All about the Klondyke gold minesKnox, J. Armoy (John Armoy)
History
All about the Klondyke gold mines
Knox, J. Armoy (John Armoy)
Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries
It is a country in which it is very hard to find food, as there is
practically no game. Before the whites went into the region there were
not more than 300 natives. They had hard work to support themselves on
account of the scarcity of game.
The thermometer sometimes goes down to 68 degrees below zero in January
and February. The cold, however, is not so intense as may be imagined,
and 68 degrees there could not be compared with the same here. The dress
is mostly of furs in the Winter, that used by the natives, and unless
there is a sharp wind blowing one may keep fairly comfortable.
After this there is scarcely a let up before the middle of the
following March. Just before reaching Lake Linderman the famous Chilcoot
Pass is encountered, and woe to the traveller who is caught in one of
the snow storms, which spring up with the suddenness of an April shower
and rage for days. They are frozen simoons. Nature has provided at the
pass a protection against these terrific outbreaks in the shape of an
immense overhanging rock. At the top of the pass it was the custom in
former years for the Indians to corral the wild sheep and goats, which
were to be found in large numbers in all the surrounding mountains. The
species now is practically extinct.
This route, by the way of Juneau, is a fine trip of 1,000 miles or so.
For an individual it is more costly, but for a party it is cheaper.
At the head of Lake Linderman is a saw mill, where prospectors are
permitted to prepare the lumber for the boats necessary to complete the
journey to the camp.
This work generally consumes five or six days, but if the prospector is
in a hurry he can purchase a boat, the average price being $80. Then he
floats on and on for hundreds of miles and finally reaches the gold and
the miners and the Arctic circle.
CAPITAL REQUIRED BY MINERS.
SOME THINGS INDISPENSABLE IN AN OUTFIT.
Mr. William Van Stooten, the mining engineer and metallurgist, gives his
views in the New York Herald as to the necessary outfit required by
miners contemplating a trip to the Klondyke diggings. He says:
"I should place the minimum amount at $600. It would not be safe to
start out with less. But you had better make it a thousand if possible,
for with the present rush it is likely that prices will be trebled or
even quadrupled. Even the Indians will charge more for their assistance.
Still, if a man is stranded on the way he will probably find it easy to
make a living almost anywhere in the gold bearing portion of the Yukon
basin. He can earn $10 or $15 a day digging the ground for men with good
claims. And with the rise in prices these wages may also go up. Bear in
mind, however, that the price of living must increase in proportion."
"What would you consider the proper outfit for a miner in starting out?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account