The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-11-16
CURIOUS MINING
AT CAPE NOME
Miners of Both Sexes and All Ages
Strung Along The Beach.
=a=a=-asssas==
TURNING OUT $4,000 A DAY
Communication With the Outside
World Completely Shut Off Seven
Months Of the Year.
TURNING OUT $3O,OOO A DAY

W. j, Hampton In Globe. Democrat.
The most remarkable gold mining a
prcucnt Ia the world II not IN the en-
tire history Of gold mining. Ia that nov
In progress In and about Cape Nome
on Norton Sound. Bchring Sea, Alaska
situated about 225 miles north ana WIS
Of tho mouth of the Yukon river, or ~
miles from this point. Gold was mrs
discovered on Snake river last fail. an,
during the early portion OF this season
Canc Nome district had acquired con
siderable rrputo as good producer
and not a few miners from the Yukoi
country, many of them stranded here
went over TO Nome and either stake
such claims as they could get. or sccur
cd work M they could md IT, Muct
complaint was made that claims had
been taken by persons holding power
Of attorney. their principals NOT being
present In person and In June the Cap,
Nome district had become 80 unpopular
that reports were circulating To the ef.
feet that the whole thing was fake"
folatcd on the public by the trnnsportA
tion companies TO improve their bust.
ness
Whatever of truth may nave bern In
these stories In now OF small import,
f,r In June or In early July. some one
ot tho stranded miners tcnting on the
beach. as the only unclaimed space nc.
cldentally discovered gold In the sand
at his fcct. lie told his story quickly
among his stranded friends, and soon
all tho unemployed were at work on
the beach with any and all kinds OF
tools that would dig,
Their success was such that within n
few days men who had work on claims
along the creek az $40 day and board.
threw up their Jobs and took 10 the
beach. expecting to earn. and actually
earning In many instances. as much In
an hour "a they had earned In daJ
Never had such easy mining o---
heard Of. never had Il bc,n found 80
Unexpectedly and 80 opportuaely. and
II was not long before everything else
was deserted for the scaEhore. and even
women and boys Of ten and twelve
years were to be found us busy In the
sand as the men We're.
Since the discovery the number OF
beach combers" as they are called,
has steadily increased and today Is
presented the strange sight OF hundreds
OF miners OF both sexes and all ages
and conditions strung out along the
beach for dozen miles or more.
For miles TO The west of Cape Noms
the beach runs straight away In suip
Of tide land, varying from forty to six
ty feet In width between high and low
water mark. extending up to the 'tun-
dra" or black alluvial soil. which ls
form three 20 five feet higher than the
beach proper. All Of this tundra. and
all Of the territory along the creeks
and rivers east and west for thirty or
forty miles and back into the mountains
for ten or twelve miles, had been stalk
ed but ON the long strip OF tide lands
no man had better claim than anoth-
er, or could have, under the tide-land
laws, and here the grand army OF
gold seekers camped and In very short
order had converted the barren strand
into a sight Of tremendous and enthus-
l0stlc industry, AT the same time busi-
ness OF all kinds began TO respond TO
the boom from the beach, and the us
ual collection OF gambling hells, saloons
and dance halls went into operation,
At present It ls estimated that 1000 to.
1900 miners are az work on the beach,
extending west for twenty miles. An
these work with rockers, and they oc-
cupy Just as much territory TO the man
or groups as can work It, II is not un-
usual for one small square bit Of beach
to pan out $40 to SIS an hour, but of
course, the space is soon exhausted and
the lucky digger must move to another
spot
This beach deposit Of gold is as yet
an unsolved problem, By some II isl
claimed that the gold In the sand,
which Is entirely dust" has been
washed out from the tundra by the
waves at high tide and deposited
through hundreds of years in the sand,
1t IL found here now from two to five
feet below the surface in the drift, and
so plentiful that the miner who does
not find It In paying quantities is theI
exception on the other hand, there are
some who claim that the gold Is washed
In from the sea, and that the real field
or mother lode" so to speak, Is to bel
raochcd and developed by dredging. |