Omaha daily bee., 1890-05-04
MORSE DRY GOODS co

supply of rock, at the present rate of
production, will hold out for a quarter
OF century yet. A fine electric light
plant enables the operatives to work by
night in the mill, and in the chlorina-
tlon works and the mine. Four
hundred men are employed in va
rious duties about the mine,
stamp mill, chlOrination work, stores,
and saw and planning mills, which the
company operates as part of its mining
and milling plant. About one-third of
the operatives are Indians or natives of
Alaska. The latter are an Industrious,
frugal and reliable class of mining en-
ployes, and receive the same wages as
white men engaged in the same class of
work. Indians are largely employed not
only at the salmon canneries in south
eastern Alaska as fishermen, but in
nearly all the mining operations of that
section OF the territory. No antagonism
exists between them and white labor,
and their relations are of the most
cordial character The white miners
in southeastern Alaska do otn
permit Cinnamon to engage in that
class of work, and coolies are
only found on the inside, all the salmon
canneries, always going below at the end
of the season.
Early last year work was begun on the
Bears Nest" u mining claim which
was sold to an English syndicate in the
fall of 1888 for 81, ,000, 900. 1t is located
about half II mile west of the Treadwel,
and was sold on the strength of its good
neighborhood, and upon the results of
diamond drill tests. After a tunnel had
penetrated the hillside for 1000 feet,
and about $4,000 had been expended
toward erecting stamp mill, and other
parts of the requisite plant, they failed
To strike the ledge which was deemed to
be westward prolongation of the rich
and extensive lode constituting the
Treadwell. Operations have been sus-
pended, and litigation to determine
whether the sale was u fraudulent trans
action, the sailing of IA mine, or whether
the failure to reach paying ledge was
the result OF operative laundering has
been begun. The mere fact that an en-
terprise starting out with so much of
promise failed in the very midst of the
brightest anticipations, will, most GER
tainly, produce n chilling effect upon all
present attempts to inaugurate new
mining enterprises in Alaska. The
Mexican company, corporation with
abundant resources, however, is vigor-
ously prosecuting its explorations at an
equal distance to the eastward of the
Treadwell, in the hope and confidence,
and with every prospect of intercepting
the prOlongation of the Treadwell ledge.
Rich deposits of gold-bearing quartz
have also been discovered on Admiralty
island, in the same group as Douglass
island, and stamp mills are in course of
erection there also.
The discovery of coal near the beach,
and easy of access by water transpOrta-
tion at Cooks inlet, Unga island and at
other avilable points on the coast OF
western Alaska, will have an important
bearing not only on the general CONNER
cial Importance of the territory, but upon
its gold and silver mining enterprises.
Coal, when used in the latter industry,
Is now only attainable ut Departure bay,
British Columbia, and with the enor-
nous cost of coal freights under the
present arrangements of transportation
the work of development is more on less
retarded.
One word more with respect TO the
future of gold mining In Alaska. AS far
AS discoveries extend; the ores are of a
low grade. This will require that they
be handled in large plants with capital
in largo mass owing TO the policy pur-
sued by the company operating the
Treadmill mine. In addition TO that,
the management must be OF an intelli-
gent character and not mere ineXpert
experiments by unskillful adventurers.
Under such conditions Alaska, through