The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-09

with n capital of $1,000. 900. Since that
time they have spent over SS00,OC0, upon
the works, $30O,0 experimenting to find
the best process of chlorlnation, and
500, 900 to complete a water ditch eigh-
teen miles long-the power that drives
this vast pile of machinery.
The late Governor Swineford, of the
territory. in one of his reports places
the output of this mine at 100000 per
month, and expresses the belief that
this region will become one of the most
prolific gold fields in the world, and the
ore actually in sight is cstimat ted to be
worth five times the sum The United
States paid for the entire territory. He
adds: 1T is surely not incredible that
the company should have refused Sl6,-
100000 for Its property, or, that it pays
a dividend of 100 per cent per month
all the year round" There are other
valuable claims on the island and even
at the present enormous rate of produc-
tion 1t cannot be exhausted in less than
a century.
MACHINERY USED.
This mill runs 2i0 stamps. weighing
each $50 pounds, with a seven inch
stroke and 96 drops to the minute; and
has capacity of 200 tons of ore per day.
These stamps like so many trip-ham-
Aners, rise and fall. crushing the ore to
powder. 1t is impossible to imagine
the noise of these 24O stamps. 1t is so
deafening that the human voice cannot
be heard and for hours afterward there
is an echo of the roar in the head
This mill runs 1863 days In year,
day and night. summer and winter.
never stopping except to set new ma
chinery. The speci't holidays are
Fourth of July and Nristmas, We
visited the ledge where tie ore is quar-
irh 10 L,,, a
feet across. while the pit of nearly
solid quartz is 250 feet deep We saw
the tremendous boring machinery
above and the workmen breaking up
the stone below. These shutes lead to
cars in the tunnels below and gravity
takes the ore down through the success
i've processes. The works and mines are
lighted throughout by electricity and
railroads connect all the different
branches. There are from 10000 to So
600 tons of ore in these shutes Each
car holds ton which is crushed in
from one to two minutes. Owing to the
prejudice OF the miners compressed air
Is used instead of electricity. Blasts
are constantly fired in the pit. In and
around the mine and plant 2S0 men are
employed, receiving wages from 81 to
" per day, upwards and board The
lngersoll drill Is used and an expert
will drill forty feet for days work
The excess he receives is paid for by the
foot.
1t is hard to imagine anything more
perfect or systematic than this great
mining plant. While the ore is of a low
grade. the fact that II can be mined
milled chornated and run into gold
bars at the very low rate of $i.35 per
ton, and pay net profit of S3.57 to $67
per ton. almost staggers the imagina-
ton.
TAKON GLACIER.
After securing handsome specimens
Of ore from these mines, we board our
steamer and sail to Takon Glacier, some
twenty eight miles up Takon Inlet.
This sail among icebcrgs both great and
small is an experience never to be for
gotten. Imagine, If you can, a chan
mel half mile wide at it's entrance
and eighteen miles long filled with float
ing bergs of all sizes. Among them are
encamped huge ravens Tapping their
wings, soaring in the air, or skimmng
the water. even almost lighting upon
the deck OF our steamer in their friend
illness; the intense stiffness only broken
by their calls Here are icelloes enough
floating around our steamer to supply
the whole country with Ice for year
They are OF all sizes, ten, twenty, fifty
ana even eighty feet above the water,
and five times their height under the
water and floating with the tide. their
forms Slistening in the sunlight as far
as the eye can reach. To witness this
grand display. even to see this one
glacier is well worth a trip to Alaska.
Tbs broad ice-feld extends back for
sixty miles with Takon mountain ris-
ing 1000 feet above and glacier streams
flowing from the snow-capped peaks.
The track of a glacier Is alway V
shaped. All glaciers form a moraine in
their front--a deposit of earth and stone
brought from many miles back.
Masses OF rock 200 tons in weight are
known TO have been carried down the
glacier by the ice. This ice stream
(Takon Glacier is twenty-five miles
long, a mile wide and fills It's canons
from wall to wall and its squarely brok-
eli front rises from 100 to 200 feet above
the water, which is over 100 fathoms
deep al its base. 1t is long. deeply fis-
suiet and creVaSsed and five miles of
it's course Is seen from the deck Of the
steamer. Approaching the glacier we
can see the ice brake off from it-fall
into the water, with a splash producing
a sound which reverberates like thund-
er, OF the roaring of artillery. Up to
this hour we have never seen anything
so beautiful, so grand, as these ice
formations in Takon Bay. Never have
we seen much clean. beautiful and per-
feet natural ice. 1t Is ultra marine
blue. as 1t floats on the water, or as
seen at distance and as 1t is lifted
through the air on to the steamer. but
perfectly white when lying on the deck
or in the hold.
LASSOING ICEBERGS
The Queen takes on her supply of ice
here which is usually $50 tons. Be-
cause of its purity, all vessels prefer
to fill their ice-boXes in this basin,
and the process of lassoing the bergs
and hosting them aboard is an inter-
esting one. They are caught in great
chain nets and lifted by derrick.
These nets are made of the stoutest
two-inch cordage and thrown around
some one iceAoe, the latter is then
towed by small boats to the steamer
and by means of a donkey engine hoist
ed and lowered into the hold, cut into
blocks and slowed away into her bunk
ers. These floats weigh from 500 pounds
to three or four tons each and are clear
as crystal.
While at anchor our attention was
called to an approaching high beak
canoe. beautifully carved and highly
ornamented. 1t was n Talion Indian
chief with two attendants. He re-
ceived salute from our steamer and
held a short conference with Captain
Carroll. Presently another canoe
rowed up to the starboard side. con-
tanning prorniscuous cargo. which
was Offered for sale and bought by some
of our passengers. Aside from two old
| squaws, whose faces were painted In a
| horrible manner, there was II large hair
seal Just caught, two young deer. a
young black bear, p6poosc, also nu-
merous curos The Indian baby was
an attraction to all the passengers who
| showered the canoe with eatables and
| knick -knacks and while the baby ate
| the cake and candy the bear would lick
| the baby's face.
In this inlet is another glacier Nor
| ris) called after Dr.. Norris, y. S. N,
and is said to be larger than the Taku.
| At the head of this inlet the Taku river
| nnl,rS in its Mnte ,Nhnrn Is, q M tNlal