The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-25

dumps and doing considerable rocking.
while Lane and Goodro, Oscar Rothen-
burg. Thomas Kearn and numbers of 9TH
ers are preparing to prospect the beach
out dumps during the winter.
Contrary TO general opinion. II is be-
lieved that the beach can be worked the
greater part of the winter without burn
Ing" as Is done in the upper Yukon eoun-
try. The work viii be slow. but the
quality OF the dirt. II Is thought. VIII en-
able fair wages to be made.
Coast Much Prospected.
The coast has been prospected for
distance Of forty miles west Of Nome
and for nearly similar distance In an
easterly direction. Indeed. the beach is
known TO carry gold as far north as Cape
York. and probably farther. while in the
Golovin bay country, distance from Nome
seventy miles. gold Is also found on the
beach. The great bulk OF the beach
gold has thus far been found between
the Nome river on the east and the Penny
river on the west. a distance OF fifteen
miles. Evidences OF how the sands have
been upturned are still 20 be found al
Intervals between these points. although
the high tides OF this month and the
surf breaking over the beach have nearly
obliterated all traces OF former WORK.
Back near the tundra. however. may
stiil be seen evidences of the work that
has been done by the beach diggers.
Men Work in Winter.
A representative OF the News few
eays ago made a trip along the beach be-
tween Nome and Penny rivers. Notwitn-
standing the lateness OF the season. num-
hers OF men were at work. some or whom
were making big money. while all were
making good wages. few were working
2
near the waters edge that had never
been touched by the pick or shovel; 9TH
ers. and where the best pay seemed 20 be
found we're about midway between the
tundra and low water mark. About a
mile above town, November is, A III.
HAYNES took out six ounces IN few
hours. a few feet above Jack Walgren,
the next day. found a sasS nugget.
Haynes also found a number % small
nuggets. one OF which was worth fi5o In
the same vicinity George A. Shaver, Ran
McIAchlan J. Flynn and Jack Miscali
were all making good wages
Cleaning Up the beach.
And they were working ground that for
the most part had been "gophered'' last
summer. occasionally running into
match that had been left untouched. Al
though the beach has been goused ana
cut up In all directions. these patches. as
an Australian miner calls them. are nu-
merous. but considerable work Is entailed
I'm removing the waste dirt and taiiinss
scattered broadcast by previous work
But when one Of these unworked patches
h. stripped, the worker Is almost certain
to strike rich pay.
Near low water mark bedrock r. reach
ea at depth varying from eight to eight
cen inches: back toward the tundra the
depth to bedrock runs from four to six
feet There are three distinct kinds OF
bedrock; first sort OF ouicksand-ciay
formation. near the sea; next. gray
sand-clay bedrock and. third. biue-clay.
selatinous kind which has a strong odor
somewhat resembling bilge-water. The
richest deposits are found ON the latter
bedrock IL is mistake to suppose that
ruby sand IL distributed everywhere. IL
IL not, and some OF the richest sands do
not carry the ruby variety at all.
Phenomenal Finds.
some OF the nnds in the Nome district
have been phenomenal: nuggets worth as
high as S36 have been found. while those
worth from 81 TO 81 each have been com
mon. Men who could not make at least
SIS a day accounted the ground but poor
digginTs; SO a day ground was not con-
sidercd worth wasting time on. As much
as 500 day TO the man was taken out.
and in not n few instances authentic
eases are reported where two men rocked
out $500 in single day OF ten hours.