1902.] on Gold Mining in Klondike. 11 



gold above their lutersectiun witii the White Channel the metal must 

 have been derived from quartz veins in the schists. 



In one instance I found direct evidence bearing on this question. 

 In Victoria Gulch, a streamlet which descends into El Dorado Creek 

 on its left bank high up the valley, have been found small flat 

 crystals of gold of peculiar shape known as " spinel twins." In 

 visiting a quartz vein at the head of Victoria Gulch (near the sum- 

 mit of the divide between El Dorado and Bonanza creeks), which 

 had been lately opened and found to contain visible gold, I noticed 

 precisely similar crystals. Here, at any rate, there can be little 

 doubt that the gold in the creek has been derived from quartz veins 

 in the schist. 



No crushing has yet been carried on in Klondike ; the gold has 

 been entirely won by washing the gravels. 



The chief difficulties of Klondike mining are duo to the per- 

 manently frozen ground, which has led to certain peculiarities in the 

 methods adopted. Every yard of gravel which is sluiced must first 

 be thawed, either by artificial means or by exposing it to the rays of 

 the summer sun after stripping off the overlying muck : for it is im- 

 possible to work the frozen ground with pick or spade, or even with 

 dynamite. 



Until recently shafts were sunk or tunnels were driven by 

 laboriously thawing the ground with hot stones or wood fires ; and 

 I saw both methods in operation during my visit. The latter pro- 

 cess — fire-setting, as it is called — is, in fact, quite frequent. A layer 

 of dry wood is piled up against the face of the gravel, blanketed 

 behind by a layer of green wood, ignited, and allowed to burn itself 

 out ; twelve hours of burning would thaw out little more than one 

 foot in depth ; and the process is then repeated. 



Upon the larger properties this method has been entirely re- 

 placed by " steam-thawing." In this four to six-foot lengths of iron 

 piping, tipped with steel nozzles, are inserted into the gravel, and 

 steam is forced through them at a pressure of about \ 20 lb. These 

 pipes are known as " points " ; one point is inserted to about each 

 square yard, and is driven in gradually by taps from a hammer ; 

 each point will thaw from two to five cubic yards of gravel. As 

 contrasted with fire-setting, the steam-thawing obviates the suffocating 

 fumes of burning wood, or the danger of thawing the frozen roof in 

 underground workings. 



A recent innovation which I saw coming into operation was 

 thawing with water by means of the pulsometer pump, which seems 

 to be economical since the water can be used over and over again ; 

 this process seems likely to come into more general use. 



The gravel is raised from the shaft in buckets by windlass or 

 steam-hoist, and in winter is dumped on to heaps for summer work, 

 or in summer may be emptied straight into the sluice-boxes. 



Much ingenuity has been exercised in the construction of self- 

 dumping hoists, in which, by a single rope, the bucket is raised from 



