The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1890-12-20
ALASKA GOLD MINES.
AN EXTENSIVE FIELD, BUT A HARD
COUNTRY TO WORK IN.

| SOO6 IL III WYNN IN.
An energetic looking young man,
bearing the unmistakable mir of
miner, walked into the American
house yesterday Juggling a heavy
leather satchel, which be deposited
carefully on the hotel counter. The
satchel contained remarkable speci-
mems of gold and silver ore and a
glittering display of uncut garnets,-
which the stranger had brought from
far off Alaska. In bis coat pocket and
10 belt around his body he carried
several bags of gold dust from the
placers of the Yukon. where he camp
ed and pounded the yellow treasure
for nearly two years. The stranger
registered as "a. T. Anderson of
Juneau, Alaska" and was soon en-
gagged in a friendly chat with repre-
sentative of the News.
What the young mining man knows
of Alaska would fill a good-sized vol
ume. For two hours he talked of
that wonderful country, whose re-
sources have scarcely been touched
upon and whose vast distance and
great rivers and remarkable mountains
and plains are constant sources of as
constituent TO the traveller. -Four
years ago Mr.. Anderson, who spent
ten years in the mining regions of this
State, grew uneasy and packed his
grip sack. not knowing where he
would next hang mp his hat. On the
train he decided to make a bee line
for the north pole or the nearest gold
fields that could be found in that
locality.
In company with three equally adj
venturous companions who were lured
on by the yellow metal, he plunged
into the forest of Alaska, and after
many weary months of travel BY land
and water the party went into camp
about 900 miles up the Yukon river.
"Here we stayed for about eighteen
months" said Mr.. Anderson, "during
twelve months of which time our
only diet was meat and -four. We
cleaned up a good deal of gold but
| the work proved to be so slow on &C.
count of the frozen condition of the
ground that we finally abandoned the
the placers and returned to civiliza-
ton"
"Huw extensive are the placersG"
was asked
"Thev have been traced over
region of 900 miles square, was the
reply, and are undoubtedly the richest
and most extensive of the kind in the
world. surprising the discoveries of
the carly DAYS. If il were not for
the intense COLI of the climate the pla-
GERS of Alaska would supply employ
ment for 100000 men. As ii is. there
are only two months of the year when
the ground is even partially thawed
out aud the frozen ground is worked
with the greatest difficulty. The
temperature ranges from liz degrees
above zero in summer to 80 degrees
| below in the winter season. During
heated season passed fourteen nights
without sleeping wink on account
of tremendous mosquitoes which are
the most voracious that are known on
the globe. The natives stave off the
pests by smearing their faces and
bodies over with kind of tar"
Mr. Anderson says that Alaska is a
much better mining cnuntry than is
found in the West, but he advises no.
body to attempt to tackle the placers.
After returning to Juneau he strollcd
out over the hills one day and stumbled
upon claim, which has developed
into good pay mine with 900 feet of
shafting and tunnel. In making this
amount of development he took out
$4,000 worth of mineral and be is
now In Denver for the purpose of buy
ing machinery for ten-stamp mill.
The mine lies within four miles of
the great Treadwell mine, which is
yielding 100000 month and keeps
240 stamps constantly pounding. Mr..
Anderson's specimens of garnets are
the finest ever brought to the city.
One stone weighing 10 pounds, is
literally covered with sparklers.-
Denver News.