The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-09
THE CAPE NOME DISTRICT.
THE SEA BEACH MINING NEAR
NOME. ALASKA.

Richest aud Easiest Mining in the
History Of such Effort, But the
Easy part OF Il viii soon he Over
When the collaborating sea sand
l. ENhausted-No One Knows EN-
actI> HOW the Gold Dust Got Mixed
Win. the sand.
(Copvri-ht. 1899. 10y the :. 5. Mcclure Coz
So. An-hael's Alaska, Sept. THE most
remarkable gold mining at present in the
world. # nor iu the entire history of sold
muiue. j. that now IN progress at ana
about cape Nome ON Norton Sound. Bcr-
ing Sea Alaska. situate about 225 miles
north and west of the mouth Of the Yukon
river. or l35 miles form this point. Gold
,,as first discovered on Snake river last
fan aud during the earlier portion of this
season. cape Nome district had acquired
considerable ropute as gold producer
and not few miners from the Yukon
river country. many Of them stranded
here. went over TO Nome and either sax
cd such claims as they could get, or Sc
cured work AS they could find H. Much
COMPLAINT was made that claims had been
taken 10y persons holding powers of attor-
nov. their principals not being present in
person, aud in June the Cape Nome dis
iric, had become so unpopular that re-
ports were circulating to the effect that
the whole thing was a fake foisted on
the public by transportation companies 20
improve their business
Whatever of truth may have been IA
these stories is now of small import, for
An June or early July, some one of the
stranded miners tenting on the beach as
the only unclaimed space, accidentally dis
covered 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 ana all
Kinds of tools that would dig. Thelr sue
cess was such that within few days men
who had work on claims along the creek
at $40 a day and board, threw up their
Jobs and took TO the beach, expecting to
earn, and actually earning i'm many In
stances, as much in an hour as they mad
earned in a day.
The Easiest Mining on Record,
Never had such easy mining been heard
of, never had il been found so uneXpect-
cdly and so oppOrtuuely, and IT was not
long before everything else was deserted
for the seashore, and even women ana
boys of 10 or u years were TO be found
as busy i'm the sand as the men We're.
Since the discovery the number OF
"beach combers," as they are called, has
steadily increased and to-day is present
ed the strange sight of hundreds of min
eTs of both sexes and all ages and con-
ditions strung out along the beach for a
dozen miles or more.
For miles to the west of Cape Nome the
beach runs straight away in a strip of tide
fnFt IN six N
width between high and low water mark,
extending up to the tundra" or black al
luvial 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
thirty or forty miles and back into the
mountains for ten or twelve miles had
been staked, but on the long strip of tide
lands no man had a better claim than
another, or could have, under the tide
land laws and here the grand army OF
gold-seekers camped and in very short or
der had converted the barren strand into
a site of tremendous and enthusiastic in
dustry. At the same time business of all
kinds began TO respond to the boom from
the beach, and the usual collection of gam
bling hells saloons and dance halls went
into operation. Al present 1t is estimated
that 1000 TO 1900 miners are at work on
the beach, extending west for twenty
miles. All these work with rockers, ana
they occupy just as much territory TO the
man or group as can work it. 1t is not
unusual for one small square bit of beach
70 pan out $40 to SIS an hour, but, of course,
the space is soon exhausted, and the lucky
digger must move to another spot.
where Does 1t Come From.
This beach deposit OF gold is as yet an
unsolved problem. BY some il is claimed
that the gold in the sand. which is entire
~ dust" has been washed out from the
tundra by the waves at high tide and de-
posted 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 ind 1t in paying quantities is the ex-
ception. 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 20 speak, is 10 be
reached and developed by dredging. There
may be something in this theory but the
other seems TO be the more tenable
The beach TO the east of Cape Nome
makes no such good showing as does the
beach to the west, owing to the existence
of long reach of water or lagoon, -
which lies a short distance back from
The sea and parallel with it, Gold de-
posits along the creeks in the interior are
quite as rich i'm one direction as in the
ether
Life at Anvil City.
The headquarters of the Cape Nome ter
ritory is Anvil City-so named from the
shape of the mountain above it-at thc
mouth of the Snake river although Nome
city is the postoffice. While the city pos
sesses a number of frame houses. tents
ere the prevailing shelter and prices for
commodities are pretty much as they arc
In all mining towns. Notwithstanding
this is one of the most accessible mining
towns on earth, as ships from any parl
Of the world may come up 20 lis very
doors, making due allowances for no har-
Dor and much delay between ship and
shore in bad weather. Meals are from
$3.50 TO $3.50 each a bed in a tent, 81. 80
plain drinks, 80 cents each; beer. 80 cents
per glass, and other things in proportion
including mutton chop at $l25-and, by
the way, these are not much in excess Of
prices at frst-class places in New York
city. Copper plate for use in rockers !.
worth its weight in silver and one miner
who had no, copper, substituted silver dol.
lars for IL, sXty-four OF them being re,
CURED 10 properly plate his rocker. which
added TO its first cost Of $50. made il some