Evening star., 1900-03-23
THE BEACH OF GOLD
A Tremendous Rush at Cape Nome 1ndi-
Gated During the Summer.
Gold is Said to Be There in Great
Quantities and Awaits Only
the Miners Shovel.

Judge s B. Shepard, for several years
United States commissioner at st. Michael
Alaska. is at present in Washington, and
is stopping at the Arlington.
Il left Alaska" said he to a Star re-
porter. 'on one of the last boats that came
down to the states. in last October. 1 have
spent three summers and two winters in
that territory. and my convictions to
the growth and the future development of
its wonderful mineral and other resources
are based upon actual knowledge, and are
most firm and pronounced
Whatever else may have found its way
into print regarding the new Eldorado at
Cape Nome which exaggcrations. there
have been no fanciful creations to it's mar
velous richness in gold and the prolificness
OF the yellow metal there awaiting he who
may find It, According to the figures OF
the transportation companies that handle
and carry the gold for the miners from the
cape to the mint in San Francisco, the out
put last year was s2,6Oo"o This does not
include the dust which miners themselves
carried their persons. and the sum of
which must have aggregated q very con-
siderable amount. but which, of course can
only be estimated.
The Output for This Season.
Cape Nome is a new mining field and
very remote. 1t is. however, comparatively
| easy of access, as the trip can be made by
steam in about two weeks from the Pacific
coast, depending upon the speed of the YES
sci. The boats lie off the beach about a
mile or so. and deharkat of goods and
| pasSengerS is made in lighters. There are
none of the terrible hardships experienced
| in reaching the Klondike. This is a very
important matter in many respects, and
| men who would be deferred in making the
| Dawson trip would find the Cape Nome
VOYAGE cOmDAratiVp recreation. The
railway over the pass and improved boat
| facilities the lakes on the klondike
| route. however. have greatly reduced the
| disagreeable features of the journey.
II would not Of course, make an esti-
mate of the output of the Cape Nome dig
| gings for the ensuing season. but | believe
that Sfo.o00O0n will be a conservative one.
This will sound high, but l think it will be
verified if not exceeded. | know of one
| man who will take out s15oo.0Go from his
mines. In fact, the output simply depends
upon the facilities the miners have in get
| ting a the gold. That metal is there N
abundance and furthermore. is so located
| as to be easy of access. Bed rock is
reached anywhere from a few inches under
| the sand and moss to from three to six
| feet and on, depending upon the surface.
Next Season the Great Year.
| Next season, that of 1901, will be the
great year at Cape Nome. Last year the
| miners 1abored under great inconveniences
| DIS 10 proper "OThlIp ldClIllleS- -uHlbeT
was and is very scarce. Suitable mining
| implements and many other important IS
| sentials in the getting out of gold were not
| there except such as the emergency pro-
| duced. This year these implements and
| machinery will go up and the improved
methods will be manifest in the increased
output But ii Will be next season before
| they and the other now crude conditions will
| be in a smoothly working order. and things
! will have settled down to solid basis. |
think the rush in the summer of 1901 Will
| be very heavy. As it is now, though the
| first boat will not get up before about the
10Th of next June. everything in the sailing
| line on the Pacific coast not in regular serv-
ice, both steam and sailing vessels, h1s
| been impressed. The camp will require
| great quantities Of supplies, which is a tea-
| ture entirely aside from the paSSen ger
| transportation problem. Charters are in
| demand in the Pacific both accouat of
| the in the Philippines and Increased
| tonnage because of the heavy trade aud
| big business now being done the coast.
If the result 1 anticipate materializes geo
| pie will have hard time by reason of the
| numbers who will want to go in getting TO
| the cape in the summer of 1901 unless the
| transportation facilities are greatly in
| creased. Because of the comparatively easy
| access to the gold. everybody wants to 60
| who has the gold fever. The season Is
| short, about four months.
| Pleasant Features of Alaska.
| II have been often asked If a man in such
| a remote country Alaska did not feel,
| in abandoning the comforts of civiliza-
ton and the luxures of metropolitan life
! as though he were wasting his years unless
| the pecuniary compensation was so great
| as to form an offset. To some men life
| of adventure and actual hardship is a down
| right pleasure They revel in it. Others
| drop by the wayside l can only speak for
| myself. | enjoyed my life in Alaska 50
| much that l am going back. When Ole Is
| occupied the long winter of endless nights
| passes rapidly. l enjoyed excellent health.
| | suffered from but one cold. We don't
| have that shifting and disagreeable running
| at the nose that is peculiar to this climate.
| The cold is intense and steady, to which
| one becomes rapidly adapted. Pneumonia
| and other lung troubles arr not as prara-
lent there here. | have known of many
| men who were delicate in the states wno
| became robust in Alaska. Ordinarily a
| rough mining country is not a good place
| for invalids, and Cape Nome is no exception
| to the rule. II man contemplates the
trip he must be prepared to undergo su"h
| privaIions and hardshps may present