Passage: Successful mining took time and capital, particularly once most of the timber around the Klondike had been cut down. A realistic mining operation required $1,500  for wood to be burned to melt the ground, along with around $1,000  to construct a dam, $1,500  for ditches and up to $600  for sluice boxes, a total of $4,600. The attraction of the Klondike to a prospector, however, was that when gold was found, it was often highly concentrated. Some of the creeks in the Klondike were fifteen times richer in gold than those in California, and richer still than those in South Africa. In just two years, for example, $230,000  worth of gold was brought up from claim 29 on the Eldorado Creek.
For successful mining how many dollars were needed to be spent to set up the wood, the dam and the ditches? How many different expenses are required for the mining operation? How many dollars on average was spent for construction of dams and ditches by the average prospector for a mining operation in the Klondike? How many dollars would be required to buy sluice boxes and build ditches combined? How many dollars would be required to construct a dam and build ditches combined? How many more dollars did a realistic mining operation require for ditches than for sluice boxes? How many more dollars did a realistic mining operation require for ditches than to construct a dam? How many more dollars did a realistic mining operation require for wood than for sluice boxes? How many more dollars was it to construct a ditch than a dam? How many operations cost the same price? What all did a realistic mining operation require? What all is needed to be purchased to have a function mining operation? What does a minig operation require? Where was gold more prevalent? Where was the richest area for gold, Klondike, California or South Africa? Which cost more, sluice boxes or ditches? Which would cost more, constructing a dam or buying sluice boxes? Which would cost more, constructing a dam or creating ditches? Which would cost more, creating ditches or buying sluice boxes? Would the total cost of a realistic mining operation be more or less than 5000 dollars?