The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-01-21
THE MINES OF ALASKA.
THE LARGEST STAMP-MiUL m THE
WORLD IN ACTIVE OPERATION.
Richness OF the Country Already Dis
covered-A Fascinating Field for
Prospsctors-Narble and Coal
Well as Gold.
ic!ar.es Halock in Pioneer Press


The larScst stamp mill in the world is
now in active operation Douglas island
opposite juneau, and Is turning out 500
90 bullion per month. II carries 100
stamps, .tui works the whole year round
The ore comes right out OF the side of the
mountain, which rises abruptly from the
ocean, and i shot down an inclined plane to
the stamp mill. where IL is treated and
vessels drawing twenty feet OF water can
lie right alongside tine rocks of the natural
sho:e AID receive their freight not hun
dred yards from the mill. The primitive
forest clothes the slopes OF the mountain
from base 10 summit, and fuel is all around
III intimate proximity. No plant OF such
value ws- ever erected or operated at so
cheap cost. 1t is said the outlay was
$1,000, coo, and that SIG, OOo, 600 has been re-
fuSe,! for tho property. 1t is low-grade
ore, yielding s. to 500 per ton of quartz
No stock is Tor sale.
OTHER RICH CLAIMS
Right alongside OF this mine, in continual
ton of the same ledge or formation, is the
'Treadw-ll claim, owned largely by San
Francisco parties, which is supposed to be
equally rich i'll ore It's shares are at
very high premium, although the mine is
not developed Next year machinery will
the Douglas plant.
On tie mainland, just across the channel
from Douglas island, and six miles back
from the shore, in the heart OF the mount
aims, Is Silver Bow Basin" whore there are
stores, blacksmith shops, boarding-houSes
and teneInents for a large community en-
gagged in placer mining, who turn
out $4,000 bullion every month from May
to October. The altitude Is so high that the
winters are very long. Tho lower mountains,
however, are ordinarily clear enough of
sno" for prospecting in April Here are
scores OF sluices, expensive viaductS and
hydraulic apparatus, "rasters,n hose, pans
and iron conduits ten inches in diameter, in
place, ali over the basin and up the sides of
the enclosing mountains to the very snow
line Several tunnels havo been driven into
the quartz lodges, which yield fair supply
of gold Claims have been staked out every
where. Lead Of the richest kind is found in
big nuggets, as well as gold. 1 have myself
broken open largo chunks of quartz which
seemed to promise nothing, and been sur
prised at the richness Of their revelations
QUEER APPARATUS
An araster is queer sort of n cheap ma
chine for treating ore which can be used to
great advantage when the quartz is decoul-
posed and soft. 1t is sort of circular tub
twenty feet il diameter and four feet high
with hard stoue floor and an upright shaft
in the center which carries four arms like
clothes-drier. AT the ends of these arms
heavy fiat blocks of stone are attached by
chains, and as the arms swing round they
drag the stones over the bottom of the tub
and pulverize the quartz which is fed into
1t with n due proportion of quicksilver and
such chemicals as the nature of the ore NAV
require. The machine is driven by simple
watcr-wheel attached TO the same shaft; n
sluice placed few inches above the floor
lets of the waste water, the precious metal
uniting with the quicksilver and settling
to the bottom of the tub. There are two of
these ccntrivanccs In the Silver Bow basin
These mines have made Juneau quito the
center OF business in southeastern Alaska
There are possibly 500 white people in the
town, which is most romantically situated
at the base OF a mountain just in front of
the entrance of canyon through which q
beautiful stream flows in a series OF cascades
and perpendicular leaps to the sea- The
store of the Northwest Trading company is
conspicuous among others, but there are
good restaurants, two drug stores and sew
eral general stores, a beer brewery, two
barber shops with hot and cold baths q
jewelers. shop, blacksmith shops, postoffice
and some very snug dwellings, nearly all Of
which are painted and look neat Some
houses have little gardens inclosed a dis
play OF flags from three or four tall stats
shows prettily against the somber back
ground OF evergreens, and makes the place
look gay. There is commodious wharf
and warehouse for the steamer, and usually
two or three small sailing craft and number
less canoes enliven the little blight within
whose curve the town is principally built.
A FASCINATING FIELD.
Alaska is fascinating field for prospcc-
tors. One can find there a ''show'' of
he wants; gold, silver, iron, cop
per, marble, coal and great red garnets as
big Is hickory nuts; but the results do not
always realize the promise, and the reason
evidently is lack OF capital necessary TO
develop them. Since the mineral discov-
cries at Nermillion lake in Minnesota, it
took twenty years to convince people that
the ore would pay for working, bnt when a
certain iron company found nerve to quietly
business it cleared up 63. 600 tons
the first year, and 226. 900 the next. All
that is needed in Alaska is capital. Lack
OF confidence and lack of capital have alone
prevented the development Of richness
vhi. h IS known to exist
Alexander Choquette. CT Wraugell has
sCale very fine specimens of mottled blue
marble from a quarry quite convenient to
tide water. Mr.. Bartlett of Port Townsend,
" ash, discovered excellent coal on Adj
Iuiraltv island, and several other deposits OF
coal are known elsewhere Marble crops
out al over the country which one passes in
the COastwisc steamer. There Is plenty Of
rock which viii pay well il properly worked
The gold mines Of Alaska are doubtless as
rich as those OF Cariboo and CasSiar in
British Columbia, since the geological Struc-
tugc * the same in all The richness Of
Douglas island is an assurance Of the rest
iet he Is Not Happy.
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