292 procbbdiivgs of section c. 



Dimensions, Etc., op Claims. 



The ordinary creek claims are 500 ft. in width, measured on a 

 Hne following the general course of the stream, and from rim to rim 

 at right angles to this line. " Rim rock " is the bed rock under the 

 edge of the horizontal surface of the gravel of the valley-bottom, or 

 where this gravel surface comes against the sloping rock of the side 

 of the valley. Along most of the creeks, the breadth of the top of the 

 gravel varies from about 200 to 1,000 ft. 



Difficulties in Mining. 



The difficulties in the working conditions are greatly increased, 

 owing to the ground being everywhere deeply frozen by the long and 

 severe winters, and the want of a good water supply for washing. 

 During the first two or three years, the miners thawed the earth by 

 the direct application of fires, for which the small northern trees of 

 the district supplied the fuel. As soon as a few feet had been thawed 

 in this way, the earth was shovelled out and a new fire kindled in 

 the bottom of the pit. The fires burned better and thawed more earth 

 than one might have expected under the circumstances. The process 

 was repeated till the pay streak was struck. The dirt from it was 

 placed in a separate pile and soon became refrozen. In spring, as it 

 thawed out by the heat of the sun, it was washed by different methods, 

 according to the quantity in stock. 



This method gave place to a better one, by means of the steam 

 thawer. This consists of an iron pipe, about 8 ft. in length, pierced 

 all round the lower end by a number of small holes to allow the steam 

 to escape, and plugged at the extremity with a sharp steel point. The 

 upper end of the pipe is closed by a solid steel head, which receives 

 the blows of the heavy hammers used to drive it deeply into the 

 fiozen gravel or earth. Hot steam is forced into the pipe near its 

 upper extremity through an iron tube connected with a small boiler. 

 The longer a thawer is allowed to remain forcing hot steam from one 

 centre the wider will the softening extend in all directions, and, in 

 this way, the frozen gi'ound may be tunnelled along the pay streak 

 to any distance, which was not possible by the wood fire method. 

 The pay dirt is hoisted by a hand windlass, a horse, or by steam 

 power, and dumped into elevated sluices, and water for washing is 

 pumped from the creek or brought by a flume. 



Accessibility op the Klondike. 

 When news of the discovery of a rich goldfield in the Klondike 

 district reached the outside world, there was a rush thither of placer 

 luiners from Canada and other countries, and especially from the 

 Pacific States of the American Union. In 1896 a continuous stream 

 of eager men poured in from the port of Skagway, over the present 

 route of the White Pass Railway to Whitehorse Rapids at the head 

 of navigation on the Lewes River, the main upper branch of the 

 Yukon. Now, the White Pass Railway from Skagway to Whitehorse, 

 a distance of 90 miles, makes travelling easy between these points, 

 and more than a dozen fine stern-wheeled steamers are running on 



