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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 'X2.Z ^ Tke Practical Guide to America's New El Dorado. KLONDIKE GOLD FIELDS ... BEING A ... Compendium of Reliable Information ... BEARING UPON THE ... GOLD REGIONS OF ALASKA. A Book of Persona/ Reminiscence, Adventure and Practi- cal Instruction to the Intending Gold Seeker; Con- taining also the Latest Official Reports to the Government, as made by the Geological Survey, and the Full Written Opinion of the Director of the Mint. COMPILED AND ARRANGED BY H. H. PARAMORE <^ , r\ ST. LOUIS, MO., ^ SAM'L F. MYER80N PRINTING CO., 1897. "^ COPYBIGHTED 1897, Bt Sah'l F. Mtbbson Pbintino Co Pacific N. W. HtStePy D^pt PROVIIsrCIAL. LIBRARY VICTOniA, B. G. o 55 O cu Ed < iVI /: (Hi I/' Ho, For The Kfondiko! The spirit of '49 lives again I Lilse a call to arms the mere announcement of the rich finds in the Yukon country has aroused the youth and energy of the land, and summons them to enlist in the fight for fortune. Later reports are adding fuel to the flame. Every account seems to verify the earlier rumors, and intensifies the desire to know more of this new El Dorado, from whence comes news of fabulous fortune-making that reads like a series of tales from the Arabian Nights. In answer to the demand for complete and authentic information concerning the district, this book has been carefully and conscientiously compiled from every known reliable source. One Way to Go. A representative of the Northwestern Trading Com- pany thus describes the journey by water from Seattle to the heart of the gold fields : Leaving Seattle on a large and well appointed steamer, which proceeds up Puget Sound, passing Port Townsend and Victoria and out through the Straits of San Juan Del Fuca to the beautiful Pacific, where you have an uninter- rupted voyage on a comparatively smooth and placid ocean Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. of about 2,000 miles, to Dutch Harbor, which is the firut stop. Here we find located a coaiiug station and stores operated by the North American Commercial Company, and it is also the supply point for the naval vessels and the Bebring Sea fleet of whalers and sealers. After a short stop at this place we proceed on our way north through Behring Sea, past the Seal Island of St. George and St. Paul and up through Norton Sound to Fort Get There, on St. Michaels Island, where is located the transfer niid Jrupply station for the Yukon River. 'Here also you will iind a good many natives or Esquimaux. Here passengers and freight are transferred direct to large and commodious river steamers, which then proceed down the coast sixty miles to the north mouth of the great Yukon, a river larger than the Mississippi, that can be navigated with large steamers 2,300 miles without a break, and which abounds in fish, the salmon being noted far and wide for their fine flavor and large size, and no one knows better than our steamboat cooks how to prepare this excellent fish in the most appetizing manner. As you proceed up the river you will see innumerable Indian villages and small settlements, inhabited by traders, missionaries and Indians, all of which are of interest to the traveler in a new and until lately a comparatively unknown territory. The first two or three hundred miles is through a low, flat country, after which the mountainous country is reached, and the constant change of magnificent scenery, as you proceed up the river, is beyond description, as nowhere on the American continent is there anything to equal it. At Old Fort Yukon, which is iis^ide of the Arctic Cir- cle, you will see, during the mo iths o! June and July, the sun for twenty-four hours without a ;)reak, and all along the river during these months you can read a book or paper at any time during the day or night without a lamp, as i,t is continuous daylight during this time. ■ I the first nd stores C!ompauy, Is and the r a short I through 3 and St. Jt There, isfer niid you will assengers nmodious )ast sixty 1, a river ited with nd which wide for W8 better excellent Lumerable y traders, :est to the unknown 8 through 8 country t scenery, iption, as lathing to rctic Cir- July, the all along book or t a lamp, Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. After leaving here the next point of interest is Circle City, the metropolis of the Yukon country. Hero you find a large frontier town, the houses all built of logs, and while they have no pretentions to beauty, they are warm and comfortable. Circle City has a population of nearly two thousand peoj n, and some of the best placer mines in the country are locKted near this place, and prospects are that this will! ' one of the best placer mining camps on the American continent; as it is steadily increasing in population, and lac miners and prospectors are continually finding new and richer placer ground, and as the country around here has been comparatively little prospected, we look for a big increase in population and in the amount of gold taken out. From here you proceed on up the river for two hundred and forty miles further, where you find Fort Cud&hy, at the mouth of the celebrated Forty-Mile Creek. Here is a thriving town, very similar to Circle City, but not as large. This is the supply point for the mines in the Forty-Mile district. This district has been a very prosperous one for the last four years and has turned out a great quantity of gold, this being the first important district where coarse gold was discovered. Twelve Times the Size of New Yoric State. The name "Alaska" is a corruption of Al-ay-ek-sa, the name given by the native Islanders to the mainland, and signifies "great country." It contains nearly 600,000 square miles of territory, or is nearly one-fifth us large as all the other states and territories combined. It is larger than twelve states the size of New York. There are probably few people on the Pacific slope, or elsewhere for that matter, aware of the fact that San Fran- cisco is several hundred miles east of midway between the eastern and westernmost shores of the United States ; yet 6 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. such is the case. It is Dearly 4,000 miles from the longi- tude of the most western of the Aleutian Islands directly east to San Francisco, while it is not over about 3,500 miles from San Francisco directly east to the longitude of the east coast of Maine. How, When and Where to Go. Perhaps no better instructions for reaching the Yukon gold fields, and for equipping one*'s self for the journey, can be given than by quoting from the reports made by miners lately returned. The stories told by these men vary only in detail. In substance they corroborate each other, and what they have to say may in almost every in- stance be accepted as literally true. OVER CHILKAT PASS. Graphic Description of the Overland Route, as Told by Alex. Wilson. A well-known citizen of St. Louis, Mr. Alex. G. Wil- son, recently wrote to his family an interesting detailed description of a trip to the gold fields by what is commonly called the "overland route," by way of Chllkat Pass and Lake Bennett to the headwaters of the Yukon. Following is Mr. Wilson's letter in full : Dawson, on the Yukon, Mouth of the Klondike River, Northwest Territory, Alaska, June 4, 1897. Dear Folks : — Here I am at last at what is called, and truly so, the greatest gold camp the world has ever known. We arrived here from Dyea after seventy days of the hardest travel I ever experienced. I presume you got my last letter, dated at Sheep's Head Camp. Well, the next day we broke camp and started over the summit — Chilkat Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. ;he loDgi- directly 3ut 3,500 ntude of le Yukon journey, tnade by lese men ate each jvery in- as Told G. Wil- detailed >mmonly *ass and allowing T'dike $97. led, and known, of the got my le next Ghilkat Pass. We had all our provisions in cache there, after a week's packing of fifty-pound bundles through the pass. We loaded everything on three sleds and turned them loose after pointing them in the right direction, and you ought to have seen them fly down the three-mile declivity. Nature's Toboggan Slide. A mile a minute was nothing. They landed all safe, however, at the bottom on the Yukon side. Then we fol- lowed, sliding and tumbling after. In going down, how- ever, one of my partners was nearly killed. Gibbons, who was half way down the mountain side, was struck by the last sleigh we let go and knocked about fifty feet. I thought we would have to bury him there where we picked him up, but he was simply stunned, and after a half hour's rubbing and frequent doses of whisky he revived and was able to continue the journey. It was lucky it was the light sled that struck him, or there would have been only two of us to float down the mighty Yukon. Through the Snow Crust. Well, we crossed Lake Lindermann on the ice all right at foot of the mountains, and got safely to the head of Lake Bennett (twenty-six miles long), April 6. By this time the weather was getting warmer and the snow melting. The snow-crust on the lake would support the sleds, but we broke through at every step, and as there was about a foot of slush under the crust, those twenty-six miles looked mighty big to us. After wading this way for two days, and having traversed but four miles, I informed the boys I had had enough of it, so we went into camp to wait for a cold snap or more of a thaw to break up the ice. Building the Boat. We lay in camp three days, and then there came a cold spell, the wind blowing a gale. We broke camp once and 8 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. j I hoisted sails on our sleds, but while we didn't have to pull a pound we were compelled to walk by the side of our sleds in order to guide them. Well, we made the other twenty- two miles easily enough that day. We next crossed Two- Mile River on to Lake Tigsh (thirteen miles long), which we got over in four days ; then came Six-Mile River, the first open water we had seen on the trip, on whose banks we pulled our sleighs for two days till we came to Marsh Lake (twenty-two miles long). When we struck the lake this weather had become warm again, and it took us three days to make seven miles through eight inches of slush; so we waded into a good patch of timber and remained there fourteen days, building a boat. It took us six days to fell the trees and saw the boards out. We made a splendid boat, for your humble servant had not forgotten how to handle the tools, with which we were well equipped. We had a nice camp — one tent to cook in and one to sleep in. Altogether, we enjoyed our fourteen days' respite from travel while build- ing our ark, and Gibbons essayed a few times to fetch in some fresh moose meat, but always came back with a hard- luck story. Drifting Down the Yulcon. By this time all the snow had melted and drained off the ice of the lake, so that we had no trouble in going the ten miles to open water, which took Us a day and a half. . We put the boat on two sleighs and our provisions in it. When we got to the great Yukon, we launched our little craft (after emptying it of our goods, though, you may be sure) and tried her in the swift current of the mighty river (a river as large as the Mississippi) and founu she would answer our purpose very well after a little more oiling and plugging. After dinner we loaded her with our outfit and started on our long journey down the Yukon with Chris steering y ve to pull our sleds ?r tvventy- sed Two- ), which iiver, the 3se banks to Marsh d become ke seven ed into a een days, trees and for your the tools, e camp — ether, we ile build- fetch in th a hard- ained off [oing the i a half. i in it. 3hed our igh, you : of the nd founu tie more i started steering ■ < < O H O Ui D >^ (d U U oi (d IS O U Q .J O u < Dm ■'f EP :..,;.,-( I i \ ■V \u .itssm . Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. and Gibbons and I at the oars. We hadn't gone five miles when Chris stuck us on a sand bar and we had to ^et out and drag her off. Chris, who has been a sailor, may be all right on the '*briny deep," but as a river pilot he is *'N. G.," for we had hardly got off the bar when he ran us into some fallen trees and bowlders, nearly capsizing the boat and wetting some of our grub. As I had the most to lose, I took the steering paddle and kept it all the way through. The Rapids of Miller's Canyon. The next day we came to a canyon called ''Miller's Can- yon," the most dangerous place on the river, and where many a party have lost all they had, and their lives, too. It is as deep a cut through the mountain range as the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, perpendicular walls on each side 200 feet high, a mile long. The water rushes through with frightful speed and boils and bubblos like the rapids below Niagara. There is a long, devious way around the canyon by land, which requires four days' hard work to get over, while to shoot the canyon only takes two and one-half minutes. Well, we halted at the danger line, a half mile above the canyon, and walked down to take a look at it. I asked the boys what they thought of it. Gibbons wanted to pack around it. Chris suggested that the sleds, bedding and some of the grub bags be taken out and he thought we might make it, and if we lost the boat we would have something left. I called his attention to the possible fact that if we lost the boat we would also lose our lives and be independent of both grub and bl mkets, for no swimmer could live in that torrent. My suggestion was to reload the boat and put all the heavy stuff in the stern, so as to thi'ow the bow up and ride the waves better, and to take nothing out; Gibbons to walk around, for one man at the oars and another to steer was enough ; besides, Gibbons, w I ' : I 10 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. with what grub he could carry, might be needed to report us in case of failure. How He Shot the Rapids. Well, my plan was decided upon and we went back to the boat feeling mighty queer and solemn, and Gibbons very blue. On our way back we met a party of men packing around the canyon, and they asked us what we intended to do. When we replied we would ** shoot her," they tried to dissuade us, but we had had enough of packing and dragging, and Chris and I were willing to take chances to escape any more of it. Well, we got everything fixed, and shoved off, with Chris at the oars and myself steering. We dropped leisurely down the bank to within 100 yards of the canyon, and then Chris pulled out to the center with all his might and main to get a fair start at the canyon's mouth, and the last thing I saw before entering the canyon was Gib- bons running as hard as he could up the mountain side so he could keep us in sight. So soon as the boat entered the canyon she seemed to shiver, and then plunged head-foremost into the first wave, and about a half a barrel of water came over the bow ; then she straightened out and rode through the rapids without shipping a drop more of water, and we had no trouble in keeping her head with the current. After we hit the first wave I knew we were safe, for I had perfect control of the boat; then I enjoyed the ride, short as it was ; it was like coasting down hill on a sled. The canyon, like a great many other things, looked dangerous until you 'tackled it, and then it seemed easy. Sailing Sleds on a Glassy Lake. Along in the evening Gibbons hove into sight, then we continued on down the river to Lake Labarge, thirty- five miles. There our boat riding ended for the present. jB^aOH 1. Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 11 ed to report rent back to id Gibbons len packing intended to ' they tried acking and chances to d off, with '^e dropped the canyon, 1 his might mouth, and Q was Gib- tain side so i seemed to 1 first wave, r the bow ; the rapids we had no After we lad perfect short as it he canyon, 8 until you light, then ge, thirty- le present, the lake being still frozen solid. This lake Is thirty miles long. We arrived at Lake Labarge, May 10th. The ice was smooth as glass, so Chris rigged up two sails on the boat (which we had deposited on two sleds), while I put my wits to work to devise a means of steering her so we could ride. I made a bolster, like that used on the front of a wagon, and put it on the forward sled; then a tongue; then a lever from the tongue to the boat. Then we waited for favorable winds, which materialized the next morning. In the meantime three outfits went by us using dogs to drag their sleds. Back to the Friendly Yukon. After we got started, with the sailor at the ropes and myself at the tiller. Gibbons on the lookout, we soon caught up to the other outfits and went past them like thorough- breds, everybody shouting and waving their bats. But our pride soon had a fall ; for we had scarcely got out of sight of the other fellows when we struck a side wind, and before Chris could let go his rope we went head over heels, spilling everything out of the boat, damaging the provisions some and straining the boat pretty badly. After gathering up our scattered effects we got started again, and reached open water at the end of the lake, leaving the other outfits so far behind that they never caught up to us. The next day we spent in rer^airing our craft, and then once more launched her into the friendly Yokon, thankful that the worst of our trip was over, for we had no more lakes to cross, and floated calmly down the river to Klondike, a dista.^ce of 400 miles from the last lake. We floated the 400 miles in eight days. In the Diggings At Last. This is a great camp, and a conservative estimate of its richness sounds like exaggeration. I have been here now twelve days and cannot get a hold of anything. Cannot even l&vSS ^ 12 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. !!".|^ ii buy a foot of ground in the town, not to mention the diggings, values are so extremely high. Every foot of ground in this district is claimed, and there are hundreds of pros- pectors in the adjacant country looking for other rich ground. The gravel must be very rich in gold or nobody wants it. From the amount of gold dust and nuggets I have seen in Klondike, and the mad hunt for it, the district must be all they claim for it. Both of my partners have left me and gone to Circle City to get work, for there is no work here on the Klondike to amount to anything till the fall, when they will work all the men they can get, for these are winter diggings, while Circle City is worked in the summer. First ^;^ob at $15 a Day. At Circle City wages are $10 to $12 a day, while here on the Klondike wages are $15 a day for all kinds of labor. I have been at work seven days for a saloon man, making round poker tables, faro and crap tables. He pays me $15 a day and grub. It looks big, but when you take into consideration the cost and hardship in getting here it isn't so much. They pay principally in gold dust at $16 an ounce. A Clever Deal in Provisions. I sold part of my stock of provisions. You remember I brought with me a full year's supply, and as I intend to return home in the fall I retained but enough to last me. I have made enough on the provisions I sold to pay all my expenses in getting here and also my return home. Even if I am not lucky enough to strike it rich (and I have great hopes of success) I cannot lose. I sold one gallon of whisky that cost me, in Seattle, $8, for $25. Bacon that cost me lie I sold for 75c per pound. I sold a 150-pound sack of flour for $30 ; tea that cost me 25c per pound for $2 per pound. Sugar I sold for 60c per pound. One suit of underwear I sold for $12; a pick that s. the diggings, f ground in eds of pros- other rich Id or nobody nd nuggets I t, the district irtners have , for there is anything till can get, for is worked in ', while here ids of labor, man, making pays me $15 )u take into here it isn't t at $16 an >u remember I intend to to last me. ) pay all my ome. Even I have greait I Seattle, $8, c per pound, hat cost me 1 for 60c per a pick that ;■• .- -.tn T^w ■5*'! ^3^) *■.' .*#•■ S5 o Ui s Id s H P o o 94 h O oi < oi a S < u h c/3 ;i ; ! Mil ,'-.:. my.. Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 13 cost me $1.50 I sold for $9. All of these goods I could easily spare and would have no use for. If I had only knowp, I would have brought in $1,000 or so worth of goods. If I go out this fall I will come back next spring with a big stock of goods to sell, as I now know the **ropes" and will be able to make the next trip easier. No Danger of Starvation. The stock I have saved for my own use consists of 125 pounds of flour, 40 pounds cornmeal, 4 pounds tea, 35 pounds apricots (canned), which are worth their weight in gold almost, judging by the longing looks cast at them and which I set aside as not for sale; 10 pounds dried apples, 3 pounds baking powder, 8 cans condensed milk, 50 pounds beans, 35 pounds sugar, 50 pounds bacon, 7 pounds salt, 20 pounds dried potatoes, 5 pounds dried onions, 25 pounds oatmeal — so you will see I won't starve this sum- mer; in fact, this is luxur'/^us chuck for this country. "This Country is Teeming Witii Goid." I am not going to work for wages but for a very short time. I intend to do a lot of prospecting on my own hook as soon as the conditions are more favorable, for this country is teeming with gold ; but if I were to tell you all the stories of fabul6usly rich claims, etc., since being here, you would not believe them. I have to doubt some of them myself. There are about 2,500 people here now, and more coming in every day. About 1,500 wintered here last year. Don't think I would like to winter here unless it paid big. Letters, $1.00 Eacli. This letter, among hundreds of others, is going out by special carrier, who charges one dollar per letter. You may write me here. Address Dawson, Klondike River and Yukon, Alaska, Northwest Territory. Alex. G. Wilson. 14 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. SAID GOOD-BYE TO HIS PICK. Story of William Stanley, Who Brought Out $112,000. When we had taken out the last of the $112,000 I threw down my pick and, turning my eyes heavenward, said: *♦ Good-bye, old friend, I will never pick you up again," and I spoke the truth. ' I love gold and I have it. Mnny times in my life the wolf has been close to the door. Now I have riches and will never work again, but in March I will go oack and manage our properties. These were the words which William Stanley used in closing an interview. ^Stanley is one of the fortunate ones who returned from the Klondike on the Portland. In ad- dition to his present fortune he is interested with his son and two New Yorkers in claims which he says will yield $2,000,000. Was a Poor Man at Seattle. Stanley is a married man. He lives in an humble little place in the southern part of Seattle ; he has a wife and several children. During his absence in the far North his family struggled to eke out an existence, for every- thing that Stanley had went to pay his expenses to the gold fields. Stanley is well on in years. His hair is gray and when he left Seattle he looked as though a few more years would find him sleeping beneath the sod. He was iQot accustomed to hardships ; for years he conducted a little book store in an out-of-the-way business corner. To-day people who used to help him out by giving him ten or fifteen cents cannot realize that he is wealthy. Her? is his story : ill 1 Hi >8. Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 15 PK. ut $112,000. R $112,000 I heavenward, pick you up Q my life the e riches and go ottck and nley used in )rtunate ones and. In ad- with his son ys will yield an humble has a wife he far North , for every- mses to the hair is gray ough a few le sod. He B conducted s corner. > by giving is wealthy. Went at a *' Tenderfoot." I went to Yukon as a last resort. I was getting old and I had no money and 1 knew that I would never get any unless I took it out of the ground. It was a year ago last March that I left Seattle. I am free to confess that my family was at that time in destitute circumstances. I made for the Yukon. T had never before been there. I knew nothing of mining; and nothing of the hardships of the country, and, in fact, was as great a **greeny" as ever set foot in the gi> at gold country of the Northwest. My son, Samuel Stanley, went with me. He was as ignorant as his father. While we were on the steamship Alki, which took us to Dyea, we met two young men, Charles and George Worden. They were residents of Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., and had come west in search of gold. Their mother lives back in the old home, so they informed me. We became very iqtimate with the Wordens. They knew little, if any- thing, about the country, and one day in conversation one of us suggested that we form a company and do our work on the syndicate plan, each man to share share and share alike. We wandered through the Yukon districts for several months and were getting discouraged, because there seemed to be nothing for us. We met other men who were getting rich, but we grew poorer as the days came and went. Once we had about concluded to go back. Gets a Friendly Tip. It was in the latter part of last September that we befriended a man who gave us a tip as to the riches of the Klondike. We were willing to believe anything, and made for the Klondike at once. • At that time we were en route for Forty-Mile Creek. We were then at Sixty-Mile. The first thing we did when we reached the Klondike was to spend a little time at the mouth of the stream. We I ; I ii fi Mh ! 16 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. were there just twenty-four hours when the little steamer Ellis arrived, with 150 miners aboard. They had just heard the good news and on their arrival they made a rush for the richest spot on Bonanza and El Dorado Creeks. $112,000 in Three Months. We went to EI Dorado Creek and made locations on what were called Claims Twenty-five, Twenty-six, Fifty- three and Fifty-four. I think it was in October that we made our locations. We worked Claims Twenty-five and Twenty-six, and were very soon satisfied that we had a fine thing, and went to work to make preparations for a long winter of experiences and hardships. We got all we wanted before spring. Every man put in his time sinking prospect holes in the gulch. I tell the simple truth ^then I say that, within three months we took from the two claims the sum of $112,000. A remarkable thing about our findings is that in taking this enormous sum we did not drift up and down stream, nor did we cross-cut the pay streaks. < Gold in Every Creek. Of course, we may be wrong, but this is the way we are figuring, and we are so certain that what we say is true that we would not sell out for a million. In our judgment, based on close figuring, there are in the two claims we worked, and Claims No. 53 and 54, $1,000 to the lineal foot. I say that, in four claims we have at the very least $2,000,000, which can be taken out without any great work. I want to say that I believe there is gold in every creek in Alaska. Certainly on the Klondike the claims are not spotted. One seems to be as good as another. It's yards wide and yards deep. I say so because I have been there and have the gold to show for it. All you have to jUa iDS. little steamer had just heard le a rush for reeks. e locations on ity-six, Fifty- ober that we venty-five and '< we had a fine ns for a long e got all we s time sinking within three 1 of $112,000. hat in taking down stream, } the way we we say is true our judgment, vo claims we to the lineal 3 at the very lout any great ^old in every the claims are mother. It's le I have been you have to < < < < 3 Q < a 7) I— ( U3 < o O Q c/T u ai H li i: III] ': I i! »i Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 17 do is to run a hole down, and there you find plenty of gold dust. I will say that our pans on the El Dorado claims will average $3, some go as high as $150, and, believe me, when I say that, in five pans, I have taken out as high as $750 and sometimes more. I did not pick the pans, but simply put them against my breast and scooped the dirt off the bed rock. Bear Gulch as Rich as Klondike. Of course the majority of those on the Klondike have done m,uch more figuring as to the amount of gold the Klondike will yield. Many times we fellows figured on the prospects of the El Dorado. I woujd not hesitate much about guaranteeing $21,000,000, and should not be sur- prised a bit if $25,000,000, or even $30,000,000, were taken out. Some people will tell you that the Klondike is a mar- vel, and there w^ill never be a disco verv in Alaska which will compare with it. I think that there will be a number of new creeks discovered thut will make wonderful yields. Why, Bear Gulch is just like El Dorado. Bear Gulch has a double bed rock. Many do not know it, but it's a fact, and miners who- are acquainted with it will tell you the same thing. The bed rocks are three feet apart. In the lower beds the gold is as black as a black cat, and in the upper bed the gold is as bright as any you ever saw. We own No. 10 claim, below Discovery, of Bear Gulch, and also Nos. 20 and 21 on Last Chance Gulch, above Discovery. We prospected for three miles on Last Chance Gulch, and could not tell the best place to locate the Discovery claim. The nian making a discovery of the creek is entitled by law to stake a claim and take an adjoining one, or, in other words, two claims ; so you see ho wants to get in a good location on the creek or gulch. Hunker Gulch is highly 'If nmi n iipiimil' 18 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 1 i : ! ^ • 1 1 looked to. I think it will prove another great district, and some great strikes haye also been made on Dominion Creek. Indian Creek is also becoming famous. What Do We Do with the Money. What are we doing with all the money we take out? Well, we paid $45,000 spot cash for a half interest in Claim 32, El Dorado. We also loaned $5,000 each to four parties on El Dorado Creek, taking mortgages on their claims, so you see we are well secured. No, I do not want any better security for my money than El Dorado claitns, thank you. I ouly wish I had a mortgage on the whole creek. We had a great deal of trouble in securing labor in prospecting our properties. Old miners would not work for any price. We could occasionally "rope" in a greenhorn and get him to work for a few days at $15 a day. Six or eight miners worked on shares for us about six weeks, and we settled. It developed that they had earned in that length of time $3,500 each. That was pretty good pay, wasn't it? W^e paid one old miner $12 for three hours' work and offered to continue him at that rate, but he would not have it, and he went out to hunt a claim of his own. My son, Samuel, and Charles Worden are in charge of our interests in Alaska. George W^orden and I came out and we will go back in March and relieve them. Then they will come out for a spell. George goes from here to his home in New York state to make his mother com- fortable. I am an American by birth, but of Irish parents. I formerly lived in Western Kansas, but my claim there was not quite as good as the one I staked out 09 the El Dorado Creek, ^^ ^ ^.LDS. Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 19 jat district, and ) on Dominion AT DAWSON CITY. ous. ley. we take out? balf interest in 00 each to four tgages on their for my money y wish I had a icuring labor in ould not work in a greenhorn a day. Six or six weeks, and earned in that 3tty good pay, T three hours' t rate, but he t a claim of his n are in charge m and I came e them. Then s from here to J motlier com- ish parents. I 'laim there was 1 the EI Dorado \ Good Order Prevails and Town Lots Bring as IVIuch as $10,000. Dawson City is only a few months old. Descriptions given by the returned miners make it a typical mining town, with everything but guns. The use of firearms is prohibited by the British Government, which enforces its laws by the use of mounted police, whose Captain is the civil authority. Comparatively few houses have been erected, though there is a population of 5,000 persons. Lumber costs $1,000 a thousand feet, and most of the miners live in tents during the summer months, and either return to St. Michaels at the beginning of winter or board with someone owning a house. Prices at Dawson. Building lots are said to be in demand at $5,000, with prices going as high as $8,000 and $10,000. In summer the weather becomes warm and tent life is comfortable. Mr. Bowker observed, the day of his depart- ure, that the thermometer registered 88 degrees in the shade. The winters are long and cold, the mercury going down to 40 and even to 60 degrees below zero at times, but the snow seldom is more than a foot and a half deep. \^ery sudden changes from one extreme to the other are the most troublesome features of the climate. Laborers Paid $90 a Week. Laborers, it is asserted, are paid as high as $90 a week, but the advice is given that no man can afford to go to the new camp without from $500 to $1,000, with which to sup- port himself and insure the possibility of returning in case of adversity. I il! t!i 20 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. iii Ih I i 1 : 1 if Living, of course, comes high. The region produces little or no fruit or vegetables. The meat of the caribou and the moose sometimes is scarce. There are seasons when salmon can be obtained. This is "Higii Life/' Sure Enough. Here is the list of prices that prevailed in Dawson City during the past season : Flour, per 100 pounds, $12; moose ham, per pound, $1; caribou meat, per pound, Qo cents; beans, per pound, 10 cents; rice, per pound, 25 cents; sugar, per pound, 25 cents; bacon, per pound, 40 cents; butter, per roll, $1.50; eggs, per dozen, $1.50; better eggs, per dozen, $2; salmon, each, $1 to $1.50; potatoes, per pound. 25 cents; turnips. per pound, 15 cents; tea, per pound, $1; coffee, per pound, 50 cents; dried fruits, per pound, 85 cents; canned fruits, 50 cents; canned meats, 75 cents ; lemons, each, 20 cents; oranges, each, 50 cents; tobacco, per pound, $1.50; liquor, per drink, 50 cents; shovels, $2.50; picks, $5; coal oil, per gallon, $1; overalls, $1.50; underwear, per suit, $5 to $7.50; shoes, $5; rubber boots, $10 to $15. Y^nlcees Get Fair Treatment. Although the new mining district is in British ter- ritory, the miners all declare that Americans are treated as fairly as Englishmen. Captain Constantine, at the head of the mounted police, is the Magistrate, and Gold Com- missioner Fawcett has jurisdiction over all mining disputdfe. One of the most influential men in the Alaskan party is J. Ladue, founder of Dawson City. He staked out the .town, applied to the Dominion Government for a patent, and is selling town lots at $2,000 apiece. ILDS. eg ion prod lice 8 of the caribou re are seasons )ugh. led in Dawson im, per pound, ns, per pound, per pound, 25 3er roll, $1.50; )n, $2; salmon, cents; turnips, 1; coffee, per • cents; canned mons, each, 20 pound, $1.50; )0 ; picks, $5 ; mderwear, per no to $15. It. in British ter- s are treated as e, at the head and Gold Com- lining dispute. Alaskan party staked out the it for a patent, Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 21 MRS. LIPPY'S STORY. Experience of the First White Woman on the Creek. Mrs. Lippy, who went with her husband to the gold fields, thus tells some of her experience: "Of course, we did not know exactly what we had to face ; no one can who hus not been there and experienced it. I could talk to you all day and you would not really understand without seeing for yourself. But we learned ever^'thing we could about the Alaska gold fields, the ways of traveliog and what we would need before we started. We went rather better prepared than many of the others ; we had a year's outfit. We went from St. Michaels by steamer and by trail from the landing to the creek, where Mr. Lippy worked his claim. I had 16 miles to walk, so the hardships of the trip were not really so great. Only White Woman in the Camp. "I am not the first white woman to cross the divide; there are nine or ten at Forty-Mile post," she explained, with deprecating modesty. "Yes, I guess I was the first white woman on the Creek," she admitted, "and the only one in our camp. There was another a mile from us, a Mrs. Berry. She was the only white woman I had to speak to while we were at the camp. "When we got to El Dorado Creek, we lived in a tent until Mr. Lippy got our house built — a log cabin. It is 12x18, eight logs high, with a mud and moss roof and moss between the chinks, and has a door and a window. Mr. Lippy made the furniture, a rough bed, a table and some stools. We had a stove. There are plenty of stoves in that country, and that was all we needed. The cabin was cozy and warm. I looked after the housekeeping and Mr. Lippy after the mining. 22 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. Hi Ml i!i|l Living On Canned Goods. "Everything we had to eat was canned. Things were canned that I never knew could be canned before. Of course, we missed fresh food dreadfully, but we kept well and strong. We had no fresh milk or meats or fruits or eggs. I used egg powder ; it's not a good substitute in omelettes, but it makes good gingerbread. "Amusements? Well, nobody bothered much about amusements. Everybody was busy and kept busy all the time. I did my work. The mining is hard work. One does not pick gold off the ground. It is genuine toil, and when Mr. Lippy finished he wanted to rest. All the men were about alike on that point. Health and Fashion In the Frozen North. **I wasn't ill all the time we were there, except with a headache or a toothache. We were very fortunate in every way. The country is beautiful and quite warm in the summer. In winter it's different, with the mercury away below zero. Still, I went out every day, but when the snow was on the ground I did not go far from (he cabin. "Fashion? Well, we were not entirely cutoff from the fashionable world. New people were coming in all the time. We got the fashion papers, a few months old, to be sure, but still they kept us fairly up to time. Why, a trader brought shockingly old-fashioned cloaks to the camp and we would not look at them. He had to sell them to the Indians. Need Never Work Agai;.. "I did not change my way of dressing particularly. I dressed more warmly, to suit the climate, of course, and wore fur boots and cap constantly during the cold weather, and in summer dressed very much as I do at home." ELDS. Things were ed before. Of it we kept well ts or fruits or substitute in red much about )t busy all the d work. One jnuine toil, and All the men North. , except with a J fortunate in quite warm in li the mercury Jay, but when far from the J cut off from ming in all the Qonths old, to time. Why, a cloaks to the e had to sell )articularly. I f course, and I cold weather, home." » O o U % o u o Q < H id I ill ill i! - :1 ■Mi V;iiW^ I 1 iS^mmmmmm Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 23 *'It was a hard experience?" *'Yes, it was; but, then, we expected that." • "And you were well repaid for it?" *'Yes, we were lucky." *'You made enough in one year to keep you in com- fort the rest of your life?" "Well, yes, I guess so." Supplies and Tools Needed. Here is a list of the supplies needed, according to a careful estimate made by several returned miners: The necessities for one man for one month are 20 pounds of flour, with baking powder; 12 pounds of bacon, () pounds of beans, 5 pounds of dried fruits, 3 pounds of desiccated vegetables, 4 pounds of butter, 5 pounds of sugar, 4 cans of milk, 1 pound of tea, 3 pounds of coffee, 2 pounds of salt, 5 pounds of cornmeal, pepper, matches, mustard, cooking utensils and dishes, frying pan, water kettle, tent, Yukon stove, 2 pairs of good blankets, 1 rub- ber blanket, a bean pot, 2 plates, a drinking cup, tea pot, knife and fork, 1 large and 1 small cooking pan. The following tools for boat-building will be necessary, if the mountjfin trip is made : One jack plane, 1 whip saw, 1 hand saw, 1 rip saw, 1 draw knife, 1 ax, 1 hatchet, 1 pocket rule, pounds of assorted nails, 3 pounds of oakum, 5 pounds of pitch, 50 feet of i-inchrope, mosquito netting, 1 pair of crag-proof hip boots, snow glasses and a chest of medicines. NOT ONLY GOLD. Coal and Oil Fields of Alaska to be Developed. A late dispatch from Seattle, says: The Alaska Development Co. has been organized here to develop the coal and oil fields recently discovered in Southwestern Alaska by R. C. Johnston, of Los Gatos, TTTTTT 24 GuiDK TO Klondikk Gold Fields. I li! :l!l I t ! I M ti Cal. The report made to the company by Mr. Johnston and Mr. T. J. Hamilton of this city, experts who made a thorougli examination of the property, show that the dis- covery is really the most wonderful find the world has ever known. Dipping Oil Up in Buckets. The oil fields are located within a few hundred feet of tidewater, 350 miles west of Juneau. The statement iS made in good faith that the oil is dripping directly from the oil rock and in places can be dipped up in buckets, while the surrounding coal beds are inexhaustible. Building the Refinery. Thirty thousand feet of pipe already has been ordered from Pittsburg, and as soon as received here a steam schooner will be chartered to carry it and tank material to the discovery. A. prominent oil man has given a guarantee of all the capit'ii necessary to build a refinery at this point as soon iis necessary to handle the product. The oil is pronounced of the best quality ever seen and the quantity is unlimited. MR. OGILVIE'S OFFICIAL REPORT. The Canadian Officer Furnishes New and Interesting Information. The Alaska Mining Record, a paper published at Juneau, prints a great deal of news concerning the almost fabulous richness of the new Klondike. In this paper ap- pears the official report of Dominion Surveyor Ogilvie, from which we quote some important statements : A A Guide to Klondikk Gold Fields. 25 Origin of tlie Name ''Kiondilce/' The name Klondike is a mi8i)ronunciation of the Ind- ian word, or words, torondak or duick, which means plenty of fish, from the fact that it is a famous salmon stream. It is marked Tondak on our nuips. After telling of the discovery of gold there in 1887 by G. W. Carmach, Mr. Ogilvio presages considerable trouble and confusion in the near future from the lack of system in marking out claims. He says: When it was fairly established that Bonanza Creek was rich in gold there was a great rush from all over the country adjacent to Forty-Mile. The town was almost deserted. Men who had been in a chronic state of drunken- ness for weeks were pitched into bouts as ballast, taken up to stake themselves a claim, and claims were staked by men for their friends who were not in the country at any time. First l\1ettiod of Recording Ciaims. All this gave rise to much confiiction and confusion, there being no one to take charge of matters. The miners held a meeting and appointed one of themselves to measure off and stake the claims and record the owner's names, for which he got a fee of |2, it being, of course, understood that each claim holder would have to record his claim with the Dominion agent and pay his fee of $15. I am afraid that a state of affairs will develop in the Klondike district that will worry some one. Naturally many squabbles will arise out of those transactions when the claims come to be of considerable value and are worked, and these, together with the disputes over the size of the claims, will take some time to clear up. Many of the claims are said to be only 300 and 400 feet long, and, of course, the holder will in- sist on getting the full 500, and it is now practically impos- sible that they can without upsetting all the claimholders on the several creeks. Many of them will be reasonable T— f H ili ; ^■:i '^^ 26 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. enough to see things in their proper light and submit quietly, but many will insist upon what they call their rights. The Stampede to the Klondike. In reference to the richness of the Klondike field, Mr. Ogilvie says that rich fields in that district, such as Miller, Glacier and Chicken Creeks, have been practically abandoned for the Klondike. Men can not be prevailed upon to work for love or money, and the standard of wages is $1.50 per hour. Some of the claims are so rich that every night a | few pans of dirt is sufficient to pay all the hired help. '*The extent of the gold-bearing section here," Mr. Ogilvie continues, *'is such as to warrant the assertion that we have here a district which will give 1,000 claims of 500 feet in length each." Now, 1,000 such claims will require at least 3,000 men to work them properly, and, as wages for workmen in the mines are from $8 to $10 a day, with- out board, we have every reason to assume that this part of our territory will within a year or two contain 10,000 souls at least, so far as the news has gone out to the coast, and an unprecedented influx is expected next spring. Possibilities of Indian Creek. And this is not all, for a large creek called Indian Creek joins the Yukon about midway between Klondike and the Stewart River, and all along this creek good pay dirt has been found. All that has stood in the way of working it heretofore has been the scarcity of provisions and the difficulty of getting them up there even when here. Indian Creek is quite a large stream, and it is probable it will yield 500 or 600 claims. Farther south yet lies the head of several branches of Stewart Kiver, on which some prospecting has been done this summer and good indications found, but the want of provisions prevented development. t| IKLDS. Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 27 gilt and submit call their riorhts. like. ondike field, Mr. , such as Miller, ically abandoned ed upon to work iges is $1.50 per at every night a hired help, tion here," Mr. le assertion that )0 claims of 500 ,ims will require r, and, as wages !lO a day, with- le that this part > contain 10,000 •ut to the coast, Kt spring. k. j: called Indian ween Klondike 3reek good pay in the way of 1 of provisions ven when here. is probable it al branches of has been done t the want of Four Million Dollars in Eacli Claim. Since my last trip the prospects in Bonanza Creek and Itributaries are increasing in richness and extent, until now it is certain millions will be taken out of the district in the next few years. 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 in one of |the claims on Bonanza Creek and found $14.25 in it. Of course, that may be an exceedingly rich pan, but $5 to $7 [per pan is the average on that claim, it is reported, with 5 feet pay dirt, and the width yet undetermined, but known to be 30 feet. Even at that figure the result at nine io ten pans to the cubic foot, and 500 feet long, is $4,000,000 at $5 per pan. One-fourth of this would be enormous. Enough prospecting has beon done to show that there are at least fifteen miles of this extraordinary richness, and the indications are that we will have three or four times that extent, if not all equal to the above, at least very rich. Mr. Ogilvie complains of the need of some kind of a court to settle the various claim disputes that are continu- ally arising between the miners. He says that the force and virtue of the miners' meeting prevailed until the mounted police made their appearance, after which sneaks had full sailing. Morals of the Klondike. The morality of the Klondike would se(jm to be of a much higher order than is usually found in new mining camps, the presence of the mounted police seeming to have a most salutary effect. Mr. Ogilvie seems to regret it, for he says : "The man who was stabbed here in November has (juite recovered, but may never have the same use of his buck as of old, having received a bad cut there. His assailant is out on bail, awaiting the entrance of a judge to try him. As the police are here, there will be no lynching. It is almost a pity there will not." • TTtrnrr 28 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. j 1 ■ ii N ! 11 ■ i 1 -.1 1 i 1 !' i 1 ill ! 1 lii i I i ill I m To Regulate Liquor Traffic. Mr. Ogilvie takes up the subject of the liquor traffic also, saying: **The impressioQ of the best men here, saloon men and all, is that the liquor trade should be regulated and no one but responsible parties should he allowed to bring liquor in. Now, any loafer who . :u. ^-'ther enough money to secure a few gallons and a tc . jiiusses and wants to have an idle time, sets up a saloon." Free Gold Along the Creeks. Mr. Ogilvie announces the location of a quartz lode showing free gold in paying quantities along the creeks. The quartz has tested over $100 a ton. The lode appears to run from 3 to 8 feet in thickness and is about nineteen miles from the Yukon River. Good quarti! has been found also at the head of a branch of the Ab tk Kiver, near the head of the Chilkat Inlet, inside the si v.. u.t of the coast range, in Canadian territory; also, m '^av's Creek, in American territory. The hills aroui ' V^ianza Creek also contain paying quartz. Copper in abundance is found on the southerly branch of the White River, and silver ore has been picked up in a creek emptying into Bennett Lake. Mr. Ogilvie says that the placer prospect continues to be more and more encouraging an^l ext' (.ordinary. It is beyond a doubt, he js^j^h, tb i'> ♦'^ree pans of dif- ferent claims on El Dorado turned cv c $204, $212 and $216, but it must be borne in mind that there were only three such puns, thougti there are many running from $10 to $50. How the Dirt Pans Out. It is stated on good authority that one claim yielded $90,000 in 45 feet up and down the stream. Clarence Berry bought out his two partners, paying one $35,000 ind the other •$60,000, and has taken up $140,000 from I ELDS. c. the liquor traffic \ J, saloon men and ated and no one to bring liquor lough money to i wants to have ks. 3f a quartz lode \ ong the creeks, he lode appears 3 about nineteen ^ has been found I «iiver, near the \ - t of the coast "*v"s Creek, in .^-Aianza Creek indance is found | r, and silver ore o Bennett Lake, continues to be ary, ee pans of dif- 204, $212 and lere were only Qning from $10 claim yielded am. Clarence I one $;J5,000 1140,000 from o ton XI o o iJ u o < H 73 < t i liktlWIiM MHHia iH Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 29 the winter dump alone. Peter Wiberg has purchased Imore ground. He purchased his partner's interest in a Iclaim, paying $12,000. A man by the name of Wall has lall he thinks he wants and is coming out. He sold his [interests for $50,000. Nearly all the gold is found in the Icreek bed on the bed rock, but there are a few good bench [diggings. First Grave at Dawson. Birch Stickney died at the foot of Lake Labarge. IHis partner offered $200 for a man to accompany him to Dawson with the body, and getting no assistance, made Itho trip alone, the journey requiring five days. Stickney's |\/as the first body buried in Dawson. Many interesting letters are published in the Mining \Ilecord from men n the Klondike to friends in the Yukon. All tell of a plechora cf gold and a scarcity of provisions and supplies. One of these enthusiasts says he fears gold will have to be demonetized, while another described Klon- dike as a great country for a poor man, aside from the mosquitos and poor grub. These letters are from Casey Moran, Burt Shuler, Andy Hensley, Oscar Ashbey and Fred Brewster Fay. JUNEAU TO DAWSON. The Founder of Dawson City Lays Out the Route. James Ladue, the founder of Dawson City, tells how the Bonanza may be reached, as follows : Leaving Juneau, go to Dyea, by \ray of Lime Canal, and from there to Lake Lindermann, thirty miles on foot, or portage, as we call it. The lake gives you a ride of five or six miles and then follows another long journey over- land to the headwaters of Lake Bennett, which is twenty- eight miles long. On foot you go again for a number of I 30 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. i ji ,fl: ji i !' 1 ^ M'l 1 ■: ■ ; i . 1 ■!i 1 : 'il- i i i ;i \l If! 1 ! ' "■ i il miles, and the Cariboo Crossing River furnishes transpor- tation for four miles to Tagish Lake, where another' twenty-one miles' boat ride may be had. This is followed by a weary stretch of mountainous country, and then Marsh, or Mud Lake, is reached. You get another boat ride of twenty-four miles, and then down a creek for twenty-seven miles to Miles Canyon to White Horse Rapids. Dangers of the Rapids. This is one of the most dangerous places on the entire route, and should be avoided by all strangers. The stream is full of sunken rocks, and runs with the speed of a mill race. Passing White Horse Rapids the journey is down a river thirty miles to Lake Labarge, where thirty-one miles of navigable water is found. Another short portage and Lewis River is reached, when you have a 200-mile journey, which brings you to Fort Selkirk. At this point the Pelly and Lewis rivers come together, forming the Yukon. From that point on it is practically smooth sailing, though the stranger nmst be exceedingly carel:;!. The most dangerous part of the trip is that crossing Chilkat Pass. Even as late as May and June snowstorms occur, and woe to the traveler who is caught. Chilkat Pass is itself 3,000 feet high, but is the only opening in a mountain range whose peaks reach an average altitude of 10,000 feet. CAME HOME RICH. Statements Made by Four Men Who Found Fortunes. Here are the experiences related by four of the men who came home on the steamer Portland in July. All brought back gold in abundance, and their stories merit careful perusal : Guide to Klondikk Gold Fields. 31 Mr. Orr, a Veteran Miner. Alexander Orr said : "I have been mining in the West the hist thirty years, but never saw any country so rich in gold as Alaska. The development of the country has just begun. When the miners first went there they were handicapped by the dif- ficulty in getting supplies to the camp. Transportation was exceedingly expensive, and many winters the supply of food was so scarce that the men ©ften were hungry. Little progress could be made during the winter, as tlio men could not go far from the camp. All that could be done was to work where gold could be found in the im- mediate vicinity and wait for spring. Eight Years in Alaslca. "I went to Alaska eight years ago, and for the first seven years made little more than a living. I spent the time prospecting, and eight months ago located the claim near Dawson City that proved so rich. Before we had hardly begun drifting from the main shaft my^artner and I obtained about $5,000 in gold. Then the fame of the new diggings and the value of the claims increased tremen- dously. "We had an offer to sell for $20,000, and as my part- ner and I were both old men and had been laid up with rheumatism nearly all winter, we decided to sell. We sold our claim, 5,000 feet square, to Jack McQuestern, Louis Ellis and a man named Belcher. $18,000 in Fifty Square Feet. "They paid $2,000 down last March and promised to pay the remaining $18,000 July 20. When the time came to make the final payment they had made enough money, working fifty S(|uare feet, to pay it and only two-thirds of the dumps had been worked. It can be imagined, there- w^ 32 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. Fwv.»«. 1^! i I >■ i,i fore, how much gold there is in the whole claim, assuming that it is all as rich as that which has been worked. "When a man goes to the mines it is customary for him to buy his entire year's supplies and have them carted away to the camp. As ayear's supplies weigh about 1,200 pounds, and the cost of transportation 10 cents a pound, the cost of shipping one's goods is about $120. Take Your Winter Furs Along. *'In winter the weather is extremely cold at Dawson City, and it is necessary that one be warmly clad. The thermometer often goes GO or 70 degrees below zero. Or- dinary woolen clothes would afford little protection. Furs are used exclusively for clothing. "Dawson is not like most of the large mining camps. It is not a "tough" town. Murders are almost unknown. Big Poker Games at Dawson. "The miners are a quiet and peaceful class of men, who had gone there to work and are willing that everybody else shall have an equal chance with themselves. A great deal of gambling is done in the town, but serious quarrels are an exception. As a gambling town I think it is equal to any that I have ever seen; and this, by the way, is always the test of a mining camp's prosperity. Stud poker is the usual game. They play $100 and often $200 or $500 on the third card." 'Go Well Fixed," Says Mr. Cook. Thomas Cook said : "Ii:'s a good country, but if there is a rush there's going to be a great d; I of suffering. Over 2,000 men are there at present, and 2,000 more will be in before the snow falls. I advise people to take provisions with them, enough for eight months at least. If they have that it is all right. . l.« HIH .DS. Lim, assuming )rkcd. )niary forhim them carted 1 about 1,200 ents a pound, 3. I- d at Dawson y clad. The •vv zero. Or- Bction. Furs lining camps. ost unknown. 3lass of men, at everybody es. A great ious quarrels nk it is equal the way, is Stud poker $200 or $500 )k. rush there's • 2,000 men n before the 3 with them, ive that it is 73 M « r^'w ' 'I ^ I ! Pl ai ai yi a di ai 3i di T tl n P a t] c e I V i € Hi Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 33 Reports Are Not Exaggerated. "The country is not exaggerated at all. I've been at [placer mining for years in California and British Columbia, and the mines at Dawson are more extensive and beyond anything I ever saw. I could scarcely speak of the average yield, but the results are all good. Wages have been $15 a day. I was in the Yukon country for six years, but I did not do much the first five. Last year I did very little at Dawson. I have claims worth about the average, they say, from $25,000 to $50,000, on Bear Creek, across the divide from the Bonanza. The World's Richest Strike. ••The area of these gold fields is — well, who knows? The land is not prospected except along a few creeks, and that is very small in comparison with the territory that may be full of gold. Even Bonanza and El Dorado are only partially prospected. The dust I brought down will aver- age about the same as the rest, $10,000 or more. I know they all have protty good sacks. It is a big strike and you can count it among the biggest of the world in richness and extent.** Good Times on the Bonanza. Fred Pricp said : •*I was located on the* Bonanza, with Harry McCullough, my partner. I brought down $50,000 in gold dust, and made $20,000, which is invested in more ground. There were good stakes on the boat coming down, from $5,000 to $40,000 among the boys. I refused $25,000 for my inter- est before I left. My partner remains, and I shall return in spring, after seeing my family at Seattle. I was in the mines for two years. Ten Miles of Rich Claims. ••One cannot realize the wealth of that creek. There are ^f our miles of claims on the El Dorado, and the poorest FPPT^ • 34 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 7, ill ' :! h hi ! n ■ ■; j ; il ! • % ilVi IN;! is worth $50,000. The Bonanza claims run for ten miles and range from $5,000 to $90,000. A man would need at least $500 to go in. There is no credit in the stores at Dawson City, positively none, and there is much of the bitter to mingle with the sweet. All is not gold in those diggings." The Gold-Lined Rook. L. B. Rhoads said: ♦*I am located on claim 21, above the Discovery on Bonanza Cfeek. I did exceedi- r well up there. I was among the fortunate ones, as ] ^red about $40,000, but brought only $5,000 with me. I was the first man to get to bed rock gravel and to discover that it was lined with gold dust and nuggets. The rock was seamed and cut in V-shaped streaks, caused, it is supposed, by glacial action. In those seams I found a clay which was exceedingly rich. In fact, there was a stratum of pay gravel four feet thick upon the rock, which was lined with gold, particularly in these channels or streaks. Alaska Investments Good. * 'The rock was about fifteen feet from the surface. That discovery made the camp. It was made October 23, 1896, and as soon as the news spread everybody rushed to the diggings from Circle City, Forty-Mile and from every other camp in the district. "There was a lack of food. We had nothing but what was sledded from Forty-Mile. Flour sold as high as $45 a sack, and shovels at $18. I invested my money in an- other claim, a two-third interest in claim 23. If I hadn't bought it I could have brought down at least $35,000, but an investment there is the best security." 1 ! Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 35 DIRECTOR OF THE MINT. rold in those Mr. R. E. Preston Submits a Carefully Prepared, Opinion. Mr. R. E. Preston, Director of the Mint, was asked the following questions : 1. What do you think of the reported gold dis- coveries in Alaska? 2. Do you consider the newspaper reports exag- gerated ? 3. What effect will these discoveries have on the gold production of the United States? 4. How do these recent discoveries compare in results to those of the Transvaal in early days ? Mr. Preston furnished the following replies over his signature : Newspaper Reports Confirmed. The information I have received confirms the truth of the telegrams to the daily papers concerning the richness of the newly discovered gold fields. I learn from the San Francisco Mint that $1,000,000 of gold has been received in that city from the Klondike district, and from Helena, Mont., that $200,000 from the same source has been de-. posited at the United States Assay Office in that city. To question the report of rich gold discoveries in the Klondike would be to question the reliability of all the news agencies of the United States, from Alaska to San Francisco and New York. Must Be Quartz Gold, Too. Now, while one may reasonably question whether there was really a ton of gold on board the steamer arriving last Saturday, and whether there are still four millions of gold dust to be shipped from St. Michaels through the * Wells- l-^i^ 36 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. :|i ilMI' Fargo Company, of this there can be no doubt that a large amount of gold was produced in the Yukon and Klon- dike districts during the past winter, and that a new gold field of considerable importance has been discovered in that region. The gold there di,scovered is placer gold, but the existence of gold in the sands of the Klondike points unmistakably to the fact that the quartz gold must exist in the vicinity of that river. It is too early, however, to yet claim that the Klondike is a new El Dorado. That only the future reveals. New Mines Need Little Capital. Now, as to their probable effect on the gold production of the United States. So far as the newly discovered gold has been found within United States territory it will, of course, go to increase the total product of the country in 1897. I do not see how the opening of the new gold fields can decrease the gold product of any other of our States or Territories. It may, indeed, attract some of our prospectors and workmen, but there never has been and never will be any lack of these in the United States; The places of those who really leave the United States will be readily filled. The new gold mines there are placer mines, and need comparatively little capital to develop them. I expect, therefore, that for years to come the gold pro- duction of the United Stp/tes will be continually increasing. Will Klondike Equal South Africa? The best answer that can be given to the question how these recent discoveries compare with those of the Transvaal in its early days is, that as far as mere results are concerned they are greater There is Scarcely a possibility, however, that the production of the newly discovered gold fields will ever reach the gold output of the South African Kepublic in recent years. No single] gold ^4y^ ■Hi Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 37 ubt that a 1 and Elon- a new gold covered in >r gold, but dike points I must exist le Klondike als. production overed gold it will, of country in ^ gold fields our States le of our s been and bates; The -tes will be lacer mines, p them. I e gold pro- increasing. lestion how 36 of the aere results Scarcely a the newly tput of the jingle; gold field ever reached it before, and the chances are that none will in the future. It is the unanimous opinion of all mining experts that the wealth of the mines, especially of the Witwatersrandt, is assured for some decades at least, and they have been led to this conviction through in- vestigation and by the evidence afforded by the practical development of the mines themselves. It has been demonstrated that the gold contents of this mine incre^e with the depth. The difficulty that lay in the fact that the pyrites occurring at a certain depth could not be treated, has been practically solved by the successful application to them of the chlorination process. By the introduction of this process it nas become possible to obtain almost the last traces of the gold in the iailing, which had hitherto been considered worthless. We Can't Have Too Much Gold. What influence the production of gold in the Klondike district, if it should prove to be very large in the next succeeding years, will have on prices and in the money market, it is impuisible to say. Supply and production of gold has doubUd in the last ten years, while the demand for it and the employment of it in the wholesale trade has been more and more decreased by the clearing-house system. The large central banks of Europe have a gold stock far greater than would have been supposed some time ago. And although the production of gold has kept on incieasing, it has not been able to stop the decline of the prices of commodities. This is the best refutation that can be given of the contontion that the decline of prices has been caused by the scarcity of gold. Look For Further Discoveries. The history of gold production in Alaska hitherto would prepare the mind for the acceptance of a belief in 38 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 1 |i ji :: 1 ' Jiii:i| m ^ K « ! 1 \ ■' ^i !■ HKif iii! !i the likelihood of further gold discoveries in that region or its proximity. Our accurate knowledge of the production of gold in Alaska dates back to 1870. It was known in that year that gold in limited quantities abounded in Kadiuk. This gold occurred in veins of quartz, and yielded about $5 per ton in gold and silver. The mineralogical character of the specimens was the same as that of the most pro- ductive veins known. Gold has been found in the bay oif which the Taku villages are situated, and in the streams in the vicinity. For many years quartz prospecting has been vigorously carried on in this locality, and quantities of gold have been taken to San Francisco. Development Only Begun. The development of the wealth of Southern Alaska may be said to have begun only recently. The first steps were taken by placer miners, who washed the sands of the streams and the debris from the hillsides. The mineral belt of Alaska has, according to Prof. Emmons, of the Geological Survey, a longitudinal survey of about 100 miles in a northwestern and southeastern direction. It is said to be only a few miles wide. The drawbacks in the Klondike district will necessarily partake of the nature of those in Asiatic Russia. The severity of the climate there will, as in Siberia, reduce the labor year to about 100 days. The sands can only be washed in summer, and the production is thus reduced to about one-third of what it would be in another latitude. R. E. Preston. it region or production ]own in that in Kadiuk. )Ided about al character e most pro- h the Taku he vicinity. vigorously d have been lern Alaska ) first steps sands of the ing to Prof. iinal survey outheastern ie. i necessarily ussia. The reduce the m only be reduced to latitude. ;eston. ■v;-/; 0£ % o \t u> o V. X H u. o tn a in < o 'A u^ -iiM' i I m t ' i 3 i ' ; . ' : ^ * 1 k . -.'Vwi t. 1 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 89 FROM THE WASHTUB. Mrs. J. T. Willis Moves Into the Millionaire Set o^ Klondike. The pioneer woman gold-hunter of the Yukon, Mrs. J. T. Willis, of Tacoma, has struck it rich on the Klondike. Only a few weeks ago she was taking in washing, and now she is worth $250,000. **I have gone through death," she writes to Mrs. Frank P. Hicks, "and a fight has been made against me to take possession of my claim, but I will stand by my rights if it takes five years." For two years she mad% little money, and was almost disheartened, when the Klondike bonanzas were discovered. She immediately joined a part^t of cattlemen and hurried to the new diggings, and was among the first to secure claims, ^'he then went to work as cook for the Alaska Com- mercial Conpany mess at Dawson City, and is receiving $15 per day fo :• her services. While doing washing Mrs. Willis introduced the first "boiled shirt" into the Yukon gold camp, and paid $2.50 for the box of starch with which she starched the first shirt. Her first assistant in the laundry was an Indian squaw, whom Mrs. Willis paid $4 per day and board. Her little log cabin cost her $35 per month, and her supply of wood for the winter cost her $225. A 25-cent washboard cost her six times that amount. SPORTSMAN'S PARADISE. Streams Full of Trout and Woods Full of Moose. Capt. J. E. Fairbairn, of San Francisco, formerly master of the steamer Florence Henry, who went to Alaska in April and returned with a party of Klondike miners on fwr- I II :ll »'i '.11 ml 40 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. the steamer Portland, says the Yukon country is a sports- man's paradise. Trolling in a boat down the lakes one can catch trout weighing from two to thirty pounds, while he can go anywhere in the woods and kill moose. The country abounds in the finest of bunch grass he ever saw. "Dawson City," the Captain continued, **lies on low, marshy ground. There are about fifty log cabins in the town. and innumerable tents. Some of the miners live in the latter all winter. It is one of the few places where honesty is the best policy. <ill 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 jield is in nuggets instead of fine gold he prefers to "pen" it. News Nine Months Old. The great Klondike strike was made nine months ago, but nothing was kiiown of it in the United States until June 15, when a vessel «^alled the Excelsior arrived in San Francisco laden with miners from the Klondike, who in turn were laden with gold. • They told almosi, incredible tales of the richness of the newly discovered district, where fortunes had been ac- cumuiated in a few months. Experienced miners and GuiDF. TO Klondike Gold Fields. 57 ''tenderfeet" seemed to have shared good fortune alike, and with some justice, too, for the credit of the discovery of the new f^Md fields is due to the inexperienced men. Another vessel brought to Seattle a second party of successful prospectors and a ton and a half of gold. These men had endured peril and undergone great hardships in accumulating the fortunes they brought, and thay told a story that had a dark as well as a bright side. To follow their example means a risk of wealth, health and even life, but for those who are willing to take the chances the pros- pect they hold out is alluring. Where is the Klondike District? Where are the richest of the mines in the Alaska region ? They seem to be in the Klondike, a few miles over the British border. They were discovered, as has been said, by a party of "tenderfeet," who, against the advice of the old-timers in the district, wandered "over yonder in the Klondike" and struck it rich. From Klondike comes much of the gold and from Klondike seems to come all the ex- citement. A few "tenderfeet," going it blind, have stirred up the nation. Out of the region of their discovery has come, it is estimated, $2,000,000 worth of geld during the present summer. Nearly all of that gold has found its way into the United States. It is hard to tell where the Alaska gold fields are located except that in a general way the best of them are along the Yukon. There are a few "lode" mines near Juneau and along the southeast coast of the territory (the most accessible part of it), but the ore is of low grade and mining is made profitable only by the most careful man- agement. Region is Littie Known. The placer mines, from which prospectors are said now to je lining their pockets with gold, occupy, the prominent 58 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. place in the popular mind. These are in the region remote from civilization, little known, and, on account of its un- certainties, dangerously alluring to the average man. This gold-producing country of the interior is in the vicinity of the Yukon near where that great river turns to the west in its course to the sea. Before the discoveries in the Klon- dike the most productive districts had been along Forty- Mile Creek, partly in British and partly in American territory, and the Birch Creek district '] in American territory. Along all of the rivers in this region, tributaries to the Yukon, gold diggings exist and in many places pay the prospector well for his trouble. Broad Belt of Gold Producing Rock. Cook's Inlet is another place where the rumors of gold has caused crowds of unprepared men to flock, but the district has not exactly borne out the reputation given to it by early prospectors. In all the immense country over which the placer min- ing extends it is estimated that up to last year there were 2.000 miners. The districts in which most of them worked were in a broad belt of gold-producing rock, through which quartz veins carrying gold occur frequently. Through the gold-bearing rocks the streams have cut deep gullies and canyons, and in their beds the gold which was contained in the rock is concentrated. The mining of this country con- sists, therefore, in washing out the gravel of these beds. We're Just Hearing the News. So the miners worked, being fairly well paid for their labor, until the "tenderfeet made the Klondike discovery. That was nine months or so ago, and the news of it is just reaching the outside world. It was not long in reaching the miners along Forty-Mile and Birch Creeks, though, and they shouldered their picks and moved forward in a wild Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 59 rush at the first word of the new lucky strike. As a result gold dust and nuggets by the ton are turned into the mints out on the coast, and men who never before rose above the level of the commonest of miners have .come back to civil- ization and comfort loaded with gold to last them a lifetime. Came Home on the Excelsior. Take as an illustration this list of returned came on the Excelsior : returned miners who Brought Ironi Alaska. Value of claims. 65,000 90,000 10,000 $1,000,000 500,000 500,000 T. S. Lippy F. G. H. Bowker Joe La Due J. B. Hollinseed 25,500 William Kilju 17,000 James McMann 15,000 Albert Galbraith 15,000 Neil Macarthur 15,000 Douglas Macarthur 15,000 Bernard Anderson 14,000 35,000 Robert Krook 14,000 20,000 Fred Lendesser 13,000 Alexander Orr 11,500 John Marks 11,500 Thomas Cook 10,000 25,000 M. S. Norcross 10,000 J.Ernmerger 10,000 Co'i Stamatiu «,250 Albert Fox 5,100 • 35,000 Greg Stewart 5,000 20,000 J, O. Hestwood 5,000 250,000 Thomas Flack 5,000 50,000 Louis B. Rhoads 5,000 35,000 i^red Price 5,000 20,000 Alaska Commercial Company 250,000 Total $649",850 A Perilous Journey. Kvery one of these men has a story to tell of the vast riches of the new gold fields, but they tell another story, 60 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. '- I too — a story of hardship, trial and suffering through long winter days, when the sun was smiling on this earth's other pole and leaving them in miserable cold and darkness. They tell a story of prodigious travels, of staggering jour- neys and the dangers that beset the traveler. They tell what a trip it is to reach the gold fields, and when they get through the faint-hearted prospector who isn't thoroughly convinced that he wants to undergo the trial decides to forego the trip to Alaska and dig up his wealth at home or go without. Some of the gold-mad adventurers, though, rush on unheeding, crowding into the Alaska-bound steamers without anything like enough supplies or enough money to see them through ten days of travel on land. Miners who have been there say that such as those will perish. The Best Way to Go. What is the best way to reach the new gold fields from a point in the United States? There are two genera' routes to the Klondike district. Both go by way of the Great Northern R. R. to Seattle, and there diverge. One goe^ !)y ocean steamer west and a little north, and passes throng Dutch Harbor, at the ex- treme end of the southwest Alaskan peninsula. From there the steamer turns north and continues on to St. Michaels Island, a little above the mouth of the Yukon, in Behring Sea. At ths: joint passengers are transferred to the river steamers ti i^ia the long journej up the Yukon, which winds northward and eastward, and finally brings the traveler to Dawson City, now the principal town in the mining district, although sixty-five miles from the Klondike fields. Cost of Transportation. The cost of the trip from Chicago, this way, &s pros- pecting miners usually travel, is $2ol.a0. It is divided as XI o 111 o o T. follow from k Ib to Sea ten up distant SeattL up the T is shoi and a sails r from i mount rival i sails H of twe half-in climbi] to the to pacl A reache boats 1 pay tl boats, feet, a will an saws ai a saw To CO] some I Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 61 follows: From Chicago to Seattle (second class), $51.50; from Seattle to Dawson City, $200. In time the trip requires thirty days — fom* from Chicago to Seattle, sixteen from Seattle to St. Michaels Island, and ten up the Yukon to Dawson City, by the fast boat. The distance in general figures is 2,250 miles from Chicago to Seattle, 2,500 miles to St. Michaels Island and 1,890 miles up the Yukon to Dawson, a total of about 6, GOO miles. The "Mountain" Route. The other way to the Klondike, the '^mountain route," is shorter in miles, but equally long in the time it requires and a great deal more difficult. By this route the traveler sails more directly north to Juneau, which is 891) miles from Seattle, and then goes by lake and river and over the mountains 1,000 miles to the new raining territory. On ar- rival at Juneau, the traveler changes to a smaller boat and sails 100 miles north to Dyea. From there he has a portage of twenty-seven miles through the Chilkat Pass. The last half-mile of this pass is over a glacier and the severest of climbing. Chilkat Indians are employed to pack supplies to the top of the pass, but from there on the traveler has to pack his own load. Buy a Boat for $75. After getting through the Chilkat Pass the traveler reaches Lake Lindermann. At that point is a saw mill where boats are sold for $75 each. Travelers who do not care to pay that price can purchase lumber and build their own boats. The lumber can be bought for $100 a thousand feet, and about 500 feet are required to build a boat that will answer the purpose. Still other travelers carry whip- saws and get out their own lumber, and a man handy with a saw and hammer can build a boat in three or four days. To continue the trip, though, a boat is necessarjT^, and by some means or other one must be had. 62 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. Portages on the Route. After securing his boat the traveler floats down Lake Lindermann and Lake Bennett and then has half a mile of portage, where his boat has to be moved on rollers. There is any amount of rollers to be had, though, for earlier boaters of the path have left them. This half mile over- land brings the traveler to Lake Tagish, through which he goes six miles, and over a quarter of a mile of portage, to Mud Lake and on to the White Horse Rapids. Here there is another portage of three-quarters of a mile, and the traveler brings his boat to Lake Labarge. From there on the journey is through Thirty-Mile River, the Lewis River, 150 m'les to Five-Finger Rapids, to the Yukon at Fort Selkirk, and then down stream 250 miles to Dawson. Expense of This Trip. The cost of this trip this way cannot be definitely stated beyond Juneau, because after that point it depends somewhat on the bargain made with the Chilkat Indians, who pack supplies through the pass, and the length of time the overland part of the journey requires. The cost from Chicago to Seattle is the same as by the other route, of course, $51.50 second class, and $10 more first class. The steamer fare up to Juneau and on to Dyea is $42. What it costs on the overland trip each traveler determines partially for himself, but the Indians who act as guides and pack supplies do not work without big pay. Dawson City, Center of the Region. Dawson City, the Center of the new mining region, although sixty-five miles distant from the Klondike, is said to be a typical mining camp, minus the guns. The British government enforces it 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 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. 68 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 $100 per 1,000 feet. The general fear is, of course, that there will be great suffering there this winter, and it will bo increased, it is expected, by the rush of unprepared prospectors who sailed for the new fields immediately on learning what luck had befallen those who have but recently returned. Great Things About Dawson City. "I am afraid," said one of the influential miners who returned on a San Francisco boat, **that all the talk and excitement will cause such a stampede to the Northwest that there will be great suffering during next winter and spring. Still, if people are only ordinarily careful, there is no occasion for any such thing. There are many good things that can be said about Dawson City besides 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 nlatters are con- ducted there. How Claims are Sold. "Speculation is already the ruling idea. A purchaser inspects a claim that he thinks he would like to buy. He offers just what he thinks it is worth. There is no skirmish- ing over figures, the owner either accepts or refuses, and that is the end of it. With this claim goes the season's work. By that I mean the great pile of earth that may contain thousands or may not be worth the expense neces- sary to run it through the sluice. That is a chance one must take, however, and few have lost anything by it this season. Not One Losing Claim. "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 frjsk:g 64 Guide to Klondike Gold Fields. I a claim the prospector 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, allowing 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 many 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 Ciaini he buys the dump also, but he takes his own chances on the latter. Not Out of the World. "Many people have an idea that Dawson City is com- pletely isolated, and can communicate with the outside world only once 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 mail addressed. It is true, the cost is p(;etty high, a dollar a letter and $2 for a paper, yet by that expenditure of money we are able to keep in direct communication with our friends on the out- side. In the way of public institutions our camp is at present without any, but by the next season we will 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. Mines Not at Dawson. "The impression seems 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 con- venience or fancy dictated." id ed us le le 3p 7n 5h til a les 1- le B. a ;o t- it a It IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^/ ^* 1.0 I.I 11.25 ut liiii |22 St Uo |2.0 HUH I. ^ Photographic Sciences Corporation ^t^^ ^^^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. U5M (716)872-4503 o -^^ tM RSMIWOMr ^ I St «*kt» J O M if C«Pir }*i; Miatief : K»k iTh. •f v^ iSH«Ouun ^r. « >e»^ ^ 1:4^ "^^^ ■%t ^ ^ [JW^WHwW F A ifflE?» C C A :si-c*. •AM /v /v-'f'fe t« cte CITY PT.CUOAHY ilgMIWM irORTY MILE Z' y ItWlk m. il£^ 2S«- ^ISSSS&i ia97 MAP ALASKA SMOVMIHG THE GOLD ritl.D# S:S? YUKOH MYtMOn 1>RtWTir>iC CO. ..I'; ■-'"^lAS^W'*^^ J^^Ai*- X>«i \ kouvrc ■^ ''^me^'tSet f A^< ■/ -W1l% (J ^^ ■■"<«-*M_'fTJ"" *^.- ■" V 5 ■ "> ■ The Gold Fields And how la reach tbe^ quickly, comfortably and at the least cxpenso. THE IS THE DIRECT LINE fm ALL POIRTS MINE Eastern, Nticldle Central and South^iiatarn Stataa to the Pacific Seaboard, wliera diraet connactlona are lllada with Staai}fij9J||^Linaa iaadlrig to the New E l DdRM)o> AGENTS of the Mif>souri Pacific will cheerluliy funiUh fult partfcu- Un concerning tlie time of trains and Tlio MiMit Pealrable Kouce to the newl> found Mecca, or ^rite the General Passenger Agent, at St. Louis, Mo. G. 6. WMBI, tiM-rrNWMt. W. B J)0M>SID6R. -^ ST. LOUia.- li«.fQfl8BlH) stinniiwt. ^iS^&^^^i^ v,^^. ■t:-.-;iA>^u., ^ai^fc^ Qold Pields f o rtach tbefn quickly, comfortably and at the least expense. RECT LINE FftON ALL POINTS IN JE iddle Central anil SoiithviNistorn » the Pacific Seaboard, where connectlona are ^ade wItK ijjfi found Mecca, or ^rite the General Passenger is, Mo. W.B. «wM«i iMsfw. J^fiii'i tm. sal nt. —ST. LOUie. 1^ * IfWt,