The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-03
coin MINING IN ALASKA.
ulnDsBIP AND IA
GREET. I'M RULE THERE.

Snurr. chief Of the party sent OUT
|-tod state, Geological survey 10 OK
By t"o y aold fields of Alaska, has made a state
sm',|noo,niny the results OF the ehpeu't'on'
ment.a ,os been written OF late concerning
'sI,uitie. of Alnska as q goid -prouucIhs
'nop be saws. "As a matter OF tact tne
cou"uLon NJ the present year may oe rough'S
p,.n.,nl nj 81. 100000. This amount. NV
~. comes from an immense reR'o" "a n'ii
-, .ouare miles. or about ohe-quei'ei
80 a. the United states VI the m'no, ""','
sauce this gold some are In INC . 'oo"'
III. o,hers are placer diggingS'
9Th, bed rock mines are 10" IN uno ~
Ia IN the southeast coast which Is the
-o,t accessible part OF inc ierr.Io'''
I %H ons is the great Treadwell mine near 'u-
neau, and there hro . -. a,d o,h.r
n",n.,,s Bay. at the Island OF unga' ana other
a,acs. Most OF these mines' however, arc ,u
i;o,.grndc ore. and the production is ohiy maue
a~,oa,aple by means OF careful management ana
sn.,.,lons on a very large scale.
"Tbe placer mines are those whioh occupy
.,o most prominent place IN the popular n'inu'
.,,cs they are remote from CIVILIZATION anu inA
.,up,ry about which little Is known, ana Wn'ch
4. IN account Of this uncertainty uanee'ousiy
attractive to the average man ms Roiu-
rroducIng country OK the interior 10 mostly
4, IN, vicinity OF the Yukon River or OF
.ons OF It's immediate tributaries. inc most
rroductlve districts hitherto nave peer tho
Forty Mile district, which lies partly III
American and partly IN British terri'ory' anu
the Birch Greek district whlch lies IN EN"er'-
can territory some so'u oe
po,cd 10 exist on stewart River anu eoiho eo'u
has been shipped from the hoykuk. purins
the latter part Of the past season uisRihss were
also found OH the hlundek ana inuian RIVERS
near Forty Mile. Another place concerning
which there have been many vague rumors o.
sold. causing a stampede OF many uhprepared
and untitled men, Is the COOK Inlet country.
which lies on the coast ABOVE the mouth OF
Copper River. a situation remote aiike from the
mines near juneau ana from tho placer mines
on the Yukon.
In all this immense country over "hich
placer digging Is carried on or mas been car
RED on, | estimate mat there are ABOUT Two
thousand miners. These are mostly IN tho
Yukon districts. Ihese distr'c's lie IN u oroau
h.l, NJ gold. prod ucing rocks having q consid-
.ta,h .,a e,t.ndinu In n veneral eas,
efl0e 49,, ,or ..ysr.i hrndr.d m,i..
Thropghout this belt occur quartz veins which
--..o,d IN, an far n . vet found tho ore IL Of
low grade, and a large proportion OF the veins
have been so broken by movements In the
~. ,h., ,,.v canno, he followed. For this
rocks thar they cannot . io''o"eu u MS
reason the mines In tho bed rock cannot be
uorked except on a large scale with improved
"O.LIa..r "a AVIAN .uch o,era,ions are i'm.
maoh'nel'' VI s''' W"
possible until the general conditions OF the
eountry In reference to transportation and sup
sIs, Ar, improved.
"rhroush the collaborating rocks the streams
hs,evu' u,,p 80 oan,.In.s - ~. -
prus u k"Nu "hfNA "e' Wv
which have been worn away Is concentrated. so
tina, from a large amount Of very low grade
rock there may DC FORMED IN places a grave,
sufficiently rich In gold to repay washing. All
the mining done iu this country. therefore. con-
- w..ht,, on, ., ,h..o rray.i.
. III -
in each guleh prospeetors are at liberty to
stake gu, CLAIMS not already taken, the size Of
the claims oe,nR W oiai nv
miners in each gulch. according to the richness
-, a.. hr,d,.d Zoo, a,ong IN. stream AVID
ABOUT nve hunu'ed iee1 a,ons .ho streAn' "na
the total width OF the gulch bed. which Is ordi-
narily narrow. When n prospector has thus
staked out hi. claim IL Is recorded by one OF the
miners, who is elected by his fellows in each
s%afSSS lST ,i tIs' TPSS s Sie.r snh aw ssi ara s 'prnesic siR
the entire government in these districts. for the
femotene.s prevents any systematic communi.
~ a.'S MISSIONS eetHs sI and d Hn wes are are settled by min.
ers' meetings. aud the question in dispute Is nut
to popular vote,
"ln prospecting. the elementary method of
n gravel but Altar a ciaim "a $40 and srste.
matte work begun long sluice boxes are built OF
boards. the miners being obliged to fell the trees
themselves and saw out the Lumbar with whin.
saws, a very laborious kind of work. The depth
OF gravel In the bottom OF the gulches varies
from n foot up 10 twenty or thirty feet and
when IL Is deeper than the latter figure IL can
not be worked.
The upper part OF the grayels Is barren, and
the pay.dirt lies directly upon tho rock beneath
and Is generally yery thin To get ~ ,his nav
dirt ali the upper travels must he shoyeied OF
and this preliminary work often renuirer an
entire season, even in n very small claim. When
the gravel is deepsr than n csrtnIn amount-
cay ten feet-the task OF remoyinu IL becomes
formidable. In this case the pay-dirt can some-
times be got at in the wintsr season when the
grayels are frozen hard by sinking shafts
through these grayels and drifting along the
pay.diri. Tbs nav. dir, Tins I'M rennynS "a tar.n 10
The surface and washed out in sluices when the
warm weather begins. This UNDERGROUND
working Is done by burning ins,ead ~ bIastina
and picking. A fre ia built close IN The frozan
gravel. and when IL IL suficientiy thnwed AZ ia
shOveled out and removed Ths ,trinning of NJ
tile upper grayels. which has been mentioned
can be done only Ia the comparntiyeiy short
summer season. when the surface thawy.
The ordinary method OF eating into thu
Yukon country |, nv crossin, ,ha rhI,Lno, pas
from juneau. down the Lewe. and Yukon rivers
70 the gold districts The usuai tima fnr .,o -,
lnR II In April, and n large mari NJ Tho ionrnsv
u made over ice, which Ala the iates ana r,ycrs
p this time OF year, By this enrlv ~stertinu IA
large part Of the season ayeilahle Tor yortinv ia
obtained. Not every conner can And new DIG.
glngs which arc proh, hIa ard ~ -.
Glad Ia ,,,t $3.50 afsby 49, eho