BURDENSOME REGULATIONS
How the American Yukon is Hindered in Development
By Needless Custom Houses.
From “Methods and Costs of Gravel and Placer Mining in Alaska/’ by Chester Wells
Purington, of the U. S. Geological Survey. 1905.
Difficulties of u peculiar nature are
experienced by the placer miners of in
terior Alaska owing to the configuration
of the international boundary between
the Territory of Alaska and the British
possessions. The town of Dawson, being
the largest settlement of the interior, is
naturally the point where mining sup
plies are most easily and quickly ob
tained by the placer miners of the
neighboring American camps of Birch
Creek and Foitymile, the Rampart dis
trict, and others of the Yukon and
Tanana. During the season of l‘.H)4 the
rapid and to a certain extent justifiable
development of the town of Fairbanks,
on the Tanana river, gave promise that
this settlement would eventually become
as well equipped to supply the needs of
the Tanana miners as is Dawson. The
American Yukon camps must, however,
for a considerable number of years be
locally dependent on Dawson as a
source of supplies.
Theoretically the miners are supposed
to buy their mining supplies and ma
chinery either at points in the United
States or at towns on the Yukon in
American territory. Such supplies, of
course, if shipped down the Yukon,
come through the Canadian territory in
bond free of duty. In practice, how
ever, owing to the necessity of obtaining
supplies quickly, purchases are made in
Dawson, and unless the supplies can be
proved to lie returned American goods
the American miner must pay uuues in
the United States custom house at Engle
according to the rates given in the fol
lowing list. Frequently duties must be
paid even on supplies made ill the United
States and returned, since there is no
manufacturer's mark by which the cus
toms ins|>ector can identify them. This
especially applies* to such important
mining supplies as small parts of Isiilers.
tubes, pip-, pipe fittings, elisors. T’s.
unions, grate bars, sledges, drill steel,
picks, shovels, pump plungers, buckets,
valves, small car wheels, strap iron,
rails, bar and n*| iron, and small cast
ings. Even larger pieces, such as parts
of hydraulic giants, are frequently un
stamp'd. These supplies, kept for sale
by the machinery firms of Ihtwaon, fre
quently |>ay customs duties U>th to
t'unada and the United Stales tadore
reaching the Alaska camps l*aw«..n is
fris|i»ently sought by the American
miners in tire inn 1st of tin- short season
for tb« purpose of replies to varnara
mining machinery. it taring the only
plaia* accessible on the A nkoii a lu re
machine shops •tl>l. It may raaily le
seen hon tsirdensome »n the miner ie
the Imp s ng <4 a duty on hia machinery
! which lie brings hack into American
territory after repairs, and on which lie
must pay a duty because it has been
improved or changed in foreign terri
tory.
Below are given the United States cus
toms duties on small mining supplies:
Boilers and engines, first and second
hand, 45 per cent, ad valorem.
Points (steam), sluice forks, picks,
shovels, axes, 45 per cent, ad valorem.
Sledges, I'a cent per pound.
Drill steel, 4.7 cents per pound.
Hydraulic hose, 20 cents per pound.
Cast pi|HL, 4.7 cents j>er pound.
Hydraulic pipe, 2 cents per pound.
Gas pipe, 55 per cent, ad valorem.
liubber hose, 50 per cent, ad valorem.
Coke, 25 ]>er cent, ad valorem.
Bituminous coal, (17 cents J>er ton.
Dynamite, (1 cents per pound.
Black powder, 6 cents per pound.
Caps, |2.20 ]>er thousand.
Fuse, 45 jkt cent, ad valorem.
Candles, 25 per cent, ad valorem.
Nails, wire, 'acent jier pound ; wrought
iron, 2.1-* cents per pound.
Steel rails, 7-20ths cent )>er pound.
Wire cable, 1 cent per pound and 40
per cent, ad valorem.
Centrifugal pumps, 45 j>er cent, ad
valorem.
Sawed lumber, $2 i>er thousand and
50 cents for each side dressed.
Wheelbarrows, iron, 45 per cent, ad
valorem.
iv<*jk t i it'iu j»i*r jmiuiiu.
Self-dum ping carriers, 4.') [>er cent, ad
valorem.
Asphalt coating, $d per ton.
Hydraulic giants, 45 per cent, ad va
lorem.
Lubricating oils, 25 i>cr cent, ad va
lorem.
Copper plates, 2’i cents jier pound.
Cement, H cents ;ier 100 pounds.
Quicksilver, 7 cents per pound.
Iron castings, K-10ths cent per pound;
if ground anil fitted, 45 ]ht cent, ad va
lorem.
It should Is- stated that there is a
duty on all horses, cattle, sheep and
•logs entering Alaska. [ Horses, value
1150 or less, $:!0 jsr head; over $150, 25
|s-r cent, ad valorem. Dogs, 20 per cent,
ad valorem; cattle, $2 |s-r head, under
1 year old; others, 27'» |ht cent, ad
valorem.] Thus a dog team coming
don n river from Ihiwson in the winter
is dutiable.
During the season of HUM a I'nited
States customs ins|«s*tor MTI>ni)*inie‘I
the Yukon steamers from I hi w son with
shipments from that |s>int !•» KairUutks,
in order to obviate the long delays w loch
had previously Is-en necessary for ap
praisement at f’agle.
Owing to the ev|s>rt duly on gold
which is charged hy the Canatlian gov
ernment, some dirtieultie* have liren ex
perienced hy Americans who bring gold
mined in \tasks territory through Can
a<ltan territory, via lh*w*on, en route I •
the United States. The Canadian gov
ernment naturally assumes that all gold
found on south-hound passengers leav
ing Canadian territory at White Pass
has been mined in Canada. Such gold
is therefore liable to confiscation by the
officers in charge of collection of royalty
unless the hearer is provided with a
properly ratified certificate stating that
the gold is of foreign production. Amer
ican miners should obtain such a certifi
cate at Eagle from the United States
authorities (fee, 10 cents) and have the
same ratified at Dawson by the Canadian
police (fee, 50 cents for gold from 1 to
25 ounces, $1 for 25 ounces and upward).
All individuals leaving Yukon territory
for United States territory are strictly
searched for gold.
The regulations in regard to boats
coming down the Yukon into United
States territory must also be taken into
consideration. Xo boat or scow, not a
regular carrier, can, for example, make
the journey from Dawson to Circle, car
rying over five tons of freight. This is
especially burdensome on settlers who
wish to outfit at Dawson and float their
goods down the Yukon. The situation,
owing to the conditions, is undoubtedly
a burden of extra expense on the miner,
but is unavoidable, and must be reck
oned with in any estimate of expenses
attending the prosecution of placer
mining in the Alaska interior.
The Earth
Out of Place
Edmund Scribner Stevens, Ph. I>.,
; “great Bible scholar and chronologist,”
| ns his card puts it, now of Washington
city, formerly of Lebanon, Ind., predicts
more disastrous earthquakes and the
end of the world. Following is the ex
planation he gives:
“The earth is out of place or upright
|H>sition. It is gradually resuming it.
Whenever there is an accelerated or
faster motion, in that period earth
quakes occur.
“We are now in one of those periods,
which will extend front the time of the
eruption of Mount Pelee to 1!>15. An
other will last from ltr.’.t to 1!>4»’>; another
from l'.Hlo to 2000 A. 1>.
“In 1082 the earthquakes will lie of
such extent that all the cities of all na
tions will fall. From 2U'»o to 2141 A. I>.
the earth will Is- in continual |s-rtnrl>a
tion, and in the latter year will settle to
its upright position. This will bring in
tlie new lieaven and the tie* earth.”
Stevens says that after the biblical
than! the earth slipped a quarter of the
way around on its axis, and that it is
mis regaining its normal position. He
points with glee to the fact that when
explorers go searching lor the north pole
in the arvlie regions they are really on
the trail o| the aetnal equator, and that
it would not he tin- north pole even il
they found it. •
lie say* that every once in a while
The
Miners Store
Just received a full and complete
line of
Men’s Furnishing
Goods.
SPECIALTIES:
Underwear,
Overshirts,
Socks
Also a complete line of
Eggs, Potatoes
Groceries
and Onions
(I nr vm I one of *l’osc People whoV
AmL T UU seldom write home? \
They will know you are all right if you I
send them the YUKON VALLEY NEWS. I
Mail yours or let us send one weekly.^
some cause sends the earth about more
rapidly than usual and earthquakes re
sult. In his own words:
“The exorteric principle is that when
ever the velocity of the terraqueous ob
late spheroid which we inhabit becomes
excessively accelerated in its paracentric
deviation from its accustomed orbit,
and the momentum of its revolutions
through the • atmosphere increases in
corresponding ratio, these extraordinary
conditions combine to produce tremen
dous subterranean concussions, which
necessarily execute much desolation on
the surface:”
EXPLORATIONS
IN PALESTINE
The excavations of the ancient city o*
< lexer, mentioned Isitb in early sacred
and profane hsstorv, living carried on
by the Palestine Exploration Fund for
the last three years, have developed
numerous vastly im|M>rtant finds, ac
cording to advices from Jerusalem pub
lished in the S-ptemlier number of the
biblical World, issued from the I'niver
sity of Chicago recently.
Eight cities have liven found and par
tially uncovered, and at least two of
them a nits late t lexer, the oldest men
tiontsl city, at least a thousand year*.
Records have tieen recovered far oltler
than the liakrd clay tablets of Syria, yrl
disclosing a langtiare perfection opening
at once a vista of ih-ad and forgotten
civilisations of which I lexer was tail a
to.-h r n HHvrsmr—are I a not wry bril
liant one