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-mm

tfffm

•;

for; dOKfi

'itiith«iiii|%iig.tii

ralettMl

- -^^

ox.

m OTH£R. WQftBS,

***^ «>„^f. wid s^ Itoiip a HMltli ; i
Sow a ^t. and f^ iw^c H qtMn^MterJ
Sow a Cnavaetar and yttn Bia» a Dost'

// gHmnurt likt m. ^ftttm^^^nmd itgvmef

MORAL i-'Itt xjfl^iii nabtiM Piayop
othor side 1« HMdw I^iTmIwo

Pfttlont. but we alw ki£^ to our Coit
He Nover Overlooks a l)H«t<die.-//« /or

WW TO AVOID THE INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF sifMlOtANI^"'

THE PRBSBNT SYSTEM OF M Vm®-ftmsking of too .
in«„a^-?.' ^ P*!'^^' saccharine, and fatty sutetances; aloAoIic drojlw, and
insufficient amount of exercise-freauently deran«a the Uv^sk' 1 woiS^Se
bdiou5 people, unless they ^e carefat to keep thelver atting fwely, toXSJ^
oarem the use of alcoholic drinks; avoid «igiu-»,and dwaysSuato £iKdy-wS^?I
S^.y^Tn^'^r*;"*' porter, mild ales, port wine, dark'she^ «?^rS^
liqueurv^ind brandies ?;fe all very apt to disagree; wHile li^^teldttMSI
or oHwhiskvkrgoIy diluted' with^ure mineS water ch^^o^^wiKtur '
Inl^-S^?. r ^«*8t objectionable. ENO'S 'FRUIT sIlT' i PECULL
ADAPTED for any COI^STITUTIONAL WEAKNESS of OieUvw. irio

THE STOMACH AND LIVER AND THEm TR1_.

: Cutnn^w™ m"^ *° "^^ ?'''}} ^^' Suffered mudifo>m"*SfoS^ I
«o'S'^^ .1 ^"^"^ consulted Doctors and tried many medicinSTtit Sd

ENO'S^Frnif SAi?^ f ^i^^^PPJ conditioi,%no docS tofd ^1
m^u a f KJll bALT.' I acted upon his advice at once. aJid it us now n^J

LTdi if^" *°r"'*^ ^^ Its great^value C not W»t^^iTrwt'
My that by its use I am enabled to follow ray daily occupatiwi ^ to eniov
pleasures of life I have recommended KNO'S « FRtJlT S^LT'toouSaT-I
dear sir, yours faithfully, • TRUTH.'" '^"^w** oax-x ioqtners.--l|

^^o?mi™JSITSALT»^..x BRANDY. "There were a few at
. .;. °^ ""'«i dysentiay, brought mainly on by Ul-considered devotiS^to hrandl
?te"«/i>r°i^ice<i Jy the same caui«.; . ForW latS^S^to^e^by E '
FRUIT SALT,' which 18 simply invaluable."— See "Coral Lands *'W I i
J^K^ IS MO DW»T THAT wltt» It has Been taWh to Oi* earnest stai^es

2?iSl "®S™% ^« effect of UNO'S * FftWt SAtr^S^Tdlsor
IIATURE'S own RBUBOT and an 0N3URPASSB0 OHbT^ " "

*«. mo, Lm, 'wnirr salt* ivorks, mnp^, ny V ik;^^ Vm^

rV','-

■^ »^j;w"^»?*

Z'^ e. t-f-/>, JnJ^(^-^)

bbr th« Fliyev of
^m ni. We Knl
iy« Fair, Juit,
istritr to our Cost tl
IIUit*lEe.>-//'« /<»»•,

iw^je^ ARE BOXE
, —Hull

STtMOlANTS

.f>artakiii|[ of too r
>bolic drinks, and
:. 1 -would advise
reely, to exetdse gi
ate largely with wa
ries, sweet cbampaf^
it white wines, and
only witli natural
,T' IS PECUJLIAl
■ the liver ; it pos-^H
lost, and PLAT '
rid of woes is'u ,
wefore NQ FAMi

BIR TRIAI^

a Stomach and J
iicints, but found
doctor told me to
, and it is n<w ijea
veistifttiBd, and I wis
ation and to enjoy
<i.LT ' to others.— I

'here vrace a few ati

devotion to brand

sed to swear by EJ

I Lands," Vol. I.

'jM earllost stagesj
t would 'Othopwlso
LLT' upon a disoi
eUOUS. It Is i

THE

KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS

AND HOW TO GET THERE

I 1

<&^,

"S^irsssr

MAP OF KLONDIKE DISTRICT.

THE

KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS

AND

HOW TO GET THERE

FRED. JAMES

WITH A MAP

London and New York
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, Limited

1897

Jf WIyi O tiyUW>»M

EDMUND IVANS,

ENGRAVtR AND PKINIER,

RACQUKT COURT, KLttT STREET,

LONDON, E.C.

INDEX.

Agents for Canada .....

Alaska, JNatives of

Alcohol, Warning against . . .
American workmen. Protection of . ,
Auriferous lands, Situation of . . .
Auriferous lands, Climate and temperature of

Bonanza Creek

Canadian Pacific Railway, Charges of

Chilkoot Pass

Claims, Distance of, from Dawson City .
Climate, Dr. Dall's Report on . , ,

Clothing, Requisite

Colonist Cars, on Canadian Pacific Railway
Constantine, Inspector, Reports of .
Dall, Dr., Geologist, his Report
Dawson, Dr. George, Extract from Report of
Dawson City, Description of, and life in .
De Windt, Mr. Harry, Letter of, to Times

I^iggings, Prices at

Distances, Juneau to Forty-Mile Creek .

Dogs, Necessity for, Cost of .

Domville, CoL, Statement of .

Fort Cudahy ....

Fort Selkirk ....

Forty- Mile Creek .

Higgins, Capt, Letter of.

Hotel Rates at Vancouver and Seattle

75
z

37.84
42

28-32

78
24
65-72
46
61

47
73
34
40
4
26
22

179520

<-i

ll'IW..»l,ilJ-

INDEX.

Hotel at Dawson City, Amusing description of.

Juneau overland route . • • .

Klondike, Situation of . , ,

Liquor traffic

Map of Klondike District

Mackay, Mr. J. W., Advice of, to intending pro-
spectors

Miners, Statement of, to Seattle Intelligencer

Mining, Method of, in winter .

Moss, Frank, miner. Statement of .

North American Trading Company .

Ogilvie, Mr. Wm., Reports of.

Overland route, Approximate cost of

Pennsylvanian labour law, Preamble of .

Plan of campaign, SJuggestions for .

Potter, Mr., Inspector, Extract from the Eleventh
United States Alaskan Census Report

Poor Men's Mines

Portland^ ss., Narrative of miners returning on

Proposed Canadian Labour Act, Preamble of

Property, Safety of, in Dawson City .

Provisions required, Nature of.

Regulations for passengers on C.P.R. Railway

Skagway Bay

Southern route to mines . . , ,

Stores, list of what should be taken .

Strickland, Inspector, C.M.P., Report of .

Taxes levied by Dominion Government .

TitneSy Extract from, on Dawson City

Vancouver

White Pass

Wills, A. E., Assistant-Surgeon, Medical Report of

Yukon River, and route by . .

rAGB

. 78

. 53.83

Frontispiece

15
81
67

39
33
84
76

15
76

77
60

13
86

69
41

45
68

2, 40

FAGB

. 78

. 53.83

Frontispiece

pro-

39
5.33
84
76
82

15
76

77
60

13
86

69
41

45
68

2, 40

THE

KLONDIKE GOLD-FIELDS,

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

The great auriferous lands of the North-West
roughly occupy the district lying between the Mac-
kenzie River and Rocky Mountains on the East, the
Porcupine and Rat Rivers on the North, the 60th
Parallel on the South, and the 145th W. Meridian on
the West.

The Western boundary between Canadian and
American territory runs in a line parallel to the 140th
W. Meridian from Demarcation Point on the shores
of the Arctic Ocean to Mt St. Elias, the highest vol-
canic peak, 18,000 ft. high, situated a little north-west
of the point of intersection of the 140th W. Meridian
and the 60th N. Parallel.

In all this district, gold has been known to exist,
for several years p;'.st, but it was generally thought,
not in sufficient quantity, or so easily worked, as to be
worth the trouble of getting. In the Report on the
Population and Resources of Alaska in 1890 by l^lr.
Potter, the U.S. Gov. Agent, we find: "Mining cannot
be called a success on the Yukon up to the present
time. Sine J the first excitement in 18S6 there have
been few instances of individuals taking out of the
country more than 2,000 dols. for two or even three
seasons of privation and hardship ; though there

have been, however, isolated cases of more being

a THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

taken out" The Report goes on to state that miners
work on prospects and are heavy debtors to the stores.
The prices rule very high at these stores, but are
barely remunerative, owing to the difficulty and cost
of transport, which is carried on chiefly (on the
Yukon) by the stern-wheel steamers of the Alaska
Commercial Company. The miner finds great ob-
stacles in the hardships of the road to prospects, the
short season and the frozen grounds ; and although the
niiners have made an entrance to the country, and
large areas have been run over, only placer and bar-
diggings have been found, but no gold-bearing quartz
ledges. " Unless," says Mr. Potter, " some rich de-
velopments should yet be made, the mining interests
will never assume very large proportions."

This Report of course refers specifically to that dis-
trict of the Yukon within American jurisdiction,
that is, Alaska — and there is no doubt the Alaskan
miners have crept onwards towards the headwaters
of the great river until they overran the boundary line
between American and Canadian territory, and found
themselves in the district indicated above.

The two principal sources of the Great Yukon are
Lewis and Pelly Rivers in the south, and the Porcu-
pine River in the north. Besides these, innumerable
smaller rivers and creeks go to swell the waters of the
Yukon, and render it a noble stream navigable for
2,500 miles from its embouchure in Norton Sound, an
inlet of Behring's Sea. It is deltoid at its mouth,
and its northern arm, the Kwichpak, affords the best
entrance for navigating purposes ; and it is through
this waterway, that the many who will rush to this

mmm

te that miners
s to the stores,
itores, but are
culty and cost
liefly (on the
of the Alaska
nds great ob-

prospects, the
id although the

country, and
)lacer and bar-
bearing quartz
'some rich de-
fining interests
is."

illy to that dis-
m jurisdiction,
bt the Alaskan
the headwaters
e boundary line
itory, and found
ove.
rreat Yukon are

and the Porcu-
:se, innumerable
he waters of the
n navigable for
orton Sound, an
i at its mouth,
affords the best
id it is through
vill rush to this

AND HOW TO GET J HERE. 3

new Eldorado, will find an entrance jealously guarded
from November to May by the grip of King Frost.

The contingency suggested by Mr. Potter's Report
has happened. Towards the end of last year rumours
of the discovery of new placer mines of extraordinary
richness, reached the outside world, in a letter from
the Dominion Surveyor, who was stationed at Fort
Cadahy for the purpose of defining the Alaska boun-
dary. In this letter he states that 3^800 was obtained
in two days from the Bonanza Creek which runs into
a tributary of the Yukon, called by the Innuk or
Esquimaux Indians, Tron Diuck (Plenty of Fish)*,
and mispronounced by the miners Klondike — spelt
also Klondyke and Klondak. The Bonanza Creek
possesses five branches, all of which are exceedingly
rich in gold. At once time, Uncle Sam, who is never
above laying claim to anything lying handy, was
inclined to assert that the district lay within his juris-
diction, but it is beyond a doubt that the whole area
lies well within the boundary of the Dominion of
Canada, the Government of which has already taken
steps to insure law and order by drafting to the spot
a number of their admirable Mounted Police, and
should occasion arise these can be, and will be,
rapidly reinforced.

I think I may safely say, you will search in vain
for any definite names in ordinary existing maps.
To the west of the great Mackenzie River, the country
is unmapped, unknown save to the hunter or trader
in-pelts, and the miner. While South-East Alaska is
the resort of th*. summer tourist and the Alpine
• Another authority gives the meaning as Reindeer

4 THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

climber, the great stretch of country north of British
Columbia, extending over hundreds of thousands of
square miles, is terra incognita. It is true you will
find scattered here and there names like Rampart
House, Fort Cudahy, Fort Reliance, Fort Selkirk,
and so forth, but between these lie hundreds of miles
of territory, difficult to traverse, almost impossible to
dwell in, save for robust men inured to toil and hard-
ship and extremes of amperature.

Fort Selkirk stood at the juncture of Pelly and
Lewis Rivers, and was the head-quarters of the Hud-
son Bay Company in that district — and is now a
deserted ruin, or was two years ago. Little did the
hardy hunters, who faced the rigours of the winter,
dream of the gold lying in the districts all around
them. No doubt they found riches enough in the
splendid furs so much more easily obtained then, than
now. In has been asserted in some articles recently
appearing that the temperature in the newly-discov-
ered region falls to 80 degrees below zero, but this is,
I think, an exaggeration. The coast temperature
varies from 70 depjrees Fahr. in summer to 40 or 50
degrees below zero in winter, and the snowfall varies
from 3 to 5 feet on the level — while the late summer
and fall are usually stormy and wet. Navigation is
closed to the outside for seven months in the year by
heavy ice on the sea, and as I stated before, the
Yukon is unnavigable from Nov. to May. The com-
parative mildness of the coast temperature arises
from the influence of the warm stream of the Kuro
Suvo of Japan — the Gulf Stream of the Pacific —
which extends under the title of the North Pacific

rtb of British
thousands of
true you will
like Rampart
Fort Selkirk,
dreds of miles
impossible to
toil and hard-

of Pelly and
rs of the Hud-
-and is now a

Little did the

of the winter,
icts all around

enough in the
ained then, than
articles recently
le newly-discov-
zero, but this is,
ist temperature
ner to 40 or 50
i snowfall varies
the late summer
. Navigation is
IS in the year by
ated before, the
May. The com-
uperature arises
am of the Kuro
of the Pacific —
[le North Pacific

AND HOW TO GET THERE. 5

Drift Current to the shores of Alaska, according to
Krusensee. In the interior the climate is drier and
warmer in summer, reaching 80 to 85 degrees. In
the winter the thermometer frequently stands at 60
degrees below zero. The snowfall is excessive, but
since there is less wind than on the coast, it does not
pile in paralyzing drifts as in the gullys and valleys
there.

The absence of humidity, however, makes the
intense cold more bearable than it would be other-
wise, and only wants a little forethought to be com-
bated successfully. With the narratives of Franklin,
Parry and others before him, Nansen was not only
able to exist during the long Arctic night in the
"Fram," but he found existence enjoyable — because
before he started he sat down and counted the cost ;
and that is precisely what my readers must do before
they enter on the struggle with the wilderness for the
red gold ' ~t Nature hides, and only yields to man
after much toil and labour, and infinite patience and
sacrifice — but none want to enter on the fight unless
he is assured that spoils are to be won. And here
I can only adduce evidence which each intending
prospector must weigh and estimate for himself
Such evidence of the wealth existing, method of
seeking it, surroundings of the spot, means of reach-
ing, cost of living, etc., as I have been able to collect
I place before my readers.

Naturally one turns first and instinctively to oflficial
sources, and what immediately follows is extracted
from the Canadian Blue Book containing the Report
of Mr. William Ogilvie, Dominion Land Surveyor,

6 THE KLONDIKE GOLDFJELDS,

who accompanied the Expedition sent by the Minister
of the Interior under Dr. Geo. Dawson, to explore
that portion of the North- West Territory drained by
the Yukon. As Mr. Ogiivie was engaged for two
years in the district, he had ample opportunity for
judging its possibilities. He it was who named the
White Pass, which bids fair to become the chief road
to the auriferous country. He says : —

"While at Juneau I heard reports of a low pass
from the head of Chilkoot Inlet to the headwaters of
the Lewes River. During the time I was at the head
of Taiya Inlet, I made inquiries about it and found
that there was such a pass ; but could learn nothing
definite about it from either whites or Indians^ As
Capt. Moore, who accompanied me, was very anxious
to go through it, and as the reports of the Taiya Pass
indicated that no waggon-road or railroad could ever
be built through it, while the new pass appeared,
from what little knowledge I could get of it, to be
much lower and possibly feasible for a waggon-road,
I determined to send the captain by that way, if I
could get an Indian to accompany him. This I found
would be difficult to do. None of the Chilkoots
appeared to know anything of the pass, and I con-
cluded that they wished to keep its existence and
condition a secret. The Tagish or Stick Indians, as
the interior Indians are locally called, are afraid to
do anything in opposition to the wishes of the Chil-
koots, so it was difficult to get any of them to join
Capt. Moore ; but after much talk and encourage-
ment from the v/hites around, one of them, named
'Jim,' was induced to go. He had been through this

S".

he Minister
to explore
drained by

ed for two

ortunity for
named the

e chief road

a low pass
eadwaters of
s at the head
it and found
earn nothing
[ndianst As
very anxious
e Taiya Pass
id could ever
iss appeared,
t of it, to be
waggon-road,
hat way, if I

This I found
:he Chilkoots
s, and I con-
ixistence and
ck Indians, as

are afraid to
s of the Chil-

them to join
id encourage-

them, named
a through this

AND HOW TO GET THERE. 7

pass before and proved reliable and useful. I have
named this pass 'White Pass,' in honour of the late
Hon. Thomas White, Minister of the Interior, under
whose authority the expedition was organized."

The transport work m these regions is done by
Indians, and they appear to have given Mr. Ogilvie
considerable trouble. Their laziness and avarice he
is constantly reverting to : — " Of all the Indians who
came to the summit with packs, only four or five
could be induced to remain and pack down to lake,
although I was paying tiiem at the rate of 4 dols.
per 100 lb. After one trip down only two men
re^iained, and they only in hopes of stealing some-
thing. One of them appropriated a pair of boots,
and was much surprised to find that he had to pay

for them on being settled with I had

with me a white man who lived at the head of the
inlet with a Tagish Indian woman. This man had
a good deal of influence with the Tagish tribe ; .

. . and I sent him to the head of the inlet to try
and induce the Tagish Indians to undertake the
transportation, offering them five dollars per hundred
pounds. . . . The Tagish are little more than
slaves to the more powerful coast tribes, and are in
constant dread of offending them in any way. One of
the privileges which the coast tribes claim is the exclu-
sive right to all work on the coast, or in its vicinity,
and the Tagish are afraid to dispute this claim.
When my white man asked the Tagish to come over
and pack, they objected on the grounds mentioned.
After considerable ridicule of their cowardice . . .
nine of them came over, and in fear and trembling

,1^

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

began to pack down the lake. After they were at
work for a few days some of the Chilkoots came out
and also started to work. Soon I had quite a nur ' fvc
at work, and was getting my stuff down quite i st.
But this good fortune was not to continue. Owing
to the prevailing wet, cold weather on the mountains,
and the difficulty of getting through the soft, wet
snow, the Indians began to quit work for a daj' or
two at a time, and to gamble with one another for
the wages already earned. Many of them wanted
to be paid in full ; but this I positively refused,
knowing that to do so was to have them all apply for
their earnings and leave me until necessity compelled
them to go to work again. I once for all made them
distinctly understand that I would not pay any of
them until the whole of the stuff was down. As
many of them had already earned from twelve to
fifteen dollars each, to lose which was a serious matter
to them, they reluctantly resumed work and kept at
it until all was delivered."

On the subject of mining in 1887 Mr, Ogilvie had
little of a cheerful nature to impart. Coal was found,
but not in very large quantities ; while reports con-
cerning gold were vague and contradictory. But,
writing at Cudahy in the winter of 1895-96, he has
information of a much more definite character to
impart : — " There are many mining camps now in the
country ; and, besides, the miners find it pays well to
have what they call * drift ' — that is, quarry out the
frozen gravel during the winter, pile it up, and wash it
during the spring and summer. . . , Coarse gold
and excellent prospects have been found on the Hoota-

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

y were at

;s came out

e a nur * ';r

quite i St.

ue. Owing

mountains,

le soft, wet

or a day or

another for

lem wanted

rely refused,

all apply for

ty compelled

1 made them

pay any of

s down. As

)m twelve to

lerious matter

: and kept at

r. Ogilvie had
)al was found,
; reports con-
dictory. But,
I95-96, he has

character to
ips now in the
t pays well to
uarry out the
ip, and wash it

Coarse gold
on the Hoota-

linqua (Teslin), and there will likely be a rush there
next spring. . . . They (Glacier and Miller
Creeks) are the two richest creeks yet found on the
Yukon, and are both tributaries of Sixty-Mile River.
Both creeks are fully located and worked, each claim
being 500 ft along the creek and the width of the
valley or creek-bed. There are nearly 100 claims, all
of which pay well. One on Miller Creek, I under-
stand, will yield seventy-five to eighty thousand
dollars this season, and the owner will net, it is said,
between 40,000 and 50,000 dollars. . . . There
are many other creeks in this vicinity yet to be pro-
spected, and some will, I have no doubt, pay well.
Gold is found all along the valley of Sixty-Mile
River, and under more favourable circumstances, both
mercantile and climatic, it would yield good results to
large enterprises. The mercantile conditions will im-
prove ; the climate is a serious difficulty, but will be
surmounted in time, I believe."

Early in September last year Mr. Ogilvie reported
an important discovery of gold on a creek called
Bonanza Creek, which is an affluent of the river known
as the Klondike. From Mr. Ogilvie's reports it is
evident that the prospect appears to him an exceed-
ingly rosy one : —

" I may say that every report that comes in from
Bonanza Creek is more encouraging than the last.
Prospecting has only begun, and up to date of mail-
ing (November 22nd, 1896) very rich prospects have
been found on the few claims prospected on ; from
one dollar to the pan of dirt up to twelve dollars are
reported, and no bedrock found yet This means

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

from icxx) dols. to 12,000 dols. per day per man
sluicing. . . . On some of the claims prospected
the pay dirt is of great extent and very rich. One
man told me yesterday that he washed out a single
pan of dirt on one of the claims on Bonanza and
found 14 dols. 25c. in it. Of course, that may be an
exceptionally rich pan ; but 5 dols. to 7 dols. per
pan is the average on that claim reported, with five
feet of pay dirt and the width yet undertermined,
but it is known to be 30 feet ; even at that figure the
result at nine to ten pans to the cubic foot and 500
feet long — nearly 4,000,000 dols. at 5 dols. per pan ;
one-fourth of this would be enormous."

And here is another extract taken from an equally
reliable source, which seems to indicate that reports
as to the wealth of the Klondike have scarcely been
exaggerated : —

" The reports which have lately come to hand con-
cerning the richness of these claims seem absolutely
fabulous. Pans of dirt yielding 207 dols., 243 dols.,
319 dols., are, of course, most exceptional, but the
average returns on the ground now being worked
vary from i dol. to 12 dols. per pan, and at nine pans
to the cubic foot, 5 ft of pay-dirt, and the width from
30 ft to 100 ft, a 500 ft claim would yield, at the
lowest estimate (30 ft), from 675,000 dols. to 8,100,000
dols. to the fortunate owner.

"These pans are about 18 in. in circumference and
4 in. to 5 in. in depth, and such phenomenal richness
in so small a portion of gravel would lead one to
suppose that the quartz matrix cannot be far distant
This was the supposition of the miners who washed

\s»

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

\y per man
prospected
rich. One
lout a single
tonanza and
^t may be an
7 dols. per
|ed, with five
idertermined,
lat figure the
foot and 500
ols. per pan ;

)m an equally
e that reports
scarcely been

i to hand con-
:em absolutely
ols., 243 dols.,
ional, but the
being worked
i at nine pans
:he width from
[ yield, at the
Is. to 8,100,000

umference and
nenal richness
i lead one to
be far distant
s who washed

the gravels of Williams and Lightning Creeks at the
time of the Cariboo excitement in the early sixties,
but no rich quartz lodes were discovered then or sub-
sequently, causing many to believe that the original
ledges had been disintegrated and entirely pulverized
by the action of the water. From the latest official
reports and more recent letters from private sources
it is established beyond doubt that in these high
northern latitudes, on the outskirts of the Arctic
circle, are found some of the most highly auriferous
deposits that have yet been discovered. Had the
placer discoveries on the lower reaches of the Yukon
occurred in a more accessible region, and where the
natural conditions gave better opportunities for speedy
development, the country would have been thronged
with thousands of eager gold-seekers twenty years
ago. Bonanza Creek alone is computed to have
room for 1,000 claims each 500 ft. in length, and in
breadth extending the full width of the valley, and
each successive creek from Bonanza to the sources of
the Klondak, including ' Too Much Gold ' Creek,
where the miners humorously assert the ' dust ' is so
rich that it has to be mixed with dirt before they can
wash it, will furnish claims to some of the thousands
who are now rushing into the mines from the Western
States, regardless of the grave possibility of a dearth
of food during the eight months of semi-darkness
which is approaching. Leaving the Klondak itself,
which will pour many millions of gold into the world's
treasury, there are other gold-bearing tributaries of
the Yukon — Indian Creek, Stewart River, with its
many branches to the south, in which prospecting has

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

been done and good indications found. Rich pay-
dirt has been reported on all the streams joining Pelly
River, and on the Hootalinque, in a direct line with
these discoveries. Further south are the Carsian
Goldfields, which will be developed by an English
company under a charter recently granted by the
British Columbian Government.

"It will be seen, on reference to a map, that there
is thus a gold belt along the easterly watershed of
the Yukon of indefinite width, and over 300 miles in
length, all of which is in British territory. On the
western side of the Yukon, from Fort Selkirk to the
headwaters of the Mackenzie, so little prospecting
has been done that it is not possible to state definitely
that the creeks are gold-bearing, though coarse gold
has been washed on a creek for forty miles below
Selkirk. Lode mining will not be undertaken until
the country has been much more opened up, and
although copper ledges of value are said to exist on
White River, and good quartz in the hills round
Bonanza Creek, it is open to doubt, unless they prove
to be of extreme richness, whether they will ever be
worked in face of so many natural obstacles. Cariboo
was practically deserted on account of the inclemency
of the climate and the excessive cost of supplies as
soon as the easily-accessible gold had been stripped
from the surface, although it was openly recognized
that the deep gravels contained the richest and
coarsest dust. In a letter now before the writer,
dated from Circle City, and penned by a typical
Western miner, the extreme hardships incurred by
gold seekers in those latitudes are apparent if we

>^.

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

Rich pay-
oining Pelly
;ct line with
the Carsian
an English
nted by the

that there

watershed of

300 miles in

)ry. On the

elkirk to the

prospecting

:ate definitely

1 coarse gold

miles below

ertaken until

zned up, and

id to exist on

z hills round

iss they prove

^ will ever be

Lcles. Cariboo

le inclemency

of supplies as

been stripped

ly recognized

: richest and

e the writer,

by a typical

; incurred by

)parent if we

read between the lines. The trading companies —
both American — give no credit to those working in
the remote creeks. He came in over the trail from
Juneau, thence by water to Dyea, and from there by
sleigh to the river — waited until the ice broke, built a
boat with a whipsaw and hatchet, and floated down
to the diggings. All supplies have to be packed on
the back over the trails, unless the miner can afford
to buy dogs, at 1 the cost of feeding these animals is
very considerable, for salmon is unobtainable from
the Indians ; bacon is given, costing is. Sd. per lb.
In the remoter camps flour fetches 48 dols. per 100 lb.,
cigars 2J., a glass of whisky the same. The winter
lasts eight months, during which time, except for the
Northern Lights, there is semi-darkness. In the
middle of summer they enjoy twenty-four hours of
sunshine, and myriads of mosquitoes. The tempera-
ture in winter is as low as 80 degrees below zero.
The ground is continually frozen a few feet from the
surface, and fires are ei.iployed to thaw the pay-dirt
prior to washing. It has been officially stated that
timber is already becoming scarce in some parts. It
is obvious that in face of such difficulties gold-washing
is a slow and laborious process, and at the present
cost of supplies, unless the gravel is exceedingly rich,
they cannot afford to work it

" There is an urgent necessity for steps to be taken
by the Government to regulate the liquor traffic which
has already demoralised the Indians in the vicinity
of the camps, and may lead to serious trouble between
American and Canadian miners, the former being in
the majority, and containing among their number

WW——

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

many well-known desperadoes from the Western
States. Recent reports state that feeling already
runs high between the two nationalities, and it is
high time that the police force was considerably
strengthened, unless it is desired that some of the
worst scenes of the '49 excitement should be re-
enacted in these wilds. A southern entrance to the
Klondak mines should be constructed as soon as
possible for many reasons. It would traverse British
territory, reduce the price of food supplies, and pre-
vent the possibility of a famine. There would be a
saving in distance of fully 2,000 miles between
Klondak and Vancouver, and the Government could
easily reimburse itself for its outlay by levying a
small toll on freight and bullion. The Dominion
Government was recently asked to grant a charter
for the development of this district to an English
syndicate. The two American trading companies
already referred to, have a practical monopoly of
the entire trade of these goldfields at present, and
should an English company obtain a monopoly with
a shorter and cheaper route, the miner might not be
much better off. There are two routes — one vid the
Chilcot Pass, and the other through the White Pass —
which, if properly opened up by wealthy English
companies under competent management, the result-
ing competition would be of advantage to the miner,
but there would be ample margin of profit to pay
handsome dividends to the shareholders. It may be
broadly laid down that in the present state of the
country the only ventures in which English capital
can be embarked with any probable chance of remu-

he Western
ling already
;s, and it is
considerably
some of the
lould be re-
irance to the
as soon as
ELverse British
lies, and pre-
e would be a
iles between
rnment could
by levying a
he Dominion
ant a charter
o an English
fig companies
monopoly of
; present, and
nonopoly with
might not be
s — one vid the
White Pass—
:althy English
ent, the result-
e to the miner,
■ profit to pay
rs. It may be
[It state of the
English capital
lancc of remu-

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

nerative results are those which combine trading and
transportation, and even here, so rugged is the country
and so great will be the cost of building and main-
taining waggon roads, bridges, scows, etc., that it will
require men of exceptional ability to successfully
conduct the affairs of such an enterprise,"

The following is taken from the issue of July 17th
of the Seattle Post Intelligencer, published in Seattle,
a city of nearly 43,000 inhabitants, in Washington,
U.S.A., from whence steamers ply to JuneaU; Dutch
Harbour, and St. Michael, places of which I shall
have to speak later. The correspondent of The
Intelligencer boarded the ss. Portland at Seattle on
its return from St. Michael's, carrying miners bound
for home after z visit to the Klondike Goldfields : —

"At three o'clock this morning the steamship
Portland, from St. Michael's for i;tattle, passed up
Sound with more than a ton of solid gold on board
and 6Z passengers. In the captain's cabin are three
chests and a large safe filled with the precious
nuggets. The metal is worth nearly 700,000 dols.,
and the most of it was taicen out of the ground in less
than thre(i months of last winter. In size the nuggets
range from the size of a pea to a guinea hen's ^g%.
Of ♦•he 68 miners aboard hardly a man has less than
7,000 dols., and one or two have more than 100,000
dols. in yellow nuggets,

" One peculiar feature to be noticed is that the
big strikes were made by tenderfeet, while the old
and experienced miners of many years' experience
are suffering indescribable hardship and privation
in Alaska and the North- West Territory, and have

. '»><ii?|- -^

mmm

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

only a few thousand dollars to show for their
labour.

"Fortune seemed to smile on the inexperienced
men who went into the mining districts last year, as
nearly all of them were the most fortunate. The
stories they tell seem too incredulous and far beyond
belief. Instances are noted where single individuals
have taken out, in two months and a half, gold to
the value of over 150,000 dols.

" Clarence Berry, of Fresno, Cal., went to the
Yukon in 1890 and prospected several vears without
success. He returned home last autumn, was
married, and took his bride to the Klondike last
November. He is now on the Portland with
150,000 dols., the result of a winter's work and
fortune's smile.

" Frank Phiscator, of Baroda, Mich., is another
lucky miner. He went to the Klondike last autumn,
and is now returning with 96,027 dols., having worked
two claims with nine men three months, and he still
owns the claim. He was one of the original dis-
coverers of the Eldorado district.

"Although most of the passengers are returning
home with plenty of gold, they all advise and urge
people who contemplate going to the Yukon not to
think of taking in less than one ton of grub and
plenty of clothes. While it is a poor man's country,
yet the hardships and privations to be encountered
by inexperienced persons unused tc frontier life is
certain to result in much suffering during the winters.
They should go prepared with at least a year's
supplies.

■■

IV for their

lexperienced
last year, as
inate. The
d far beyond
e individuals
half, gold to

went to the
vears without
autumn, was
tClondike last
''ortland with
r's work and

1., is another
I last autumn,
laving worked
IS, and he still
e original dis-

are returning
vise and urge
Yukon not to
L of grub and
man's country,
36 encountered
frontier life is
ing the winters,
least a year's

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

"The rush to the Klondike region commenced
late last year, and the claims were staked out and
worked all winter. Labour was worth 15 dols. a
day last winter. Flour sold for 60 dols. a sack, and
other provisions were proportionately high. Some of
the mine owners attempted to lower the wages to
10 dols. without success. By burning the ground
to thaw the gravel, which was hoisted up about twelve
feet to the dumps, where it was sluiced and washed
in the spring, miners were able to work during the
entire winter. In the early part of last month the
thermometer ran up to 85 degrees in the shade, and
in January it was 58 degrees below zero.

" The steamer Portland was reported passing Cape
Flattery at 4.30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The
news despatches from San Francisco announcing the
arrival of the Excelsior at that port with many
miners and a large quantity of gold has created a
public demand for the latest and most authentic
news from the goldfields of Alaska.

" Realising the impossibility of the Portland arriving
in Seattle before 8 or 9 o'clock this morning, the
Post Intelligencer telegraphed to Manager Libby, of
the Puget Sound Tugboat Company, at Port Towns-
end, and chartered the tug Sea Lion (Captain C. W.
Sprague) to intercept the Portland in the Straits, so
that this paper's representative could interview the
returning miners and lay their stories before the
public at the earliest moment.

''At 2 o'clock this morning the Portland was

stopped in the middle of the Straits, abreast of Fort

Angeles, by the Sea Lion. As the reporter went

sBsmmmmm

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

over the steamer's side, and was met by Captain
Kidston, a crowd of miners gathered about, eager to
hear the latest local news. Entering the captain's
cabin, the skipper pointed to a corner in which was
piled three boxes and a large safe.

" ' There, you see those boxes and that safe, well,
they contain in round figures about 700,000 dols.
in gold, and that metal weighs nearly a ton and a
half/ was the captain's response to the reporter's
question as to the amount of gold that was on board.
He continued —

" * Out of the 68 passengers there is hardly a man
on board who has less than 5,000 dols., and one or
two have over 100,000 dols.*

" The captain then went below and awakened one
or two of his passengers, who came to the cabin and
chatted a few moments about the Klondike and its
mines.

" Clarence Berry is regarded as the luckiest miner
in the Klondike. With a miner it is all luck, nothing
else. Ten months ago Mr. Berry was a poor miner,
and to-day he is in Seattle on his way to his home in
Fresno, Cal., with 130,000 dols. in gold nuggets.
He said, rather modestly —

" • Yes, I've been rather fortunate. Last winter I
took out 130,000 dols. in 30 box lengths. A box
length is 12 by 15 feet, and in one length I found
10,000 dollars. Another time, the second largest
nugget ever found in the Yukon was taken out of my
claim; it weighed 13 ounces, and was worth 231
dols.'

" ' I have known men to take out 1,000 ciols. a day

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

30 dols. a day

from a drift claim. Of course, the gold was found in
pockets, and those finds, you can rest assured, were
very scarce.'

'* ' I would not advise a man to take in an outfit that
would cost less than 500 dols. He must expect to
be disappointed, and the chances are that he may
prospect for some years without finding a paying
claim, and again he may be lucky enough to strike it
rich.'

" 'The country is wild, rough, and full of hardships
for those unused to the rigors of A ctic winters. If
a man makes a fortune he is liable to earn it by
severe hardship and sufferings. But, then, grit,
perseverance, and luck will probably reward a hard
worker with a comfortable income for life.'

"Inspector Strickland, of the Canadian Mounted
Police, is en route to Ottawa on official business.
His statements were guarded and conservative. He
said there were only two mining districts in what is
known as the Klondike section and they are called
the Hunker and Bonanza districts. He added : —

" ' When I left Dawson City a month ago there
were about 800 claims staked out, and there were
between 2,000 and 3,000 people in there. We can
safely say that there was about 1,500,000 dols in gold
mined last winter. The wages in the mines were
15 dols. a day, and the saw-mill paid labourers 10 dols.
a day.'

" * The claims now staked out will afford employ-
ment for about 5,000 men, I believe. If a man is
strong, healthy, and wants to work, he can find
employment at good wages. Several men worked on

\t\. ■•(}

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

an interest, or what is termed a ' lay/ and during the
winter realised from 5,000 dols. to 10,000 dols. apiece.
The mines are from 35 to 100 miles from the Alaska
boundarj'.'

"William Stanley, of Seattle, is among the pas-
sengers. He left his son in charge of his interests in
a couple of claims. He went to the Klondike last
year, and is now returning with nearly 90,000 dols. in
gold.

" Harry Anderson, a native of Sweden, and well-
known on the Sound, sold a one-half interest in his
claim on Eldorada creek, and is coming back to
Seattle with 45,000 dols. spot cash, the proceeds of
the sale.

" T. J. Kelly and son, of Tacoma, went in last
year and made 10,000 dols. The son is in charge of
the claim, and the father is among the Portland's
passengers.-

" Richard Blake, of Dungeness, has been successful,
and is coming back to the place where he was born
and raised with a big sackful of nuggets.

'* William Sloan, formerly a dry goods merchant of
Nanaimo, B.C., sold his claim for 52,000 dols,, and with
the gold he took from the mine has come back to
civilisation.

" Another man by the name of Wilkenson, of the
same city, sold his claim for 40,000 dols., and is back
to stay.

" Bob Strong, of Port Townsend, has a good claim,
and is in a fair way to make a good fortune, but his
brother, William G. Strong, is not so fortunate.
They are both working on the Eldorado river.

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

during the
ols. apiece,
the Alaska

g the pas-
interests in
Dndike last
000 dols. in

L, and well-
terest in his
ng back to
proceeds of

i^ent in last

in charge of

e Portland's

n successful,
he was born

merchant of
ols., and with
ome back to

enson, of the
J., and is back

a good claim,
rtune, but his
so fortunate,
river.

"Jack Home, of Tacoma, formerly a well-known
light-weight pugilist, of Puget Sound, went to the
Klondike last fall, and worked on a * lay.' He is re-
turning with something over 9,000 dols., which is prob-
ably more than he could have realised in the ' ring.'

"Frank Kellar, of Los Angeles, is on board the
Portland with 35,000 dols. He went in last year,
mined during the winter, and last month sold the
claim for that sum.

" Briefly, such is the story of nearly every miner on
board. They all have gold, and it is piled about the
state-rooms like so much valueless hand baggage.
They attribute their success to * lucky strikes,' and
aver that thousands of people will rush to the Yukon
valley in the next year or two, and after undergoing
great hardships and privations will probably return
broke in health and finances. All of the miners lay
great stress on the necessity of taking in plenty of
supplies, and say that the proper outfit will cost not
less than 500 dols. to each man, and that it is advisable
to purchase provisions and clothing in Seattle.

" There can be no doubt that the late strikes in the
Yukon Valley are the richest ever known. Instances
are common where pans of gravel have yielded over
100 dols., and occasionally much more. It is generally
conceded, though, that all of the territory where the
rich strikes were made has been staked and that so
far as those districts are concerned it is useless for any
one to think of making locations.

" But, then, there are other streams, all of which are
known to have gold-bearing bars, but it is extremely
doubtful as to whether their richness will equal the

179520

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

famed Eldorado and Bonanza creeks of the Klon-
dike."

The Intelligencer follows these details with a list
of passengers' names, as if to add weight to its
statements as here given.

Here is an extract from a letter written by Capt
Higgins of the s.s. Excelsior to a friend in California
who got his information from miners on board.

" The Klondike empties into the Yukon fifty miles
above the Big river. The geographical position of
the junction is 76 degrees 10 minutes north latitude,
138 degrees 50 minutes west longtitude. Bonanza
Creek dumps into Klondike about two miles above
the Yukon. Eldorada is a tributary of the Bonanza.
There are numerous other creeks and tributaries, the
main river being 3CXD miles long. The gold so far
has been taken from Bonanza and Eldorado, both
well named, for the richness of the placers is truly
marvellous. Eldorado, thirty miles long, is staked
the whole length, and as far as worked has paid.

"As each claim is 500 feet along the creek bed,
there is half a million to the claim. So uniform has
the output been that one miner who has an interest
in three claims told me that if offered his choice he
would toss up to decide. One of our passengers, who
is taking icx),0(X) dols. with him, has worked 100 feet
of his ground and refused 2CX),ooo dols. for the re-
mainder, and confidently expects to clean up 400,000
dols. and more. He has in a bottle 212 dols. from
one pan of dirt. His pay dirt, while being washed,
averaged 250 dols. per hour to each man shovelling
in. Two others of our miners who worked their own

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

claims, cleaned up 6,000 dols. for the day's washing.
There is about 1 5 feet of dirt above bed rock, the pay
streak averaging from 4 to 6 feet, which is tunnelled
out while the ground is frozen. Of course the ground
taken out is thawed by building fires, and when the
thaw comes and water rushes in they set their sluices
and wash the dirt. Two of our fellows thought
a small bird in the hand worth a large one in the
bush, and sold their claims for 45,000 dols., getting
4,500 dols. down, the remainder to be paid in monthly
instalments of 10,000 dols. each. The purchasers had
no more than 5,000 dols. paid. There were twenty
days thawing and getting out dirt. Then there was
no water to sluice with, but one fellow made a rocker,
and in ten days took out the io,ooo dols. for the first
instalment. So, tunnelling and rocking, they took out
40,000 dols. before there was water to sluice with.

"Of course, these thing read like the story of
Aladdin, but fiction is not at all in it with the facts
at Klondike. The ground located and prospected can
be worked out in a few years, but there is still an
immense territory untouched, and the labouring man
who can get there with one year's provisions will
have a better chance to make a stake than in any
other part of the world."

In 1887 an expedition was despatched by the
Canadian Government to the Yukon district, under
the personal charge of Dr. Geo. Dawson, after whom
Dawson City is named, and who is now Director of
the Geological Survey of the Dominion, and his ex-
haustive report contained in the proceedings of the
Survey, contains the most authentic information at

9Bi^ai

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

present available on the geology, topography and
general characteristics of the district. I refer my
readers to this report, which can be obtained of
Mr. Edward Stanford, Cockspur Street, Charing
Cross.

But for the benefit of those concerned I give the
following extract. Cassiar Bar on the Lewis (or
Lewes) River, with rich deposits, was discovered
early in 1886, while in the autumn of that year the
sensational reports of the d'ccovery of " Coarse Gold"
on Forty-Mile Creek drew off nearly the entire
mining population to that place in 1887. The extract
is a summary of Dr. Dawson's report on gold dis-
coveries to that date. He writes : —

" 1 aking a general view of the gold discoveries so
far as made in the Upper Yukon country, we find
that, though some small bars have been worked on
the upper part of the Lewes, and ' prospects ' have
been obtained" even in the streams flowing into
Bennett Lake, paying bars have been found on this
river only below the mouth of the Tes-lin-too. The
best of these are within a distance of about seventy
miles below this confluence, and the richest so far has
been Cassiar Bar. This is reported to have yielded,
in some cases, at the rate of 30 dols. a day to the
hand, and gold to the value of many thousand dollars
has been obtained from it, chiefly in 1886. In 1887
only three or four men worked here. All along the
Lewes below the Tes-lin-too, many bars occur which,
according to the reports of prospectors, yield as much
as 10 dols. a day ; and the same is true of the Tes-
lin-too itself, both belov/ and above Tes-lin Lake.

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

Bars of this kind are, however, considered scarcely
remunerative at present.

" Gold has also been found for a long distance up
the Big Salmon River, and on the Upper Pelly so far
as it has been prospected. The Tes-lin-too, Big
Salmon, and Pelly have each already afforded some
good paying ground, but in consequence of the rush
to Forty-Mile Creek only about thirteen miners
remained in 1887 on the first-named river, four on the
second, and two on the Pelly. On the Stewart River,
as much as 100 dols. a day to the hand was obtained
in 1885 and 1886, and probably over 100,000 dols.
worth of gold has already been obtained along this
stream. It has been prospected for a distance of lOO
to 200 miles from its mouth (according to varying
statements), and the gold found furthest up is said to
be somewhat ' coarser ' than that of the lower part.

" Forty-Mile Creek is reported to be a river of
some size, * but more rapid than most of those in the
district. It has, according to miners, been prospected
for about 100 miles from its mouth, gold being found
almost everywhere along it as well as in tributary
gulches. The gold varies much in character, but is
quite often coarse and nuggety, and very large
amounts have been taken out in favourable places by
individual miners. Few of the men mining here in
1887 were content with ground yielding less than
14 dols. a day, and several had taken out nearly
100 dols. a day for a short time. The amount
obtained from this stream in 1887 is reckoned by
some as high as 120,000 dols., but I believe it would

* 300 miles long, and 150 miles wide at its mouth.

fl6

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

be safe to put the entire output of the Upper Yukon
region for the year at a minimum of 75,cxx) dols., of
which the greatest pat^ was derived from this stream.

" The number of miners in the whole Upper Yukon
country in 1887 may be stated at about 250 ; of these,
200 were on Forty-Mile Creek, and it was estimated
that at [least 100 would winter on the creek to be
ready for work in the spring.

" Forty-Mile Creek is what the miners term a
* bed-rock creek ' — i.e.^ one in which there is no great
depth of drift or detrital deposits below the level of
the actual stream. It is so far the only locality
\/hich has been found to yield * coarse gold,' but from
the extremely wide distribution of ' fine gold,* it may
safely be predicted that many more like it remain to
be discovered.

"Mining can scarcely be said >*:o have begun in the
region more than five years a^o, and the extent of
country over which gold has been found in greater
or less quantity is already very great Most of the
prospecting has been confined to the banks and bars
of the larger rivers, and it is only when their innumer-
able tributary streams begin to be closely searched,
that * gulch diggings ' like those of Dease, McDame,
and other streams in the Cassiar district, and possibly
even on a par with Williams and Lightning Creeks in
Cariboo, will be found and worked. The general
result so far has been to prove that six large and
long rivers — the Lewes, Tcs-lin-too, Big Salmon,
Pelly, Stewart, and White — yield 'fine gold* along
hundreds of miles of their lower courses. With the
exception of the Lewes, no part of the headwaters of

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

any of these have yet been prospected or even
reached by the miners, and scarcely any of their
innumerable tributaries have been examined. The
developments made up to this time are sufficient to
show that when means of access are improved,
important bar-mining wi!l take place along all these
main rivers, and there is every reason to anticipate
that the result of the examination in detail of the
smaller streams will be the discovery of much richer
auriferous alluviums. When these have been found
and worked, quartz mining will doubtless follow, and
the prospects for the utilisation of this great mining
field in the near future appear to me very promising."
" The rich promise furnished by the foregoing sum-
mary of the present Director of the Geological Sur-
vey has been confirmed by subsequent events. Placer
mining has steadily developed, notwithstanding the
disadvantages arising from the short mining season
and the enormous difficulties in forwarding supplies
to the miners. Everything has had to be packed in
by the route already referred to, the alternative route
by the Yukon River being quite unsuitable for
the richer southern districts where mining has been
most successful. In 1895, the Canadian Government
decided to establish a Police post on the region for
the maintenance of law and order among the mining
population, and for purposes of revenue. Inspector
Constantine, of the North- West Mounted Police, was
despatched with a body of men from Regina on this
service; the journey occupied from June ist to July
24th. A site for a fort was selected at the mouth
of Forty-Mile Creek, on the Yukon River, and the

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

necessary buildings erected. The condition? and
prospects of the mining industry in that region have
been reported upon to the Canadian Government by
Inspector Constantine, and his statements on the
subject, taken from his reports for 1895 and 1896,
are reprinted below.

Extract from Inspector Constantino s Report^
January 20///, 1896.

"'Mining up to the present has been done with
the pick, shovel, rocker and water. No capital in-
vested in machinery at present. A quartz ledge has
been opened up near Fort Cudahy, on the Forty-
Mile Creek. A couple of tons of the quartz were
sent out this summer for a final assay, and if the
result sustains the trial test made here by a local
assayer, it is stated that a small stamp-mill will be
put up next season. This will in a measure deter-
mine the future of the country. The test here was
good. The quantity of this quartz in sight is large —
larger than the " Treadwell Mine," near Juneau. The
country is full of quartz ledges, more or less valuable,
and it only requires a short way of getting in from
the south, with the assurance of a certainty of sup-
plies, in order to develop them. This is the reason
that the south-v^ast part of the country and upper rivers
and lakes have not been worked. In a country where
a man has to pole up a rapid river for some hundreds
of miles in summer, then pack his food, clothing,
camping and working tools on his back, or in winter
either haul them himself or with dog, consideration
as to where he can get his food and clothing is of

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

vital importance to him, and he is governed accord-
ingly. This accounts for the number of men working
on the Forty-Mile and creeks emptying into it. Even
here food has to be packed on men's backs in the
summer at a charge of 30 cents per pound, and in
winter by dogs at 10 cents per pound. This is for
about 85 miles. The outlook for the coming year is
more promising than that of last year.

"'A conservative estimate of the amount of gold
taken out last summer and winter is about 250,000
dols., and from the present outlook it should be in-
creased by fifty per cent. A grea": deal will depend
on Glacier Creek, which was worked for the first time
last summer. Very little wa? done on acroant of the
claims not being in proper shape for working. Many
of the claims are quite deep, and will pay better to
work by drifting during the winter, which has been
hindered up to the present by the mi'.d weather. The
work done so far has shown up a large yield of gold.
There is still a little 'snipping ' — i.e.^ working old bars
— on Forty-Mile Creek, but it does not pay much,
There are a great number of creeks which have nevei
been prospected, which undoubtedly would pay good
wages if properly worked, and which will be before
long. In fact, there is hardly a creek within 300 miles
south-east or north-west of here in which more or less
gold is not found. The true value of the mineral
wealth of this part of the country will not be known
for many years to come, as new discoveries are being
made each season.

"There will be a great deal of drifting done on
Miller Creek this winter. This creek has been worked

'!",i!'mV"W'",nHW,i,«IHIM

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

for the past four years, and up to the present time has
been the richest one here, and is good for some time
to come. On claim 3 below 'Discovery,' there has
been taken out in the last three years 55,000 dols. in
500 feet of ground ; this has been tho best paying
claim. Davis and Poker Gulches are each good for
a limited number of men. There has not been taken
from these gulches any large fortune, but they have
yielded good steady profit to the owners. Franklin
Gulch, one of the first discovered, is still paying well,
and has been worked for the past nine years.

About 200 men are working on Glacier Creek, of
which number two-thirds are working for wages ; on
Miller Creek, about 150, of which 100 are working for
wages. The lower ends of these two creeks are sup-
posed tc be in the North- West Territories. Bi .»wn Creek
has been ;vorked this winter. Bear Creek and Clinton
Creek, on the" west side of the Yukon, are gold-bearing
and in the Dominion. Gold has also been found on
Indian Creek, Squaw Creek, and other small streams
flowing into Yukon from the eastward."

Extract from Inspector Constantino s Report,
November 20, 1 896.

"The running of the boundary line last winter
determined the fact that gold-bearing creeks which
hitherto were supposed to be in American territory
are wholly, or in part, in Canada ; the .wo nrincip.:.!
ones being Miller and Glacier. Notice wa^. sent d «
miners that these, as well as certain other creeks
specified in the notice, were in Canada, and subject
to her jurisdiction and laws. This was cheerfully

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

it time has
some time

there has
)00 dols. in
est paying
h good for
been taken

they have
Franklin
aying well,
•s.

r Creek, of
wages ; on
working for
ks are sup-
li jwn Creek
ind Clinton
[old-bearing
en found on
lall streams

Report^

last winter
reeks which
;an territory
vo nrirxip.;.!
va^ sent cVc
)ther creeks
and subject
s cheerfully

accepted, and mining regulations adhered to and all
the necessary Government fees paid.

"A few miners denied Canada's jurisdicaon and
^i^ht to collect fees, on the ground that there was no
^.rt survey and a possibility of error in the work,
ii /..ever, I went up to Miller and Glacier Creeks,
and all dues were paid without any trouble, except
that of a hard trip ; but as all trips in this country
are of that nature, it was part of the bargain. On
Glacier Creek, a number of the miners undertook to
run matters in accordance with their ideas of justice,
and set themselves up as the law of the land. The
trouble ended, however, by the Canadian law being
carried out

" As far is I can learn, the amount of gold taken
out this jvir'£nn is about 300,000 dols., or 17,647 oz.,
chief!} 1; Jiis Miller and Glacier Creeks. This is a
slight li.w '--t on last year.

" In AugLS. of thiL ^ ear a rich discovery of coarse
gold was made by one George Cormack on Bonanza
Creek, a tributary to the Klondike or Trondec River,
which flows into the Yukon river about fifty miles
from here, entering from the south-east. His prospect
showr ' 3 dols. to the pan. As usual, such a prospect
creai.' * ;■ stampede for the new diggings. Men left
th^ir Oi^ claiMs, and with a blanket, axe, and a few
hard-tack prospected on the new creek, staked, and
registered their claims, which in all cases gave bettei
prospects than any other heretofore. Many old
miners state that this creek is fully as rich as any
found in California in the early days. New creeks
are being found daily, all prospecting well. Three

mim

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

hundred and thirty-eight claims have been registered
to date, and there still remain about 150 to be
entered.

"The country be in Hunker Creek and Mc-
Questen River, whicn empties into the Stewart
River, is full of small creeks and gulches, which on
being prospected have all given good results. It is
probable that the gold belt will in time be found to
extend from the Klondike to the Cassiar, and that
the whole of this to the Divide will prove to be rich
in gold. Without doubt before long rich quartz will
be found, but not worked until some means of trans-
porting the necessary heavy machinery is provided
and supplies can be got in at reasonable cost. The
gold-bearing creeks in Canadian territory on the
west side of the Yukon are as follows : — Gold,
Miller, and Glacier Creeks, all but one mile of bed-
rock ; Moose and the first fork of Moose Creek, one
mile of the three heads of Smith Creek, and of the
several heads of Canyon Creek, about one mile of the
Poker and Davis branches of Walker Creek, one and
a half miles of Walker Creek.

"On the cast side of the Yukon are the following
creeks : — Bonanza, Boulder, Adams, Eldorado, Vic-
toria, Carmack, Bear, Last Chance, Hunker, Gold
Bottom, and Baker Creeks. These latter creeks are
all of a fair size, with a good supply of water for
mining purposes, and easy of access.

" Bonanza is a large creek, and it is possible there
may be too much water to be easily worked in the
spring.

"A new post should be built in the spring at the

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

:gistered
D to be

ind Mc-
Stewart
vhich on
ts. It is
found to
and that
:o be rich
uartz will
of trans-
provided
ost. The
yr on the
s : — Gold,
e of bed-
Zreek, one
nd of the
lile of the
<:, one and

following
rado, Vic-
ker, Gold
creeks are

water for

sible there
ced in the

■ing at the

mouth of the Klondike River, which flows into the

Yukon on the east side about 53 miles south-east of

Forty-Mile. This point will be the base of supplies

for the new diggings, and will in all probability be

the largest camp in the country. Nearly 350 claims

have been already registered in this district. As the

average number of men required to work a claim is

five, it means a camp of nearly 2,000 workers, as well

as the usual number of camp followers."

On January 7th, 1897, Mr. Ogilvie, whom I have

quoted before, reports to his government : " The

reports from the Klondike regions are still very

encouraging, so much so that all the other creeks

around are practically abandoned, especially those on

the head of Forty-Mile Creek, in American territory ;

and nearly 100 men have made their way up from

Circle City, hauling their sleds themselves many of

them. Those who cannot get claims are buying in

on those already located. Men cannot be got to work

for love or money. One and a-half dollars per hour is

the wage paid the few , men who hire for work, and

work as many hours as you like. Some of the claims

are so rich that every night a few pans of dirt suffice

to pay the hired help, when there is any. Claim owners

are now very reticent about what they get, so you can

hardly credit anything you hear ; but one thing is certain,

we have one of the richest mining areas ever found with

a fair prospect of not having yet discovered its limits.

Miller and Glacier Creeks, at the head of Sixty-Mile

River, were thought to be very rich, but they are both

")oor in quality and quantity compared with Klondike.

"hicken Creek on the head of Forty Mile, in Alaska,

Iv^W

ll'

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

discovered a year ago, and rated very high, is to-day
practically abandoned."

On January 23rd, 1897, he again reports : " A quartz
lode showing free gold, has been located on one of
the Creeks. The quartz, I understand from a reliable
source, is rich, as tested over 100 dols. to the ton.
The lode appears to run from three to eight feet in
thickness, and lies about 19 miles from the Yukon
River. Coal is found on the upper part of Klondike,
so that the facilities for working are good and con-
venient.

" Placer prospects continue more and more encourag-
ing. It is beyond dc ibt that three pans on different
claims on Eldorado Creek turned out 204 dols., 212
dols., and 216 dols., but it must be borne in mind
that there were only three such pans, though there
were many running from 10 dols. to 50 dols."

It will be noticed that these reports are later in
date than those I previously quoted as emanating
from Mr. Ogilvie, on p. 9. But alas ! Authorities
differ as to the possibilities of Klondike.

Colonel Domville says : " The Yukon and its
branches undoubtedly contain an almost unlimited
area of the richest goldfields in the world, known to
the Canadian Government through its geological
explorers." Another authority — a former British
Columbian Gold Commissioner — tells a different
tale. He reminds us of how the Canadian Govern-
ment was deceived by the reports of geologists
on the Fraser River Goldfields, forty years ago,
when there was a similar rush there to that now
taking place to the Yukon. This authority does not

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

>'t

dispute that gold is to be found in the Yukon ; he
only doubts the permanence of the yield. No gold-
bearing quartz has been discovered there yet Many
men made lucky finds on the Fraser River, as they
have done on the Yukon, and as they may do on
every stream in the North-Western territories. At
the Cariboo fields one man washed out 170 oz. of
gold in a single day. But no reef was discovered,
although a reward of 5,000 dols. was offered to the
first man who would bring in a piece of gold-bearing
quartz broken off the " live rock " in British Columbia.
The reward has never been claimed. Unless gold-
bearing quartz is discovered on the Yukon, the yield
may soon give out.

But according to Mr. Ogilvie, as quoted above, a
gold-bearing quartz-reef has been found. The intend-
ing emigrant must decide for himself. Anyhow the
" placer " diggings may be looked upon as " Poor
Men's Mines," for the reason that the work is done
without machinery, while the implements required
are few and of small cost. A placer miner can
get along very well with a pick, shovel, and gold
pan. If the dirt is not rich he can accomplish better
results by running it through a sluice box, but where
the yield is in nuggets instead of fine gold he prefers
to " pan " it. The great Klondike strike was made
nine months ago, but nothing was known of it in the
United States until June 15, when the Excelsior
arrived in San Francisco laden with miners from the
Klondike, who in turn were laden with gold. They
told almost incredible tales of the richness of the
newly discovered district^ where fortunes had been

V ,-!::

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

accumulated in a few months. Experienced miners
and " tenderfeet " seemed to have shared good fortune
alike, and this doubtless adds to the " rush," since a
clerk, or a telegraphist, or an actor out of a " shop "
(always provided they are robust enough to stand
the climate) stand as good a chance of striking it
rich as the miner of experience. Indeed the great
discovery of gold on the Klondike was made by
" tenderfeet," and it seems as if the auriferous district
grows richer and richer as it recedes from the Eastern
Alaskan boundary and approaches the Mackenzie
and the Rocky Mountains, though possibly the
extreme limit will be reached on touching the sources
of the many creeks and rivers that have their origin
between the Rockies and the Yukon.

It may be considered then that sufficient evidence,
official and other, has been adduced to prove the
existence of gold in sufficient quantity to enable
miners to make money, with the possibility of making
a fortune with more or less rapidity. It remains to
be seen how intending prospectors can get to Klon-
dike, the nature of the road, the outfit necessary, and
the cost. All these I shall deal with in turn.

First then, how to get there (and, of course, I am
thinking of the Britisher) is easily answered up to a
certain point. The Canadian Pacific Railway will
take him from Liverpool to either Vancouver, in
British Columbia, or Seattle, in Washington, U.S.A.,
at the following rates : —

First Class, £2<^ 2s. lod., Saloon on Steamer,
1st Class on Rail; Second Class, £1"] i8s. 9',
Second Cabin on Steamer, "Colonist" on Rail, and

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

Free Ticket London to Liverpool ; Third Class,
£\^ 1 8s. 9d., Steerage Steamer, "Colonist" Rail,
Free to Liverpool.

Children (when accompanied) on Rail : — Under
12 years and over 5 years, Half-fare; under 5 years
Free. On Steamer: — Under 12 years and over 2
years, Half-fare, all classes. Under 2 years Free
" Saloon." Under i year Free " Intermediate ;"
I OS. " Steerage."

First-class on the C.RR. corresponds to the
" Pullman " in England, but is said to .be superior if
there is sleeping accommodation, but if none, then it
more nearly corresponds with our second class, while
the *' Colonist " is equivalent to our third class, but
much more comfortable and capable of being trans-
formed into sleeping cars at night. All the carriages
are capitally ventilated, have adequate lavatory ac-
commodation of every kind, and are warmed with
hot-water pipes in winter.

Since, as I assume, most travellers who intend going
out would travel " Colonist," here are a few facts they
should know beforehand.

The cars devoted to the use of Colonists are taken
upon the same fast trains with the first class cars, and
every one is a sleeping car, going through with only
one change froui the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, or
to St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth and Chicago. No
other road in America can do this. These colonist
cars are similar in size, warmth and ventilation to the
first class cars, but are not upholstered. No extra
charge is made for these Colonist Car sleeping
accommodations. Second Class passengers, however,

!■

?i'i 1

3«

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

must provide their own bedding. If they do not
bring it with them, a complete outfit of mattress,
pillow, blanket and curtains may be bought of the
Agent of the Company at the point of starting, at a
cost of 2.50 dols. (about ten shillings). (These articles
become the property of the purchaser.) The curtains
may be hung around a berth at night, thus securing
complete privacy. Men travelling alone are cut off
from families by a partition across the car near the
middle ; and smoking is not permitted in that part of
the car where the women and children are.

At convenient intervals the train stops at stations
where hot coffee and tea and well-cooked food may
be bought at a lunch counter ; or hot meals procured
at 25 cents (i shilling) each ; and hot water for making
tea and coffee can also be procured on these cars
during the winter months.

The cars are not allowed to become overcrowded,
and the safety and welfare of Colonist, or Second
Class, passengers are carefully attended to. The
baggage arrangements are the same as for First Class,
and every possible care is taken that in a new land
the Colonist does not go astray, lose his property or
suffer imposition. Where a large number of Colonists
are going to the Far West together, special fast trains
of Colonist Sleeping Cars will be dispatched,
accompanied by an ofBcial conductor.

This then takes us as far as Vancouver say. It
then becomes a question which of the only two routes
he chooses, and I am assuming of course that he is
travelling at the proper season when both are practic-
able. The C.P.R. official , whom I have consulted,

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

Strongly advise the sea-route. This, which they
describe as the best, because the easiest and cheapest,
goes ^ia Mission Junction, after leaving Vancouver,
to Seattle, on Puget Sound, from which the steamers
of the N. American Transportation and Trading Coy.
sail via the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, north-
westerly across the Pacific to Dutch Harbour on one
of the Aleutian Islands, a group spreading westwards
like stepping stones to Asia from the westermost
point of Alaska Peninsula. From Dutch Harbour
the steamer goes through Behring Sea and Norton
Sound to Fort Get There, on St. Michael's Island.
Here a transfer is made to the same Company's river
steamers, these steam down the coast to the Kwich-
pak or north mouth of the Yukon, which is navigable
for large craft for over 2,000 miles. The steamboat
service terminates at Fort Cudahy, which is just in-
side the line of demarcation. The cost of this journey
from Seattle is ;^30 i6s. 6d. So that assuming as
before, a miner goes " Colonist," the whole journey
from London to Fort Cudahy costs ;^48 15s. 3d. This
is the route recommended by the officials of the
C.P.R.

The river voyage should be very enjoyable accord-
ing to information derived from the P all Mall Gazette,
The Yukon, a river larger than the Mississippi,
abounds in fish, the salmon being noted far and wide
for their fine flavour and large size.

As one proceeds up the river one sees innumerable
Indian villages and small settlements inhabited by
traders, missionaries, and Indians, all of interest to
the traveller. The first two or three hundred miles is

.:r J

iii

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

through a low, flat country, after which the mountain-
ous country is reached, and the constant change of
magnificent scenery is beyond description. At old
Fort Yukon, which is inside of the Arctic circle, during
the months of June and July the sun is above the
horizon without a break, and all along the river dur-
ing these months one can read a paper at any time
during the day or night without a lamp. It is
continuous daylight during this time.

After leaving here the next point of interest is Circle
City, the metroplis of the Yukon country. Here is a
large frontier town, the houses all built of logs, and
while they have no pretensions to beauty, they are
warm and comfortable. Circle City has a population
of nearly two thousand people, and some of the best
placer mines in the country are located near this
place. From here the traveller proceeds up the river
240 miles farther, and finds Fort Cudahy at the
mouth of Forty-Mile Creek. This is a thriving town,
similar to Circle City, but not so large. It is the
supply point for the mines in the forty-mile district.
Prosperous for the last four years, it has turned out a
great quantity of gold, this being the first important
district where coarse gold was discovered. A little
farther on is Dawson City and sixty-five miles over
the hills are the Klondike placer mines.

This route, however, is long, and must be taken
when the sea and river are both free of ice — and this
condition would probably result in letting in other
miners ahead of you through the Chilcoot and White
passes, a route which we shall next proceed to
consider. Possibly the very best plan would be to

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

proceed to Vancouver, remain there for the winter
gathering information, buying stores, clothing, etc.,
and so be ready to proceed at the earliest moment,
by either route to the goldfields, and this is the plan
I should be inclined to recommend.

Let us suppose the intending prospector is arrived
at Vancouver, if he intends proceeding by the *"t.
^^ichael's route he knows now how he must act, and

' nature and aspect of his voyage, but if he feels he
««ould care to risk the overland journey he cannot do
better than consider a letter addressed by the well-
known traveller Mr. Harry de Windt to The Times,
which I here reproduce : —

" Sir, — The discovery in Alaska within the past few
months of gold in large quantities has attracted con-
siderable attention, not only throughout the United
States, but also in Canada and British Columbia.
The auriferous deposits are of extraordinary richness,
40 pounds to the pan has been obtained on Bonanza
Creek, which is equal to the best records of California
or Cariboo; and although the output of gold through-
out the Yukon district in 1895 amounted to only
3,000,000, dols. these figures show an increase in
1896 of 1,670,000 dols., while further important discov-
eries have been made since the publication of these
statistics. It is possible that the very favourable
report of Inspector Constantine (published in the
Standard a few weeks ago) may attract capital and
labour from this country, but although the inspector
very rightly dwells upon the possibilities offered by
this new Eldorado he does not mention the difficulties
that at present attend the journey to the goldfields —

ill

1, .;

43 THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

difficulties wh'icli should not be overlooked by intend-
ing prospectors. The report concludes, ' A route
from the South to the headwaters of the Yukon is
required,' but this scarcely conveys a correct impres-
sion of the hardships, and even perils, that at present
encompass the voyage into the interior of Alaska
from the sea.

" There are two ways of entering Alaska — one by
sea from San Francisco, Vancouver, Victoria, and
other southern ports to St. Michael's in Behring Sea ;
the other, which I chose, and is taken by fully 90 per
cent, of the gold-seekers, by crossing the mountains
further south and descending a chain of lakes and
rapids to the headwaters of the Yukon River. The
distance saved by adopting the overland journey is
no less than 2,500 miles. The difficulties of this
voyage are only realized at Dyea, 100 miles from
Juneau, where the land journey commences and
where a bad anchorage frequently compels the
traveller to wade knee-deep for a considerable
distance before landing. Dyea consists of a rude log
store and a movable town of tents occupied by
diggers bound for the goldfields. A delay of several
days occurs here while Indians are procured to carry
tents and baggage to the lakes 24 miles distant over
the Chilkoot Pass, nearly 4,000 feet high. Provisions
must be brought from Juneau, for there is nothing to
be had here, or indeed anywhere this side of Forty-
Mile City, 600 miles away.

" The Chilkoot Pass is difficult, even dangerous, to
those not possessed of steady nerves. Towards the
summit tliere is a sheer ascent of 1,000 feet, where a

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

intend-
V. route
ukon is
impres-
present
Alaska

-one by
ria, and
ng Sea ;
^90 per
>untains
kes and
;r. The
arney is

of this
es from
es and
els the
iderable
•ude log
>ied by

several
to carry
mt over
ovisions
thing to

Forty-

Tous, to
irds the
^here a

slip would certainly be fatal. At this point a dense
mist overtook us, but we reached Lake Lindemann —
the first of a series of five lakes — in safety after a
fatiguing tramp of 14 consecutive hours through
half-melted snow. Here wt had to build our own
boat, first felling the timber for the purpose. The
journey down the lakes occupied 10 days, four of
which were passed in camp on Lake Bennett during a
violent storm which raised a heavy sea. The rapids
followed. One of these latter, the " Grand Cafion," is
a mile long, and dashes through walls of rock from
50 to 100 feet high, six miles below arc the " White
Horse Rapids," a name which many fatal accidents
have converted into the " Miner's Grave." But snags
and rocks are everywhere a fruitful source of danger
on this river, and from this rapid, downward, scarcely
a day passed that one did not see some cairn or
wooden cross marking the last resting-place of some
drowned pilgrim to the land of gold.

" The above is a brief sketch of the troubles that
beset the Alaskan gold prospector — troubles that,
although unknown in the Eastern States and Canada,
have for many years past associated the name of
' Yukon ' with an ugly sound in Western America.

"The journey to the Alaskan goldfields is a hard
one for the well-equipped explorer, who travels in
light marching order. The gold-prospector, on the
other hand, must carry a winter's supplies, dearly
purchased at Juneau, to be transported at ruinous
prices over the Chilkoot Pass. He must construct
his own boat (often single-handed) on Lake Linde-
mann, and, assuming that he arrives at his destination.

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

must secure lodgings at a price that would startle a
West End landlord. And all this on, perhaps, a capital
of 1,000 dollars, not including a ticket to Juneau from
the Golden Gate or elsewhere. No wonder that the
annals of the Alaska Commercial Company bear
witness to the fact that, within the past five years,
hundreds of starving miners have been sent out of
the country at the company's expense, and these, as I
can testify, are but a percentage of those who have
perished from actual starvation in the dreary purlieus
of Circle City and Forty-Mile Creek.

" There is, however, a brighter side to this gloomy
picture, for there are fortunately other approaches to
the Yukon Valley besides the dreaded Chilkoot. The
chain of mountains of which the latter forms a part
is cut by three other passes — the Taku, the Chilkat,
and the White Pass. Of these the two former may
be dismissed as being, on account of their length and
other difficulties, almost as impracticable as the
Chilkoot, over which it would be quite impossible to
lay a bridle-path ; but the White Pass offers no serious
obstacles to the construction of a railway. The
White Pass is at least i,ooo feet lower than the Chil-
koot, and, unlike the latter, is timbered the entire
length. The salt water terminus of this pass 13 in
Skagway Bay, 85 miles from Juneau. Here ocean
steamers can run up at all times to a wharf which
has been constructed in a sheltered position, and there
is an excellent town site with protection from storms.
The pass lies through a box caflon surrounded by
high granite peaks and is comparatively easy. It has
already been used by miners who report very favour-

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

[ startle a
1, a capital
leau from
r that the
any bear
ive years,
nt out of
these, as I
who have
\f purlieus

is gloomy
oaches to
oot. The
ms a part
3 Chilkat,
mer may
;ngth and
2 as the
ossible to
no serious
ay. The
the Chil-
he entire
)ass i3 in
ire ocean
irf which
and there
n storms,
mded by
It has
y favour-

ably upon the trail, and when it is considered that
the adoption of this route obviates the dangers and
expenses of the Chilkoot, avoids Lakes Lindemann
and Bennett (the stormiest and most perilous of the
whole chain), shortens and greatly diminishes the ex-
pense of the journey to the Yukon Valley, and, above
all, can be used throughout the year (the interior of
Alaska is now completely cut off from the world for
nine months in the year), there can be little reasonable
doubt that the White Pass is the best and most prac-
ticable route to the Yukon goldfields.

"It is said that a scheme is now in progress to
open up the White Pass and facilitate the transp^
of miners and stores to the mining settlements, ano
this is earnestly to be wished. An English company,
the British Columbia Development Association
(Limited), has already established a landing wharf,
and are erecting a store and sawmills at Skagway,
whence it is proposed (as soon as may be feasible) to
lay down a line of rail some 35 miles long, striking
the Yukon river at a branch of the Teslin Lake, about
100 miles below Lake Lindemann, which is the
debouchure of the Chilkoot Pass. By this means the
tedious and difficult navigation between these two
points will be avoided, and the only dangerous parts
of the river below — viz., the Grand Cafion and White
Horse Rapids — will be circumvented by a road or
rail portage. Light draught steamers will be put on
from Teslin Lake to the cafion, and from the foot of
the latter to all the towns and camps on the river.
Arrangements will also be made for direct communi-
cation with Skagway by the existing lines of steamers,

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

which now only call at Juneau, whence transhipment
is necessary.

" It is stated that this route will be open for use
and traffic in a few months' time, when the cost of
transporting freight and passengers will be very
considerably reduced and the difficulties of the transit
practically eliminated. Much, however, depends upon
the Canadian Government, which, in view of the
increasing rush of miners to the Yukon Valley (many
of whom must, under existing conditions, inevitably
starve during the coming winter), should lose no time
in constructing a waggon road over the White Pass.

" When the above scheme has been carried out the
prospector (even of limited means) may reasonably
hope to reach his claim in safety and at a com-
paratively moderate outlay. At present I should
certainly recommend all those intending to try their
luck in Alaska to defer their journey until a less
hazardous route than that via the Chilkoot Pass is
open to them. It is with the object of warning
Elnglishmen, who may be deceived by the alluring
advertisements of unscrupulous agents, that I have
addressed you this letter. That there is gold in large
quantities on the Yukon has been conclusively proved,
but the wealth of the Indies would not compensate
the risks now attendant on the journey. As an old
Yukon miner remarked to me at Juneau, ' i, xxj dols.
a day would not fetch me over the Chill oot again,
but open up the " White Pass " and we will soon have
another Johannesburg at Forty-Mile Creek.'

I am, Sir,

yours
HARRY

truly,

DE WINDT.

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

As an appendix to this letter I add the following list
of stations and their distances, taken from "Appleton's
Guide Book to Alaska," which may be obtained from
Mr. VV. Heinemann, 21 Bedford Street, Strand, W.C.

Stations with their distances from Juneau to
Haines Mission.

To Haines Mission

. 80

j»

Head of Canoe Navigation

106

Summit of Chilcoot Pass

. "5

Lake Linderman . .

. 124

Head of Lake Bennett .

129

Boundary Line

. 139

Foot of Lake Bennett .

. 155

„ Caribou Crossing

. 158

„ Taku Lake

. 175

Takish House

. 179

Head of Mud Lake

, 180

Foot of Lake Marsh

. 200

Head of Canon

. 225

White Horse Rapids

. 228

Takuna River .

, 240

Head of Lake Barge

256

Foot of Lake Barge

287

Hootolinqua .

. 320

Cassiar Bar . . .

. 347

Little Salmon River

. 390

Five Fingers .

. 451

Felly River .

. 510

Stewart River. .

. 630

Forty-Mile Creek .

750

1 1

'km

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

From the same source I cull the following, though
in view of the " rush " prices are probably in advance
of those now quoted ; still they will serve as a guide.

Private steamers can be hired at Victoria or Seattle
at rates varying from 200 dols. to 300 dols. a day —
but pilots are scarce and navigation dangerous. For
overland work dogs can be had but they are very
dear, feeding them is difficult and expensive. A few
vegetables can be purchased at most places, as also
fish and game in abundance. Fresh beef can only be
got at Juneau after leaving Victoria, Seattle or Van-
couver. Indian canoes cost 2 dols. a day and upward,
with pay for each oarsman by the day in addition.
It is well to make provision for heavy rain by taking
good mackintoshes, lined rubber boots, etc. Take
other thick boots, with thick woollen socks, thick
stout serviceable leggings, and all-wool underwear,
woollen gloves, flannel shirts, etc. U.S. money is
current everywhere, and the natives prefer silver
money, to either paper or gold.

Suppose any reader should elect to proceed to
Vancouver or Seattle, and remain there to be ready
for the early spring, the hotels recommended at
Seattle are the Ranier and Denny, where the rates
are 3 dols. a day and upward. The stations there are
on the water front close to Yeater's and Commercial
Wharf, where the steamers land. At Vancouver the
rate of the Hotel Vancouver is 3 dols. to 4 dols. 30
cents, and the Metropole 2 dols. 50 cents to 3 dols.
The show place of Vancouver is Stanley Park, a
great domain saved from the primeval forest. The
town is illuminated by electric light, and cable and

electric

amuse

Befc

to set

fortune

for anc

and th<

By s

coast o

mouth

wheelei

route, i<

enter ^

the rive

days; t

»elied i]

If the

chad's V

are still

The V03;

stream \

the ban!

Villages,

savages

of the I]

and cust

been bro

other mi

I refer tt

Potter's

opening

of each t

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

electric cars run everywhere. There is plenty of
amusement.

Before deciding which route to take I should like
to set before any reader who thinks of trying his
fortune, what other information I have got together
for and against either route. First the Yukon route
and the nature of it : —

By steamer from Vancouver or Victoria along the
coast of British Columbia and Alaska territory to the
mouth of the Yukon River, and thence by stern
wheeler. This route, known as the St. Michael's
route, is long and uncertain. As a rule vessels cannot
enter Norton Sound until July ist. The voyage up
the river, i,8oo miles, occupies from eighteen to twenty
days; two trips at the most in the season can be
.elied upon.

If the water is open the trip from Seattle to St. Mi-
chael's will occupy from 12 to 14 days, and if conditions
are still favourable the trip to Dawson City another 15.
The voyage up the Yukon is characterised after the
stream has been well entered by magnificent scenery,
the banks here and there being dotted with Indian
Villages. These Indians do not resemble the " Red "
savages found farther east, but consist of several tribes
of the Innuk or Esquimaux peoples. Their manners
and customs are not attractive though some who have
been brought into connection with the Russian and
other missions have become a little more civilized.
I refer those who may be interested in them to Mr.
Potter's eleventh census report, mentioned in my
opening paragraphs, where they will find full details
of each tribe and their singularly repellent customs.

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

Since alcoholic liquors have been introduced among
them other unattractive attributes have been added
to them. There is, I believe, in the neighbourhood of
the missions, an occasional demand for, and a reluc-
tant application of, soap. The upper reaches of the
river are picturesquely studded with numerous islands,
which amongst other things give harbour to swarms
of mosquitoes of aggravated dimensions, and exagge-
rated aggressiveness. Horse flies, and other winged
torments, are not wanting to add to the traveller's
discomfort. No doubt the same spirit which prompts
a man to rush where gold may be had for the finding,
sustains him under these and other drawbacks. I am
divided in my belief as to the quantity of game to be
found, at any rate in Alaskan districts — for Mr. Potter
states: " Game is scarce, considering the great stretches
of uninhabited country, and the Indian knowing every
game sign, and with no impediments, can scour over
the country and live, where a white man would starve."
On the other hand, from a leaflet issued by a transport
company lying before me, I read: "The Yukon basin
is an incomparable game country, an important factor
to the miners, in a land where provisions naturally
command high prices. The upper portion abounds
in moose, caribou, bear and small game, and the
rivers and smaller streams are alive with salmon,
white fish, trout, and other species. The lower
country is the breeding-ground of innumerable geese,
ducks and other fowl." Thus the company, but of
course they have an axe to grind, and, remember,
we are now talking, not of the Klondike district,
but of Alaska, and it is not probable that on the

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

trail of gold anyone would turn aside for game ;
but there may be causes in the journey up the river
due to breakdown or what not, and a little fresh game
would be a very welcome addition to the canned and
preserved provisions forming the staple of travellers*
food. With regard to the fish I think there can be
no doubt, as all these northern rivers teem with them.
I have already given the cost of the journey from
Vancouver to Fort Cudahy, the present terminus,
though in the spring the route will be completed to
Dawson City. F-^w then, reckon that it takes 8 weeks
to get from Lou.on to Klondike and costs roundly
;^50, for fares and food only, outfit and provisions will
come later, and remember also that if you decide on
this route you cannot possibly go this year, since
the navigation of the river closes early in September;
unless indeed you go prepared like Nansen to boldly
face all the rigours of an Arctic winter, and make the
frozen river your highway, triumphing by dogged
courage over rough packed ice, 50 degrees of frost,
scanty food and shelter, and all the other grim
obstacles of Arctic travel. It may be done perhaps
by someone. It is always the dauntless one who
achieves. Even in the fairy tales, it is the prince, who
dares the lions chained on either side, to enter
the treasure-holding castle, who faces the giant to
win the incomparable princess, and this is the spirit
roused by lust for gold that animated the daring
miner — himself often uncivilized, though white — latest
pioneer of civilization. Before I quit the Yukon here
is a pen picture of its two seasons.

" Here the summer is of the briefest. It endures

5»

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

only for ten or twelve weeks, from about the middle
of June to the early part of September. Then an un-
ending panorama of extrordinary picturesqueness is
unfolded to the voyager. The banks are fringed with
flowers, carpeted with the all-pervading moss or
tundra. Birds countless in numbers and of infinite
variety in plumage, sing out a welcome from every
tree top. Pitch your tent where you will in mid-
summer, a bed of roses, a clump of poppies and a
bunch of blue bells will adorn your camping. But
high above this paradise of almost tropical exuberance
giant glaciers sleep in the summit of the mountain
wall, which rises up from a bed of roses. By Sep-
tember everything is changed. The bed of roses
has disappeared before the icy breath of the Winter
King, which sends the thermometer down to eighty
degrees below freezing point. The birds fly to the
southland, the white man to his cabin, the Indian to
his hut, and the bear to his sleeping-chamber in the
mountains. Every stream becomes a sheet of ice,
mountain and valley alike are covered with snow."

We will however suppose that on reaching Van-
couver you elect to go via Juneau, and the Lynn
Canal overland. As I said before, the American
strip of South-Eastern Alaska, from Mount St. Elias
down to British Columbia, is a resort for summer
tourists, on account of the magnificence and unusual
character of the coast scenery, so that with steamers
already plying and a number of private boats,
launches and other vessels, already in service, there
will be no difficulty in providing for the enormous
numbers of gold-seekers which are certain to be on the

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

move there at the first favourable moment, and the
North American Transport Co. will doubtless be found
equal to the occasion.

I have given the distances along the various stages
from Juneau, and it remains to give you an idea of
the journey from that point. After Juneau, Healy
& Wilson's trading stores may be reached without
a very great deal of difficulty, but at Healy's all
traces of civilization are practically left behind, and
the real tug of war begins. Going up the Dyea
River five miles on the ice will bring one to the
mouth of the cafion. Here in the woods a comfort-
able camp can be easily arranged. The tent is pitched
on top of the snow, the poles and pins being pushed
down into it. While some are busily engaged in
building a fire and making a bed> the best cook of
the party prepares the supper. The camping place
beyond the caflon is a strip of woods some three
miles long known as Pleasant Camp. Its name is
something of a misnomer, for there is not ev^n a log
shanty there ; some woods to give a kind of shelter,
and, as everywhere else along the route, plenty of
snow. From here the ascent is gradual, and the
next and last camp in timber before crossing the
summit is known as Sheep Camp, where the summit
towers above you about 3,500 feet, but the pass is
some 500 feet lower. No further progress can be
made until a clear day, and sometimes the weather
continues bad for two or three weeks, the mountain
top hidden in thick clouds, and icy winds hurling the
new-fallen snow in every direction, or driving the
sleet in the face of anyone bold enough to stir out of

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

camp and peep up at that almost precipitous wall of
snow and ice. But sunshine come;:> ul last, and the
wind grows still.

Now comes the tug of war — to get the outfit to the
summit For 600 feet every step must be cut in the
ice, and so steep is it that a person with a pack on his
back must continually bend forward to maintain his
equilibrium. The first load planted on the summit
of the pass, a shovel is stuck in the snow to mark the
spot ; then back for another pack, and fortunate is he
who gets his whole outfit up in a single day. Indians
may be hired to do the packing, and their rates vary
slightly, but the regular price has been five dollars a
hundredweight from the second bench to the summit,
or fifteen cents, a pound from Healy & Wilson's to
the lakes. These prices have been shaded a little
the past season, and some outfits were packed over
to the lakes at thirteen cents a pound. The reason
for this cut in price is that many miners insist on
doing their own packing, and that their work has
been seriously affected by a tramway device which
was operated last season with more or less success by
one Peterson, whose inventive genius led him to
believe that a simple arrangement of ropes and
pulleys would greatly help in getting outfits up the
steeper places. The descent for the first half mile is
steep, then a gradual slope to Lake Linderman, some
ten miles away. But there is little time for resting
and none for dreaming, as the edge of timber where
the camp must be made is seven miles from the
summit. Taking the camping outfit and sufficient
provisions for four or five days, the sleigh is loaded.

the res
snow,
The roi
outlet, I
easterlj
of this
four or
lake is
MudLi
"Ope
ing this
firm ice
foot of
timber
build a
River c
The coi
of a hoi
the east
on the
close at
safely e
make a
outfit ar
run the
scenery
many p
were aw
Horse
can be li
White h
about a

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

the rest of the outfit is packed up or buried in the
snow, shovels being stuck up to mark the spot.
The rout... now lies seve i miles across the lake to its
outlet, down the outlet three or four miles in a north-
easterly direction to Lake Bennett, down to the foot
of this lake, twenty-five miles, then down the river
four or five miles the Takou Lake is reached. The
lake is some twenty miles long, and empties into
Mud Lake through an outlet three miles long.

"Opei "'I'-.erwill probably be passed before reach-
ing this point in the rivers connecting the lakes, and
firm ice at the sides affords good sledding, but at the
foot of Mud Lake a raft or boat must be built. Dry
timber can be found along the shores with which to
build a raft, which will take everything to the Lew
River caflon, about forty miles to the north-west.
The course down the lakes has been much in the form
of a horseshoe, and now bears to the west instead of
the east Before reaching the cafion a high cut bank
on the right hand side will give warning that it is
close at hand. Good river men have run the caflon
safely even with loaded rafts, but it is much surer to
make a landing on the right side and portage the
outfit around the caflon three-quarters of a mile and
run the raft through empty. The sameness of the
scenery on approaching the caflon is so marked that
many parties have got into the caflon before they
were aware of it Below the caflon are the White
Horse rapids — a bad piece of water : but the raft
can be lined down the right hand side until near the
White Horse, three miles below. This is a box caflon
about a hundred yards long and fifty in width, a chute

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

through which the water of the river, which is nearly
600 feet wide just above, rushes with maddening force.
But few have ever attempted to run it, and four of them
have been drowned. Of two men ^ ho made the
attempt in May, 1888, nothing was found save a
bundle of blankets. Below the White Horse another
raft is built, and the journey continued seventy-five
miles to Lake Le Barge. This usually requires three
days, if^ fter entering the lake solid ice is found per-
haps a mile from the inlet. Camp \z made on the
shore, and as the ice gets soft most of the sledding is
done in the early morning, it being sufficiently light
in May to start soon after midnight. This lake is
about forty-five miles long, and there is an island
about midway. Little snow will be found here late
in April, but it will be all glaie ice. After camping
on the island, a day's journey will make the foot of
the lake, and the sledding is completed. If one
expects to stay in the Coventry the sled should not be
thrown away, however, as it will prove useful later on.
A comfortable camp should be made here, and the
building of a boat commenced. This will require
from seven to ten days, and the method of prf:paring
lumber is novel to all who are unused to frontier life.
The trees selected should be sound and straight, and
twelve inches through the butt. A saw pit about six
feet high is built near the tree, and the tree felled and
cut into logs about twenty-five feet long. When all
is ready, neighbours are invited to the rolling bee to
help in placing the logs on the pit. To make good
lumber requires a sharp saw and experience, besides
hard work, \fter the pit is levelled and the log

peeled. <
exact CO
lined bo
then it i«
always 1
boards ;
pitched,
resumed,
linqua,
passed or
Here fou
stone to (
the water
right han(
and thoug
kept in th
A few
manao-emi
Reef rapic
hand siae
them the ]
the Pelly
Lewis fro
first tradii
Harper's,
Continuing
the right;
on accoun
tributary c
called on a
Reliance.
is Forty-M

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

peeled, a square is made on the smaller end, and an
exact counterpart on the other side : the log is then
lined both above and below and squared or slabbed,
then it is lined for the boards, an eighth of an inch
always being allowed for the saw cut. After the
boards are sawed, the boat is built, caulked, and
pitched, oars and poles made, and the journey
resumed. Going down the Lewis River, the Hoota-
linqua. Big Salmon, and Little Salmon Rivers are
passed on the right before reachmg the Five Fingers.
Here four large buttes stand like giant sentinels of
stone to dispute your lurther ingress into the country ;
the water, in five passages, runs swiftly between ; the
right hand passage is the only one which is practicable,
and though the water is swift, it is safe if the boat be
kept in the centre.

A few moments of strong pulling and careful
management and the boat is rapidly approaching the
Reef rapids, three miles below. Here again the right
hand siae insures safety, and having gone through
them the last dangerous water is passed. Next comes
the Pelly River, and the junction of the Pelly and
Lewis from the Yukon proper. At this point the
first trading post is reached. This is known as
Harper's, and is 510 riiles distant from Juneau.
Continuing the journey, Stewart River is passed on
the right ; then the White River on the left, so named
on account of its milky -looking water ; the next
tributary on the same side is Sixty-Mile Creek, so
called on account of its being sixty miles above Fort
Reliance. A hundred miles below, or the left side,
is Forty-Mile Creek, forty miles below is Fort Reliance.

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDSy

I'Hfl •^'1

Here the Yukon is over two miles in width, and on
the upper bank of Forty-Mile Creek is the principal
trading post cf the interior. This is the starting
point for all the mines, and is 750 miles from Juneau.

The physical difficulties of this route have been
described elsewhere, but necessarily every experience
is not alike so far as weather goes ; but there is no
manner of doubt a man must be prepared for the
severest strain of body and mind in traversing these
passes, streams and lakes.

A practicable trail is understood to exist from the
south, licar Teslin Lake, and might be opened up by
a waggon road as far as Pelly, whence supplies might
be forwarded by boat or scow. Over this trail last
year some forty head of cattle were driven without
loss. Good bunch grass was found along the trail
for a distance of over 1 50 miles. The height of the
pass is 2,800 to 3,000 feet above the level of the sea.
The rise is gradual, and the country generally is roll-
ing, with some table-lands, with good fishing along
the route, and plenty of large game.

Uninterrupted water communication might also be
maintained from the head of Teslin Lake to Circle
City, on Yukon River, a distance of 800 miles, 600 of
which would be in Canadian territory. Small steamers
of 1 50 tons could ply over this route, and three trips
in the season could be made, against one, or at most
two, at present

But it is stated that the Dominion Government
intends taking steps to render the journey less diffi-
cult A customs and police post will be established
just north of the British Columbia boundary beyond

the head
Estimate
building
way from
a distanc
over moi
Chilkoot
the south<
police poj
tances of
will be u
monthly I
help to t
line will b
head of tl
sent of th
asked to
have the
from the I
No difficu
way.

Colonel
Dominion
meeting, ai
did not cc
to place mi
no time is
individual
or four oil
organized
it is Arctic
The pres

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

the head of the Lynn Canal at 60 degrees of latitude.
Estimates will be at once obtained for the cost of
building a waggon road and of a narrow-guage rail-
way from the coast to this post, over the mountains,
a distance of 70 to 80 miles, about 40 of which is
over mountains. This post, which will be where the
Chilkoot and White Passes converge, will command
the southern entrance to the whole territory. Mounted
police posts will be established from here on, at dis-
tances of 50 miles apart up to Fort Selkirk. These
will be used to open up a winter road over which
monthly mails will be sent by dog trains, also to give
help to travelling parties. If possible, a telegraph
line will be constructed over the mountains from the
head of the Lynn Canal to the first post. The con-
sent of the authorities of the United States will be
asked to a modus vivendi under which Canada will
have the right of way over the disputed territory
from the Lynn Canal to the first mounted police post.
No difficulty is anticipated in securing this right of
way.

Colonel Domville, a member of the Canadian
Dominion Parliament, speaking the other day at a
meeting, advocated the use of the Juneau route, and
did not consider it a matter of very great difficulty
to place men and supplies across the passes, provided
no time is lost. But the Colonel is speaking, not of
individual prospectors, or even small parties of three
or four or more, but of a properly equipped and
organized body of men under his own leadership, but
it is Arctic voyaging all the same.

The press is full of warnings as to the danger and

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

difficulty to be encountered, and full of forecasts of
the gloomiest description, with regard to probable
mortality amongst those who reach and remain through
the winter in the district. On this latter head I shall
have something to say presently. There is one
thing it is absolutely imperative to bear in mind, atnd
that is supplies of food and clothing must be taken,
indeed the police have already turned back many
who had less than one hundred pounds weight of
food ; it will be suicidal to leave anything to chance.
This is what Mr. J. W. Mackay, the " Silver King,"
says about the advice he would give to anyone
going :—

" Prepare for great privations and perhaps utter
disappointment. The climate is intensdy hot for a
few weeks, and dreadfully cold for many months.
There is certain to be a scanty supply of food next
winter. No one should go who is not provided
against Arctic weather and against starvation, nor
without ready cash. The well and strong will
naturally fare better than the weak. A dozen young
men have asked me already about going there. /
told them that if a man had a thousand dollars^ a good
coftstitution^ and no wife and children^ he could go there
or anywhere^*

That I take it puts the matter in a nutshell. With
regard to the sort of provisions required there ?♦*€
many admirable preparations in use in the present
day, such as our early Arctic voyagers never dreamt
of, and their possession makes any expedition of the
present day almost a feather-bed affair by comparison.
One thing to remember is, that scurvy is always apt

to attack

regions, c

therefore

certainly

miner can

boil it do'

nourishing

have not t

speak fron:

rations anc

should all :

prices at t

there is no

to the cost

idea of wi

Victoria, o

deal lower

much enha

Flour, per loo]
Beef, per lb.
Bacon, per lb.
Moose Hams,
Moose Hams, j
Rice, per lb.
Tea, per lb.
Coffee, per lb.
Butter, per lb.
Eggs, per doz.
Potatoes, peril

There can
prices will ri
on foot for t
certain sang
dence as to

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

the
son.
apt

to attack dwellers in the Arctic and close adjacent
regions, owing to the scarcity of leguminous food,
therefore canned fruits and vegetables she Id
certainly form part of the supplies. Of course the
miner can gather moss, which grows plentifully, and
boil it down for food, but although this is I believe
nourishing, it is also excessively nasty and insipid. I
have not tried it in my own proper person so cannot
speak from experience. Desiccated soups, meat prepa-
rations and their like, biscuits, flour, potatoes and tea
should all find a place. I append here a list of market
prices at the diggings, and if the prices seem high
there is no very great amount of profit derived owing
to the cost of transport. The list itself furnishes an
idea of what is most in demand. At Vancouver,
Victoria, or Seattle, prices would rule a very great
deal lower, but even there the great demand would
much enhance prices. Here is the list : —

Flour, pen oo lbs. £2

los. to £2^

Tobacco, per lb

8s.

Beef, per lb

4s. to 8s.

Canned Fruit, per can ...

9s.

Bacon, per lb

3s. 3d.

Coal Oil, per gallon

I OS.

Moose Hams, each ...

... £(>

Lemons, each

IS.

Moose Hams, per lb.

... 8s.

Oranges, each

2S.

Rice, per lb

... 3s.

Liquors, per drink

2S.

Tea, per lb

I2S.

Miners' Picks, each ... £1

8s.

Coffee, per lb

... 9s.

Shovels, each £t^ 8s. to ^3

I2S.

Butter, per lb

lOS.

Shoes, per pair ... ;^i to ;^l

123.

Eggs, per doz

I2S.

Rubber Boots, per pair,

Potatoes, per lb.

lOS.

£2 8s. to £z

I2S.

There can be no question, however, that next season
prices will rule lower, because several enterprises are
on foot for the purpose of supplying all needs. I find
certain sanguine persons speaking with great confi-
dence as to what will be done in the spring — that the

s '

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

difficulties of the way and of life there are exag-
gerated — that the Klondike can be reached in a little
over five weeks. In this connection I quote the
Canadian Minister of the Interior, speaking under
date July 23rd last : — \

" I think it only proper to say that any person who
contemplates going into Yukon territory should make
very careful enquiries as to length of time it will take
to go, and as to the means he will have of sustaining
himself after he gets there. The shortest time within
which communication has been had with Fort Cudahy
is six weeks y and that took place under the most favour-
able circumstances. The amount of provisions that
can be taken into that country at the present moment
is extremely limited, and if any considerable number
of people go in without making special provision for
their maintenance this fall there is very likely to be
starvation during the coming winter. One thing
ought to be clearly understood — the Government
cannot assume any responsibility whatever for getting
provisions into that country to supply any people
who may go in there ' in consequence of the gold
excitement and who may find themselves short of
food. The difficulty is largely one of transportation,
and no means exist of overcoming this difficulty
during the present season."

The italics are mine. The impulse to "rush" is
intelligible, since no one wants to be last, although I
believe there v/ill be room for all and to spare — yet I
repeat again, " Look before you leap." I cannot urge
too strongly on all intending gold-hunters the neces-
sity of thorough preparedness. The papers publish the

names of

ful and r

remainde

return gc

newly-dis

but who

unfortuna

whose he

last failed

cumbed t

bones wh

Snows" ^

white mar

bosom — f(

Earth, wh

hoards to

voice tha

pursuers ;

globe in \

exercise f(

Howeve

nearest po

of shelter

across the

sarcasm, h

he find.'

can trust

Pall Mall

issue of th(

" Dawsoi

although si

it is said to

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

names of those fortunate ones who have been success-
ful and return to live in ease, perhaps luxury, for the
remainder of their days — others who next year may
return gold-laden will similarly leap into notice like
newly-discovered stars — all these can be easily counted,
but who shall furnish us with the long roll of those
unfortunates who have gone under in the struggle?
whose hopes have perished, whose hearts have at
last failed them ; whose once sturdy frames have suc-
cumbed to endless profitless toil? Where do their
bones whiten and rot? Ask "Our Lady of the
Snows" where she has enshrouded them with her
white mantle, or locked them fast in her frost-bound
bosom — forgotten. They have paid tribute to the
Earth, which refused like a miser to part with its
hoards to them. Gold will have its victims, and no
voice that can be raised will ever check its eager
pursuers ; but here, more than in any region of the
globe in which it has been found, it is necessary to
exercise foresight and caution.

However, we will suppose our miner has reached the
nearest point to the Klondike that offers a prospect
of shelter and sustenance, called by our relatives
across the sea, with that grandiloquence that is half
sarcasm, half earnestness, Dawson City. What does
he find .' Well, accounts differ. Everyone feels he
can trust an eminently respectable journal like the
Pall Mall Gazette, I quote the following from its
issue of the ninth.

" Dawson City, the centre of the new mining region,
although sixty-five miles distant from the Klondike,
it is said to be a typical mining camp, minus the guns

!■■■

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

The British Government enforces its laws in Dawson,
and those laws prohibit the use of firearms, so few
men carry guns. The laws of the camp are enforced
by mounted police, whose captain is a civil officer.
Though there are said to be 3,000 people in Dawson,
few houses have been built, for the principal reason
that lumber is ;^20 per 1,000 feet. 1 he general fear is,
of course, that there will be great suffering there this
winter, and it will be increased, it is expected, by the
rush of unprepared prospectors, who sailed for the
new fields immediately on learning what luck had be-
fallen those who have but recently returned. * I am
afraid,' said one of the influential miners who re-
turned in a San Francisco boat, * that all the talk and
excitement will cause such a stampede to the north-
west that there will be great suffering during next
winter and spring. Still, if people are ordinarily
careful, there is no occasion for any such thing.
There are many good things that can be said about
Dawson City beside the gold that has made it famous.
In my own way I want to tell the people of some
of these good qualities, as well as the business
and social conditions, and how matters are con-
ducted there. Speculation is already the ruling
idea. A purchaser inspects a claim that he thinks
he should like to buy. He offers just what he
thinks it is worth. There is no skirmishing over
figures, the owner either accepts or refuses and
that is the end of it. With this claim goes the sea-
son's work. By that I mean the great pile of earth
that may contain thousands or may not be worth the
expense necessary to run it throught he sluice. That

is a cha

anythin

"'Id

single c

are still \

In testir

fifteen U

streak h

to gathe

consists (

ing it to

there is (

of men b

to hoist

each weij

until spri

buys a cl

own chan

"'It n

the mine

moral tov

or no qua

there is (

principle

the gambi

and play

some big

;^io to dr

is an ordii

been any

quarrelson

and that 11

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

is a chance one must take, however, and few have lost
anything by it this season.

" * I do not know in the whole Klondike region a
single claim that has not paid handsomely, and there
are still hundreds of claims that have not been worked.
In testing a claim the proprietor sinks a hole — say,
fifteen feet, and then tries a pan of dirt. If the pay
streak has been reached he sets to work in earnest
to gather in more of the precious metal. This process
consists of building a fire around the entire circle, allow-
ing it to burn through the night. The next morning
there is enough loose dirt lying about to keep a squad
of men busy throughout the day. I have known men
to hoist in a day as much as 250 buckets of soil,
each weighing 250 pounds. This dirt is not disturbed
until spring, when it is washed out ; and when a man
buys a claim he buys the dump also, but he takes his
own chances on the latter.

" ' It may be said with absolute truth,' continued
the miner, 'that Dawson City is one of the most
moral towns of its kind in the world. There is little
or no quarrelling, and no brawls of any kind, though
there is considerable drinking and gambling. The
principle sport with the mining men is found round
the gambling table. There they gather after nightfall
and play until late hours in the morning. They have
some big games, too, it sometimes costing as much as
_;^io to draw a card. A game of ;^200 as the stakes
is an ordinary event. But with all that there has not
been any decided trouble. If a man is fussy and
quarrelsome he is quietly told to get out of the game,
and that is the end of it. Many people have an idea

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

that Dawson City is completely isolated, and can
communicate with the outside world only once in
every twelve months. That is a mistake. Circle
City, only a few miles away, has a mail once each
month, and there we have our mails addressed. It is
true the cost is pretty high — a dollar a letter and two
dollars for paper — yet by that expenditure of money
we are able to keep in direct communication with our
friends on the outside. In the way of public institu-
tions our camp is at present without any, but by the
next season we shall have a church, a music-hall,
school-house and hospital. This last institution will
be under the direct control of the Sisters of Mercy,
who have already been stationed for a long time at
Circle City and Forty-Mile Camp.

" 'The impressions seem to prevail that the mines are
close to Dawson City. That is a mistake. The rich
creeks are fifteen miles off, and it is a day's journey
to them. The camp there is as pretty a place as one
desires to see. The white tents and huts of the
miners are scattered along the banks of the creeks or
built on the mountain sides, as convenience or fancy
dictates. I know of no place in the whole north-west
or in the world, for that matter, where a man with a
little capital can do so well. There is an opening for
every kind of business, and I have no doubt that next
season will see the town flooded with men of all
callings.'

*' Notwithstanding the somewhat rosy picture painted
by this miner, Mr. J. Edward Spurr, of the United
States Geological Survey, who recently made an
expedition through Alaska, advises people to keep

away,
intendi]
Many r
failure,
Comj
the old
of a pa
country,
horrors
modern
camp s«
located
3.000 fe(
ordinary
civilised :
ago he ^
hardship*
badly brc
2,000 grc
majority
The stea
allow no
uncommo
last week
represent
large pro]
these 2,0c
At the de
was buriei
among the
But I 1
Moss's sta

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

«7

away. *My advice,* says he, 'to the average man
intending to go to the Yukon goldfields is to stay out.
Many men go there every year and suffer hardship,
failure, loss of capital, and oftentimes loss of health.' "

Compare that with this : — Frank Moss, a miner, of
the old Montana boom, who four years ago was one
of a party of Americans first to visit the Klondike
country, returned a few days ago, and tells a story of
horrors and starvation seldom equalled even in
modern novels. He describes Klondike as a placer
camp seven miles long and thirteen miles wide,
located in a sink, walled in by boulders of rock
3,000 feet high. Gold, he says, abounds, but no
ordinary man can stand the hardships of the un-
civilised region. When Moss left his home four years
ago he was a sturdy fellow over 6 ft. tall. From
hardships and privations he is a cripple for life and
badly broken in health. In three years he saw over
2,000 graves made in the Klondike basin, a large
majority of their occupants dying from starvation.
The steamship companies bring in all food and
allow no private importation, consequently it is not
uncommon to go for weeks without food. The gold
last week brought in to Seattle, Moss says, does not
represent the findings of individual shippers, but a
large proportion was confiscated from the effects of
these 2,000 miners who fell a prey to the hardships.
At the death of a man possessed of dust, his body
was buried without a coffin, and the dust divided
among those who cared for him.

But I have seen this denied somewhere, and Mr.
Moss's statement of the mortality ridiculed.

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS.

Assistant-Surgeon A. E. Wills reported in 1895 on
the climate, mode of living, and diseases commonly-
met with. He says : —

" Miners are a very mixed class of people. They
represent many nationalities and come from all
climates. Their lives are certainly not enviable. The
regulation ' miners' cabin * is 12 feet by 14 feet, with
walls 6 feet and gables 8 feet in height. The roof is
heavily earthed, and the cabin is generally very warm.
Two, and sometimes three or four men will occupy a
house of this size. The ventilation is usually bad.
Thone miners who do not work their claims during
the winter confine themselves in these small huts
most of the time. Very often they become indolent
and carelesSf only eating those things which are most
easily cooked or prepared. During the busy time in
summer, when they are 'shovelling in,* they work
hard and for long hours, sparing little time for eating
and much less for cooking. This manner of living is
quite common among beginners, and soon leads to
H ability and sometimes to scurvy. . . . The
diseases mcjt with in this country are dyspepsia,
anaemia, scurvy caused by improperly cooked food,
sameness of diet, overwork, want of fresh vegetables,
overheated and badly ventilated houses ; rheumatism,
pneumonia, bronchitis, enteritis, cystitis, and other
acute diseases from exposure to wet and cold ; debility
and chronic diseases due to excesses. . . . Men
should be sober, strong, and healthy. They should
be practical men, able to adapt themselves quickly to
their surroundings. . . . It is also very important
to consider their temperaments. Men should be of

cheerfii
Tiiose
good w
the cc
pessimi
The
matter,
" Eigl
sheet-in
80 deg.
and pijii
lot of t
his com(
The loa
Dawson
in a Stat
creeks, w
kinds are
and if fo
goes to t
creeks ai
dangers
climate a
these sho
lust for g
to better
" It has
there will
Klondike
them wil
the steps
during th(

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

cheerful, hopeful dispositions, and willing workers.
Those of sullen morose natures, although they may be
good workers, are very apt, as soon as the novelty of
the country wears off, to become dissatisfied,
pessimistic, and melancholy."

The Times of the 2nd, amongst other interesting
matter, says : —

" Eight months of semi-darkness in a tent with a
sheet-iron stove, and a temperature from 60 deg. to
80 deg. below zero, thawing out the pay-dirt with fires
and piling it up to be washed in the summer, is the
lot of the industrious gold-seeker, who may add to
his comfort by building a log-hut if he feels disposed.
The loafers congregate in the towns. Fort Cudahy or
Dawson City, in the winter, where they pass the time
in a state of chronic drunkenness. On the remoter
creeks, where the pay-dirt is so rich, supplies of all
kinds are very costly — flour £10 per sack of loolb.—
and if food runs short or a pack train is delayed food
goes to the highest bidder. There is no credit on the
creeks and very little in the towns. These are the
dangers most to be feared on the Klondike. The
climate and the toil are easier things to face, though
these should daunt all who have not an overwhelming
lust for gold. Excitement and adventure can be had
to better advantage in other goldfields.

" It has been stated, probably with much truth, that
there will be 30,000 miners on the headwaters of the
Klondike before winter. How large a proportion of
them will ever return depends in some measure on
the steps which the Canadian Government may take
during the next few weeks to insure that a sufficient

I:*

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

supply of food — bacon and beans and flour — is taken
into the camps before the rivers are blocked, for,
although supplies can be got in by trail from Juneau
with dog sledges during the winter, a storm or
accident to the pack train might mean death by
starvation to hundreds, who, by the irony of fate,
might possess sufficient wealth to buy food for its
weight in gold dust. Another matter demanding the
immediate attention of the authorities is the establish-
ment of some tribunal, with a sufficiently powerful
body of police to carry out its decrees. The old
Cariboo mining camps contained some of the worst
scoundrels in America, but owing to the inflexible
justice of the late Sir Matthew Begbie, human life
was respected in those camps as it had been in no
other mining camp of Western America, and the
prestige of British law has since stood so high in that
province that a strong Judge should be able to uphold
it without difficulty in the new diggings. The whisky
traffic will have to be controlled with a strong hand,
as its effects on the Indian population have already
become horribly apparent. Smuggling, unfortunately,
is easy, as the international boundary is near by, and
the sunless winter days give every opportunity for
evading the police. There will probably be some
trouble between the Canadian and American miners
until the boundary question is definitely settled ; but
the official reports which have been received up to the
present make no reference to any friction. The
American element greatly preponderates, and with
this new inrush the Canadians will find themselves in
a very small minority."

I am

abstinen

the sea:

Keep ofl

kind of

they giv(

or half a

carried.

alcohol fc

It belong

to very r;

and in his

continued

return sti

the expec

health of

say this w

was one o

Revertii

following

what it is

journals.

Gazette, G,

" Dawso

a big danc(

women. ]^

go in and

Everything

percentage

Frequently

women nu£

restaurants.

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

I am not a total abstainer, nor do I advocate lotal
abstinence, but I know if you want to last through
the season at Klondike, you must be temperate.
Keep off alcoholic liquors. They are the very worst
kind of stimulant for this kind of work. The fillip
they give is mon> evanescent than that of good cocoas,
or half a dozen other things that can be conveniently
carried. Read Nansen's book, and you will learn that
alcohol formed a most insignificant item of his supplies.
It belonged to the medicine-chest and was resorted
to very rarely, yet after experiencing the hardest toil,
and in his own sledge journey the most hazardous and
continued severe exertions, he and all his companions
return strong, sound and healthy. The doctor to
the expedition positively lamented that the superb
health 01" his charges left him nothing to do. I don't
say this was because they used little alcohol, but this
was one of the causes, and not a slight one.

Reverting to life at Dawson City I quote the
following from one Mr, Joseph Ladue — take it for
what it is worth r I have seen it repeated in many
journals, not of the class of the Times^ Pall Mall
Gazette, Globe and others.

" Dawson is not without its amusements. There is
a big dance hall witl an ort-hestra and some 15 or 20
women. No ad mis; ion fee is charged. " You must
go in and dance -^-id patronise the establishment.
Everything is 50 cents a drink. The women get a
percentage of the receipts for dancing with the miners.
Frequently when the miners feel flush they give the
women nuggets." There are ten saloons and three
restaurants. According to Ladue, the saloons are

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

lavishly fitted up, and freely decorated with oils and
water-colours. One of the bars cost ;^I50 to furnish.
The restaurants all do a thriving business, charging
6s, for a meal consisting of bacon, beans, bread, coffee,
cheese, and dried fruits. There is already a school at
Circle City, and another is now being built at Dawson.
Catholic, English, and Presbyterian churches are all
being built, and will be finished before winter sets in.
Dawson nas no theatre, but a travelling company tours
the district. According to Ladue, "they are real
good." " They give all sorts of plays, Uncle Tom's
Cabin, Old Kentucky, Camille the Newsboy, and others
of the same character, changing their bill every night.
Dawson is to have a theatre this winter. There are
two physicians in the place who charge according to
a man's financial standing. One miner had a finger
amputated, and paid £\o for the operation. Potatoes,
barley, oats, turnips, lettuces, radishes, and cabbages
can be grown in small quantities, but not enough to
support the inhabitants. Thers is a barber's shop
with a zinc bath tub. Several women have sewing
mc.chines, and a few pianos are to be found in miners'
cabins."

But from Dawson City to the nearest gold claims it
is l6 miles, and in many instances very much more.
So that if there is any mining to be done at all in the
winter these journeys must be seriously reckoned
with. I assume, however, that if dogs can be pro-
cured and fed (which latter is doubtful) they would
soon rattle you over on a decent sledge. During
eight months of winter, suppose you are encamped
near your claim, your occupation would couiust in

thawine
convenic
course il
as you
those ru
course, (
optimist

I have
and at v
purchase(
reliable ;
sets dow ■
food at £
Seattle, a
to arrang
through a
in advanc
the pecul
Nansen's
from any
special ch;
of their ti
and I lam
of slaught
I have
expressed
luteiy in
has been
Yukon ' ^11

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

thawing " pay dirt " with big fires, and putting it in
convenient heaps for washing in summer, and of
course it may turn out that a fortune or even two,
as you may reckon " fortunes," may lie hidden in
those rugged heaps, or it may be — blank. But, of
course, chance is part of the game, and helps the
optimist an vi pessimist ahke.

" Hope springs eternal in the human breast,
Man never is, but always to be — blest."

I have been at some pains to ascertain hov\ , where,
and at what price, dogs for sledge hauling can be
purchased, but I have been unable to get at anything
reliable ; one returned miner, who professes to know,
sets dow ■• the cost of two dogs and their necessary
food at ;^30. They can be got at Vancouver, Victoria,
Seattle, and Juneau. All the same it would be wise
to arrange beforehand, as I daresay could be done
through an agent of the C.P.R., to purchase your dogs
in advance, and have them waiting your arrival ; for
the peculiarities of these dogs I refer my readers to
Nansen's book, which I imagine can now be obtained
from any public library. He does not devote any
special chapter to them, or indeed make any speciality
of their treatment, but they interested me greatly,
and I lamented with him the necessity he was put to
of slaughtering some to feed the others.

I have said elsewhere that some doubt had been
expressed as to whether the new fields lay abso-
lutely in Dominion Territory or not. This doubt
has been effectively cleared up. In going by the
Yukon ' ^"l , of course the voyager is in American

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

territory until he reaches that point where the h*ne
of demarcation and the river meet, and after leav-
ing Vancouver or Victoria he is in American terri-
tory up to Juneau, from either of those two points
he is in Dominion territory. I mention this be-
cause at one time disputes threatened as between
American immigrants and British or Canadians,
and difficulties seemed possible if we may judge
from the open boast of an American paper that it
is the intention of the American miners, as soon as
they are numerically strong enough, to hoist the stars
and stripes.

The following from the Financial News is interest-
ing in connection with this subject. The most
sensible view of the subject hitherto expressed by
an American paper appears to be that of the New
York Tribune^ which has said editorially : —

"Americans who go to the Klondike must under-
stand that they are going upon British soil and are
making themselves amenable to British laws. Nor
should this fact be overlooked : that in permitting an
army of aliens to swarm over the line and carry away
millions of dollars in gold, the Canadian Government
is acting with generosity that should be ? ppreciated
and reciprocated. One of the chief complaints
against the Chinese has been that they come to the
country merely to get what they can out of it, and
then go back with the proceeds. That is exactly what
American 'ners are doing in the Klondike region.
They are entering British territory, getting all they
can out of it, and then coming back to the United
States with their wealth. That the Canadian Govern-

ment she

kindly «

facilitate

two nati(

tageous

been sai

reasonabl

motives c

to their 1

contrast t

foreigners

the legisl

chastening

jingo edit

denounce

excelienc(

But the

startling c

fact, as is (

the forei|

American

a tax upo

recently p<

3 cents per

foreign-bor

amble of t

can be renc

verbal alte

Klondike a

ment print(

the Penns>

the Amerii

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

ment should freely permit this is a manifestation of a
kindly spirit towards this country which should
facilitate the adjustment of all relations between the
two nations upon a friendly and mutually advan-
tageous basis." Something to the same effect has
been said by the Philadelphia Record^ which very
reasonably points out that " whatever may be the
motives of British and colonial statesmen in holding
to their liberal commercial and industrial policy, the
contrast between the inhospitality of our laws towards
foreigners and the welcome extended to the latter by
the legislation of the British Empire should have a
chastening effect upon our buncombe orators and
jingo editors when they shall next feel tempted to
denounce Great Britain as the grabbing power par
excellence."

But these expressions of American opinion are in
startling contrast with American action. America, in
fact, as is common knowledge, does her best to prevent
the foreign labourer from competing with the
American workman, even to the extent of imposing
a tax upon him. The State of Pennsylvania has
recently passed a law providing for an imposition of
3 cents per head per day on all companies employing
foreign-born unnaturalised mill workmen. The pre-
amble of this measure is a most interesting study, and
can be rendered still more instructive if the very slight
verbal alteiations required to fit it to the condition of
Klondike are made, and the resulting suggested enact-
ment printed side by side with that already passed by
the Pennsylvania Legislature. We shall then have
the American argument agamst the admission of

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

American diggers to Klondike put in a very straight-
forward and forcible fashion. So : —

The Actual Pennsylvanian
Preamble.

" Whereas, it is the duty of the
Government to enact such laws as
shall protect the citizen labourers
of America against the labourers
of foreign nations who are brought
in direct competition with our own
workmen in nearly all the different
branches of employment ; and
whereas, thousands of foreign
labourvirs come to this State for the
purpose of obtaining employmem,
without any intentions of becomii g
citizens, and who disclaim any alle-
giance to this State or nation, very
few of whom ever pay any taxes for
the maintenance of local, Stae,
or natural government, and are
thus brought into unj ist compe-
tition with the tax-paying American
labourers, and greatly impair ilieir
welfare by depriving them of their
employment, or preventing them
from receiving fair compensation
for their labour."

The Preamble to the Pro-
posed Canadian Act.

" Whereas it is the duty of the
Government to enact such Liws as
shall protect the citizen labourers
of Canada against the labourers
of foreign nations who are brought
in direct competition with our own
workmen in gold mining in the
Klondike ; and whereas thousands
of foreign labourers come to this
district for the purpose of obtaining
gold and emp'oyment, without any
intentions of becoming citizens,
and who disclaim any allegiance
to this Dominion or to the British
nation, very few of whom ever pay
any taxes for the n\aintenance of
local, provincial or national go-
vernment, and are thus bruug t in-
to unjust competition with the tax-
paying Canadian labourers, and
greatly impair their welfare by
depriving them of their employ-
ment, or preventing them from re-
ceiving full compensation for their
labour."

I think, however, the difficulties here touched upon
will vanish by the time things are in working order,
in the spring, and as far as law and order in the
diggings are concerned, the Mounted Police may be
trusted to maintain them, and if accounts to hand are
true Dawson City already boasts an orderly com-
munity. If anyone falls ill within reach of the
settlement, both medical aid and spiritual advice can

be obtair

with mui

with resp

miners.

of deceai

character

It is state

Yukon, tl

to the G

statute la

sack of gc

safe ! Ar

in gold ii

door ! ! r

the sake c

lock, I she

in a "stacl

certificates

my relativ

Dawson C

the minini

following i

not prepari

grain of tn

" Whatei

at the new

no doubt o

the leadincf

make thing

ing are the

establishmt

** Board m

AND HOW TO GET THERE

be obtained, and although funerals are not conducted
with much ostentation, everything necessary is done
with respect for the dead by the rough but kindly
miners. The tales as to confiscation of the property
of deceased miners by friends and neighbours is
characterised by Dawsonians as " malicious lying."
It is stated to be one of the unwritten laws of the
Yukon, that all property so left shall be turned over
to the Government and disposed of according to
statute laws. It is also asserted that one can hang a
sack of gold dust outside his cabin and it is perfectly
safe ! And that one saloon-keeper has over ;^30,ooo
in gold in a little stack {sic) and he never locks his
door ! ! Reads prettily doesn't it ? I don't think, for
the sake of saving the trouble of turning a key in a
lock, I should leave ^30,000 (if I had it) lying around
in a " stack," even if the miners all possessed moral
certificates, and Sunday-school references, and were
my relatives into the bargain. Be this how it may,
Dawson City is apparently a great improvement on
the mining camps of earlier years. Though the
following is probably the work of a humourist, I am
not prepared to say there is not rather more than a
grain of truth in it.

" Whatever may be the chances for fortune making
at the new diggings on the Yukon river, there can be
no doubt of the desire on the part of the proprietor of
the leading and most xurious hotel at Klondike to
make things comfortable for his guests. The follow-
ing are the rules and regulations of conduct at that
establishment : —

"Board must be paid in advance; with beans, 25 dols.,

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

without beans 12 dols. Salt free, no extras allowed,
potatoes for dinner, pocketing at meals strictly for-
bidden. Gentlemen are expected to wash out of
doors, and find their own water. No charges for ice,
towel-bags at the end of the house. Extra charge
for seats around the stove. Lodgers must find their
own straw ; beds on bar-room floor reserved for
regular customers. Persons sleeping in the barn are
requested not to take their boots off. Lodgers must
aiise at j a.m. ; in the barn at 6 a.m. No fighting at
table. Anyone violating the above rules will be
shot."

Before I proceed to a recapitulation of the informa-
tion I have been able to glean, I should like to add
an extract from the account furnished by Dr. William
H. Dall to the Daily Tribune,

Dr. Dall is one of the curators of the National
Museum, in New York, and a sound geologist. He
has conducted more than one Alaskan geological
survey, and speaks with the highest authority, and I
would draw special attention to his remarks on the
scarcity of game, which emphasise the necessity of
taking one's own supplies.

" I have no doubt that the facts as told by the
press are, in main, strictly correct. The Klondike
goldfields, however, are not in Alaska territory. They
are in the British possessions, what is known as the
North-Western Territory. The Klondike River,
which has been on the map for about twenty years,*
branches from the Yukon River not far from the
boundary between Canada and Alaska. The Canadian

* Dr. Dall doubtless refers to American or Canadian Maps.

territory
being giv
this part:
however,
reach the
stream, a
Steamers
Tacoma.
the head
To reach
mountain'
streams w
River. It
The coun
There is ;
with pract
to break u
tion begins
June. It
of Septen
October u
not more 1
about three
more than
It is a coui
as there is
went into t
natives. T
on account
"The thei
below zero
there, I slei

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

territory has lately been divided into districts, a name
being given to each, but I do not recall the name of
this particular one. The North-Western Territory,
however, embraces them all. The nearest way to
reach the Klondike River, which is a very small
stream, and the goldfields is from Chilkoot Inlet.
Steamers run from Sitka there, and from Seattle and
Tacoma. The distance from Chilkoot Inlet, or rather
the head of it, to the Klondike is about 500 miles.
To reach there it is necessary to cross the coast
mountains, and then the chain of lakes and short
streams which form the headwaters of the Yukon
River. It is on these streams that the gold is found.
The country is a rolling one covered with grass,,
There is a short hot summer of about four months,
v^^ith practically no spring or autumn. The ice begins
to break up in the rivers about May 25th, and naviga-
tion begins on the Yukon River about the first week in
June, It begins to get very cool by the latter part
of September, and is almost winter weather by
October ist. The winter is very cold and dry, with
not more than three feet of snow. There is only
about three inches of rainfall during the winter,and not
more than a foot or 15 inches the whole year round.
It is a country in which it is very hard to find food,
as there is practically no game. Before the whites
went into the region there were not more than 300
natives. They have hard work to support themselves
on account of the scarcity of game.

"The thermometer sometimes goes down to 68 deg.
belo.v zero in January and February. While I was
there, I slept, or attempted to sleep, in a tent one

1:1
I I

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

night when the mercury registered this, but it was just
a little too frigid for us. The cold, however, is not so
intense as may be imagined, and 68 deg. there could
not be compared with the same here. The dress is
mostly of furs in the winter, that used by the natives,
and unless there is a sharp wind blowing one may
keep fairly comfortable. When I was there I did not
find gold, but knew of it being taken out in profitable
quantities for 1$ years or more. It was first dis-
covered there in 1866. In 1880, when I was up in
that country — my last trip was made two years ago —
the first party of prospectors who made the mining
profitable started out. The gold is found on the
various tributaries of the Yukon, and I have been
within a comparatively short distance of the Klondike
fields. I made one trip to Circle City, just over the
boundary of Canada. The gold bearing belt of North
Western America contains all the goldfields extend-
ing into British Columbia. The Yukon really runs
along in that belt for 500 or 600 miles. The bed of
the main river is in the lowland of the valley. The
yellow metal is not found in paying quantities in the
main river, but in the small streams which cut through
the mountains on either side. These practically
wash out the gold. The mud and mineral matter are
carried into the main river, while the gold is left on the
rough bottoms of these side streams. In most cases
the gold lies at the bottom of thick gravel deposits.
The gold is covered by frozen gravel in the winter.
During the summer, until the snow is melted, the
surface is covered by muddy torrents. When the
snow is all melted, and the springs begin to freeze,

the strea
order to
to dig i
stripped
Now the
and tunr
layer. 1
as it ha*
everythin

"The
wish to
territory
the expi)
melted an
This is th(
gold beari
down that
sides of til
Blasting v
nature of
out just as
tainin^ th
torrents cc
these. It ;
reasons wh
The streari
probably c
several hu
into the be
which the f
mentioned
mountains.

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

the streams dry up. At the approach of winter, in
order to get at the gold, the miners find it necessary
to dig into the gravel formation. Formerly they
stripped the gravel off until they came to the gold.
Now they sink a shaft to the bottom of the gravel,
and tunnel along underneath in the gold bearing
layer. The way in which this is done is interesting,
as it has to be carried on in cold weather when
everything is frozen.

" The miners build fires over the area where they
wish to work, and keep these lighted over that
territory for the space of about 24 hours. Then, at
the expiration of this period, the gravel will be
melted and softened to a depth of perhaps six inches.
This is then taken off, and other fires built until the
gold bearing layer is reached. When the shaft is
down that far, fires are built at the bottom against the
sides of the layer and tunnels made in this manner.
Blasting would do no good on account of the hard
nature of the material, and the charge would blow
out just as out of a gun. The matter taken out con-
taining the gold is piled up until spring, when the
torrents come down, and is panned and cradled by
these. It is certainly very hard labour. I see many
reasons why the goldfields should be particularly rich.
The streams which cut through the mountains have
probably done so for centuries, wearing them down
several hundred feet, and washing out the gold
into the beds and gravel. There are two routes by
which the fields can be reached, one of which I have
mentioned before, from Chilkoot Inlet over the

mountains. This is about 500 miles. The other is

i|^ji|. n I .r^^^

IMAOE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.8

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

1.25 1.4

■» 6" —

►

33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

'*^'

^'^,

iff M/

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

up the Yukon River from St. Michael's, on the west
coast of Alaska, which is about 1,500 miles in length
or three times as far as the other. Flat-bottomed
steamers run from St Michael's. The return trip
from the fields is much easier, and has been taken by
the miners who have made their piles and recently
returned to the United States by way of Seattle.
The Pacific Coast Steamship Company runs steamers
every five days from Seattle. The only way in
which supplies may be transported over the moun-
tains the other way is on mules, taking time and
expense. As I remarked before, it is a country in
which there is practically no sustenance, and food
must be taken to the goldfields. This information,
from such a high authority as Dr. Dall, is not a
repetition only, it is a confirmation of previous
statements and reports.

I think now I have placed before those interested
sufficient information to enable them to determine for
themselves whether the claim that Klondike is one of
the richest gold districts ever discovered is justified
or not, the exact situation of the stream itself, which
is clearly indicated in Mr. Stanford's map, specially
prepared for this little work, the nature of the climate,
and the physical aspects of the district, the prepara-
tions necessary for a sojourn there, and the two routes
by which it is reached and the cost. Suppose I had
a son who had made up his mind to take the risks
for the sake of a possible fortune. I should first
consider whether his physical constitution, his natural
combativeness, general health, ready resource, pluck
and determination, qualified him to accompany an

explorer
of this, I
with at ]
nothing w
Liverpool
year. If
papers tha
to Klondil
most of tl
remain in
and most (
competitio
trust him,
Vancouver
so as to g
excursions,
this is the
start as so
Then wouk
by Dutch
and Yukon
The former
though invc
the prelim
splendid tra
actual diggi
be possible
to remain c
mine by
Planned an
doubt a w
sustained,

Wif

AND HOW TO GET THERE. 83

explorer or an Arctic expedition. If I were satisfied
of this, I would then consider if I could start him
with at least ^*20o to ^^250. That being settled
nothing would induce me to allow him to start from
Liverpool before, at the earliest, late March of next
year. If he were to argue that he had read in the
papers that there are 3,cx)o miners blocking the passes
to Klondike now, I should reply that he would pass
most of them in the spring, many of them would
remain in the route, but they wouldn't block it^
and most of the others would have gone out of the
competition before he reached the district. If I could
trust him, I might be disposed to start him off to
Vancouver now and let him spend the winter there,
so as to get partly inured, by shooting and other
excursions, to the climate (if I were going myself
this is the plan I should follow), and to get an early
start as soon as the approach of spring permitted.
Then would come the question of choice of routes {a)
by Dutch Harbour, Fort Get There, the Kwichpak,
and Yukon, or {b) via Juneau, over the White Pass.
The former is easier, but much longer, and the latter,
though involving great fatigue, is much shorter, and
the preliminary toil would, to a hardy man, be
splendid training for the continuous hardships at the
actual diggings. At the end of the summer it would
be possible to determine whether it would be wise
to remain during the winter; could only be deter-
mine by himself from experience and results
Planned and carried out as I have suggested, no
doubt a winter might be hardily and profitably
sustained, but to go out now^ and first face a

.jj

HiiiiaaiHMHMHHBHaaaBHii^HaBBHMDMM«>Baai^HHBaiHliii

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

hyperborean winter straight off could in my opinion
only end disastrously.

I give here a table of fares and of various expenses,
absolutely correct to Vancouver or Seattle, beyond
that prices will probably vary by next spring. Via
Canadian Pacific Railway : —

I s. d.
From Liverpool to Van-
couver or Seattle by
the cheapest or steer-
age way, that is (a)
Steerage on Steamer,
Colonist Rail . . . 15 i8 9

(b) Second Cabin,
Steamer, Colonist Kail 17 18 9

First -clnss Rail . .25 2 lo
Seattle to Fort Cudahy
(via Yukon Railway) 30 16 6

Total cost in actual fares,
Liverpool to Fort
Cudahy (a)
Ditto ditto \b)
Ditto ditto \c)

Steamer Fare from

Seattle to Juneau
Total Lvpl to Juneau (rt)
Ditto ditto \b)

Ditto ditto \c)

These last include Cabin

£ n-^

46 15 3
48 IS 3
55 19 4

700
22 18 9
24 18 9
32 2 10
&Meala.

150 lbs. of personal baggage goes free. No gun-
powder, matches or other dangerous articles may be
carried. See that all your baggage is fully and clearly
labelled and addressed. All luggage is duly and
properly checked after examination by the Customs
Officers, a brass or paste-board tag being affixed to
each piece and a duplicate handed to the owner, so
that at the journey's end, each person can rapidly
secure his belongings, without chance of loss or
mistake. It is the same for all classes.

The fee for the Pullman Sleeper is £^ 2s., bedding,
&c., being provided. I have earlier given details in
the case of other classes with regard to sleeping
accommodation.

Meals are served in the dining car for the entire

journey \

a la carte

The cc

upwards.

The ov

Provisi(

Cost of

So that

to me the 1

to Juneau

£Z0y and 3

at from £

The provi;

Bacon ,
Flour

Assorted driei
Com meal
Rice
Parched Coffe

With ar
meats. I
domestic r
in convenit
of good ol(
yards of g(

2 suits of Core
24 pairs thick
4 pairs rubber

3 pairs heavy s
i-doz, thick w

4 pairs thick \^

To this I
winter, a si

AND HOW TO GET THERE,

journey for £i 4s., drinks extra, or at the stations
a la carte.

The cost of living at Juneau is about 12s. a day
upwards.

The overland journey hence will cost about ;^3a

Provisions for one year (lowest estimate) £,ifi.

Cost of dogs, sledge, &c., abo^it ;^30.

So that suppose one goes " Colonist," which seems
to me the most convenient, the total cost from Liverpool
to Juneau, reckoning meals, &c., on cars, will run to
;^30, and you may set down your expenses to Klondike
at from ;^I33 to £ldfO. I think this is pretty accurate.
The provisions to be taken should chiefly consist of —

Bacon • •

Flour

Assorted dried fruits

Com meal

Rice . .

Parched Coffee .

With an assortment of evaporated vegetables and
meats. I should add also a small case of the ordinary
domestic medicinal remedies, which may be obtained
in convenient form at the stores, with a small quantity
of good old brandy, purely as a medicine, ar.f" a few
yards of good flannel Take also : —

4 suits heavy woollen underwear

. 200 lbs.

Tea

•

.40

to 50 lbs.

. 800 „

Cocoa .

•

20 „

200 „

Sugar .

• "«

75 »

200 „

I3eans

• 1

150 *>

50 .,

Fresh biscuit bread

lOO „

75 M

ConJenseJ Milk

I case.

2 suits of Corduroy
24 pairs thick woollen socles
4 pairs rubber boots lined

3 pairs heavy shoes
i-doz. thick woollen mits

4 paii-s thick woollen gloves

6 heavy woollen shirts

3 pairs ditto, ditto, blankets

1 thick but light coat
3 or 4 close warm hats

2 other suits of warm close woollea

material

To this I should add, if I contemplated facing the
winter, a sleeping bag of fur. This would enable you

THE KLONDIKE GOLDFIELDS,

to put up with a certain amount of ventilation in the
sleeping hut, a matter which if neglected will carry
its own revenge. A rapid change of extreme tem-
peratures is more than anything else conducive to
ni-health and breakdown.

Thus prepared a miner ought to be reasonably secure
against want, and the climate. The actual implements
of his work he would of cou/se easily get at Van-
couver, Victoria or Seattle. Wood for all purposes is
scarce on the ground, and of course all his findings do
not make nett gains. For instance it is stated that
the Dominion Government have formulated a new set
of mining regulations for the Yukon Gold Fields.
One is that every. alternate claim is reserved by the
Government It has also been decided to collect a
tax or royalty upon the output of the placer diggings.
Under the new mining regulations established last
May the cost of registering a claim was increased
from 5 dols. to 15 dols., while an annual assessment
of 100 dols. was to be paid by the holder. What the
Government has now decided to do is to charge, in
addition to this, a royalty of ten per cent, upon the
output of all claims yielding 300 dols. a month and
under to each claim, and a royalty of 20 per cent
upon each claim yielding over that amount per month.
In some quarters it is anticipated that there will be
much difficulty in collecting this royalty, in view of
the nearness of the diggings to the Alaska border and
other drawbacks. The Minister of the Interior admits
that an equitable and general collection will be difficult
for some time.
Those who want to know more of the great N.W.

Territory

relating t(

know an

through ^

read " Ak

the Unit

Report c

Alaska."

Guide Bo<

that may

Canada, i;

glad to pu

of inquirei

Forms c

informatioi

its arrangi

Flanagan,

at 30, Co(

7, James S

Glasgow.

The Canadi
IS. Water Stn
in Wales ; Mr
G. Stuart, Dui
Fleming, 44, \
Forfarshire ; T
all of whom >
power.

I have
view of the
and I trust
one review
necessary.

AND HOW TO GET THERE.

Territory should look up the Official Handbook
relating to the Dominion of Canada. If they want to
know anything X)f the Yukon and the districts
through which it flows, they cannot do better than
read " Along Alaska's Great River" by Schwatka, and .
the United States' Census — " The Eleventh Census
Report on the Population and Resources of
Alaska." And a study of Scidmore's " Appleton's
Guide Book to Alaska " will give some information
that may be of use, and the High Comissioner of
Canada, 17 Victoria Street, Westminister, S.W., will be
glad to put the knowledge of his office at the disposal
of inquirers.

Forms of application for passenger tickets, and full
information as to the Canadian Pacific Railway and
its arrangements, can be obtained of Mr. F. W.
Flanagan, 6^ & 68, King William Street, E.C., or
at 30, Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square, S.W., at
7, James Street, Liverpool, and 6^^ St Vincent Street,
Glasgow.

The Canadian Government Agent in Liverpool is Mr. A. F. Jury,
15, Water Street. Mr. W. L. Griffith, Erskine Arms Hotel, Conway,
in Wales ; Mr. W. M. Murray, 52, Enoch Square, Glasgow ; Mr. W.
G. Stuart, Duack Lodge, Nethy Bridge, Inverness, N.B. ; Mr. Peter
Fleming, 44, High Street, Dundee ; Mr. Thomas Duncan, Carnoustie,
Forfarshire ; Mr. John Webster, 30, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin,
all of whom will be found ready to give any information in their
power.

I have endeavoured to give as comprehensive a
view of the subject as space and time have allowed,
and I trust that the information here gathered into
one review will be found as correct and as full as
necessary. I have been at some pains to make it so.

w-m/w*

. ju-.. i^...^^^^^m

THE KLONDIKE COLDFIELDS^

To those contemplating a start I would say do not
be too discouraged by adverse reports, or unduly
hopeful when they assume a rosier aspect, be prepared
for either fortune. May He best of good luck
attend you.

^fi»'^^&^

BOMUNO BVANS. BMCKAVBR AMO rSIMTSB, tACQUBT COUBT, rLBBT ST., LOMDOH.

C lAImosi: entirel]
pktesfrom photo
top, price $s.

PHIL

I ; The publication
|iwir completed,
*>n«ral request, b<
m this Series, at F

LHBRO]
2. DARW

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