 65Le sse r S la ve 1 78L i ndem a n 28

,56

, 57 , 58Ma r sh (Mu d) . 25 , 28, 62 , 63M ayhew 74Na r e s 57S im pson 1 90

Ta kone (W i n dy Arm ) 58, 62Ta gi sh 25 , 28

Te s l in 32 35Wh i te Wha le 1 90W indy A rm 58, 62W innepe g 1 79 , 1 89

L a Loche po r ta ge 1 82La n d offi ce r e gu la t i o n s ,

Ala ska . 1 01Land office r egu la t i on s (c la im s)

1 01 to 1 05Land r e se r ve d fo r sa l e 1 20La st C ha n ce c r e e k 1 50L a w

,m i n i ng , C a n a d i a n 1 33

L aw,m i ne r s ’ m e e t in g s 309

L a w , Un i te d S ta te s m in i ng 1 20

Le a dv i l le 471L e Ba r ge , M i ke 66Le tte r s , s e e Ma i ls .

Lew e s r ive r

56 62 , 63 64 66 67 . 6 9.7 1 , 2 39

L i a r d r i ve r 68 1 79 , 1 82L i fe i n su r a n ce 522

L im e ston e , C a na da 445L i ppy, T . S 1 55

L i t t l e S a lm on r i ve r 69

L i tt le , Mr s . W . A 491Lode s , a u r i fe r ou s (m i n ng i 99

Lode , h ow to pr ospect for 1 00Lode ,

m o the r 95

Long T om (m in i ng) 1 1 , 1 1 2L ou 1svi l le , r a i l roa d r a te s to Pa

c i fi c se a po r ts 90

Low e r C a l i for n i a go l d r u sh 455Lynn C a na l 21 , 280

Ma cken z i e , e xplor e rMa cken z i e r ive r

29, 31 , 1 76 , 1 78 1 79 , 1 82 , 435Ma cph e r son For t 29,

'

3 1 , 86MAIIr

C i r c le C i ty 31 0

S e r v ice for th e K lond ike 252Li st o f Yu kon ca r r i e r s 253

S e rv i ce o f ca r r i e r p i ge on s 423

S e r v i ce , ha r dsh i ps 254T o Fo r t Ma cphe r son 1 89

Mag i str a te s , C a n a d‘

a n 433Moja ve de se r t , go l d 474Ma gne ts , u se i n 1 07Ma tr i ce s (m i n ing) 99

Ma r i s , O m e r 20 5 2

Mas todon cr e e k 247Ma t r i x (m i n ing) 99

Mcc l intock r iver 63


5 52 INDE X -O F CO NT E NTS .

O UTF IT SAm ou n t of food per m an pe r

ye a r 42Ba ck- door 88, 1 95

C a r r’

s l i st 43E l i A. Ga ge ’

s 31 0Food , too ls , e tc 43 , 44

For th e go l d - se eke r 42Me d i ci ne che st 53Mode l l i st , pa r ty o f 4 47Nor the rn Pa c i fic 's l i st 45P la ce s to 5 2Pr i ce s 46 , 48, 83 , 84, 307Pr ospe cto r s 97

S ta nda r d l i st ‘

49, 51

We i ght o f 1 74

Pa c i fic oce an po r ts , r a te s to (se er a i l roa ds).

Pa n , p r ospe c to r sPa nn ing pr oce ssPAS S E S

C h i lkoo t 84

D ye a 24, 280

Ta iya (D ye a) 280Wh i te 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 63

Un im a k 20

Pa r ka (Pa r ke e) 31 2

Pe a ce r i ve r 1 78,Pe e l r ive r 31 ,Pe l ly r i ve r 69 , 71 , 289

Pem b ina r ive r 1 90

Pemm i ca n (j e r ke d be e f)Pe r ry Ar thu r 1 53

Pe t r o le um , C a na da 445

Ph i l cr e ek 14

Ph i la de l ph i a , r a i lr oa d r a te s to

Pa c i fic s e a por tsP i ttsbu r g r a i lr o a d r a te s to Pa

c i fi c se a po r tsPLAC E R M IN E S

C a n a d ia n r e gu la t i on sC ha r a cte r go l dK lond ikeH ow don e i n Ala skaPa n va lu e s K lond i keR i chne ss of

Gu i dePl um e e (Pe e l) r i ve r

Poo r m a n's m i n e .

PO RTAGE SBa ck- door r ou te

C h i lkoot pa ssC ost o f m a ki n gD og la ke to S a l t r i ve r

E dm on ton - Atha ba sc a la n ding 1 77

For t Ma h e r son - La p i e r r ehou se

H u sky r ive r - Porcu p in e r iv

e r

La ke L indem a n - Lake Benn e tt 28

L a Loche 1 82

Pe e l r ive r - S tew a r t r ive r . . 29 , 1 84

O n Ta kou r ive r 32 35

S m i th Land i ng-Ft. Sm i th 1 79

a o o o o o o o o o o o o

t lo o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o96 , 97

o o o o o o o0 0 0 0 0 0 0

c c . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

9

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

n o . 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Q 0 o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

C 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

t o . o o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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c c c c c o o o o o o o o u o o o o - o o o

e c u - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .

PO RTAGE S—C on t inu ed .

S im pson La ke - Fr a nc i s La ke 1 90Wh i te Wha le la ke - Pem b ina

r i ve r

Por t land , r ai lr oa d r a te s to87

,88 89 90

Post offi ce , Daw son C i ty 264Post ofi‘

l ce , se e m a i lsPRO S PE C TO R ’

S GU ID EAl lu v i a l de pos i tsAffidav i tsAm a lgam a t in g p la te sAr sen i cAssayi ngAu r i fe r ou s lode sBa ck tr e nche sBe d r ockB low in g p r o ce ssBou nda r i e s o f c la im s

C a l i fo rn i a pum pC a l i fo r n i a To mC a lc spa rC e r t i fica te s r e qu i r e dC ha nne lsC la im s , h ow to loca te ,

fi l e ,

r e cor d a nd convey1 01 , 1 02 , 1 03

C le a n in g u p 1 1 0 1 1 5 , 1 1 6

C oppe r pyr i te s 96 97 , 1 00C r a d le 1 09 , 1 1 0C r a d l ing 1 09

D epos i ts w h e r e fou n d 96D r i fts 99F loa t r ocks 99F low o f w a te r 96F lu o r spa r 99 1 00Foot w a l l 1 00

Go l d , i n a l lu v i a l gr ou n d 96Go l d , i n fi n e pow de r 9 7

Go l d , gu i d ing te s t 97

Go l d , n a ti ve 96Go l d , pu r eGr ou nd s lu iceGr u b pa ckGu lche sH amm e r

H a ng ing w a l lH or n spoonInd i ca t i on s , su r fa ceI r on pyr i te sLa nd o ffice r e gu la t ions

101 , 1 02 , 1 03 , 1 04, 1 05La nd s l i de 99

Lod e 1 00

Long T om 1 1 1

Low e r w a l l 1 00Ma gne ts 1 07Ma gn i fying gl a ss 96 , 97M a te r i a ls m i sta ken fo r g ol d

97, 1 00Ma tr i x 99Me r cu ry, h ow u sed 1 07 , 1 1 5M i ca 96 97

M i n e r a l ve ins 99

Mo th e r lode 99Mou n ta i n cha in s 96

Not i ce of in tent i on . 1 02

INDE X O F CO NTE NTS . 55 3

Pa gePRO S PE C TO R ’

S GU IDE —Con t in

’d .

O u tcr ops 99Pa n

Pa nn i ngP i ckP la ce r s 99P la t of su r vey 1 02Qu a r tz 1 00

Re co r d of loca t ion 1 03 , 1 04Re gi ste r o f loca te r 1 09

R ive r be ds 95 , 99

Rocks , loose 95

S e ct i on s 99

S ha ft , p r ospe ct in g 1 00

S hove l 97

S lu i c e s 1 1 2,1 1 3 1 14

S tr e am s , go l d - be a r i ng 96

S tr ike o f lode s 1 00

S u lphu r 97

S u r fa c e i nd i ca t ion s 1 00

S u rvey o f C la im 1 01 , 1 02Pum p

, C a l i for n i a 1 1 7

Too ls 97

Uppe r w a l l 1 00

Va l leys 99

V e i ns , m ine r a l 99Wa l ls 1 00

Wa te r su pp ly fo r pa n 1 09

Wa te r su pp ly fo r 11 1Wa te r su pp ly for Long T om 11 2

Wa te r su pp ly for s lu ic ing1 1 3 , 1 14

P r e ston , R .

Pr o j ec ts . oddPr ov id e nce , For tPyr i t e s

Qu a r tz c r e ekQu a r tz , de scr ibe dQu e e r schem es

RAILRO AD S PRO J E C TE DAtha ba sca La nd in gBa ck DoorH u dson BayNa r row ga u gePor cu p in e r ive r

S k a ga w ay b ayS t i ke e n r ive rWh i te pas s

RAILRO AD RAT E S , to Pa c ificO ce a n

Fr om At la n taFr om Ba lt im or e

From Bu ffa loFr om C ha r le stonFr om C h ica goFrom C inc i nn a t iFrom D e n ve rFrom Lou i sv i l leFrom M em ph i sFrom M in n e a po l i sFrom N a shv i l l eFrom New O r le a n sFrom N e w Yo r kFrom O ma ha

Pa geRA ILRO AD RATE S—C on t inu e d .

Fr om P i ttsbu r g 90 91From Ph i la de lph i a 90Fr om S t . Pa u l 89

Fr om Wa shi ngton 90

O n Ba ck Doo r r ou te 90

Fr om C h i c a go to 188Ra in fa l l , Ala ska 224Ra ndsbu rg go l d d i str i ct 477 , 481

RAP ID SF ive F inge rGr e a tR inkWh i te H o r se

Ra te s , se e Ra i lr oa ds .

R e d R ive r (of t h e Nor th) 64, 1 89Re i nde e r 394, 42Re l i a n ce , Fort 72 74 77Re so lu t i on ,

For t 29

R i nk r a p i ds 70

R IVE R S , S TR E AMS C RE E K SAdam s c r e e kAnv i k r ive r

Atha ba sca r i ve r

29 , 1 76 1 77 1 78 1 82

Bea r cr e ek 14, 28)

Be a ve r r ive r 73 74Be e be c r e e k 41B i c he (Atha ba sca ) r ive r 1 77

Big S a lm on r ive r 69, 289B i r ch c r e e k 235 , 291

Bona n za c r e e k1 3 , 14, 81 , 146 , 148, 1 50 , 282

C ha nd i n du r i ve r 77

C h i cke n cr e e k 285

C h i lka t r i ve r 280

C le a r w a te r r ive r 1 82C on e H i l l (For ty Mi le) r ive r 78

C oppe r r ive r 235 250C oppe rm in e r i ve r 445C r ooke d c r e ek 291D

’Abba d i e (Bi g S a lm on)r ive r 69

Da ly (L i t t le S a lm on) r ive r 69

Da vi s cr e ek 247Dom in i on c r e e k 1 66

De e r (K lo nd ike) r ive r 77E l Dor a do c r e e k

14, 81 , 147 , 148, 149 282E l k (Atha ba sca ) r i ve r 1 78F i rs t l e ft- ha nd fo r k 14F i sh c r e e k 291Fo r ty M i le r ive rG la c i e r c r e e kGo l d Bottom c re e k 14 1 50 , 282Go l d cr e e k 287G r e a t F i sh r i ve r 1 76Gr e a t S la ve r i ve r 1 79H oota l inq u a (T e s l i n too) r i ve r

1 5 , 28 35 63 66 . 67 . 289H unke r cr e ek 14, 1 50 . 282Ind i a n r ive r 14 235 281 ,Inna k o r ive r 209 2 91Iskoo t r ive

’

r 40Ka tu na c r e ek 33Ke tt le son fo rk 14

554

R IVE R S , E T C .—C ont i nu ed .

K oyku k r ive r

K la h e e la r i ve r

K lon d i ke (Th r on - D i u ck) r i v

e r 81 , 146 , 1 50 , 281La st C ha nce cr e e k . .

Lew e s r i ve r

56 , 62 , 63 , 64, 66 , 67 , 69, 71 , 28L i a r d r iv e r 1 79 , 1 82L i tt le S a lm on ri ve r .

Ma cke n z i e r ive r

29 , 31 , 1 76 , 1 78, 1 79, 1 82 , 435Ma stodon c r e e k 247McC l i n tock r i ve r 63

M i l le r cr e ek 247 285

M i ss i on (Am e r i ca n) cr e e k 2 1 2

Mo lym u te c r e e k 291

Mou n ta i n r ive r 1 90

Na h l in r i ve r 41Na k i n a h r ive r 33 , 35N ew be r ry (H oota l i n qu a o r

T e s l in too) r ive r 66N i su la n t i n e r ive r

"

41No r den sk i o l d r iver 70

O ttaw a r ive r 67 , 435Pe a ce r ive r 1 78 , 1 82

Pe e l 29, 31 , 74, 1 79

Pe l ly 28, 69 , 71 , 289

Pem b in a r i ve r 1 90Ph i l cr e ek 14Plumm e (Pe e l) r i ve r 1 79Qu a r tz cr e e k 14

R e d r ive r (o f t h e N or th). .64, 1 89Ros e bu d c r e e k 73S a ska tch e w a n r ive r . . 64

,1 79 , 1 89

S he e p c r e ek 283S i xty M i le cr e ek 25 , 77

S tew a r t r i ve r

14, 29 , 72 , 73 , 74, 77 , 235 , 289S t i ke en (S t i ck e en , S t i k i n e)

r ive r 35 , 1 82

Ta kou (Ta ku ) r ive r . . 32 , 35 , 67

T a h k e en a h (T e h k e ena h ) r iv

e r 64, 69 , 281

Ta h lta n r ive r 35 , 3 6

Ta na na r i ve r

T a ts h u n r ive r 71T e h k e e na (T a h ke ena) r ive r

Te le gr a ph c r eek 35 , 36 , 39T e s l in too (H oota l i nqu a) r iv

e r 1 5 , 28, 35 , 63 , 66 , 67 68 69Th i r ty M i l e (Lew e s) r ive r 41Th r on D i u ck (K lond i ke) r iv

e r

T i l ly cr e e k 282T oo m u ch go l d c r e e k 14, 281Wh e a ton r i ve r 57Wh i ppl e c r e ek 1 5 3Wh i te r ive r 72 , 289W i l d cr e e k 291Yu kon r ive r . 1 3 , 1 5 , 28,

35 ,36 ,

71,72 , 74, 77 , 146

INDE X O F CO NTE NTS .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .

o o o o o o o o n o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .

69, 281

0 0 . l o 0 35 , 36

280

28035 , 67

R i tch to fen r ocksRockw e l l (Ju n e a u )Roqu e tte r ock

65

287o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

R oss land go ld di strict . . 167

53 . 54

35 36 ,

257 . 434

Rose bu d cr ee kRou te s , de scr i be d by O m e r Ma r i s .

Rou te s se e D i stance s.R O UTE SAl l C ana di an 434, 412A l l w a te r vi a S t . Micha e l

20,21 , 83

Ba ck Doo r 29 , 86 , 1 76 ,1 89, 5 14

Da l ton ’

s , v i a C h i lka t i n le t 280

Ju ne a u , vi a D ye a 2 1 , 28

O ve r lan d , v i a D yea 24, 25 , 2 6

S t i k e en r iver 35 , 39Ta kou r i ve r 32 33 35

Vi a W h i te pa ss 1 70

S t . M i cha e l 21 , 83S t . Pa u l , r a i lr oa d r a tes to Pa

c i fi c se a po r tsS a lt in C a n a daS a l te d m i ne sS a n Fr a nc i sco , r a i l roa d r a te s to

87 88, 89, 90

S a ska tch ew a n r i ve r 64, 1 79 , 1 89

S ch w a tk a , Fr e de r ick 57 62 69 21 1

S cu rvy, r em e dy for 43

S e a t t le 20 , 21 , 28, 35 , 39

S e a tt le , r a i l r oa d r a te s to

87 88, 89, 90

S e lk i rk , For t 25, 71 , 277

S i lve r . 289, 342 , 353 , 445S i lve r Qu e en m in e 288

S i tka 2 27 . 287

S i x ty Mi le c r e e k 2 5 , 77

S im pson , For t 29

S ka gaw a y (S k a g u ay) b ay 1 76

S le e p ing ca r r a te s . 87 , 88, 89, 90, 91

S le dge ,d og 381

S m i th ,Fo r t 29

S m i th La nd ing 29, 3 1

S o l i d d r i nks 533

S or en sen ,N e ls ,

d i a ry 500

S pu r r Pr o f. J . S 233

S TE AM E R SBa gga geF i r st ne xt ye a rFa r e on

Ma i l , sch e du leRou te , n ew one

S tew a rt r i ve r14, 29 , 72 , 73 , 74, 77 235 , 289

S t i ke en (S ti k ine) r ive r 35 1 82

S tr a nde r An ton 1 55

S tr e am s , se e Ri ve rs .

S u lphu r i n C ana da

T a h k e ena r ive r

Tah ltan br i dgeTa h ltan r ive r

T a iye a (D ye a) pa ssTa kou (Ta ku ) in le tTakou (Ta ku ) r i ve r

Ta n a na r ive r

Ta r i ff ta x , C ana d i a nT a tsh u n r ive r

Te le gr a ph cr e e kT e l egraph , proje cted


T O K L O ND YK E AND T H E YE L L OW ME TAL

BY T H E NEW L INE O F S TE AME R S O FT H E

S PE E D—SAFE T Y—C O MFO RT

IO“anIN S E RVIC E AFTE R APR Ic z

BAGG AG E

T O E AC H

K L O ND YK ED IS T R IC T

S A IL ING O NR E G UL A R D AY S

FR O M S E A‘I'T L E

vu x o u0°ri te I0)“

A L S O S PQO IALL AN D AN DWAT E R R O UT E

Vl A C H IL C O O T

PA S S m ents n u

T H E ALAS K A T R ANSPO R T AT IO N

AND D EVE LO PME NT C O .

FIS H E R BUIL D ING C H IC AG O , IL L ., U. S . A.

LIBBY’S COMPRES SED MEATSu r a l d e l i c i o u s w ho l e som en e ss , and a r e pe rf

n

egt ly)

pi cfigdpze

fifir

zgt

igprgiggda

i d

h e rm e t 1 ca 1 1y sea led c a u s . .

ACANBE LIBBY’S BEEF 3515331

UBBY’S COMPRES S ED MEATS if:2135225 333133333933538323

t h e m o st c om p a c t fo rm a r e r e qu i r e d fo r t r a n spo r ta t i o n o n e xpe d i t io n s i n h o to r c o l d c l im a te s o r ove r m ou n t a i ns .

L i bb y ’

s Be e f E x t r a c t , F l u i d Be e f , S o u ps a n d M i n c e M e a t s a r e

P e r f e c t P r o d u c t i o n s . F o r s a l e b y G r o c e r s E v e r yw h e r e .

Ma nu fa ctu r e d by L IBBY , M o NE l L L 8L L IBBY ,C h i ca go . Il l . , U. S .A.

T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D w as th e o n ly new spaper in th e

Un ited S tates w h i ch h ad a correspo ndent i n th e K lond i ke r egio n at

th e t ime o f th e great st r ike o f go l d . Mr . Wi l l iam D . Jo h ns anno unced th e K lo nd ike d isco very i n T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D in an

artic le pub l ish ed March 2 , 1 897, w h ich h ad been sent o u t o f th eYuko n co u ntry m i les by dog s ledge to th e co ast. Th reea rt ic les by E li G age , so n o f th e secreta ry o f th e treasu ry, a lso gavei nfo rm at ion o f t h ese go ld fie ld s be fo re th e great e x citem ent cau sedby th e retu rn o f sh iplo ads o f fo rtunate go l d seeke rs by th e E xce lsio r to S an Francisco and by th e Po rt land to S eatt l e .

Under date o f June 1 8 Mr. Jo h ns w ro te aga in from th e K lond ike to T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D . giving in deta i l th e resu lts o f th ed igging up to th at date .

In th e summe r o f 1 896 O m er Ma r is, a jo u rna l ist o f ab i l ity, anda go ld - m in ing e xpe rt, w as sent to th e Yu ko n co u ntry by T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D . H is m any a rt icles o n th e co untry and th e go l dm ining ope rat io ns t h e re attracted w ide attent io n . At th e mo uth o f

th e K lo nd ike r iver h e met and conve rsed w ith G eo rge _

C a rm ack ,

w h o fo u r w eeks later d iscover ed th e great pl acer go l d depo sits a

few m i les aw ay w h ich no w compr ise th e famo us d iggings. Mr .

Ma r is sa i led aga in f rom S eatt le Aug. 2 , 1 897 , in th e fast yach tR o sa l ie fo r Ju neau and D yea as T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D

’S c h ie f

representat ive i n th e Yu ko n r egion . As h e i s fam i l iar w ith th e

co untry h e w i l l pro bab ly reach Daw son C ity in an u nu sua l ly sh o rtspace o f t im e and w i l l rema in t h e re a l l w inter , send ing o u t d is

pa tch es as o ften as po ssib l e Mr . Jo h ns w i l l a lso r em a in as a rep

resentative o f T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D o n th e K lond ike r ive r .

W i l l iam J . Jo nes, United S tates C omm issio ner fo r Alaska , is a lso a

regu la r co r respo ndent fo r T H E R E C O R D f rom th e go l d fie lds.

C o r respondents at Juneau , S t. Mich ae l , Victo r ia , Tacoma,S eatt le , S an Franc isco and E dmonton , N. W. T . , a re lo o k ing afternew s o f th e go l d fie lds fo r T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D . In O ttaw a ,Mo ntrea l and Toronto S pecia l co rrespo ndents w i l l g ive th e new s o fth e go l d fie l ds com ing from C anad ian o ffi cia l so u rces. Mr . L ee , a

S pecia l correspo ndent fo r T H E R E C O R D, is o n h is w ay to th e K lo nd ike by w ay o i Lake Ath abasca, th e Mackenzie r iver and Fo rtMcPh erson , and t h rough th e com ing fa l l and w inter w i l l descr ibeth at impo rtant ro ute , lo ng trave l ed by voyageu rs o f th e H udson’

s

Bay company. T H E C H IC AG O R E C O R D h as led o n new s from th e

K lo nd ike and th e Yu kon regio n and w i l l co nt inu e to furnish abso

Iute ly re l iab le repo rts.


M D AY US ER E T URN T O D E S K m om W H IC H som ow sn

E v AWe D EPET hi s book is du e o n th e las t da te S tam ped be low ,

or on th e da te to w hi ch r enew ed . R e new a ls o n ly:T e l . N o . 642 -340 5

Nov2

L D Z l A—40m(P 6 5 7 2 8 1 0 )47 6—A - 3 2 Berke ley

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