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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. rrata o lelure, 1 A 3 32X I ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 ,•> Mti\',- riLop HO! FOR ALASKA ^— 9^ HOW TO GO WHAT TO TAKE WHAT IT COSTS WHAT YOU FIND VJ IS 9^ ILLUSTRATED. f )? ii T THE KLOiN DIKE and GOLD FIELDS OF YUKON AU Canadian Pacific Railway. $1 Liabil SHORTEST, QUICKEST and ONLY CANADIAN ROUTi'. THE EASIEST, CHEAPEST AND QUICKEST WAY TO REAC»« THE YUKON IS BY THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY FROM NEW YORK, BOSTON, MONTREAL, TORONTO, CHICAGO AND ST. PAUL. ConoectioDS witli Steamers from Victoria and Seattle. Canadian Mercbandise Subject to No Delays or Duties. Supplies can be Purcbased at Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Victoi ia as Reasonable as in tbe United State. FOR FULL. INFORMATION, RATES. ACCOMMODATIONS, ETC , APPLY TO E. V. SKINNER, Q. E. A., 353 Broadway, New York. H. McMURTRIE, F. & P. Agent, Third and Chestnut Streets, Ph adelphia. Pa. J. B. ROBERTS, Ticket Agent, 21 Exchange St., Buffalo, N. V. F. W. SALSBURY, F. & P. Agent, Ferguson Block, Pittsburgh, Pa. H. J. COLYIN, D. P. A., 197 Washington St., Boston, Mass. C. E. Mcpherson, a. d. p. a., King SL, Toronto, Ont. J. F. LEE, 0. A., P. D., 232 South Clark St., Chicago. W. R. CALLAWAY, Q. P. A., Soo Line, MinneapoM Or to Minn., ^. D. McNICOLL, P. T. M., Canadian Pacific Railway, Dontreal, Quebec. Ist.- Clainis, ti> A PROSl' selcrtfd 1)' 12d. - lit' sccuriiv Kn;4iiiecr's suitable V The S shares are The n jirimarv o' Tlie li llidusaiul I au tquiva been paid aniounts. N H- he entitle surre;i(ler separate I live (^) i>f Will invested ; be liste By J of the t Tlie ICni^iueer Workers It is On art y. CI mund, \vl riaeer CI very oftei liable aul known, a thai it is pelenee, opixirlun eannot U) harvest. I'or No. 17 and (■) I', : X H. utteutioii » s ALASKA GOLD FIELDS. \ KLONDIKE SYNDICATE OF N EW YORK CITY. $100,000 Capital, in 10,000 Shares of ($10) Ten Dollars Each. Liability limited to the amount of stock subscribed and paid for at par. THE OBJECT OF THE SYNDICATE IS : 1st. — To ac(|uirc' ami wmk (.erlaiii valuable Placer and Quartz Gdld Claims, to be located in the KLONblKI-: COLD l-'IHLDS ami ALASKA, by A \nu )Sl'i:CTIN(; I'AKTV of TWICNTV-F IVL (25) members, \v\u> will be selected l)y the F><)ard of Directors, from the Subscribers. Ud. — To obtain money, on the co-nperalive plan, to pay for the expenses iif securini; and WMrkin,;^ the Mines, examininij Titles, furnishin.u^ Surveys, Kn;4ineer's Report. Fsuinates, etc.; all of which is to be incorporated in a suitable Prospectus, as follows : The Syndicate will [troceed to business as .soon as the first live hundred shares are S(jld. The reason for this is, that this amount may be enough to accomplish the l)rimary object of the Syndicate. The limit of expense for or.iifanization purjjoses and services shall be five thousand dollars (S5,ooo), and by delivery to the promoters of said Syndicate, an tipiivalent amount in Syn liiate full-paid shares to that which may have been ])aid for in cash, as ai.d when the same may have been paid for in like amounts. N II.— The members of this Syndicate will, in ii(l Ouarlz Claims, as well as Placer, in order that work may be done all the year round, while the Placer can only be worked in the Summer. Besides this, Placiu- Claims in time become exhausted, while Quartz Claims seldom do, and very often prove to be of the .greatest value. From all accounts and from re- liable authority, this is the Greatest tJ«disc<»very the world has ever known, anil to those who have not the means, or the time to .go, we would say that it is your fault if you do not invest what you can, now, and secure a com- petence, without risk or expense, to which others are subjected. This is the one opi)orluuity of your life; therefore take advanta.ge of it while you can. You cannot lose much and according to authentic reports \-oii are sure to reap a rich harvest. SUBSCRIPTION BOOKS NOWOPFN. I"or full particulars write to or apply at the ( lUice of the Syndicate, No. 1 7 Broadway, liooms Nos. 1 and 2, between the houis of y \. .m. and 6 p, m. \ B. —Money Orders sent by l'-\ press or Post Oltice, will receive prompt attention y. « ■r \ \ A ALASKA THE ELDORADO OF THE fllDNIGHT SUN I Marvels of the Yukon— The Klondike Discovery —Fortunes Made in a Day — How to Go, What to Take and What it Costs — Routes, Rates and Distances- Attractions and Dangers- Land Laws t Practical Counsel for Prospectors, Tourists and Stay-at-Homes 1 ■; ILLUSTRATED . 0) <0' Copyright. THE REPUBLIC TRESS 14 Lafayette I'lace, Nkw York August, 1897. For Index see last page \ HO FOR ALASKA! HO FOR THE KLONDIKE I WHAT a fever of excitement has been stirred up in the veins of millions by the marvellous stories of Che fabulous wealth discovered in the alluvial deposits of the Yukon! The country is al- most beside itself at the extraordinary revelations, and many an ordinarily soberminded citizen finds himself strangely thrilled by the tales of sudden fortunes taken from the gravelly soil of our great river of the northwest. An uneasiness, such as that which sent many a Spaniard on a luckless quest for the will-o'-the-wisp El-Dorado in days of old seizes the breast of the day laborer, the clerk, the plodding professional man, the half-successful merchant, or the effervescent speculator. "Why should I toil along in a mere hand-to-mouth existence," he says to himself, "while others are picking up inde- pendent fortunes on the Yukon ? What is a few months' hardship in exchange for ease and comfort for the rest of my life. I'll pack up and go at once." Ah! But " there's the wife; " or, " there are the little ones; " or, "I am tied down by business; " or, "I can't raise the necessary money," or numerous other restraining causes appear on second thought, which serve fortunately as wholesome restraints to the too impetuous. We are not Arabs or Indians, leading a nomadic exist- ence, free to fold up our tent on a moment's notice and migrate whithersoever we will. And so, we comfort ourselves with philoso- phical reflections on the compensations of civilization and conclude that the Lord intended us to be poor all our earthly lives, in order that we may inherit the kingdom of heaven. The man who is so tied down that he cannot get away will find ^ ' I ;\ much in the following pages to solace him. The man who is free to go will find in them much to help him. We propose to paint an unvarnished picture. We intend to tell the truth, pro and con, as faithfully as we can, and base our statements on information from the most authentic sources accessible. TRUTH OF THE KLONDIKE STORIES. In the first place there is no doubt about the substantial truth of the Klondike stories. They agree with well-known geological data, and they are consistent with themselves and known facts. The man who is to be discouraged from setting out for Alaska must be deterred by considerations other than the supposed absence of the gold. The gold is there! It is there in such quantities as make il probably the richest gold bearing region on the contine■'^ For centuries upon centuries Boreas has been gnawing at the golden vitals of those titanic mountains with his glacial teeth, and dropping his precious shining crumbs in the valleys and canyons for men to gather. Amid scenes of unparalleled grandeur and marvellous diversity — a diversity so great as to present almost contradictory physical features — this process has been going on until the region has become an Aladdin's storehouse of riches. For the lover of nature, let alone the lover of wealth, a trip to Alaska is worth the cost. There stands the mighty St. Elias range, with an altitude of 20,000 feet, we^v.ing the earth and the sky, and clothed in a per- petual bridal of snow, looking across a vast primeval region to other mountains still smoking with Plutonic fires. Frozen deserts alternate with hot marshes; and boiling springs issue from beneath the ponderous, slow-moving glaciers. In one section a climate milder and more equable than that of our familiar State of Maine, contrasts in another with the rigors of eternal winter. There, in the land of the midnight sun, thermom- eters register in certain localities 120*' above zero in the hot season, and 70'' below zero in the cold. There, during the short, quick summer, the butterfly flits lazily acrosss a region blooming with beautiful flowers which for nine months of the year is locked in the deadly embrace of the Ice King, and in which a civilized being can scarcely maintain an existence. During the short summer, the banks of the Yukon are fringed with flowers, carpeted with the all pervading moss or tundra. Birds countless in numbers and of infinite variety in plumage, sing out a welcome from every tree top. Pitch your tent where you will in 10 is free paint an id con, as tion from il truth of rical data, cts. The I must be ice of the s make n cnt. For le golden I dropping )r men to narvellous iradictory he region : lover of worth the iltitude of in a per- region to ;n deserts n beneath in that of i rigors of thermom- ot season, ort, quick ning with ked in the being can re fringed ra. Birds sing out a ou will in midsummer, a bed of roses, a clump of poppies and a bunch of blue bells will adorn your camp. But high above this paradise of al- most tropical exuberance giant glaciers sleep on the summit of the mountain wall, which rises up from a bed of roses. By September everything is changed. The bed of roses has disappea id before the icy breath of the Frost King, which sends the thermometer down to seventy degrees below freezing point. The birds flee to the south- land, the white man '-i Ms cabin, the Indian to his hut, and the bear to his sleeping chambei .the mountains. Every stream becomes a sheet of ice; mountain and valley alike are covered with snow. These rivers at ( lakcu extenf! in the vast systems measured not by hundreds but thousan-ls ui miles, diversifying the scenery and affording avenues of tiavt!. With the exception of the small set- tled portion of southeasL Alaska, the country is a primeval wilder- ness, grand and mspirirg. It has no railroads, or wagon roads. Communication is entirely by natural courses. It has almost no laws, as will appear in the succeeding pages, although it is probable that the sensation produced by the gold discoveries will secure in near future that adequate measure of consideratioa from Congress for which the Governors of Alaska have repeatedly pleaded in their successive annual reports to the Secretary of the Interior, Indeed, it may be said that this is an important turning-point in Alaskan history; that the rich gold-finds in the Yukon country will lead to the speedy development of this almost wholly neglected territory; that Alaska will become a constantly increasing factor in our na- tional existence ; and that she will attract the attention not only of the speculative, but of the sober minded, enterprising business men of the country. This further may be added, by way of preface: the next twelve months will probably see more suffering and hardship in Alaska than any succeeding year. Carried away by the cyclone of excitement, a multitud*^ of people will rush into the wilderness beyond the capacity of the region to subsist them. The reports all agree, as might have been anticipated, th^t there is no packing outfit now at Chilkoot or at any other supply base that is capable of getting in supplies for any large number of men. Another season there will be. At present there are but two avenues of entrance to the Klondike country — one through the Yukon, which is closed by ice from early September until June; the other overland and down the chain of lakes and rivers from Dyea to the upper waters of the Yukon, But a year hence, there will probably be two or three more routes .:\ opened up, by way of the Stikine river, or by Chilkat Pass (which is shorter than by Chilkoot), or by other ways. On July 22, 1897, a joint resolution for the construction of toll-roads in Alaska was reported favorably in the United States Senate, from the Committee on Territories, by Senator Carter. The resolution authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to grant rights of way two hundred feet wide. Franchises are to be limited to twenty years. The rates of toll are to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior, and the roads .are to be under the supervision of the Secretary. The resolu- tion applies to "trails, wagon roads and other highways." This will afford opportunity for a decided improvement in the means of interior communication. Tiransportation of supplies will be easier and more reliable. The organization of new transportation com- panys from the United States to Alaska will remove the carrying of food and equipments from the hands of the monopolies that have controlled them heretofore. Prices will go down, conditions of life will be ameliorated, and in many ways the mere business of sustain- ing life, to say nothing of digging fortunes, will be a less desperate struggle a few years hence than just now. Meanwhile, the gold supply will hold out. The presence of these placer deposits yielding rough gold indicates that the precious metal has not been carried far from its original quartz veins, and suggests that there are treasures yet locked in the rocky chests of the mountains, to be taken out when the placer gold has been picked up, and when, in the due course of events, it becomes practicable to transport milling machinery into the interior or to carry the unmilled ore to the coast. The gold deposits exist over a length of 500 or 600 miles. New districts will be discovered and opened up year by year during probably the next ten or twenty or thirty years. Now that the first rich diggings have been found, the progress is likely to be fairly steady. In order to understand intelligently the conditions which will surround the enterprising man who, like the Spanish conquerors o-^ old, sets out to m.ake his conquest of Alaska, it is necessary to glance at the history, physical characteristics, and governmental regulations, before taking up the more local subject of the Yukon gold deposits. HISTORY. In 1725, under commission of Peter t^e Great, an expedition crossed the continent from St. Petersburg to Kamschatha. Here a vessel, the Gabriel^ was constructed in 1728, and sailed with Vitus ss (which is 22, 1897, a Alaska was Committee horizes the mdred feet rhe rates of ior, and the The resolu- lys." This e means of 11 be easier ;ation com- carrying of 3 that have itions of life of sustain- ss desperate presence of ;he precious : veins, and cy chests of been picked acticable to i carry the • a length of 1 opened up ;hirty years. : progress is 1 which will )nquerors o"^ lecessary to jvernmental f the Yukon expedition ha. Here a i wiih Vitus Behring as master, who discovered St. Lawrence Island, and passed through Behring Strait, which he named. In July, 1741, on another expedition, Admiral Behring discovered the American continent in latitude 50° or 58" north (authorities differ). During the next hun- dred years there were numerous other expeditions by the Russians, who took possession of the region, and it was called Russian America. In 1864, negotiations were privately begun for the acquisition of the territory by the United States, but our Civil War distracted attention, and it was not until 1867 that the purchase was effected by treaty for the sum of $7,200,000. There was a fierce opposition to the measure in Congress, and it was carried through almost wholly by the efforts of Secretary Seward and Senator Sumner. After the purchase, ridicule was heaped upon it, and the question was asked; " Now that you have it, what are you going to do with it?" The answer was not long in coming, and it came in such un- mistakable facts that criticism was turned to praise. In the next twenty-two years, the products of Alaska paid for the original pur- chase price eight or ten times over, the furs being worth $46,500,000, the canned or cured fish $10,000,000, and gold and silver $7,000,000 in round figures; to say nothing of the whale and oil fisheries and minor industries not included in the foregoing. QEOQRAPHY. Beginning at Demarcation Point, on the northern extremity of the boundary line between Alaska and British America, lat. 69° 38 N., long. 141° W., the coast extends westward to Cape Barrow, thence southwesterly to Point Lisburne, thence in a general south- erly direction follows the line of Kotzebue Sound, Behring Strait and Behring Sea to the southwestern extremity of the Alaska Penin- sula. From this point the Aleutian Islands sweep away to the southwest in a curve of a thousand miles with i«^s convexity to the south. From the same point the mainland makes a mighty bow of 1, 200 miles, trending first in a northeasterly direction, then bending to the east and south to Cape Muzon, at the entrance to Dixon Sound, in lat. 54" 40' N., long. 132° 40' W. Dixon Sound extends eighty miles due east to Portland Inlet from the entrance to which the boundary line extends about eighty miles more in a northerly direc- tion through Portland Inlet and Portland Canal. Thence the boundary line extends in a generally northwesterly and westerly direction to a point just north of Mount St. Elias, and then runs (/J [\ due north along the 141st meridian to Demarcation Point first mentioned. (See " Boundary Question.") SEAL ROOKERIES. The rights and interests of the United States in the fur-seal and other fisheries were acquired by purchase from Russia, and conveyed to it by treaty of cession. The fur seal rookeries are located on the treeless and rocky Pribylov Islands (St. Paul, St. George, Otter and Walrus), near the center of that part of the Behring Sea ceded to United States, and about 1500 miles due west of Sitka. St. Paul has an area of thirty-three square miles and St, George of twenty- seven square miles. The Alaska rookeries maintained a seal popu- lation of about 4,000,000 up to 1886, in spite of the capture of an average of 100,000 seals a year for the preceeding fifteen years, but since then the number has been reduced by the indiscriminate slaughter to less than half a million. This destruction of our seal fisheries has been and is yet a subject of serious international con- cern between the United States and Great Britain. POPULATION. The eleventh census of the United States, taken in 1890, placed the population of Alaska at White. Male 3,853 Female 445 4.293 Mixed. Indian. Total. 891 12,106 16,850 923 11,426 12,794 1,814 23.532 29,644 Including those who have gone to the Yukon country, the white population has been increased to date by about 3,500, most of whom have settled at Juneau and vicinity. DESCRIPTION. From north to south the extreme length of Alaska is about 1,100 miles, and its greatest breadth from east to west 800 miles. Its total area is about 580,000 square miles. Alaska exceeds in area the original thirteen states, with Maine, Vermont, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama added, or nearly one- fifth of the whole United States and Territories (not counting Alaska itself). The vastness of this domain may be realized from the fact that the mefidian of the most western island of Alaska, Attoo Island, lies 64 degrees west of that of San Francisco. San • 8 tion Point first the fur-seal and I, and conveyed e located on the orge, Otter and J Sea ceded to 5itka. St. Paul )rge of twenty- led a seal popu- capture of an teen years, but indiscriminate ion of our seal ernational con- in 1890, placed Total. 16,850 12,794 29,644 itry, the white , most of whom laska is about west 800 miles, ska exceeds in ermont, Ohio, or nearly one- (not counting e realized from and of Alaska, rancisco. San Francisco is practically the longituoinal center of our dominion, lying 56 degrees west of the longitude of Eastport, Me. Taking the fortieth parallel of latitude as a convenient line of measurement, the meridian of Eastport is 3,000 nr iles east of that of San Fran- cisco, and the meridian of Attoo Island 3,400 miles west of it, in round figures. Alaska has 4,000 miles of sea coast and 25,000 miles of shore line, 1,100 islands, sixty volcanoes that have erupted since Russian possession; thermal and mineral springs, hot marshes and warm lakes. Along the southeastern coast in an almost continuous chain of precipitous mountains, from 3,000 to 5,000 feet high, but rising much higher than these in the Mount St. Elias and White ranges. Mount Logan is 19,500 feet high. From Mount St. Elias west to the extremity of Alaska Peninsula, with the excep- tion of a section about Cook Inlet, the coast region is very broken and mountainous, although the mountains are not so precipitous as in the southern portion, and the lumber growth becomes smaller until it ceases entirely from Kadiak Island westward. The interior beyond the coast mountains is less elevated and contains extensive plains and hilly country about Behring Sea and Arctic Ocean. The vast valley of the Yukon and other extensive river systems are partly wooded. The shore is deeply indented with inlets or sea channels, which form a means of penetrating the interior. Some of these salt water ways are supplemented by im- mense rivers like the Yukon and its branches, the Kuskokwim, the Nushagak, the Copper, the Stikine, Noyatak, Colville and Kowak. Glaciers are numerous among the mountains of the southern and southeastern portion; and the frozen tundra lands of the Arctic region and in. the Yukon valley, a few miles back from the river, afford no wood or timber and give little promise of future cultiva- tion. Much of Alaska is terra incognita, and so far as the white man is concerned is a sealed book. Descriptions of the country, north of Cook Inlet, are based on the conflicting stories of the natives, who say that the rivers lead into lakes, and the lak'-sare connected with other lakes, until the vraters flow into the basing of the Tanana and Yukon. The forests of Alaska form a prominent feature of the country. Along the coast and on the islands, from its south-eastern boundary TF^r HI r to Kadiak Island, and on the peninsula opposite, there . almost one continuous forest, except where the mountains rise to a height of 1,500 feet or more. The vast region of the interior northward is partially covered with forests. The Yukon River and its southeastern branches, including the Klondike region, are fringed with dense forests, while to the north- ward the growth becomes gradually more stunted until in the low country, bordering the Behring Sea and Arctic Ocean, it disappears entirely. Alder bushes, fringmg the streams, and driftwood, fur- nish fuel, except what wood and coal are transported. The lumber business has been harassed by the unfortunate conditions of land titles, and most of this lumber is transported from the United States. CLIMATE, SEASONS AND DAYS. In judging of the climate of Alaska, careful regard must be had for the standpoint of the observer. In a vast country extending over i6|" of latitude, there is a wide opportunity for a diversity of statements. A governor of Alaska, in a recent government report, says the climate has been unjustly abused ; and meteorological reports made from the latitude of Sitka are certainly not very appalling. For instance, here is a sample year, taken at random, covering observations made on the U.S.S. Pi;ita at Sitka and other places in southeastern Alaska, from July i, 1890, to June 30, 1891: ! TfZMPEKATUKK-. DAYS. I\ a > < 1890, July I 80 " August I 74 ' ' September | 70 " October ' 66 " November 61 ■' December 46 l8qi, January 57 ' ' February 59 " March , 58 " April S9 " May ] 60 June. 51 44 42 34 34 22 32 '7 58.0 56.5 53-3 45-8 43.3 35.1 40.5 34.5 20 39.1 33 i 43-4 36 50.8 63 ! 48 1 56.5 •o 3 O o ' t r " I Thunder ami ^f 'I ' ightning. r 8 15 b !| !; 17 8 6 1 , 5 2 23 i II 2 10 6 3 21 II 5 15 2 5 24 : 17 3 8 i 5 10 16 12 9 9 i ifa 7 8 l'5 ^3 2 26th and 27th. 5th and 6th . . Observations for a series of years show Sitka to be even warmer than Portland, Maine. 10 :i^> .- \ there . almost rise to a height ;rior northward 3, including the ile to the north- intil in the low m, it disappears driftwood, fur- isported. The te conditions of om the United rd must be had mtry extending •r a diversity of jrnment report, ■ological reports very appalling, idom, covering other places in 1891 : DAYS. f. ^ Thunrler and 1 ' ightning. b 6 23 rn 26th and 27th. ?T t5 24 8 5th and 6th . . 6 9 8 2 )e even warmer SITKA, lat. 57° 3' I'ORTI.ANl), MK., lat. 43 39' Year. Lowest in Winter. Highest in Summer. Mean Summer. Mean Winter. Lowest in Winter. Highest in Summer. M ean Summer. Mean Winter. 1880.. — 3" — 6 — 12 I — 8 — 6 — 12 — 15 — 12 — 8 94' 88 f)4 39 89 90 94 96 96 92 68. 4' 66.3 63.7 63. f'7-3 65.7 64.0 65.5 64.6 65.0 30.5° 1881 . 79' 7" 68 75 75 72 72 54.4^ 53-4 52.1 54.4 56.3 55.8 52.5 33- 5" 36.8 35.£' 35.1 34-4 31.1 1882.. 1883.. X884.. 1885.. 1886.. 1887.. 1888.. 4" 8 II 15 4 3 30.4 25-3 26.6 25.1 23-3 21.3 21.8 26,4 1889. During forty-eight years of official record at Sitka, the tempera- ture did not go above 90 or lower than 4 below zero, and the mean annual temperature ranged from 41.30 to 46.8 degrees. But it should be borne in mind that Sitka is on the coast, and is under the influence of the Japanese current of warm water (called the Kuro-Siwo) which, flowing across the Pacific Ocean from the tropical region of the eastern hemisphere, strikes the American coast near the southern boundary of Alaska, and is deflected in part northward, following the coast in its sweeping bend westward and southward again. This ocean current produces a mild, equable and moist climate along the coast from Dixon Entrance [to the ex- treme western end of the Alaska Peninsula, and beyond to the thousand miles of Aleutian Islands. But inland, the violent ex- tremes of temperature are shown by the stunted vegetable growth or its entire absence. In the Yukon Valley the thermometer fre- quently registers over 100 in summer, and from 50 to 70 below zero in winter. From the Yukon, north, there are almost no allevi- ating conditions. The earth below the tundra moss remains frozen perpetually. Those portions of land lying favorably for drainage produce grass, small bushes, beautiful flowers, and an abundance of berries. S.iow does not accumulate to great depth in this region, and there is little rainfall. Cyclones are unknown. On the coast, in the region of the Yukon, the temperature varies from 70 above in summer to 40 and 45 below in winter. The late summer and fall are usually stormy and wet, the snowfall being from three to five feet on a level. Navigation is closed to the out- side seven months of the year by heavy ice on the sea. The Yukon is closed by ice from September to the end of May. In the interior [ Yukon region the climate is drier with greater extremes of heat and cold. In summer the temperature rises to over too and in winter drops to 60 or 70 below zero. Professor Dall records a tempera- ture of 112 in the shade in late June at Fort Yukon and reports traditions of thermometers having burst in efforts to gj above 120. He says the month of May, June and part of July are generally de- lightful, sunny, warm and clear. But in midsummer the only relief from the intense heat under which vegetation attains an almost tropical luxuriance is during the brief space when the sun hovers on the horizon and the voyageur or laborer welcomes the transient cool- ness of the midnight air. In July, 1897, Archie Burns, a miner, was prostrated with sunstroke while crossing the pass from Dyea. He recovered and proceeded after two days' rest. In the winter of 1896-97, according to the record kept at Fort Constantine, the temperature in the Klondike district first touched zero November loth, and the zero weather recorded in the spring was on April 29th. Between December 19th and February 6th it never rose above zero. The lowest actual point, 65 degrees below, occurred on January 27th, and on twenty-four days during the winter the temperature was below 50 degrees. On March 12th it first rose above the freezing point, but no continuous mild weather occurred until May 4th, after which date the temperature during the balance of the month frequently rose above 60 degrees. The Yukon River froze up on October 28, 1896, and broke up on May 17, 1897. In regard to the length of the day, it is a striking commentary on the vast extent of the American Republic that the sun rises on our easternmost possessions as it sets on our westernmost. In the late spring and early summer there are a few weeks when sun- rise in Eastern Maine occurs before sunset in the westernmost Aleutian Islands, distant 120° of longitude. In fact, inasmuch as the extreme northern part of Alaska is within the Arctic circle there is a short period, near the summer solstice, when there is daylight for twenty-four hours a day. It is literally the Land of the Mid- night Sun, and in summer a man can work almost as many hours a day as he likes. Labor contracts should therefore be specific on this point, for the benefit of both employer and employ^. In May, voracious flies and mosquitoes appear in frightful swarms, so thick as to look like smoke, and it is impossible to do anything without the protection of a netting mask and gloves. It is said that men have been driven to suicide by Alaskan mosquitoes. 1 2 lil remes of heat and loo and in winter ecords a tempera- ukon and reports > to £ J above 120. are generally de- summer the only 1 attains an almost the sun hovers on the transient cool- ! Burns, a miner, : pass from Dyea. :ord kept at Fort rict first touched ied in the spring d February 6th it 65 degrees below, days during the On March 12th it lous mild weather mperature during 60 degrees. The broke up on May iking commentary the sun rises on westernmost. In weeks when sun- the westernmost act, inasmuch as Arctic circle there there is daylight Land of the Mid- as many hours a ore be specific on ployd. frightful swarms, to do anything loves. It is said nosquitoes. QAME. In the following pages prospectors are frequently cautioned against depending upon the game supply of the gold country for their subsistence. The further up the Yukon one travels the scarcer becomes the food supply, until in the Klondike region and there- about it ceases almost entirely. There is practically no large game, with the exception of one or two moose and reindeer, which have become separated from the rest of the herd and wandered out there. Reindeer formerly were seen in very large numbers on the Yukon, some two or three hundred miles from where the Klondike flows into it, and a gentleman who spent two or three winters there several years ago states that he has seen a herd of at least 5,000 reindeer cross the river on the ice in one day. He also saw moose and caribou in herds of large number, but such an occur- rence is unusual. There may be a few rabbits, ducks and geese in the spring, which disappear very quickly. Lower down the Yukon, at certain seasons of the year, there is abundance of game, prob- ably from 400 to 500 miles from the Klondike River. The moose is about the largest. There are beavers on the streams and various kinds of deer, bear and caribou. In the winter months these go south and disappear almost entirely. The polar bear is found several degrees further north, never appearing in that vicinity. In the mountain streams which feed the Yukon River there are moun- tain trout of good size and flavor. Salmon are found in the Yukon. It was while salmon fishing that Cormack made his famous Klon- dike discovery. White fish are found near the Klondike, and can be caught through the ice in winter. Early in the spring water fowl, such as ducks, geese and swan, put in an appearance, but they do not tarry long. CIVIL GOVERNMENT. Civil Government of Alaska was instituted by act of Congress, approved May 17, 1884, called the Organic Act; but it is a very inadequate measure, and Alaska, although called a Territory, occu- pies an anomalous position. She has no representative in Congress, and no local legislative powers; but the government is administered by a Governor, a United States district judge, a United States marshal, a clerk of court, district attorney, collector of customs, (the former at the seat of government at Sitka) and United States Commissioners at Sitka, Juneau, FortWrangel and Unalaska; assisted by eight deputy marshals, five deputy collectors, clerks, justices of the peace, notaries public, constables and native police. 13 I II The courts consist cf the United States district court and four commissioners' courts at Sitka, Juneau, Fort Wrangel and Unalaska. There is an inadequate territorial jail at Sitka, and little "lock-ups" at Juneau and Wrar.gel, and it is practically impossible to confine malefactors long enough to mete out justice to them. The forms of legal procedure are enveloped in great uncertainty, each judge doing his best to reconcile the Organic Act of 1884, the Revised Statutes and the Code of Oregon which applies to Alaska. Across the^interpational boundary, on British soil, the situation is even worse. In the Klondike district, when the first rush took place, there was an utter absence of governmental regulation, so the miners held a meeting and established a sort of government of their own for recording claims. Dominion Surveyor Wm. Ogilvie complains sorely of the need of some kind of a court to settle the various claim disputes that are continually arising between the miners. He says that the force and virtue of miners' meetings prevailed until the mount- ed police made their appearance, after which sneaks had full swing. The morality of the Klondike would seem 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 quite re- covered, but may never have the same use of his back as of old, having received a bad cut there. His assailant is out on bail, await- ing the entrance of the judge to try him. As the police are here, there will be no lynching; it is almost a pity there will not." Mr. Ogilvie takes up the subject of liquor, saying: "The impression of the best men here, saloon men and all, is that the liquor trade should be regulated, that no one should be allowed to bring liquor in but men in business here of established reputation and having an interest in the country; and that the retail traffic should be licensed as in Eastern provinces, to men of fair character only. Now any loafer who can gather enough money to secure a few gallons and a few glasses and wants to have an idle time, sets up a saloon. It is my opinion that it is imperative that the business be brought under control at once, or it may develop phases that will be at least annoying in the future. " PUBLIC LANDS AND LAND LAWS. One of the first things that a prospector, investor or settler wants to know about Alaska is the law governing the acquisition of 14 [\ strict court and four angel and Unalaska. nd little "lock-ups" npossible to confine :hem. in great uncertainty, inic Act of 1884, the 1 applies to Alaska. 1 soil, the situation is first rush took place, lation, so the miners iment of their own 1. Ogilvie complains tie the various claim le miners. He says liled until the mount- eaks had full swing, be of a much higher ips, the presence of alutary effect. Mr. mber has quite re- his back as of old, is out on bail, await- :he police are here, :re will not." lor, saying: The and all, is that the lould be allowed to tablished reputation lat the retail traffic en of fair character money to secure a an idle time, sets up that the business be :lop phases that will AWS. investor or settler g the acquisition of titles to public lands. Owing to the anomalous position which the Territory occupies in the sisterhood of the Union, many misunder- standings and contentions have arisen, and the General Land Office at Washington has been overwhelmed with inquiries for copies of the Public Land Law. No time need be wasted in applying to the Government for copies of this law, for it is not applicable to Alaska, The laws which are applicable are these: First. — The mineral land laws of the United States. Second. — Town-site laws, which provide for the incorporation of town-sites and acquirement of title thereto from the United States Government by the town-site trustees. Third. — The laws providing for trade and manufactures, giving each qualified person 160 acres of land in a square and compact form. The coal land regulations are distinct from the mineral regula- tions of laws, and the Jurisdiction of neither coal Jaws nor public latid laws extends to Alaska, the Territory being expressly excluded by the laws themselves from their operation. The act approved May 17, 1884, providing a civil government for Alaska, has this language as io mines and mining privileges: "The laws of the United States relating to mining claims and rights incidental thereto shall, on and after the passage of this act, be in full force and effect in said district of Alaska, subject to such regulations as may be made by the Secretary of the Interior and ap- proved by the President," and "parties who have located mines or mining privileges therein, under the United States laws applicable to the public domain, or have occupied or improved or exercised acts of ownership over such claims, shall not be disturbed therein, but shall be allowed to perfect title by payment so provided for." There is still more general authority. Without the special authority, the act of July 4, 1866, says: "All valuable mineral de- posits in lands belonging to the United States, both surveyed and unsurveyed, are hereby declared to be free and open to exploration and purchase, and lands in which these are found to occupation and purchase by citizens of the United States and by those who have declared an intention to become such, under the rules prescribed by law and according to local customs or rules of miners in the several mining districts, so far as the same are applicable and not inconsist- ent with the laws of the United States." The land law of Alaska, or rather the lack of land law, has un- doubtedly served as a positive discouragement to the settlement of public lands. On June 30, 1890, the real estate held in fee in the 15 :\ •i>v Territory consisted only of twenty-one pieces, originally conferred under Russian rule, consisting of twenty small lots in Sitka and one in Kadiak; certain church properties in Sitka belonging to the resi- dent congregation of the Russian church; and fourteen mining claims and five mill-sites for which patents had been issued by the United States under its mining laws which have been extended to Alaska. Since 1890, the principal titles acquired have been of mineral lands, which are practically the only kind of real estate that it is possible to acquire in the present state of things. Those who venture to make improvements on public lands, hoping to secure legislative relief afterward, do it at their own risk; and in many cases, such as the taking of lumber, the suits resulting have pretty effectually discouraged enterprise and the development of trade out- side of furs and fish. It has been a source of repeated official com- plaint by the Governors of Alaska that a Territory hitherto exporting annually about $10,000,000, and with the immediate prospect of doubling or quadrupling that amount when the mines within the American border are developed, should be so shamefully neglected. Said a Governor of Alaska in a recent report to Congress: ** Under existing laws, no legal titles to lands, except mineral lands for mining purposes, can be secured for any process whatever. Every resident who erects a shanty to protect himself and his family from the storms of winter in this northern latitude is a trespasser and liable to be ejected by legal process. The cutting of a walking stick or the gathering of wood sufficient to boil his coffee is a breach of the law which must be ignored by the officers sworn to faithfully execute it. One who comes into the Territory to live must take his chances with every other resident, recognizing the fact that in places remote from centers, though in the midst of savage tribes, communication with the authorities is impossible, except at rare intervals; and when informed of trouble needing immediate atten- tion, the civil government lacks facilities for serving processes or affording protection so that long delays in execution constitute the rule rather than the exception." Unless Congress has made some provision since another Govern- or wrote to the following effect, it would be well for travelers to Alaska to be cautious about real estate investments. "None of the many hundred actual settlers who have built homes for them- selves in the several villages and settlements are able to obtain titles to the lots they have occupied and improved. Juneau City presents an instance where hundreds of thousands of dollars have 16 , originally conferred lots in Sitka and one )elonging to the resi- and fourteen mining id been issued by the ave been extended to ijuired have been of nd of real estate that thinijs. Those who ds, hoping to secure 1 risk; and in many ssulting have pretty opment of trade out- epeated official com- ry hitherto exporting mediate prospect of lie mines within the hamefuUy neglected, report to Congress: ixcept mineral lands ' process whatever, imself and his family itude is a trespasser cutting of a walking lis coffee is a breach 5 sworn to faithfully o live must take his g the fact that in 1st of savage tribes, ble, except at rare g immediate atten- serving processes or ution constitute the ice another Govern- i^ell for travelers to tments. " None of t homes for them- are able to obtain )ved. Juneau City ids of dollars have ! I been expended in laying out and clearing np a town site and huild- •ng upon and improving grounds to which ihe occupants have no established title and cannot have until Congress extends to the Terri- tory at least some of the provisions of the general land law." I niNING CLAinS AND TAXRS. (S,;.- itisc, l:ri|,sh Mining, koi;iil,iti.iiis, p ,,j ) Southeastern Alaska was divichnl into three recorcluur .iistricts by order of the United States District Court on February 6 ,SS8 Ihe recording for the Sitka district is done by the clerk of the court at S.tka; for the Juneau district by the United States Commis- sioner resident at Juneau, and for the Wrangell district by the United States Commissioner resident at Fort Wranj^ell. .^/// ;„i,n„x ,/ the Klondike coun- estern continent lie iast and northwest, ight line to the Artie liles in width, it em- Western States and Bay, and the placer he most productive directly in its path. )wn almost from the ists. The first min- shed about 1876 at Stikine river, but in ul change in the in- A French halfbreed uglass Island, and y been known, yet erved as a turning , The best known mine in Alaska previous to the Klondike dis- coveries was the Paris or Treadwell, on Douglass Island, 2^ miles below Juneau, which John Treadwell bought for $450 and which between 1881 and 1890, turned out over $3,000,000. The Bear's Nest mine, adjoining the Treadwell, was sold in Lon- don for $1,125,000, but owing to disagreements between the stock- holders and mining engineers it was abandoned and the plant dis- posed of to neighboring mines. Mining on the Yukon, up to a few years ago, was not a success. For the first four years, after the first excitement in 1886, few indi- viduals took out more than $2,000 for two or even three seasons of hardships. The majority of miners worked on their prospects, with a heavy account against them to the store. niNING. The Governor of Alaska, in his annual report in 1891, said that many discoveries of rich ore and placer deposits had been made within that year and scores of locations recorded in the local record- ing districts. Eleven applications for patents had been filed in the land office at Sitka and assessment work had been done on hundreds of prospectors' claims. Since then great strides have been made in mining development. All of the quartz lodes now being worked are near the coast namely: the Sheep Creek region; Salmon Creek, near Juneau; Silver Bow basin ;;Douglass Island, opposite Juneau; Fuhter Bay on Admi- rahty Island, south of Douglass Island; Silver Bay oistrict near Sitka; Berner's Bay in Lynn Canal, forty or fifty miles northwest of Juneau; Fish River district of the mouth of the Yukon, across Norton Sound; Unga Island, 1,400 miles west of Sitka, and' Lemon Creek. In the ten quartz lode districts mentioned there is an aggregate of about 525 stamps, nearly half of which belong to the Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Company on Douglass Island, said to be the largest stamp mill in the world. Placer mining is carried on in eight or more districts, namely, the Silver Bow Basin near Juneau; Sum Dum and Shuck, some dis- tance south; LatuyaBay on Cross Sound, fifty miles southwest of Juneau; \akutat, fifty miles southeast of Mount St. Elias; Kenai Peninsula, lying cast of Cook Inlet; Fish River District on Norton Sound, and the great Yukon district. ftl ,! I :i I THE KLONDIKE DISCOVERY. The honor of discovering the richest placer mines in the worl belongs to an Illinois man named George Cormack, who went t Alaska eight or ten years ago. In July, 1896, Cormack, who ha married a woman of the Stick tribe and was living with his family o Takish Lake, was devoted to catching and curing salmon, with litt idea of the great upheaval he was to cause in a few months, preparation for the annual run of fish, he had gone down the Yuko as far as the mouth of the Klondike, and where he had spread h nets. Half a mile up the river he had erected a birch covered she for the protection of his catch. Cormack expected to sell his cro the following winter, principally for dog feed, although in times c a food famine, as really occurred last winter, dried salmon become a staple article of diet for white men. At that time, before his discovery, Cormack was well-poste about the Upper Yukon. The Klondike had been known for severe years to drain a gold country, and the first five miles of it had bee indifferently prospected, but the gold hunters were generally ru out by bears. If the miners had made any encouraging finds a the outset it would have been different, but all other things bein equal, in their estimation, they concluded to try streams where th bears were not so aggressive. And it happened that there was ; reason for the bears being so bad in that particular place, as it i possibly the best stream for salmon of all the tributaries of the grea river. The fish start on their annual 'run' some two or three week after the ice goes out, usually about the beginning of July. The; come by millions. The river is turbulent with them. They crowi each other, and jump out of the water, and the Indians — and like wise the bears — come long distances to give them a welcome. A every tributary some of the salmon turn aside, but the multitud press onward at the speed of about a hundred miles a day. Befor the first of August some of them may usually be found above Whit Horse Rapids, 2,200 miles from the Delta. But to return to the Klondike — up to last summer, when Coi mack was catching his salmon, the Indians and the bears had mad a more or less harmonious division of the territory. The redskin maintain their foothold at the mouth of the river, where they tak the salmon in nets and dry them in sufficient quantities to last th whole year. Bruin adopts divers way of securing the fish, but the; are so plentiful that he gets all he wants while they last. After th salmon season his living is precarious, and he probably regards aa 5RY. ir mines in the world lormack, who went to )6, Cormack, who had k^ingwith his family on ing salmon, with little in a few months. In gone down the Yukon ere he had spread his d a birch covered shed ected to sell his crop although in times of dried salmon becomes mack was well-posted )een known for several /e miles of it had been :rs were generally run encouraging finds at all other things being try streams where the led that there was a articular place, as it is tributaries of the great me two or three weeks nning of July. They h them. They crowd the Indians — and like- them a welcome. At de, but the multitude miles a day. Before be found above White St summer, when Cor- d the bears had made ritory. The redskins river, where they take t quantities to last the ring the fish, but they i they last. After the he probably regards a stray miner now and then — or an Indian — as a dispensation of Providence. While Cormack was fishing, like many a disciple of Izaak Walton, he kept his wits and work and did a lot of thinking; and he made up his mind that as soon as the salmon season was over he would pros- pect up the Klondike. P'our weeks later he took two Indians and started up the stream. After a few miles of laborious pulling against a rapid current they turned into the first considerable trib- utary that came in from the right, called Bonanza Creek. Here conditions were favorable for prospecting, the water being shallow, and they found gold in encouraging quantities on the bars of the creek. They followed the windings of this stream for twenty or twenty-five miles before they made locations and went to work. The results were almost enough to turn the brain of a prospector who had searched for many years in the hope of finding gravel that would yield a few grains' weight of gold to the pan. Here at a depth of three feet in the low bars by the creek they found dirt that carried a dollar to the pound in coarse, ragged bits of gold. Others have since found diggings tenfold richer. Cormack was almost beside himself with excitement. If he had rubbed Aladdin's wonderful lamp he could not have been more surprised at the revelation. In three weeks he had taken out $1,400 with three sluice boxes. Remote as his discovery was, Cormack was not long to remain in sole possession of it. With the exhaustion of their few days' pro- visions, the two Indians were sent back to the village for supplies, and soon the news was bruited about. The creek was soon staked from one end to the other, and all the small gulches were also staked and recorded. About September 10, a man of the name of Whipple prospected a creek em.ptying into the Bonanza and named it Whipple Creek. He shortly afterward sold out and the miners renamed it Eldorado. The steamboat J°. B. IVeare, one of a fleet of three belonging to a Chicago company, makes three or four trips during the short summer season from St. Michael's, near the mouth of the Yukon, to Circle City and Forty Mile, the distance to the latter place being nearly 1,800 miles from St. Michael's. One of these trips of the IVeare — the first usually — is extended about 200 miles further up the river to carry supplies to Sixty Mile and Fort Selkirk, where there are trading posts. About the middle of August, 1896, when the Weare arrived at the Indian village, which is about half-way between Forty Mile and Sixty Mile, the Indians were waiting there 23 1 \ F''i f ! \ Hi; 1-. ■, to lay in their supplies. There were also several other prospectors| who had happened along, and Corirack's discovery was common talk. The stories of fortune proved a little too much for the crew of thel Weare to withstand. They deserted in a body and joined the rush to the new ^old fields. The captain, after being delayed three or four days, got an Indian crew sufficiently trained to handle the boat. When he arrived at Forty Mile on his return the reports were alluring enough to impel a hundred or more men to start at once for the new field. It soon became known that this was probably the richest placer ever known in the world. Miners took out gold so fast and so much of it that they did not have time to weigh it with gold scales. They took steelyards, and all the syrup cans were filled. The rest of the story is common fame. Forty Mile, Circle City and other localities in the neighborhood were deserted as if stricken by a plague, and everybody rushed madly for the Klondike as if fleeing from the wrath to come. It took months for the news to reach the outer world, and months more before people would believe the fabulous tales. And thus eleven months elapsed, from Cormack's first phenomenal discovery, before the country became possessed of the extraordinary excitement which stirs it at this writing (August, 1897), from ocean to ocean. Dr. C. F. Dickenson, who arrived in San Francisco July 23d from Kadiak Island, which lies opposite the entrance of Cook Inlet on the southern coast of Alaska, says that the gold excitement all over the Territory, in consequence of the Klondike discoveries, is some- thing unprecedented, and people are flocking to the Klondike in a way that threatens to depopulate many of the trading posts and the coast. "When I left Kadiak two weeks ago," said Dr. Dickensen, the people were leaving all that section of the country and flocking in the direction of the Klondike. In a way the situation is appal- ling, for many of the industries were left practically without the means of operation. Mines that are paying handsomely at Cook's Inlet have been deserted. In my opinion there are just as good placer diggings to be found at Cook's Inlet as in the Klondike region. There is not a foot of ground in all that country that does not contain gold in more or less appreciable quantities. The great trouble has been that people have not had either the courage or the opportunity; I do not know which, thoroughly to prospect the country. In think that in another month the country about 84 ;ral other prospectors ery was common talk. h for the crew of the y and joined the rush \ng delayed three or ained to handle the turn the reports were n to start at once for y the richest placer I so fast and so much h gold scales. They :d. rty Mile, Circle City Jserted as if stricken the Klondike as if ths for the news to )eople would believe sed, from Cormack's )ecame possessed of bis writing (August, Cisco July 23d from : of Cook Inlet on excitement all over liscoveries, is some- the Klondike in a ding posts and the lid Dr. Dickensen, oiintry and flocking i situation is appal- :tically without the dsomely at Cook's ; are just as good s in the Klondike that country that : quantities. The either the courage ughly to prospect :he country about } Cook's Inlet will be practically deserted. There is room there for thousands of men, and there is certainly no better place in the world for a poor man." LOCATION AND HEANING OF THE "KLONDIKE." The Klondike river, on one of the tributaries of which Cormack made h,s original strike, is a comparatively small stream, flowing southwestwardly, and emptying into the Yukon about sixty or seventy miles east of the Alaskan boundary. The whole course of the Klondike lies in British territory. The town of Dawson has sprung up at its mouth. One of the tributaries of that stream is Bonanza Creek, which discharges into the Klondike about three miles above the latter's mouth. The Eldorado, now celebrated for .ts rich deposits, is a branch of Bonanza Creek. In what is known as the Bonanza district, fully three hundred claims have been staked out. Hunter Creek is another tributary of the Klondike, and has given Its name to a district in which two hundred more claims have been staked out. Harold B. Goodrich, of Boston, Mass., who was one of a party sent by the United States Geological Survey in X896 to investigate the gold fields of Alaska, is authority for the statement that the ' name Klondike is a miner's corruption of the Indian "Thronduik " which means " water full of fish." The little river bearing the name has from time immemorial been a favorite fishing ground for the gens des Iwis, who meet at its mouih and wait for the salmon to ascend every June. The old name, Reindeer River, was given by L.eut. Frederick Schwatka in 1883, and on all the United States coast survey charts since then that have appeared. In the forth- coming Government report of the Geological Survey, the name will be spelled "Clondike." The official report of Dominion Sur- veyor William Ogilvie confirms Mr. Goodrich. He says- "The name Klondike is a mispronunciation of the Indian word or words Thron-dak or duick, which means plenty of fish, from the fact that >t IS a famous salmon stream. It is marked Tomdak on our maps." FORTUNES MADE IN A DAY. The stories of the wonderful riches made in a day in this district would be incredible if not authenticated in many ways. Here are a few of the fortunes taken out by Cormack's successors, as reported on reliable authority. While the amounts may not be accurate to a dollar, they are doubtless approximately true. as i .-, 1 [ ;\ ';l 'Si I Anderson, Henry, $65,000. Berry, Clarence, bought his partners' claims for $95,000 an cleaned up $140,000 on his winter dump alone. Brannon, C. A., $7,000. Clemens, Chas., of Los Angles, a tenderfoot without experi panned out $5,000 and sold his claim for $35,000. Clements, J. J., brought out $50,000 in June and left $12 more invested. Culbertson, E. M., of Seattle, writes from Klondike of one that washed out $150,000 in one day. Gray, Albert, $6,000. Hatterman, J. J., $12,500. Hornblower, Gec^e, of Indianapolis, aged 21, found a n\ worth $5,700; took out $100,000 in four months. Keeler, Frank, $50,000. Kelly, T. J., $33,000. Lippy, Prof. T. C. . of Seattle, has taken out $50,000 since fall and has $150,000 more in sight. His claim is value $350,000. Lord, Joe, $3,500. Loveland, C. H,, $8,500. McNulty, R., $20,000. Mercer, N., $15,000. Moffett, John R., $9,000. Moran, T., $13,000. Moss, Frank, Dubuque, la., $6,000. Myers, C. D., $6,000, Stanley, Wm., brought out $112,000 in June. Summers, Frank, a tenderfoot from Los Angles, went in winter and has sold his claim for $50,000. He found one nt worth $232. Tuttle, Capt. Francis, of revenue cutter Bear, saw a man, 30, who a year ago was a deck-hand, and who now comes Klondike with $150,000 in nuggets. Wall, , has all he wants and comes out after sellin] claim for $50,000. Wiborg, Peter, bought his partner's claim for $42,000. Jimmy McLain took out $11,000 during the winter, just in pecting the dirt. Clarence Berry and his partner, Anton Stai panned out about the same in the same manner. Mrs. Berry to go down to the dumps every day to get dirt and carry t( 26 3 claims for $95,000 and has alone. lerfoot without experience, $35,000. in June and left $125,000 rom Klondike of one claim aged 21, found a nugget months. en out $50,000 since last His claim is valued at 1 June. Los Angles, went in last •. He found one nugget er Bear, saw a man, June nd who now comes from mes out after selling his lim for $42,000, g the winter, just in pros- 5 partner, Anton Stander. lanner. Mrs. Berry used jet dirt and carry to the shanty and pan it herself. She has over $6,000 taken out in that manner. Mr. Lippin, from Seattle, has a rich claim, and his wife has a sack of nuggets worth $6,000 that she has picked up on the dumps. Four boys on a "lay" in Eldorado took out $49,000 in four months. Frank Phiscater, who owned the Grand, had some men hired and cleaned up $94,000 for the winter. Mr. Lippin cleaned up $54,000. Louis Rhodes, No. 25 Bonanza, cleaned up $40,000. One claim yielded $90,000 in forty-five feet up and down the Klondike stream. Steamer Bertha landed $20,000 worth of gold from Unga Island at San Francisco, July 22d. Steamer Weare ianded about $1,000,000 at St. Michael from the Yukon June 27th. Steamer Excelsior is expected to land in San Francisco about September sth, with between $5,000,000 and $6,000,000. Single pans of dirt in the Klondike have yielded hundreds of dol- lars. One is said to have run up to $1,500. The owner of one claim reports that his dirt paid him $250 an hour. B. W. Shaw, formerly a well-known insurance man of Seattle, has written a letter to a business man of Seattle, in which he states frankly that he does not expect to be believed. "This is a great mining strike," says Shaw, "probably the greatest on the American continent or in the world. Some of the pay streaks are nearly all gold. One thousand dollars to the pan is not an uncommon thing, and as high as 100 ounces have been taken out in a single pan. It is not unusual to see men coming in with all the gold dust they can carry." Henry Hettler, brother of (ieorge Hettler of Altoona, Pa., who disappeared mysteriously one year ago, writes from Alaska that he has found a large fortune in the Klondike. He was for- merly a member of the Allegheny City Council. OUTPUT OF GOLD FOR 1896. The output of the mines of Alaska is difficult of estimation. The vastness of the mining territory, the extremely migratory character of its population and the entire absence of reports and statistics from a great part of the smaller camps render it a very difficult matter to arrive at a statement approximating correctness except by careful study and watchful attention to every detail. The following estimate is the result of just such work, and is believed to be as nearly correct as is possible and still represent fully, yet conserv- 87 fr-ifiri-iimifl'M4