Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1901. LAND OF GOLD AND ICE.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 15 March 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1901. LAND OF GOLD AND ICE.

At one time, and that not bo many years ago, news from Klondyke wms eagerly looked for. Now, however, excepting a few solitary scraps, but little is heard of this gold held of which it was at one time said the yellow metal would be so plentiful as to absolutely endanger the value of golden coin a a medium of commerce. Great expectations, however, have not been realised. Nevertheless sufficient gold is being obtained in that frozen locality to command attention. Occasionally letters from the far north are welcome, especially so when they are written by persons who were formerly well known in the district. Such a letter Mr. Charles Humphrey has received from his son who has for the past three or four years been gold raining in that land of ice and snow. Writing from Bonanza, Yukon Territory, on Christinas Day Mr, Humphrey’s, after regretting at being still . unable to return to New Zealand, says; J—“ This is Christmas Day, and it is ? extremely cold weather. In our claim in which we have sunk 112 feet and expect to go 17 feet more before bottoming we have had to contend with great difficulties, the sinking costing £1 per foot. In the claim adjoining us as much as 87 ounces of gold was got with a cradle in two days. It is considered that our claim will give £1 worth of gold per square foot, and cost of working same will be seven shillings. We are paying 3/6 per hour to w 7 ages men who work ten hours per day, and thus make 35/- per day per man. Most of the claims here worked ten hours per day with seven days in the week.” Writing a fortnight afterwards the same writer says : —“ We have reached the bottom, but did not get anything great, but still we have payable ground although it is a bit patchy. The whole of the ground pays to work so its costs nothing to look for the good spots which ; often yield as high as an ounce to the : dish, but it is good ground that wjll go a dwt or dwt and half to the dish. There is usually about three feet of payable dirt and sometimes as high as six feet. Very little timber is needed on account of the frozen state of the ground. We were compelled to sell one-quarter interest in the claim in order to get better machinery. We got 6000 dollars, about £1,150, for the ■ interest with which we will buy a twenty-five horse power engine and other things for the better working of the mine. We expect to take out a fjw thousand next spring.”