Arizona republican., 1896-12-30
A GREAT BELT OF GOLD.
Report of a Geological Survey
 Expedition.
To the GoIdfields of AIaska-Though LimitlesS Wealth Is Revealed, 1t Can Be Acquired Only by the Ap- plication of Great Wealth.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 29.-Won- derful news is brought by a geological survey expedition, which has just re- turned from Alaska, under the leader ship of J. B. Spurr, says a Washing
 ton dispatch to the Philadelphia Times. It is nothing less than the dis covery in Uncle Sans Arctic province of an immense gold belt, which prom ises to rival in productiveness the mines of South Africa. Unlimited quantities of ore are actually in sight, the auriferous area being not less than 800 miles long, with width of from fifty to 100 miles,
 This expedition was sent out last spring for the purpose of ascertaining, if possible, the source of the gold found in the placers of the Yukon val ley. During the last three years there has been a rush of miners to that re-
 zion, where the yellow metal is ob- i tained so abundantly as to yield excel lent returns, notwithstanding the diff. culties involved in getting it. The country has no resources worth men tioning, so that even the resident In dians are half starved, not being able
 to catch enough fish to supply their
 wants. Consequently provisions and supplies of all kinds for the miners
 must be fetched from the state of
 Washington or from California, in
 volving great cost. The expense of
 transporting machinery is proportion
 ate, and thus it comes about that the
 workers employ the most primitive
 means for securing the gold.
 The placers occur in gullies through
 which streams flow. The courses of
 the streams are altered from time to
 time, and so it happens that the entire
 bottom of each gully is covered com
 brought by the water The streams,
 wearing away the gold bearing rocks,
 have carried down from the hills their
 burden of detritus during thousands of years. Naturally, the lighter stuff
 was borne away by their currents,
 while the heavier particles, including.
 the gold, sank to the bottom. Thus
 was formed at the bottoms of each gull ly sort of auriferous concentrate.
 Miners wash these gravels by means
 of sluice boxes, which are long in | o1;, o1o ofc o+ boI I111r ~ , end Through each trough a oontinu- ous stream of water is made to flow, while the gravel is shoveled into the upper end. The gravel is carried off by the water, while the gold sinks to the bottom of the trough, and is re-
 tained by the cleats. It will be Seen
 that this is merely an adoption of the
 natural method by which gold is ac-
 cumulated in stream beds. Of course, a good deal of the metal escapes with the gravel, so that it pays 10 work } over the "tailings.'
 P Now, it is obvious that the gold in
 the gravels must come from some
 where. It has been realized that the
 original source of supply existed in
 rich, gold bearing rocks, undiscovered up to date. The expedition Of the geo
 logical survey was sent out for the
 purpose of locating these rocks, and , with orders to gather all obtainable
 facts respecting their geological for
 nation. extent, etc. This has been ac- complished most satisfactorily by MT. k Spurr and his assistants, who have : brought back with them specimens to a show the richness of the deposits. The r auriferous belt passes from British territory into America in the neigh 5 borhood of Forty Mile creek. It has d a northwesterly trend, and keeps on parallel to the Yukon on the north P east and to the Panama river on the
 southwest It crosses the Yukon just below the main bend of that great u stream, i. e., near the mouth of the : Porcupine river. Thence it trends still y to the northwest, and probably it con- e tinues further in the same general di- O rection; but the rest of that country
 remains up to the present an unknown
 land. h.
 e The survey made by the expedition e proves that the gold belt is at least l. 800 miles in length, it's width being a. ?, much as 100 miles in some parts. | d runs through a range of low noun. Is tains, which are composed chiefly ot l. schists, gneiss and granite. Near tht
 rivers the land is covered witb fer n ests, but the hills are bare Of trees IS On the slopes above the tree line grow. y thick moss, covering the rocks ! e is only on the higher levels where tn, l. rocks are bare, that the gold deposit. t. can be located easily. Occasionall, i1. 0rn can cnn cn1d n1, hn c11rfnoa cf th.