The evening times., 1898-07-22
THE LUCK OF h. E. SANDS.
4 Citizen Of Wasbirnton IAakes q
Rich Find I'm Alnulsu


Rich Find In Alnslm.
H. E. Sands, of this city. has made a
rich find in the Cook Iuiet District In
Alaska. He arrived at Tacoma a few
days ago with samples Of soft ore that
assays $40 in gold to the t8n. aHd hard
er ore mixed with copper that assays $3.50
in gold to the ton.
Mr.. Sands went into the district on
March last, and although accompanied
by experienced miners and prospectors
he attributes .is lucky find almost entire
ly to chance. In company with ten old
time miners from Montana, the best
known of whom are W. j. Wigham and
]. C. Felce, of Butte. and L. D. .Colvin.
superintendent of the Mayfiower mines
for many years. he undertook to go up
the Sushitna River. which enters the in
let at its head.
After advancing thirty-five miles he was
compelled to abandon the trip Then one
of the miners discovered some float. and
thinking it came down the river began
to hunt for the body OF ore. They were
msied in thinking the float came down
river and were prospecting fourteen
hhASs oul VI tuc way WueH Uy TIC IutT-
est accident the quartz vein was discov-
cred.
The float came down the sea coast and
when the ledge was finally found there
were thousands of tons OF the richest ore
in sight. The vein Is ninety feet broad
and can be traced above the surface for
go feet. 1t Is three miles of Safe Har-
bor. Much of the ore lies within 100
yards of navigable water =nd by building
a wharf $50 feet In length 1t could be
loaded upon an ocean steamship.
Mr.. Sands came out on the City of To-
peka from Sitka and 1t Is his purpose to
purchase machinery for the reduction of
the quartz or arrange for Its shipment to
a smelter at Tacoma or juneau
AT $50 and 1850 to the ton Mr.. Sands
and the eleven men associated with him
think they have a paying proposition.
Notwithstanding his own good fortune
Mr.. Sands advises small prospectors to
keep away from the Cook Inlet section.
There is no use in a man going in
there with small capital or a one or two
years grub stake. He will only meet
with disappointment. There were $50 dis
appointed prospectops on the beach there
when / came out and some of them had
been waiting there for a month.
'.ln the Summer time ii is absolutely
impossible for any human being TO go
more than thirty-five miles up the Sus-
hitna River. What Indians cannot do
with their canoes IL Is useless for a white
man to undertake. In the Winter time.
however. one can go up the river 1S5
miles on the ice and then cross over to
the headwaters OF the Tanana River.
which flows into the Yukon near the Lit
tie Minook district.
LAS to the general condition of affairs
at Cook Inlet, there has been some placer
mine development by the Hopkins Mining
Company of Boston, which has put in
two hydraulic nozZles al a point 2 miles
east of Tyanick. They started to wash
out the dirt on June 81 and the results
promised to be profitable. but TO what ex-
tent cannot be told until the first general
cleanup. There Is area of leo acres
under the nozzles now in operation
"At Turnagain Arm and IN the vicinity
of Sunrise City there have been no de-
velopments this Spring. Ground adjacent
to claims previously worked at a profit
was sold before the snow was off the
ground. All these are worthless and reck-
less men have paid from SJo9 to S. 105 for
these claims. II appears5to have been a
deliberate swindle on the part of the
sellers.
THE Polly Mining Company claim on
Canyon Creek is panning out only 10
cents square yard. The work is done by
sluicing and eighteen mem Nave been at
work all the season at 1915 per day each.
In lo-cent dirt 1t takes big capital and
extensive operators to make 1t pay"