Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-08
DIGGING GOLD ON The BEACH
Twenty Miles Of Alaskan Sea Coast Worked
by an Army Of Miners,
COUNTLESS POCKETS OF PRECIOUS METAL
Richest and Easiest Mining In the
History OF Such Enort-Ex-
tremeIy Lucky Find by
stranded Miners.

treme1y Lucky Find by
stranded Miners.
Copyright, 1899. by the S S Mcclure Coz
ST MICHAELS, Alaska, Sept, 1.-The
most remarkable gold mining at present in
the world, ir not in the entire history OF
gold mining, is that now In progress at and
about Cape Nome on Norton Sound, Berins
sea, Alaska, situate about 225 miles north
and west OF the mouth of the Yukon river,
or 1876 miles from this point. Gold was
first discovered on Snake river last fall ana
during the earlier portion OF this season.
Cape Nome district had acquired considera'
BILE repute as gold producer and not a few
miners from the Yukon river country, many
of them stranded here, went over to Nome
and either staked such claims as they could
get, or secured work as they could find 1t.
Much complaint was made that claims had
been taken by persons holding powers OF
attorney, their principals not being present
| in person, and in June the Cape Nome dis
trict had become so unpopular that rep>rts
were circulating to the effect that the whole
! thing was a fake foisted on the public by
| the transportation companies to improve
| their business.
Whatever of truth may have been in these
stories Is now of small import for in June
or early July some one OF the stranded
miners tenting on the beach as the only un-
claimed space accidentally discovered gold
in the sand at his feet. He told his story
quickly among his stranded friends and soon
all the unemployed were at work on the
beach with any and all kinds of tools that
would dig. Their success was such that
within few days men who had work on
claims along the creek at $40 day and
board threw up their jobs and took to the
| beach, expecting to earn, and actually earn
| ing in many instances, much In an hour
as they had earned in day.
The Easiest Mining on Record.
Never had such easy mining been heard
| of never had 1t been found so Unexpectedly
and so opportunely, and it was not long
before everything else was deserted for tho
seashore and even women and boys of 10 or
IL years were to be found as busy in the
sand as the men were.
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 Nome the
beach runs straight away in a strip Of tide
land, varying from forty to sixty feet in
width between high and low water mark
extending UP to the tundra or black
aluvial soil, which is from three to five
feet higher than the beach proper. All oi
this tundra and all the territory along the
creeks and rivers east and west for thirty
or forty miles and back into the noun
tains for ten or twelve miles had been staked
but on the long strip of tide lands no mar
had better claim than another, or coult
have, under the tide-land laws, and here
the grand army Of gold seekers camped ant
in very short order had converted the bar.
ren strand into a site of tremendous ant
enthusiastic industry. At the same time
business Of all kinds began to respond to the
boom from the beach, and the usual collec
tion Of gambling hells, saloons and dane
halls went into operation. At present 1t Il
estimated that 1000 to 1900 miners are a
|, work on the beach, extending west 70
twenty miles. All these work with rock
ers, and they occupy Just as much terri
tory to the man or group as can work 1t
1t Is not unusual for one small square bi
, , Of beach to pan out $40 to SIS an hour, but
Of course, the space is soon exhausted ap
the lucky digger must move TO anothe
spot
Where Does IT Come Front
q This beach deposit of gold is as yet a
I uHSOlVeu pIODleiu. by SOLle IL lS Cldllue
J.. that the gold in the sand, which is entirel
t dust" has been washed out from the tun
dra by the waves at high tide and deposite
c through hundreds of years in the sand.
q | Is found here now from two to five feet be
8 low the surface in the drift, and so plentifr
4 that the miner who does not find it in pay
ing quantities is the exception. On til
a other hand, there are some who claim tha
= the gold is washed in from the sea, and the
the real field or mother lode" so to speal
n Is to be reached and developed by dredging
O There may be something in this theor!
q but the other seems to be the more tenabl
a The beach to the east of Cape Nom
v makes no such gold showing as does tt
beach to the west, owing to the existent
a Of a long reach of water or 'lagoon,
: which lies a short distance back from tt
, sea and parallel with it. Gold deposits alon
> the creeks in the interior are quite as rlc
in one direction as in the other.
The headquarters of the Cape Nome tel
y ritory Is Anvil City-so named from IL
e shape OF the mountain above it-at IL
3. mouth of Snake river, although Nome Ci
y Is the postoffice. While the city possess
number of frame houses, tents are II
o prevailing shelter and prices for commod
ties are pretty much as they are in all mi
y ing towns. Notwithstanding this is one
70 70 the most accessible mining towns on cart
- as ships from any part of the world mt
come up to its very doors, making due a
!. lowances for no harbor and much delay b
a tween ship and shore in bad weather. Mea
10 are from $3.50 to $3.50 each, a b.
in tent $3.50, plain drinks so cen
each beer 30 cents per glass al
other things in proportion inclu
10 ing mutton chop at s125-and by 4
N way, these are not much in excess of pric
'u at frst-class places in New York City. Co
L. per plate for use in rockers is worth
10 weight in silver and one miner who had !
y copper substituted silver dollars for 1t, sixt
~ :, four of them being required to proper
=, plate his rocker. which, added to its nr
- cost of $50, made it somewhat expensly
- even for this locality. Labor In the min
~ is worth from $S to $40 day and board, al
even carpenters, about the only other ella
of labor, are paid $l50 an hour and boa
T. themselves. AS the days In summer a
as from eighteen to twenty-four hours long
n, carpenter can put in lot of spare tin
s. Everybody has money and as many w
rs have it are not used to it, they are LAWS
~ ing their earnings by day on gambln
and hall 4