'WF y^ r^ti' H ..I'.;,. ") [copyright. entered at STATIONERS' HALL ondyke. The . . a Yukon (klondyke) Mines, AND HOW TO REACH THEM. ISSUED BY The British Columbia Development Association, Limited, 45, Broad Street Avenue, London, E.G. Price - 6 SITUATION AND POSITION OF THE QOLDFIELDS. ,,,,> The Klondyke River, upon which the recent phe- nomenally rich discoveries of gold have been made, is a tributary of the Yukon River, which rises near the coast-line of British Columbia at about the 60th parallel of latitude, and thence flows over a course of nearly 2,500 miles into the Behring Sea in latitude 63". The course of the river for some six or seven hundred miles is in that part of Canada which is known as the North- West Territories. At this point the river enters into Alaska, which is a territory belonging to the United States, and which was formerly Russian America. The boundary line here is the 141st meridian of longitude, and does not form any subject of dispute with the United States. The only boundary dispute with the United States is in regard to part of the coast-line of Alaska, some hundreds of miles from the Gold District. The Klondyke River is forty miles, as the crow flies, within the British boundary, and by the course of the river it is seventy or eighty miles from the boundary. , ,, , At the mouth of the Klondyke, a town of 4,000 inhabitants, called Dawson City (after the eminent Canadian geologist. Dr. Dawson), has sprung up within the last few months. .. :•. 6 Since the discovery on the Klondyke Kiver it ha3 been recently reported that very rich finds have been made upon the Stewart Hiver, which is a very much larger river than the Klondyke, and falls into the Yukon at a point some 70 or 80 miles south of the Klondyke River, and, therefore, so much the farther within the British possessions. There are also diggings upon the tributaries of that part of the Yukon River situated in Alaska, but from latest advices the greater part of these have been abandoned in favour of the much richer diggings on the Klondyke. Gold has also been found on the Hootalinqua River (a very large stream falling into the Yukon farther south, within the British boundary), and many other tributary streams. The gold-bearing region is believed to cover an area of over 200,000 square miles, but of course only a trifling part of this huge area has been hitherto explored, and what may be termed scientific pros- pecting is for the present confined to the Klondyke River. The reports of the enormous wealth obtained by the miners at Klondyke seem almost fabulous in their nature. It would appear that when the rich stratum of pay-gravel — or, as it is called in America, *' pay-dirt " — is reached this ground has yielded as high returns as over MO to the pan. This state- ment has been confirmed by Professor Ogilvie, Dominion Government Surveyor, in his reports to his Government. Of course such a find as this is exceptional, but £1 per pan is understood to be a common average. It should here be understood that a pan is the instrument used by miners in pros- 6 pocting, and is an ordinary tin pan of about 18 ins. or 20 ins. diametor with a depth of about 5 ins. The reports in the Press state that hundreds of miners have returned from the Klondike diggings with gold dust in varying amounts from J£1,000 to £20,000, as the result of their labours for the season. In the Appendix will be found extracts from Gov- ernment Reports and many other matters of interest. There is, however, another side to the picture. This goldlield is situated in one of the most rigorous and inhospitable climates in the world. The whole country is frozen up during eight months of the year ; the thermometer frequently falling as low as 60 deg. below zero. Under these conditions, it is plain that no surface mining can be effected during the winter months. In summer the ground for a depth of 3 ft. or 4 ft. from the surface becomes thawed, but below that, to a depth of 20 ft. or there- abouts, is perpetually frozen ; and, in order to dig down through it, the miners build large fires which thaw the ground to a certain depth. It is then dug out and piled up ready for washing. The depth from the surface at which the pay-dirt is reached varies from 4 ft. or 5 ft. to 20 ft. or 80 ft., and as mining operations extend, the depth in many places will doubtless be greater. The additional depth, however, would not be a great drawback, as the ground below 20 ft. or 25 ft. would not be frozen. The climate, although rigorous, is not unhealthy, nor, except when a strong wind is blowing, is the cold felt acutely by a person in good health and properly clad, by reason of the dryness of the atmos- phere. In summer there is occasionally very great heat, and mosquitoes swarm to an extent impossible to be appreciated by any European who hay not been in the country. The rivers are full of salmon, which is almost the sole food supply of the natives, but there is hardly any other edible product, except at some seasons wild fowl, bear, and a few other wild animals. It is therefore imperatively necessary that a stock of l)rovisions sufficient for the support of the community should be imported into the country, and every intending emigrant should be provided with stores to the extent of at least half a ton. It would be well also to be provided with firearms and ammuni- tion for game shooting, and fishing lines are useful, as the lakes and rivers teem with fish. In some favoured spots crops of oats and potatoes may be grown, and there is in summer grass feed in some places. It is hoped that the country may prove better in this respect than it is at present considered, as the value of fresh food in preventing scurvy and other diseases is beyond conception. It may be stated that, in addition to the alluvial (or placer) diggings on the great river and its tribu- taries, rich quartz ledges have been found in many parts of the country. The latter have not yet been worked or opened up ; they of course are not the material for the ordinary miner, but require the aid of large capital to develop. This class of mining, when the country becomes more opened up, will no doubt become established, and the climate will not have the same contrary efi'ect upon it as upon the alluvial diggings in the beds of the streams. It is reported that coal exists in many places, and this fact will be of great value, as wood is not too plentiful and much fuel is required for mining pur- poses. § MINING REGULATIONS. i ; .' The mining area allov/ed to be taken up by each individual miner is 500 feet square. Ibis is an unusually large mining claim. The claim must be actually worked by the owner. That is to say, no individual or company can take up claims in the names of nominees ; and this is very right and proper in the interests of genuine miners. Of course, however, the owners of claims are entitled to work them together and to employ hands to help them. Some companies, formed with the object of taking up claims on th^i Klondyke, have recently come before the public for subscription. It is by no means clear how any of these companies can under existing legislation take up more than one claim, and the Government authorities have expressed the strongest intention of pre- venting any evasion of the Mining Laws. The wages of hired miners are stated to range from £2 to £S per day. Each miner has to pay to the Government $15 (£3) yearly for a mining license (in the neighbouring province of British Columbia it is only £1, but claims there are much smaller). In addition to the miner's license, the Canadian Government are stated to have imposed a royalty of 10 per cent, on the gold product of each claim not exceeding £100 per week, and 20 per cent, on all above. It is stated also that every alternate 500 ft. square will be retained by the Government and worked for the benefit of the Statt. 9 A tax of this kind is something hitherto unheard of, and is naturally provoking the deepest hostility. In fact such a tax would be next to impossible of collection without a small army at the back of the Government to enforce it. It must not be forgocten, however, that a revenue of some sort must be raised for the administration of the country, and that its only product is gold. If the Canadiim Government will use its energies in opening up the country, the inhabitants should iiot object to reasonable taxation. But the royalties mentioned are ?wt reasonable. THE ROUTES. The Gold District is best attained from England by way of Montreal, thence taking the Canadian Pacific Railway to Vancouver. From Vancouver City, or from the City of Victoria on Vancouver Island, there are two ways of reaching the goldfields. One is by steamer following the coast as far west as the Aleutian Islands, which are traversed a^ the end of the Alaskan peninsula, and ihence northward to Fort St. Michael in the Behring !Sea, some seventy miles from the mouth of the Yukon River. Here transhipment is made to a flat-bottomtd stern-wheel steamer, which takes the miners some 1,800 miles up the Yukon River to Fort Cudahy or Forty Mile Creek, close to the British boundary. From this point the journey has to be made by land some seventy miles to the mouth of the Klondyke River. The distance by this route is over 4,000 miles, and 10 the time occupied from Victoria is from five to six weeks or longer. It is only practicable from the end of June to the end of September, as the river is at other times either frozen or entirely blocked by ice. It is believed that the last steamer by this route starts northward on ^he 10th August. THE WHITE PASS ROUTE. The alternative route, via the White Pass, also starts from Victoria, or Vancouver City on the main- land, and the steamer pursues its way by the coast, almost entirely within inland channels, similar to those on the coast of Norway, until it reaches the head of the Lynn Canal at a spot called Skagway Bay. Here a wharf, capable of accommodating large steamers at all tides and seasons, and sheltered from the prevailing winds, has been erected by the British Columbia Development Association. At this spot commences the recently - discovered pass through the coast ran^ known as the White Pass. This pass has an altitude of only 2,600 ft., and is below the snow line and timbered throughout its length. It debauches at Avhat is known as the Windy Arm of Tagish Lake, which forms part of the head waters of the Yukon Kiver, and whence the river can be descended in boats to the Stewart River, or the Klondyke River or any part of the great waterway. The total distance by this route from Vic- toria to the Klondyke River is about 1,400 11 miles only, as against 4,000 miles by the sea route. It is also available for at least nine months in the year as against the three months for which the sea route is available. The easiest time for transporting goods is, in fact, during the winter season between the months of October and May. During this period the hikes and rivers are solidly frozen, and transport by means of sledges is then, in many respects, easier than when the water is open. This remark will not, however, apply to the coming winter so far, at least, as the passage of men is concerned, as there has not yet been time to erect shelter-houses on the route, which will be done in time for the next ensuing winter season. ,• / The trail through the White Pass has been constructed by this Company entirely at its own expense and with no aid from the Government ; it is, however, believed that the Government /ill construct a waggon road to supersede the trail by next season. It is also probable that a narrow- gauge mountain railway will ultimately be con- structed over the Pass, as this Company have full parliamentary powers in this respect. The building of this Railway is dependent on Government support, which the Company look for- ward to with confidence. From Salt Water to the Windy Arm is about thirty- five miles. The trail is perfectly easy of transit, as the Company's agent recently cabled [See Renter's cable in the newspapers) that he had been through the White Pass and back in two days, and he informs us that the Pass is now blocked with animals carrying goods. 12 There is also, starting from the head of the Lynn Canal, another Pass known as the Chilkoot Pass. .^.. Prior to the opening out of the White Pass, this route (which is one of great hardship and danger), has been followed by a good many miners going to the Yukon district ; it is, however, totally impractic- able for animals, and is traversed by men with the greatest difficulty. '{i^-^ The Indians have been in the habit of taking miners' stores on their backs to the summit (only) of this Pass, for which they have charged a no less sum than from 6d. to lOd per lb. ^^^^ Mr. De Windt's letter on the subject of the Chil- koot Pass will be found in The Times of the 23rd July, in which he dismisses this route as absolutely impossible. Stores have been opened at Skagway Bay, where the intending miner can provide himself with mining tools and stores of every kind, and he is recom- mended to accept the advice of the Company's Agent on the spot as to the nature of the stores, &c., which he should take with him on his journey from that point. The Company have also their Agent at Victoria (Mr. E. E. Billinghurst, Board of Trade Buildings), who will be happy to give advice and information to all intending emigrants arriving at Victoria. Many ladies have made application to the Com- pany as to the desirability of this new goldfield as a place for women to emigrate to. We would say that u before vfinturing to such a country as this they should know themselves to be possessed of a man's strength and a miner's disregard for all the amenities of life. Our advice to emigrants not to attempt to start for Klondyke Biver before next spring is not intended to go to the extent of advising them not to make for British Columbia at an earlier date. There are many parts of British Columbia where the climate is as mild as in England, and it would by no means be a bad introduction to any one intending to go to Klondyke to serve some previous apprenticeship in the southern part of British Columbia. By next season it is hoped that arrangements will be made for through passages from London to Klondyke, and before long steamers will take the place of the boats it is now necessary to use upon the Yukon River. This Company would, in conclusion, urge in the strongest terms that no one with less than £300 capital should think of starting for the Yukon. 14 APPENDIX. Extract from * Financial J^'ews," of 17th May, 1897:- '* Mr. Ogilvie, the Government Surveyor, states in a letter written on December 7th, that from $5 to $7 per pan is the average on the claims on Bonanza Creek, and there are nine to ten pans to the cubic foot. Tt will thus be seen that the value of a 500 ft. claim can amount to £80,000. The pay-dirt is about 5 ft. in depth." Exti act from the Victoria Daily Colonist, " of 3rd July, 1897. Mr. BILLINGHURST is the Agent of the British Columbia Development Association, in Victoria, and when interviewed had Just returned from Skagway Bay. *' Wonderful stories of the wealth of the Klondyke are brought down by Mr. Billinghurst, stories of such fabulous wealth, that if they had not been obtained from reliable men and several independent sources, they would seem too good to be true. One man on Bonanza Creek washed out f5800 in one pan of dirt, and what is more he offered to bet $1,000 that he could take out 100 ounces in twenty minutes, but with no takers. "Another man who has been employing four men all winter in getting out dirt to sluice in the summer, has been paying his hands $15, the simple easy method being that each day be would pick out from 16 the dump enough nuggets to pay the wages. That particular mine has now on the dump $125,000, it is estimated, ready to wash for the winter's work. The estimate of the amount of gold that will be taken out of the Yukon country for the year is $7,000,000. " By the information he gathered, as to the number of people who are going into the Yukon, Mr. Billing- hurst estimates that 2,000 went in by the Dyea pass this spring, and they are still going. " Speaking of the White Pass route, Mr. Billing- hurst claims that it is very much superior to any of the other routes to the Yukon. At the Company's wharf at Skagway Bay the largest vessels can tie up at any time of the year, the depth of water along- side the wharf being twenty- six feet at the lowest tides. The Company have already erected a sub- stantial wharf, and good warehouse accomn1t)dation is being provided for goods. This, with the easy grade of the trail, should make the pass a favourite route." The ''Daily Mail" of the. 14th July has the folloiving .— GOLD RUSH IN ALASKA. THOUSANDS OF MINERS FLOCKING TO THE DIGGINGS. ** Great excitement prevails at Seattle, on the Pacific Coast, over the news just received from the Klondike gold diggings, in Alaska. ./'Enormously rich discoveries are being made, and 4,000 prospectors are at work. Wages are 15 dols. a day for ordinary labour, and gold dust is a drug in the market. 16 *' It is believed that one of the greatest booms of the century will soon be experienced there. Miners are pouring in from all parts of the West." Hi' The "Standard" of the 16th July has the following from its JS'ew York corre- spondent, .m GOLD IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. '^ '* The steamer ' Excelsior ' brought from Alaska and landed at San Francisco forty miners and seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of gold dust from the newly-discovered Klondike district in British Columbia. This is believed to be the source of the placer gold found previously in the Yukon district. One man and his wife had sixty thousand dollars' worth of gold, which they have secured since April last year. Another miner took forty thousand dollars' worth from a small portion of his claim. " Altogether, there were heaped upon the counters of the bullion dealers, from deerskin bags, tumblers, and fruit jars, three hundred and twenty pounds weight of gold, looking like maize. No such show of bullion has been seen in San Francisco since 1849." ** Daily Mail/' July 19th, 1897. ** Perfect order is maintained at the diggings by the Canadian police. Klondike is over 3,000 miles from San Francisco, a long and dangerous journey, necessitating an expenditure of over £50." v 17 The /* Standard" of the 19th July has the following .— THE Q0LDFIELD5 IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. " Another steamer has brought from the Klondike goldfields in British Cohimbia sixty-eight miners, with over a ton of bullion, equivalent to about a million dollars in gold. The miners say that the production of gold this season will approach five million dollars, and that next >eason hundreds of miners will be digging where only scores have been so employed this year. Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver have gold fever victims in numbers which are over-taxing the existing means of transportation. Dawson City, whose inhabitants now^ number only a few hundreds, is expected to grow to a place of thirty thousand population next season, although the diffi- culties of transport are such that food for over ten thousand cannot be sent into the district where gold has been found. It should not be forgotten that the country produces nothing, and to show the high price of living, bacon this year brought seventy-five cents per pound, and flour twenty cents. Escape from the country between the seasons is impossible, and, as no credit is given by traders, people may thus be exposed to starvation. " Such considerations, however, weigh as nothing beside the stories told of gold discoveries. That dirt is found worth four dollars each shovelful is attested by scores of witnesses, whose present wealth is as certain as was their recent poverty. Clarence Berry, from a single box length measuring twelve by fifteen feet, took ten thousand dollars' worth of gold, and from thirty box lengths the aggregate gold taken was worth one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, and 18 the surface of the claim wus scarcel}? scratched. There are said to be hundreds of similar claims and miles of such territory." The ''Daily Mall" of the 20th July has the following :- AMERICAN GOLD FIELDS. BRITISH CLAIMS TO THE DIGGINGS. " New York papers continue to publish exciting despatches from the Pacific coast regarding the Klondike goldtields. Almost incredible stories are told of rich strikes being made by men and women at the diggings. Many lucky diggers have washed out a thousand pounds' worth of gold dust daily. '* As a result of these reports a perfect gold mania is seizing the country. Thousands of men and women are besieging the steamship olhces at San Francisco, Seattle, and other Pacific coast cities, clamouring for passages to Alaska. Large numbers of wealthy men are forming syndicates and charter- ing steamships to reach the diggings, while gold clubs are being organised in New York and other eastern cities. " Experienced miners predict that starvation and death await the host of inexperienced people bound for Klondike, which will have a population of 50,000 by September." The "Financial J\ews'' of the 20th July has the following ;— *' The reports of the extraordinary gold discoveries in British Columbia, together with the exceptionally favourable tone of Professor Ogilvie's report to the 19 Canadian Oovernnicnt, leave no room to doubt the value of the British Columbian gold deposits. Their extent and character cannot, of course, be judged by the results so far obtained, or by the sensational stories brought by individual prospectors ; but there is evidence enough to justify a very sanguine view of the outlook. The news so far to hand cannot fail to gratify and encourage the shareholders in the British Columbia Development Association, which claims to hold the only practicable route into the country, and which is, in any case, destined to piny an important part among the pioneers of the gold industry in the country. The advance in the price of British Columbia Development shares to -^^ premium suffi- ciently indicates the market view of the situation." The ** Daily Telegraph" of the 21st July has from its Special Correspondent at Xew York, the following :— "It is thought likely that the Ottawa Govern- ment will send its (facials to collect taxes at the passes, as goods are being brought free into British territory from the United States, this being due to the fact that traders from the States are realising that the route from Juneau to Klondike, via White Pass, can be made in two weeks as against three or four weeks by the American route, via Yukon." To the Editor of ** The Daily Telegraph/' " Sir, — In your excellent article dealing with your New York correspondent's cable concerning the * Great Gold Find in British Columbia,' you strike 20 a right note in your concluding sentence when you say:— '* * It is possible that in Alaska some of the worst symptoms of the gold malady will be prevented by judicious arrangem(3nts ; but, at its best, the dis- covery of a new El-Dorado is not quite an unmixed blessing for the world.' " It is only by immediate and energetic action that possible disaster can be averted. " A.S was reported in your columns, a deputation from this company waited upon the Right Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, G.C.M.G., chiefly to urge upon him the absolute necessity of opening up a direct route into the Yukon district, by which provisions and stores could be taken in during the whole year. The present long sea route by the mouth of the Yukon — 8,976 miles from Vancouver — is only open for, at the outside, three months in the year. The direct route, via the White Pass — a distance of 1,479 miles — would be open, practically, during the whole year. Sir Wilfrid Laurier stated that he and his Government were fully alive to the great importance of the question, and I am glad to be able to inform you that since the date of this interview we have received from our representative at Ottawa a cable stating that the Dominion Cabinet has appointed a committee to deal with the question of constructing a waggon road over the White Pass. Your New York correspondent very truly observes * that traders from the States are realising that the route from Juneau to Klondike, via White Pass, can be made in two weeks, as against three or four weeks by the American route, via Yukon.* '* His only slight mistake is under-rating the difference of time, which is in reality very much 21 greater. This Company has already constructed the greater portion of a pack trail over the White Pass, which will greatly facilitate the rapid construction of the waggon road should the Dominion Govern- ment decide to build it. '* I write this to confirm, as far as possible, what I take to be your opinion, viz., that no amount of gold will compensate for human lives, and that every precaution should be taken, both by the Canadian and United States Governments, to prevent the dreadful spectacle of thousands of starving miners. *' I am, Sir, *' Your obedient servant, ''WALTER TOWNSEND, •* General Manager, ;} *' The British Columbia Development Association > (lAmited), 45, Broad Street Avenue, E.G., July 21st.'' The " Times, " of 23rd July, 1897, contained the following letter from Mr. de Windt, the Alaskan Explorer :— THE QOLDFIELDS OF ALASKA. ** Sir, — The discovery in Alaska within the past few months of gold in large quantities has attracted considerable attention, not only throughout the United States, but also in Canada and British Columbia. The auriferous deposits are of extra- ordinary 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 throughout the Yukon district in 22 iHyfi ainoiintfd to only .ij; 8, 000, 000, those fiirurps show an incrcMHe in 18{)() of }j|> 1,670, 000, while further inipoi'tant discoveries have been inad(? since the publication of th(>s(» statistics. It is possible that the very favourable report of Inspc^ctor Constantine (pid)lislied in the Stdndanl a few wi'oka a«j^o) may attract cjipital and labour from this country, but althouj^di the inspector very rightly dwells upon the possibilities oftc.'rcd by this new El Dorado lu; does not mention the diHiculties that at present attend the journey to the goldfields — difficulties which should not be overlooked by in- tending prospectors. The report concludes, ' A route from the South to the headwaters of the Yukon is required,' but this scarcely conveys a correct impression of the hardships, and even perils, that at present encompass th(^ 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 l^ehring Sea ; the other, which I chose, and which 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 28 Chilk(3ot PasH, nearly 1,000 ft. lii^'li. Provisions must bo brouj^ht from .Iuikmiu, for t\wvv, is nothing to be bad \\o\v., or indeed anywhere, this side of Forty Mile City, 000 miles away. "The Chilkoot Pass is difficult, even dan^'eroiis, to those noti possessed of steady nerves. T(nvards the siinnnit there is a she(>r aseent of 1,000 ft., where a slip would certainly be fatal. At this |)()int a dense mist overtook us, but wo reached Lake Lindemann — the first of a serii^s of five lak(is — in safety after a fn,tifj^uing ti'amp of fourteen cons(!Cutivo hours throuf^h half-melted snow. Hc^re we had to build our own boat, first felling' the timber for the purpose. The joui'ney down the lakes occupied ten days, four of w^hich were passed in camp on Lake Bennett durinjj: a violent storm which raised a heavy sea. The rapids followed. One of these latter, ' The Grand Cafion,' is a mil(>, lonjr, and dashes through walls of rock from 50 ft. to 100 ft. high ; six miles below are the • White Horse llapids,' a name which many fatal accidents have converted into the ' Miner's Grave.' Rut 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 C'anada, have for many years past associated the name of ' Yukon ' Avith 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 24 hand, must carry a winter's supplies, dearly pur- chased at Juneau, to be transported at ruinous prices over the Chilkoot Pass. He must construct his own boat (often single-handed) on LakeLindemann, and, assuming that he arrives at his destination, must secure lodgings at a price that would startle a West- end landlord. And all this on, perhaps^ a capital of $1,000, 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 1,000 ft. lower than the Chilkoot, and, unlike the latter, is timbered the entire length. The salt water terminus of this pass is 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 canon surrounded by high granite peaks and is compara 25 tively easy. It has already been used by miners who report very favourably 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 expense 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 practicable route to the Yukon goldfields. "It is said that a scheme is now in progress to open up the White Pass and facilitate the transport of miners and stores to the mining settlements, and this is earnestly to be wished. An English com- pany, the British Columbia Development Association (Limited), has already established a landing wharf, and is erecting a store and saw-mills at Skagway, whence it is proposed (as soon as may be feasible) to lay down a line of rail some thirty-five 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 dan- gerous parts of the river below — viz., the Grand Canon and White Horse Rapids — will be circum- vented by a road or rail portage. Light draught steamers will be put on from Teslin Lake to the caiion, and from the foot of the latter to all the towns and camps on the river. Arrangements will also be made for direct communication with Skagway by the existing lines of steamers, which now only call at Juneau, whence transhipment is necessary. 26 " 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 reason- ably hope to reach his claim in safety and at a comparatively moderate outlay. At present I should certainly recommend all those intending to try their hick 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 Englishmen, 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, ' $1,000 a day would not fetch me over the Chilkoot again, but open up the ' White Pass ' and we will soon have another Johannesburg at Forty Mile Creek.' '* I am, Sir, yours truly, *' HARRY DE WINDT.'* 27 GOLD IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. Victoria (V.I.), July 27. Mr. John H. Escolme^ of the British Yukon Company, has returned from the White Pass. He made the trip from the sea- coast to the Yukon waters and back in two days. Reports have been received of a fresh important discovery of gold on the Stewart River. —Rmter. A WARNING TO EMIGRANTS. The following circular was issued on the 28th inst. from the Emigrants' Information Office — *' The gold discoveries on the Klondike River are situated in a distant and desolate region. Trust- worthy reports state that the district is extremely rich in gold. The mining carried on is placer mining, but gold-bearing quartz has also been found in places. Regulations governing placer mining there are those of May 21st, 1897, and may be seen at this office. The winter is very severe, and lasts from October to the end of May, the thermometer going down to as much as 50 deg. and 60 deg. below zero. During this time work is only possible to a limited extent, where firewood is available to thaw the frozen gravel and make it ready to be washed as soon as the flow of water in the spring will permit. "The Klondike River falls into the Yukon in the North- West Territories of Canada, about 100 miles from the frontier between Canada and Alaska. There are two routes to it : — *' (i.) By steamer to Quebec and thence by the Canadian Pacific Railway to Victoria or Vancouver (fifteen days, lowest fare J615 8s. 9d.), thence by steamer to the mouth of the Yukon 28 in Alaska, which is not open till about the 1st of July, and thence up the Yukon for 1,800 miles, taking eighteen to twenty days. This route is only open from about June to Septem- ber, and the total time taken from England to the Klondike would be six to eight weeks at least. " (ii.) By steamer from Victoria or Van- couver by Juneau to the head of the Lynn Canal (about 1 ,000 miles from Victoria) , thence by the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass (two days) and the Lakes to the Lewes, or head waters of the Yukon River, and through the White Horse Rapids, thence down the Yukon, which is navigable by steamers to the Klondike. Baggage and provisions can be taken by horses or Indian carriers across the Chilkoot or White Pass, and canoes or boats must be procured or built for the water part of the journey. This route is only practicable from June to September, when the water is clear of ice, and would take five or six weeks from England." • " The above facts show that both journeys are long and expensive, and can only be undertaken •during the summer, after the ice has disappeared. Provisions are very scarce and dear, if procurable at all. It is too late for anyone to start now, and all persons are strongly warned against attempting it. tinder the most favourable conditions, and supposing that steamboats, canoes, and food supplies were all ready and available, the journey would take from five to eight weeks, and the traveller would reach the gold-diggings just as winter was closing in and mining was to a great extent stopped. " Persons going to the diggings should leave here 29 next April, so as to reach Vancouver or Victoria in time to start for the north as soon as the routes and rivers are open. The journeys, though not exactly dangerous, are difficult and expensive, and no one should think of going th-^re who is not strong and well supplied with money for the journey and for food. Nor should any one go who has not som« considerable experience in prospecting and in roughing it in wild and unsettled countries. All others are strongly warned against going there." ''July SOth, 1897. " To the Chief Clekk, . " Emigrants' Information Office, "Hi, Broadway, Westminster. " Sir,— On behalf of The British Columbia Development Association, Limited, I write to thank your department for the timely circular issued to intending emigrants to the Klondyke Goldfields. " Our Company, who virtually control the White Pass route by the ownership of the land and wharf at Skagway Bay at the head of the Lynn Canal, and of Parliamentary powers from the Dominion, Pro- vincial and United States Governments, and who have at our own expense, without any Government aid, constructed a practicable trail for men and animals from Skagway Bay to the Windy Arm of Tagish Lake, have exercised every influence they possess to restrain emigrants from England from starting for the goldfields before next spring. By that time we hope to have perfected arrangements for dealing with a very large stream of traffic. 80 " In the mearltime, however, I venture to point out to you that two most misleading statements occur in paragraph (II.) of your circular. '* In this paragraph you couple the Chilkoot and "White Passes as being capable of transit in two days, and that by horses or Indian carriers. ** The facts are as follows : — ** The Chilkoot Pass is absolutely impracticable for horses, and difficult and dangerous for men, in proof of which I would refer you to the letter of Mr. Harry de Windt, appearing in the Times of the 23rd instant. " The charges made by Indians for carrying loads on their backs to the summit only of the Chilkoot Pass has amounted to from 6d. to lOd. per lb. ** The Chilkoot Pass debouches on the head of Lake Bennett, whence a long nud tedious water- passage occurs before the Windy Arm of Tagish Lake is reached, with shallow and difficult rapids inter- vening, called Cariboo Crossing, where a long portage is usually necessary. {See Dr. Dawson's map.) ** The result of this is that last spring a party of eight miners who went over the White Pass (before the trail now completed was constructed) reached Tagish Lake some fourteen days before another party who started via the Chilkoot Pass on the same day. **It is correct to describe the White Pass route as occupying two days (although our agent recently rode through it and back in that time), but to reach the same point by the Chilkoot will occupy, under the best conditions, eight or ten days. 31 *• I trust we may look to you to set this point right with the public, whom it nearly concerns, as there are numerous unscrupulous agents ready to inveigle miners and others knowing no better to make the transit by the Chilkoot Pass, and the weight of a Governmental statement putting this route on equal terms with the White Pass would dwell unfairly upon the public and ourselves. ** I may add that we are prepared to furnish unquestionable proof of the statements in this letter. ** I have the honour to be. Sir, ** Your obedient servant, *'R. BYKON JOHNSON, *^ Chairman. " British Columhia Development Association, Limited.^^ REPLY TO THE ABOVE. "31, Broadway, " Westminster, S.W., ''Srd August, 1897. ** Sir, — I am directed by the Managing Committee ■of The Emigrants' Information Office to acknow- ledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th ult., and in reply to say I am aware of the difficulties of the Chilkoot Pass, and a day or two ago, in further copies of the notice issued by this Office, the word * difficult ' was inserted before the name of the Pass, and the word * partly ' before * by horses and Indian 32 carriers.' It appears to have been the usual route taken till recently; considerable improvements will no doubt be made in the routes, fresh information as to which will appear in the spring. Meanwhile this Office will be glad to receive from your Com- pany any maps, plans of routes, particulars of cost, or any other information that you may issue from time to time. Your route and other routes will no doubt be greatly improved before next spring, and any details which you may be kind enough to send to this Office will be much appreciated. **1 remain, " Yours faithfully, "JOHN PULKER, " Chief Clerk." \ V \ \ \ Norton «, Sound NUKLUKYETO A Circle CITY ^CUDAHY (fO^ Q be 0/^ t;tt9 \ )AWSON CITY, \ 1/ r(?^ ASK >^ A^ Ok^iff^ P' h \ Fort SELKiRK^Si^ ^^--^ \ ^ -^t^ >* KE LE BA RGE A \ y ' ^7^c/s// Lake •^ <& WHARF^mSkagway 0\ 5 eV / /7 ^ Belkopskycjx^^^^^ ^-••^ Prince of Wales IS V JACKSi Queen Ch Isia Cf> <^ o ? ■ Yictoria or Vancouver to Klondyhe River via Sitka & For: St do. do. do. do. via Sl 600DMAN,DESICIIERS&flMTERS,l3S,FI \ v^ British ColumbjaDevelopmewtAss? ^ Map shewing the "White Pass" Route to LIMITED. 4^ / AK£ LE BARGE JAGISH Lake lie Pass ySkagway Bay Yukon Goldfieldsvia o ^ Skagway Bay. BRITISH SitI^a^ nee of Wales 1^ Queen CharlolteVv ^ > Island MJJiP i c E A N ! & For St Michael marked black..40S0 miles ay & mite Pass .....do. red.. . I 4- 10 Wing hy White Pass Route.. ..2640 m iles. Vancouver Island WASHINGTON iN.DESICNERSAf JXTERS.I3S,FENCHURCH ST EX.