The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-02-21

triously work the auriferous gravels of the
northern counties on public land. No alien
may locate mining claim, but many Chinese
have bought or leased placer mines, little and
big. Many hundreds of Chinese, however,
are working away with pans and sluices on
public lands along the streams, generally on
gravel that no white man cares to work, salts
fed to earn few bits or dollar day. The
aggregate amount of gold washed out by the
Chinese annually in this State is variousIy
estimated at from 81, OOO, 900 to So, 900 900, a
very small part which is expended here.
While these Chinese are working over old
gravel or other gravel SO poor that body
else wants to work il the time will come with
the improvementof processes and the increase
of population when these poor deposits would
be worked by citizens, and they contain many
millions in gold 1t is suggested that State
law should prevent the working of mines that
| are not locat ted.
Much interest is taken in the coming dsvel-
opment OF the vast gold resources of Siberia,
which will follow the trans-Siberian railroad
and the introduction OF American scientific
methods. Russian mine-owners and engineers
| are more frequently visiting this State to
| study our mining methods, and California
mining experts and mining machinery will
! find in Siberia an important field in the fu-
| ture.
q
SLAMS completed three weeks visit here and
proceeded home without attracting notice.
The party consisted of Simon and FEEDER
/ Shadrin, father and son and millionaire mine
| owners, M. Shagaloff, an engineer in their en-
| ploy, and NJ. Krasilnikoff, Government en-
| gineer. The last week OF their stay they put
in being astonished at what they saw and
| learned in Trinity County. where the States
! biggest placer operations are now conducted
/ nv Tan
der Nalllen of the Van der Naillen School OF
| Engineering, and examined the operations of
| the Chinese as well as of the biggest COM
| panies.
| They spent hours watching the giants, and
were astonished at the scale and effectiveness
OF the operations. They found the Hupp &
! McMurray mine working gravel paying %
cents cubic yard, with great giants and
sluice-boxes mile long, and they found the
La Grange Mining Company bringing water
| hity-slx miles and through tunnel $500 feet
! in length and using pressure of 500 feet At
Mr.. Shadrin's great placer mine no gravel
| under So yard is worked at profit, and but
| 30 per cent is saved. Hundreds OF men do
| by crude and expensive methods what dozen
| man will do in vastly cheaper aud more
effective way here. The Siberian mining de-
velopment has but fairly begun and it has
much room to grow. Siberia, however, offers
| but very limited possibilities to Americans
None but Russian citizen may locate a claim
and the acquiring OF mining property is diff
cult. All gold produced must be sold TO the
Government.
| The Alaska Mining Record. published at
Juneau, has issued q very handsome souvenir
edition for 1897, literally illus with half
| tone engravings showing views of the leading
| mines and towns in Alaska. 1t is almost ex-
clusively devoted to the mining industry and
| gives much of historical and present interest
| The first important mining development of
Alaska began shortly after 1881, when the
Paris lode on Douglas Island was revealed by
| placer washings, which exposed the bedrock.
| In 1882 John Treadwen bought the property
! for $400 ana prospecting soon revealed ledge
400 feet wide The 240-stamp mill now on the
property is the largest in the world and the
mine has paid So, OPS, 900 in dividends. Other
great properties near Juneau are paying hand
! somelY.
| Prospecting for quartz has been mainly con-
| fined to strip along the southeastern coast
| close to tidewater, the great difficulty of
| travel and prospecting, the absence of roads
and the practical impossibilfty of develop
ment making the interior even near the coast
uninvi1ng TO the prospector, who naturally
pre- fers the placer diggiugs. Great lodges of
| omparatively low grade gold bearing quar-; z
appear to stretch along the panhandle of Alas
| ka down the coast. The Mining Record calls
this the great mother lode of Alaska. 1t has
! been but slightly explored and may afford
other Treedwells Still less is known about
| the gold Lodges OF the Yukon Valley which
have just been stated by the geological survey
| TO exist, and which the Yukon placers prove
| to exist. Development will be slow and diff
| cult, and thousands will meet hardships and
| failures, but there is no doubt that Alaska has
a great GINNING future. An estimate of the
Alaska gold yield is naturally difficultto make,
but the following by the Record for 1896 is
probably the best at hand:
NOVEL; Gold Mining Company. 35