Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE YUKON ADVENTURE 163business that were highly unpleasant to contemplate. Theproblem was solved during one of the above-mentioned thirstexpeditions by a chance meeting with an Austrian graduate ofthe School of Mines, Vienna, who was just then looking forwork. He was brought over to the office, and with a fewsigns and a little French (he spoke only a few words of English)the difficulty was explained. He looked at the conglomeratemass and at the furnace, both outside and in, then with a grintook a cold chisel and mallet and enlarged the draught byknocking out a few bricks. The bank's officers were quitecompetent as assayers, but their schooling had not includedfurnace construction, and they had worked from the plans only.Their first melt was poured in short order, and "Jorish" (forthat was the only name he ever got) was enthusiasticallyengaged as melting assistant at fifteen dollars a day. As thiswas the wage for pick-and-shovel men on the creeks the bargainwas a good one for the bank, and in addition it enabledone of the assayers, turn about, to be relieved occasionally foroffice work. Jorish stayed a month or two with the bank andthen left for the mines. His departure was eagerly seizedupon by the manager to write the delicate insinuation to headoffice that "we have lost the most highly paid official of theDawson branch by the resignation of the man employed asstoker for our melting furnace." As will be seen later on, theinference in this would not bear analysis.From this time on no further difficulties were encounteredeither in melting or assaying, and it is most gratifying to be ableto record that the assays of over $2,300,000 of gold purchasedand shipped during the first season accorded almost preciselywith those of the United States Mint and the Selby SmeltingCompany in San Francisco and Seattle, the infinitesimal variationsin the results being accounted for by the lack of distilledwater, and the poorer quality of the heat in the bank's furnace.In the exceedingly trying conditions under which the workwas done, the exactness of these assays fulfilled the best hopesof the bank's staff.From the first moment of contact with the