Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-07
A NEW GOLD FIELD
Yellow Metal is Found on the Beach
at Cape Nome.
PICKED Up WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE
No One Knows How the Dust Got
Mixed With the Sand.
FORTUNES EASILY MADE

copyrighted 1899, by the s. s. Mcclure co..
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
ST. MICHAEL'S, Alaska, Sept. 1, 1892
The most remarkable gold mining at
present in the world, If not in the entire
history of gold mining. is that now in
progress at and about Cape Nome on Nor
ton sound, Boring sea, Alaska, situate
about 225 miles north and west of the
mouth Of the Yukon river or 135 miles
from this point. Gold was first discover
ed on Snake river last fall and during the
earlier portion of this season. Cape Nome
district had acquired considerable 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 it. Much complaint was made that
claims had been taken by persons hold
ing powers of attorney, their principals
not being present in person, and in June
the Cape Nome district had become I'M
popular that reports were circulating to
the effect that the whole thing was a
fake foisted on the public by the trans
portation companies to-improve their bust
ness.
Whatever of truth may have been in
these stories is now of small import, for
in June or early July some one of the
slI diiucu iiiiieIS ltHtinS on the DeaCn, 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 and all
kinds of tools that would dig Their 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 in many in
stances, as much in an hour as they had
earned in a day.
Easiest Mining on Record.
Never had such easy mining been heard
of, never had it been found so unexpectedly
and so opportunity, and it was not long
before everything else was deserted for the
seashore, and even women and boys Of
ten or twelve years We're 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 a dozen miles or
more.
For miles to the west of Cape Nome the
beach runs straight away in 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 al
luvial soil, which is from three to five feet
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-Iand laws, and here
the grand army Of gold seekers camped and
in very short order had converted the bar
rem strand into a site of tremendous and
enthusiastic industry. At the same time
business OF all kinds began to respond to
the boom from the beach. and the usual
collection of gambling bells, saloons and
dance halls went into operation. At pres
ent II is estimated that 600 to 200 miners
are at work on the beach. extending west
for twenty miles. All these work with
rockers, and they occupy just as much ter
1t is not unusual for one small square bit
of beach to pan out $40 to SIS an hour, but,
of course, the space Is soon exhausted ard
the lucky digger must move to another
spot
Where Does 1t Come From?
This beach deposit of gold is as yet an I'm
solved problem. By some 1t Is claimed that
the gold In the sand, which is entirely
dust" has been washed out from the tun-
dra by the waves at high tide and deposit
ed 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 plen-
tiful that the miner who does not find 1t
in paying quantities is the exception. On
the other hand, there some who claim
that the gold Is washed in from the sea-
and that the real field, mother lode" so
to speak, is to be reached and developed by
dredging. There may be hing In this
theory, 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 long reach of water or lagoon"
yvhi oh lac n toto
sea and parallel with 1t. Gold deposits
along the creeks in the interior are quite
as rich in one direction as in the other.
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 the
mouth of Snake river. although Nome City
is the post office. While the city possesses
a number of frame houses, tents are the
prevailing shelter and prices for commod-
tiles are pretty much as they are in all
mining towns. Yet this is one of the most
accessible mining towns on earth. as ships
from any part of the world may come up
to its very doors, making due allowances
for no harbor and much delay between
ship and shore in bad weather. Meals are
from 81. 30 to $3.50 each; q bed in a tent
cents per glass. and other things in proper
ton, including mutton chop at SIPS. Cop
per plate for use IN rockers is worth it's
weight in silver, and one miner who had
no copper substituted silver dollars for it.
sixtyfour of them being required to prop
erly plate his rocker, which, added to its
first cost Of $50, made 1T somewhat expen
sive. even for this locality. Labor in the
mines is worth from So to SO day and
board, and even carpenters about the only
other class of labor, are paid 81 80 an hour
and board themselves. AS the days in
summer are from eighteen to twenty-four
hours long. carpenter can put in lot of
spare time. Everybody has money. and as
many who have 1t are not used to it. they
are lavishing their earnings by day on
gambling liquor and dance halls at night
Gambling takes the bulk Of the dust, and
every species Of game Is represented in
Anvil City. o..
A Thousand Dollars an Hour.
As to what amount of gold is being taken
out there is no means Of determining. 1t is
known that not more than 100000 in all
have been shipped by steamer. and 100000
of that has gone opt within the past week.
The beach mining is reported to be turn
ing out about, $4,000 day. but this in the
nature of things cannot continue And
when 1t is exhausted these men will go
to work on the numerous claims lying
back from the sea and along the creeks
Here the gold is found in very rich de-
posits, the claim Of Lindeburg & Co. on