The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-05
CAPE NOME OUTLOOK.
Sixty Thousand People Expected This
Year.

ear.
New York, Feb. 5.lThere will be law
1essness and a reign of terror in the new
gold fields at Cape Nome, Alaska, next
summer, in the opinion of John G. Bra
dy, governor of the territory, and Geo.
N Wright, postmaster at Cape Nome,
unless congress takes steps to establish
civil government on a firm foundation
and makes laws defining the proprie-
torship of claims.
Governor Brady and Mr.. Wright are
in the state endeavoring to obtain the
appointment of United States judges at
Sitka, Circle City and Cape Nome. An
extraordinary rush of gold seekers to
the last named place is expected next
May, when communication with the
outside world is reOpened. Mr.. Wright
believes that before the end of the sum-
mer there will be 1000 persons in Cape
Nome.
1--WE want the general land laws ex-
tended to Alaska, so that we may have
homestead reports" said Mr.. Wright
last night, otherwise we cannot help
having a great deal Of trouble. We are
without the legal form of government.
We have organized one of our own,
electing a mayor, a council, a chief of
police and other officers, but it has no
standing in law. There were 1000 men
there last year and they agreed among
themselves to observe each one anoth-
er's rights but it will be different when
we have $4,000.
In law nobody has any right to the
beach between the high and low water
marks, where there are rich deposits of
gold. 1t ought to be laid off in small
plots for the sale of the mineral rights.
Though gold was discovered in Cape
Nome a year ago last September, We
did not get the news in Seattle until
last May. We suspected at first that it
was a scheme of the steamship compa-
MES to get passengers, as the Yukon
business was getting slack. I telegraph
III
master, and was appointed by wire over
night [ got to Nome on July 4, when
there was not a sluice box in the dis
trict.
Lumber came in later, and about 3d.
500, 600 of gold was taken out last sum
mer One claim in Anvil creek paid
$175, 900 in five weeks. 1 know, because I
handled the money. Three claims in
Snow Gu1ch paid $500 009-
ION the Yukon the gold is well below
the surface, but at Nome it lies near
the top of the ground. Many claims
have been staked out, but there is a
vast region still to be explored The
formation is very peculiar. Back of the
beach, which is white sand, and rising
ten feet above it, is Il fiat strip called
tundras, which extends from two to
four miles back to the mountains. This
has a layer of moss and peat on top,
then comes a layer of blue. clay from
six to fifteen inches thick, and then
white sand to bedrock, twenty-five feet
below.
The gold in the white sand runs
from 80 cents to $3.50 a pan, and the
pay streak of ruby sand on the bed
rock runs SIS to the pan, besides coarse
gold.
lone of the steamers took $50 tons
of sand shovelled at random from the
beach, to San Francisco last year. 1t
was put into a big smelter there, and
yielded $1,000 in gold. The beach has
been prospected Tor fifteen miles, No
body knows where the gold came from.
Some think it was from the hills,
brought down by glaciers, and some
think it was thrown up by a volcano.
Governor Brady wants Alaska to
come in as state when the popula-