The evening times., 1899-11-25
CAPE nome GOLD Fields
Interesting Information From a
Returned BaltimOrean.
He Thinks That the Territory VIII
Produce Greater Wealth Than the
Up the Claims Found in Ameri-
can Territory-A Frigid Climate.

|
BALTIMORE. Nd, Nov. 25.-Winfield s
Oler. who is visiting his parents in thi:
city, gives some interesting information
concerning the Alaskan gold fields, espe'
cially the new district of Cape Nome
which. according TO his opinion, promises
TO eclipse the riches of the Klondike. HI
| says the people Of Seattle and San Fran
cisco have not doomed Cape Nome because
they hope to reap next summer the i'm
mense advantages sure TO accrue from the
heavy yield of gold in the new country dis
covered about year ago by the Laplan-
ders engaged there in tending reindeer
herds.
In speaking of Cape Nome, Mr.. oler said:
When / left Baltimore last February !
went direct to San Francisco. While in
| that city young man named Fredericks,
| who was attending school there, showed me
| letter which he had received from his
father, who lives at Cape Nome. telling
| him of the discovery of gold at that place
| and urging him to come at once. l lost no
| time in starting for the new country, and
| upon arriving secured claim on Dexter
| creek. The creek was called after trader
named Dexter, who had visited that coun-
| try for many years.
The three richest creeks discovered so
far are Anvil, Dexter and Snow. From this
! district there was taken in four months last
| summer s3.O0o,ee0 in gold. OF this amount
| 81 .000, 900 was found on the ocean beach and
the remaining s2000.0G0 in the gulches.
Miners made big money during the entire
time. From 700 to COO men, working with
rockers, a form OF mining in use there.
made from $40 to S466 day. The deposit
of gold was found on top of blue clay
rock covered by beach sand from four to
six feet deep. over which was what is
known as ruby sand from two to six inches
in thickness. The beach diggings extend
twenty-five miles along the coast, and all OF
them were worked successfully. Missiona-
ries have reported TO the miners that pros
pectors are at work as far north as Point
Clarence, which is sixty-fiye miles north Of
| Cape Nome.
The Old California Style.
In the gulehes the miners use 'sluice
boxes which is the old California style
OF mining. OF the gulches so far worked
Anvil Creek has proved the richest. One
nugget found on the No. below discov-
cry brought Si37. and another found on
the No l above discovery realized Si3o
for its findef The total amount taken out
of Anvil Creek during the four months was
1000, 900. out OF Dester Creek $500, 600 and
out of Snow Creek and other gulches about
$500, 600 Other creeks are being prospected
and no one can tell at present the full ex
tent of this rich district. Miners claim it
Will prove to be one of the richest ever
discovered in the world.
Provisions are plentiful at Cape Nome
and there pay-dirt can be found almost
from the grass roots. 1t possesses a strong
advantage in the fact that ii is entirely
within American territory. Miners, in
stead of being allowed 100-foot claims as
on Canadian soil, are granted $50 feet, or
twenty acres. to a claim. 1t costs only s.
to record claim. and the royalty of 10
per cent OF the net proceeds required by
the Canadian law does not prevail. The
Laplanders who discovered the gold at
Cape Nome however. not only staked of
claims for themselves but also for their
relatives, and as a consequence it is said
there will be more litigation over this
camp than resulted from the discovery of
any previous one in the northern country.
In my judgment the Cape Nome coun-
try will eventually produce more money to
the mine owner than did the Klondike.
The discovery of Cape Meme has done
much already to depopulate Dawson City.
From Dawson City to Cape Nome by river
route-the only way TO go-is 1900 miles.
and every man who could get away from
the Yukon country during the last sum-
mer went TO Cape Nome. The only diff
Guilty about Cape Nome is that it has
rough sea coast and heavy surf. which
makes it dangerous for ocean vessels to
land their freight.
Not Pleasant Climate.
"The temperature is said to seldom go
lower than 45 degrees below zero, and for
three months last summer-June July, and
August-it averaged about 80 degrees
above zero. The climate as a rule is not
so pleasant as that of the Klondike. 1t is
wet damp, and foggy.
Reindeer clothing is worn by the mi
uers. Boatloads of it were brought over
into the Cape Nome country from the ST.
berian coast. Reindeer was also eaten as
fresh meat. Miners who could get lumber
built themselves homes. The roofs were
made of corrugated iron, and two thick
nesses of tar paper were placed between
the weatherboards. Some of the miners
built themselves homes with driftwood
which they had picked up. Between 1000
and 5000 miners will spend the winter in
the Cape Nome country.
For a time Cape Nome town was under
military law. This, however, was found to
be unsatisfactory, and Governor Brady, OF
Alaska, was finally prevailed upon to al
low the miners to establish 4 government
of their own. They elected Thomas Ca
she'll Yukon River miner, the first mayor
and also chose a town council, a chief of
police, and other municipal officers. Inter-
course between the miners and the troops
is now very pleasant, and everything seems
to be working harmoniously. The troops
are quartered in a barracks built Of lum-
Der, covered with corrugated iron. Every
miner had money during the summer. and
l have never seen a camp in my twenty
years experience where money was so free
ly spent. Everything in the form OF diver
sion was wide open and was literally pa
tronized by the miners.
Prospects in Siberia.
.The country in which / worked during
the summer is about eighty miles from ST.
IBERIA. Frequently on clear days have
seen miners climb the hills to catch a
glimpse of the Siberian coast. Many mi
ners are making preparations for prospect
ing in Siberia. as they understand that the
Russian Government has thrown open the
country for prospecting. If there is any
gold in that country the American miners
will be sure to get it. Miners. as rule,