The Klondike Goldfield.

Hastings Standard, Issue 401, 17 August 1897, Page 3

The Klondike Goldfield.

AN OFFICIAL REPORT. It appears that the Dominion Government published a short time ago a report drawn up by Mr Win. Ogilvia, Official Surveyor at Klondyke. and giving the latest reliable information upon the subject. " The name Klondyke," says MrOgilvie, "is a mispronunciation of the Indian words Thron-dak or duick, which means plenty of iish, from the fact that it is a famous salmon stream. It is marked Tondaek on our maps. It joins the Yukon from the east a few miles above the site of Fort Reliance, about 50 miles above Forty Mile. That rich placer mines of gold were discovered in the branches of thistre im, I believe was due to reports of Indians. A white man named G. W. Carmack was the first to take advantage of the rumors and locate a claim on the first branch, which was nairu d by the miners Bonanza Creek. Carmack located here late in August, but had to cut some logs for the mill here to get a few pounds of provisions to enable him to begin work on his claim, the fishing at Klondyke having totally fulled him. lie returned with a few wee ks' provisions for himself, his wife and brother-in-law (Indians), and another Indian in the last clays of August, and immediately set about working his claim.* As he was very short of appliances, he could only put together a rather defective apparatus to wash the gravel with. The gravel itself he had to carry in a box on his back from 80ft to" 100 ft. Notwithstanding this the three men, working very irregularly, washed out 1200dols (£450) in eight days, aatl Carmack asserts with reason that had he proper facilities it coukl have been done in two days, besides- haviug several hundred dollars more gold, which was lost on the tailings through defective apparatus."

THE RUSH TO BONANZA CREEK.

"When the reputation of Bonanza Creek was fully established a regular rush took place from the whole Forty Mile district. " The town was almost deserted; men who had been in a chronic state of drunkenness for weeks were pitched into boats as ballast and taken to stake themselves a claim, and claims were staked by men for their friends who were not in the country at the time. As may be imagined, this led to much confusion and trouble, but the miners at last helu a meeting and appointed oue of themselves to measure off claims and register the owners' names. Of the real value of the find, the report declares that the extent of the gold-bearing section on the Klondyke is sufficient for 1000 claims of 5000 teet in length, while good pay has been found all along a farge creek, called Indian Creek, which joins the Yukon midway between Klondyke and Stewart Rivers and promises to yield another 500 or 600 claims. The Stewart River itself further to the south has also been partiallv prospected with good indications. A quartz lode has been found about 19 miles from the Yukon River, which is said to yield lOOdols to the ton, and be from three to eight feet in thickness, while good quart:', is also reported in the hills around Bananza Creek. " It is beyond a doubt," says Mr Ogilvie, "that three pans of different claims on El Dorado (a creek in the Klondyke Valley) turned out 201dols. 212d015, and 216d015. but it must be borne in mind that there were only three pans, though there are many running from lOdols to 50d015." EXCITEMENT IX THE UNITED STATES. Scatte, on Puget Sound, has been completely demoralised by the reports thai , have rer.ched it from Yukon. Foe forty-eight hours the telegraph

offices were thronged by people s i ling messages to Eastern friend.- is; !:«>.•<• of obtaining money to t::ko them to the new camp. Those who have the money, and get away, are Ica\ing in hot haste, while the well-to-do who ran not leave are hi veiling their substance in the out tit of men who are too poor to get there themselves. The whole, district is bitten with the gold fever, auu trade is being disorganised by the exodus of employers and employed. The neighbouring town, Port Townsend, is also rapidly losing able-bodied men, and the Puget iSound Tugboat Company alike its masters and its deck-hands, and the latter numbers amongst its contingent to the stampede men who were earning 250d01s a month. Juneau was alleged to have been literally depopulated, but later accounts slightly modified the original statement. In San Francisco the city is said to be talking nothing but Klondyke, " the depots of information are beseiged, while thousands devour every line in the paper about the wonderful icy land. Hundreds want to go. A good many of these can raise the money to go and will go. Their sadness may come later, lint their isan army of others whocould not raise SOOdols for a trip to Heaven —and they are getting their sadness now." Lady doctors are reported to be contemplating the establishment of sanatoriums in the Yukon district, and other ladies .are showing signs of the fever by a desire to send their husbands there. The delirium is even extending to New York, where men with lOOOdols are being advertised for to join prospecting parties. This excitement is natural after the reports which have been published, but the wild enthusiasm is leading men to ignore the terrible hardships that have to be faced and the absolute necessity of taking ample stores and provisions with them.