The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-06
Rich Returns From Deposits on
the Beach at Wreck Bay.
a SIMPLE MACHINE is USED.
One Property Cleaning Up $500 .
Day and Expects to Take Out
100000 Next season-Wonderful
Possibilities III Method Proves
successful ON other Parts of the
Coast-Black sands of Alaska

w II. windle, who has just returned
to Seattle after a four months pros
pecting trip on the west coast OF van
couver island, brings news of the OPEN
ing up OF wonderfully rich black saha
deposits on the beach at Wreck bay.
A satisfactory method has oeen Iouho
for saving the -four gold and Mr.. WIN
die predicts that the introduction OF this
method will not only result In wreck
bay producing over $4,000 worth of gold
during the coming year but that pro-
cess will come into general use, and tnat
along the coast OF Alaska, OF BRUSH
Columbia and even Washington VIII De
opened up hundreds of rich beach dig-
gings.
On one of the Wreck bay properties
four men operating a small machine
with limited supply of water have tax
en- out over $1,000 during the present sea-
son. The same people have now put
in two larger machines and are making
$500 day. Two men on the adjoining
property have been working all summer
with small machine and are regularly
cleaning up 500 day. On the two prop
critics which comprise all the Wreck bay
beach now known to be valuable. II Is
expected to continue work until Christ
mas.
THE rich deposits Of Wreck bay are all
along beach that Is less than twenty
Windle last night. u. f. sutton. who
owns the big property there, has 1850
yards of this beach, comprising alto
gether a tract of about eighty acres. Mr..
Sutton made his location last year. be-
ing attracted by the remarkable deposits
Of black sand. which are In several places
from twelve to fourteen inches thick. he
had the black sand examined by num-
her OF experienced mining men, and they
were unanimous in the opinion that, al
though its wonderful richness was ap-
parent. no method could be found for
saving the values. Sutton met nothing
but disbursement until he got hold OF
had some ideas on the subject of saving
gold from black sand, which he proceed
ed to work out. The result was the pro-
duction Of machine which makes
complete success of black sand mining.
-Graham's black sand machine is about
thirty inches In width and twelve feet
long The -four gold Is saved by having
box, through which all the fne stun
drops upon the machine below. There Il
Is run over copper plates. silver plated
and sprinkled from time to time with
quicksilver. An average of more than
IS per cent. of the gold Is caught upon
these plates. 1t is simple machine
and II i sverywhsrs .r proves na as -, s,ass
sand deposits along the coast will yield
many million dollars worth Of gold.
"Sutton's operations at Wreck bay this
year have been under difficulties and nat
urally have been upon a somewhat lin
ited scale. Trouble was had In getting
water, but finally a small stream was
cured by putting in a wooden pipe to
drain a section of the swamp lying imme-
diately back of the beach. With this
stream two small machines were worked
and over $4,000 worth OF. -four gold Sc
cured from the black sand in space OF
40 feet by 60 feet.
Most OF the work this summer has
been In preparation for handling the sand
upon an extensive scale fiume. two
miles In length and capable of carrying
expense OF 10000 and no further trouble
will be had from lack of water. This
hume has now been completed and when
I left two large machines had just been
started and were each saving about $50
worth OF gold a day. 1t Is the intention
to begin next season with ten OF these
machines and season cleanup OF not
the dredging possible when the beach Is
exhausted, Sutton believes that he will
he able to continue work upon this scale
for at least twenty years.
"A prospector named Talbert and part
ner own $50 feet OF beach adjoining SUIT
toms property. They have made two
machines OF their own; built on the same
plan as that of Graham. and are clean
ing up about 500 day.
THE strata of black sand extends un-
der the entire beach and lies al a depth
OF two or three feet.
THE valuable beach at Wreck bay is
already taken but believe equally good
coast. have been hearing for years
about the great black sand deposits OF
the Alaskan beach, and next year I pro-
pose to investigate their possibilities The
beaches OF British Columbia ana Wash
ington should also prove great gold pro-