104 



The White Channel gravels were probably deposited 

 by winding streams with easy grades and comparatively 

 slack currents. The predominance of vein-quartz pebbles 

 and boulders, the most resistant rock in the district, gives 

 them the character of a residual deposit. They were built 

 up slowly, and in the long process the softer rocks were 

 mostly destroyed and carried away. The age of these 

 deposits has not been determined, but they must have 

 been formed at least as early as the Pliocene. 



The gold of the Klondike placer deposits varies greatly 

 in fineness, not only on different creeks but also along 

 different portions of the same creek, due to its being in all 

 cases alloyed with silver in varying proportions. The 

 lowest grade gold in the camp has a value of about $12.50 

 per ounce, and some of the gold obtained from Upper 

 Hunker creek has exceeded $17.50 per ounce. 



The variation in the fineness of the placer gold appears 

 to depend mainly on original differences in the vein gold 

 from which it was derived. Creeks draining certain areas 

 in the district carry low grade gold, while other areas supply 

 high grade. While the fineness of the placer gold is thus 

 supposed to conform n a general way with that of the 

 original vein gold, some changes are evidently produced by 

 the leaching out of a portion of the silver contents 



Placer Mining Operations. 



General. — In a few localities, as on Quartz creek, along 

 the lower portion of Sulphur creek, and on a few outlying 

 creeks, private parties are working their properties with 

 small outfits, and there, the old-time methods, formerly so 

 extensively employed are still to be seen. Throughout the 

 greater part of the district, however, the placer deposits 

 are owned and operated by large companies or corporations 

 who work their holdings on an extensive scale. The larger 

 companies are the Yukon Gold Company, Boyle's Con- 

 cession Limited, and a company controlled by Mr. A. N. 

 C. Treadgold. These companies control the bulk of the 

 placer property in Klondike district, and in attempting to 

 give a general description of the placer mining operations 

 in Klondike district, possibly the best and simplest manner 

 of so doing will be to describe briefly the installation and 

 work of each of these companies. 



