KLONDYKE CLAIMS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6028, 16 November 1897, Page 4

KLONDYKE CLAIMS.

HOW THEY ARE WORKED. Dr William H. Dall, one of the curators of the National Museum, is familiar with the region of country in which the Klondyke goldfields are located, through having been on several geological expeditions to the region in Alaska, adjoining the gold district, and says that, in his opinion, the reports from there are not exaggerated. In an interview with a representative of the Victoria Daily Times, on Oct. 16, he said: — " When I was there I did not find gold, but knew of it being taken out in profitable quantities for fifteen years or more. It was discovered there in 186(5. In ISSO, when I was up in that country, my last trip having 1 been made two years ago, tbe first party of prospectors who made "the mining a profit -started out. The gold is found on the various tributaries of the Yukon, and I have ..been within a comparatively short distance of the Kloudyke fields. I made one trip to Circle City, just over the boundary of Canada. The goldbearingbelt of north-western America contains"^ all . .the . ' gold-fields extending into British Columbia, what is known as the North-west Territory, and Alaska. The Yukon really runs along in that belt for 500 or 600 miles. The bed of the main river is in the lowland of the valley. The yellow metal is not found in paying quantities in the main river, but in the small streams which cut through the mountains on either side. These practically wash out the gold. The mud and mineral matter is carried into the main river, while the gold is left on the rough bottoms of those side streams. In most cases the gold lies at the bottom of thick gravel deposits. The gold is covered by frozen gravel in the winter. During the summer, until the snow is all melted, the surface is covered by muddy torrents. When the snow is all melted and the springs begin to freeze, the streams dry up. At the approach of winter, in order to get at the gold, the minors find it nece3saiy to dig into the gravel formation. Formerly they stripped the gravel off until they came to the gold. Now they sink a shaft to the bottom of the gravel, and tunnel along underneath in the goldbearing layer. The way in which this is clone is interesting, as it has to be carried on in cold weather when everything is frozen. The miners build fires over the area Avhich they wish to work, and keep these lighted over that territory for the space of twenty-four 1 hours. Then at the expiration of this period the gravel will be melted and softened to a depth of perhaps six inches. This is taken off and another fire built until the gold-bearing layer is reached. When the shaft is down that far tho fires are built at the bottom, against the sides of the layer and tunnels made in this manner Blasting would do no good, on account of the hard nature of the material, and would blow out just as out of a gun. The matter taken out containing the gold is piled up until spring, when the torrents come down, and it is panned and cradled by these. It is cerr tainly very hard labour."