The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-08

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For miles to the west of Cape Nome
the beach runs straight away in q
strip of tide land varying from 40 tc
60 feet in width between high and low
water mark, extending up to the tun-
dra or black alluvial SOIL which is
from three to five feet higher than the
beach proper. All of this tundra, and
all the territory along the creeks and
rivers east and west for 80 or 40 miles
and back into the mountains for 10 or
IL miles had been staked. but on the
long strip of tide lands no man had
a better right than another nor 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 site
of tremendous and enthusiastic indus
| try. At the same time business Of all
kinds began to respond to the boom
from the beach, and the usual collec-
| ton Of gambling hells, saloons and
| dance halls went into operation. At
! present it is estimated that 1000 to
| 1900 miners are at work on the beach,
| extending west for 20 miles All these
| work with rockers, and they occupy
| just as much territory to the man or
| group as can work it, 1t Is not I'M
usual for one small square bit of
beach to pan out $40 to SIS an hour,
but, of course, the space is soon ex-
hausted, and the lucky digger must
move to another spot.
This beach deposit of gold is as yet
an unsolved problem. BY some it is
claimed that the gold in the sand,
which is entirely dust, has been wash
ed out from the Tundra by the waves
at high tide and deposited through
hundreds Of years in the sand 1t is
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 the ex-
eeption. On the other hand, there are
some who claim that the gold is wash
ed in from the sea and that the real
field or mother lode, SO to speak, is to
be reached and developed by dredging
There may be something in this the
Dry, but the other seems to be the
more tenable. The beach to the east
of Cape Nome makes no such gold |
showing as does the beach to the west,
owing to the existence of a long reach |
of water or lagoon, which lies short |
distance back from the sea and paral- |
lei with it. Gold desposits along the |
creeks in the interior are quite as rich |
in one direction as in the other
The headquarters of the Cape Nome
territory is Anvil City--so named from
the shape Of the mountain above it at
Nome City is the postoffice While the
nttt ,I,n,, |
houses, tents are the prevailing shelter
and prices for commodities are pretty
much as they are in all mining towns.
this is one of the
most accessible mining towns on earth,
ships from any part of the world mty
come up to its very doors, making due
allowances for thelnack OF a harbor
and much delay between ship and
shore in bad weather Mails are from
$3.50 to $3.50 each; bed in tent, $3.50,
plain drinks, 30 cents each, beer, so
cents glass, and other things in pro-
portion including mutton chop at $125
and, by the way, these are not much
In excess of prices at first-class places
in New York city Copper plate for
use in rockers is worth its weight in
silver, and one miner who had no cop
per substituted silver dollars for it, 81
of them being required properly to
plate his rocker. which, added to it's
first cost of 500, made 1t somewhat ex- {
pensive, even for this locality. Labor
In the mines Is worth from SO to $40
day and board, and even carpenters, !
about the only otherclass of labor, get J
$50 an hour and, board themselves
AS the days in summer are from Is to {
"A hours long, carpenter can put in a
lot Of spare time Everybody has
money, and as many who have it are
not used to it, they are layishing their
by day on gambling liquor
and dance halls at night. Gambling
lakes the bulk of the dust and every |
species is represented in Anvil City.
AS to what amount of gold of be- .
ng taken out there are no means Of l
letermining 1t is known that no more
han 100000 in all has been shipped by
steamer and $4,000 Of that has gone
nut within the past week The beach
mining Is reported to be turning out
'bout 100000 81 day, but this in the ma
ure of things cannot continue, and
When it is exhausted these men will
70 to work on the claims lying back
rom the sea and along the creek ;,
Here the gold is found in very rich de-
'osts, the claim Of Lindeburg e. Co. q
N Anvil creek turning out $1,000 an :.
lour (S25,00o In "a hours, one nugget
ecently found being worth 1912. An
ther claim, owned by DR.. Kettleeon,
n one day cleared up $4,000. and so
he stories go. One may hear almost
ny kind of fairy tale and while
1any Of them are exaggerated, the
act remains that just now every man
a the district has a pocket fun of dust
nd heart full of hope. and there are
o dead brokes in Anvil City What T.
M Ct