The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-19

would be impracticahle to penetrate
through them. The mining must all be
done in these parts of the belt where the
gold bearing gneieses and schists are ex-
posed.
Nevertheless, the accessible areas are
sufficiently great to afford expectations
well-nigh unlimitef. In one respect the
opportunity resembles that offered by the
mines of the Rand in South Africa
there are giganti bodies of one in sight
and easily accessible, though of no more
than moderate richness. The deposits
of the Rand yield only an average OF Sl1
q ton, but the production is uniform enu
the bulk enormous, and for these reasons
they are the most profitable mines ever
known. Here the likeness ends, for the
Rand formation is not OF 1gneous origin,
but merely an ancient beach, on whose
golden sands the waves of vanished
ocean broke many millions of years ago.
TIE thickness of the collaborating stra-
tum in the Alaskan belt is assumed to
be oonsiderable-is Is likely to be- very
great, but that is wholly matter OF sur
mise. No boring has been made with
view to getting data on the subject.
The gold occurs in iron pyrite and IN
other compounds with sulphur. Under
such conditions its presence would not
be detected by d novice; but the decom-
position Of the sulphides in the surface
rocks by weather has left free gold IL
veins, and this glitters yellow. 1t VIII
not be long before plants equipped WlUu
the most improved machinery will be es-
tablished all along the newly discovered
belt. Until the region is opened by
railway, mining will be costly owing 10
the expense of transporting food, lanof
and machinery. But no such dithcultles
as these will retard for any length OF
time the exploitation of what promises
to be one Of the greatest gold fields OF the
world. Some Of the placer miners even
now winter over on the Yukon, in pref
erencs to losing time by retreat to as
tant civilization and more hosplta pie
ATTITUDES. The resident Indians VINO
come under the general designation OF
Siwash, are found In scattered tribes ana
are peaceful. They have not suffered 50
much as their brethren OF the coast from
alcohol and diseases of the white man.
No dispute over the British boundary
seems likely to affect the exploitation OF
the nav gold belt. The first important
placer diggings vera at Forty Mile Creek
and about the adjacent headwaters OF
Sixty Mile Creek. These are partly in
American and partly in British territory.
They are pretty we'll worked out. Up
to date the Birch Creek district has
proved richest in the yellow metal, and
it is entirely in American territory. A
new find Of Importance has just been
made in British. territory on the Kun
dak River. Gold has been found recent
ly as far to the northwest as the Koyu-
kuk River. During the last year the
placers of the Yukon have furnished
about 81, 100000 worth of the yellow met
al. Tho miners carry their own gold to
Victoria, Portland and San Francisco.
Alaska is already taking no unImport-
ant part in the -gold production OF the
A fbo in cnHth-
western part runs On auriferous belt
which follows the coast for 100 miles. 1t
is q whole system Of lodes, which contain
much silver and copper also. The belt
is from one to seven miles wide and
crops out On islands adjoining the main
land. The famous Treadwell mine is
located on one of these islands at Juneau.
1t is one of thee richest mines In the
world, exhi Hitting mass of ore 400 feet
thick. Sixty miles to the southeast are
great deposits of sulphurets, which yield
as much as $270i a ton, with much free
gold. On Gold Creek. short distance
east of Juneau, the hilisides are washed
away, exposing rocks which are scanned
with a network CT gold-bearing veins OF
great richness.
Lying close by stream, Mr.. Spur
fouDd the tip of a mastodon' s tusk.
4 his was far up in the Valley of the
Yukon. Looking for other remains OF
the same animal, he obtained one of the
teeth from clay bank near by. This
tooth was of remarkable size, weighing
about eight pounds. The tip. of the tusk
was a foot long and showed the marks OF
wear from the habit which the animal
had of digging up trees. Ii is supposed
to have fed chiefly upon the foliage OF
trees. Probably the beast died in a
swamp perhaps 20. 900 years ago, Judging
from the situation in which the relics
were discovered.