PROSPECTING WITH A GAS BOAT IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
By “Bill Baranoff.*’
Why is there not more prospecting done in this neck of the woods? That’s
what I would like to know—where conditions are so good, compared to other
mining countries.
The climate in summer, with the exception of one or two seasons, has been
ideal,—long days not too hot or too cold. And according to the records of those
that have half worked, the pay has been away beyond any ordinary labor, for
those that have stuck to it.
What 1 could never understand is why such a large number of men work
hard every month and “blow themselves” every month as regular as clock
work, instead of getting an outfit and striking out for themselves. Even if
they never fmd anything, they would have more genuine pleasure in life than
the way they are spending it now. It only takes about three months pay to
furnish the cost of an outfit.
Most people who are not familiar with this country imagine that it requires
a barrel of money to prospect, but I know from actual experience that this is a
mistake. What does it cost for a good, strong flat bottom boat decked over
about one-third back from the bow (to keep stuff dry) fitted with a small mast
in the bow, with a sail not too large? Well, it will cost from $50.00 to $150.00,
according to whether you buy second-hand or have it made. The boat should
be from 18 to 22 feet long, 5 or 6 foot beam, and you should have a small en
gine fitted well aft, say 2V- or 3-liorse power.
What will that cost? Well, about $60.00—ready to run about $80.00. Now
you have your mode of travel. The next thing you want to think about is to
keep dry while you are in your boat and do it cheaply. Take the boom on your
mast and raise it about three feet then lash the after end to the stern of the boat
over the engine. Then take a large piece of heavy canvas and stretch over the
whole thing, and tie down to the sides of your boat and there you have a pretty
good covering. I have slept under similar ones tor many nights. The next
thing vou must think of is some way to keep warm and cook a lunch on your boat
if necessary. Get a two-burner oil stove and an oil heater for the boat, and a
small sheet iron stove for permanent camp. Now you have a complete outfit to
travel in and keep warm and dry. Of course you .can take what you feel like
in the way of prospecting tools, guns and fishing tackle, but my advice is take
as little as you can of things that you do not need. There are lots of prospec
tors here in this country who get along on half what I have mentioned. Perhaps
you could do the same, but I am telling you of an outfit that you can take that
will furnish you some comforts. When you have the wind you can sail; if no
wind, use your engine; if neither wind or gasoline, take the oars, and you can
still travel—but don’t travel all the while—take your time, and when you strike
n country that looks likely, stick to it until you are satisfied that you have
looked it over thoroughly. Naturally, you will want some grub along and the
first thing to determine is what to take, l win nave to leave mat to yuu xui
you can invest as heavily as you wish, down to practically nothing. I will tell
you what I took for a four months’ trip at a cost of $20: Milk, flour, one box
pilot, bread, bacon, lard, sugar, salt, pepper, coffee, tobacco and a half gallon of
booze. There are no snakes in this country, so I took the booze for clain poison
(half pint of warm lard and all the booze you can drink). I have been here a
long time and never have had to use the remedy yet, but it is well to be pre
pared. In getting up my grub 1 just got the rough stuff and calculated on rustl
ing the rest of it, which 1 did for four months, and lived like a fighting cock
-■md brought back enough to last me a couple of weeks in the cabin. Also brught
sback some salt fish and dried venison which 1 could have traded for grub that
would have lasted for some time longer. I found some quartz float and sold it,
also some curios to sell the tourists. 1 did a little work with my gas boat and I
if I had wanted to I could have hustled enough so that 1 could stay out the!
year round. You can hustle bear, deer, goats, ducks, geese, grouse, clams, mus
sels, crabs and fish of all kinds. Berries you will find in plenty, also roots. Say,
boys, I had some meals on young game that were fit for a king, and I can truth
fulv say that 1 was never more healthy and strong, and I enjoyed myself im
mensely. One should have a small dog along to give him warning when there
are bears near, for if you run onto an old bear with young she will certainly do
some boxing to your sorrow, but if you make any kind of noise to let them know
vou are around, they will give you lots of room. There are times when you are
going up a brook and the wind is coming down, that the brook makes a lot of
racket, the bear can neither hear or smell you and you are liable to be on top
of him before he sees you. Here is where your dog will give you warning if he
is any good. It has been my experience that bears will never tackle you un
less you come suddenly on them and they think they are cornered or they have
young. I have been days at a time in the woods without either gun or dog, but
I took the precaution to hammer on my gold pan to let any stray bear know
that I was around and I have never met one while taking this precaution. I
have hunted bear in this country and have got so close to them that I wished
I was a little farther away. Last fall I shot one so close that the powder burn
ed the hair on his neck as I killed it with a shot from a 45 smokeless, but that
was by using hours of patience and tracking him to where I had him cornered
in between some rocks, when he jumped out it startled me and I stumbled and
fell_that is how he got so close to me. I have heard some wildcat stories about
Indians bothering you when out prospecting, but they are like the bears, leave j
them alone and they will leave you alone. There are some of the old school In
dians that are a little jealous of their hunting grounds—as they should be, for
that is their all. When you strike them they will tell you to move and if they
insist, why move; but I always talked to them in a way so that I stayed along
until I got around to go. When they found I was prospecting instead of hunt
ing or trapping, I have been treated pretty good by them. One thing I can
say is that I never had them steal anything from me, which is more than I
'Can say of some white men. When a man starts to prospect in this country he
should have geological reports, maps and charts so that he will know where he
is at and where he is going, so that he will not be looking for gold in a coal
bearing rock.
Places that the government reccommends to prospect in and says tjjere is
every indication that something will be found %re Berners Bay district, the west
side of Chicagoff and Baranoff islands, north of Icy Straits; from Taku Harbor
south along the coast and back of the coast; Lemon creek, Salmon creek, Bould
er ^creek and several others in the Juneau district.
For my four months’ prospecting I did not find anything very rich but I
• am offered $1,000 for an interest in what I did find.
Juneau was given life by prospectors finding a $30,000 pocket and I firmly
I. believe there are others. I sold a piece of float as big as my hand last year for
V&18.60 and next year I am going to try and find where it came from.
In conclusion, if anyone takes a notion to go prospecting after reading
These few lines and even if they go out and don’t find anything they will have
the honor of trying to help Southeastern Alaska rather than “staying broke”
and doing nothing for themselves or anyone else. Most of the gold mines that
have been found in this district and sold by prospectors have been stock jobbed
to death or are in litigation. This has hurt the prospector’s business and also
sa good country.
I am going to keep on prospecting, for I like the life and the different scenes
and if I never find anything more I can throw my head and shoulders back, talk
rock and pay gravel and be proud that I am an Alaska prospector.
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