The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-13
Several Costly Plants Installed in
the District.
INVESTMENTS OF SEATTLE MEN
Local Company Expends $500, 900 In
Piping and Construction Of n
Ditch $4,000 Feet Long-win OPP
crate ON Pine and willow Creeks,
Handling 10000 Cubic Yards OF
Dirt Each Day-Other Enterprises.

L. H. Griffith. of Seattle. has returned
from the Atlin district, where he installed
and put In successful operation the largest
and most expensive hydraulic plant ever
established in Alaska or the British fu-
kon section. The enterprise involved the
digging OF ditch 25.ooo feet long and the
laying Of one mile and half Of thirty
inch water pipe. Water was turned into
the ditch and the process of washing for
gold began July is. The proposition is
backed financially by Seattle and Eastern
capitalists. and the present Indications are
that before the close Of the season enough
gold viii have been taken out to pay
for the total cost OF installing the plant.
about $500. 1000
exceeded 81 900. and the shipment had to
be handled thirteen times between the
factory and the mines. 1t took fourteen
cars Of the White Pass Yukon road 10
transport the pipe from Skagway to Ben
nett. being the largest single shipment of
any description ever made over that high
way.
The plant is located on Pine, for the
operation on that stream and Willow
creek. The source Of water is Pine. at
point above Birch! At the top the
ditch Is fifteen feet wide. being six feet
deep and with bed width OF six feet It
has capacity OF 1000 miners inches of
water. and with all the monitors at work
II handles 1000 cubic yards OF dirt a
day.
Mr.. Grifith and his associates own for
the purpose of operation and development
lsi claims on Willow and three and one
half miles OF Pine from the falls up.
They put their first monitor to work July
~. at claim 4s above discovery. on Pine.
and day or two later a second on IL
below on Pine. A third monitor was TO
have been installed a day or so follow
Ing Mr.. Griffiths' departure from the
district. August 1. With the opening of
next season II is the purpose OF the man
ayers to have eight monitors in opera
ton.
The entire plant was established this
season 1t was not until about May
that any real work was done, but by June
] over 300 men and twenty teams were
employed.
While declining to give figures as to the
gold returns thus far, the operators say
better than had been expected.
There are. Mr.. Griffith reports, several
other large hydraulic plants in operation
and being installed In the Atlin district
company which began operation July J..
r. c. Hawkins, OF the White Pass &
Yukon. and associates put their Wright
creek hydraulic plant to work July Is.
and two or three other hydraulics are
nearing completion.
Mckee creek is being worked by the
ground sluicing method, with returns of
from an ounce TO an ounce and half
per day to the man. Claims Nos. l and
below discovery are yielding better than
an ounce per day to the shovel by the
primitive placer method.
Yhe largest nugget, Mr. Grifith states,
produced this season by Atlin was taken
from No. " below discovery, on Pine. 1t
is pure gold specimen. weighing twenty
nine ounces and nine pennywetghts. The
claim Is owned by a MIR Harrigan, a res
ident of Buckley, Pierce county.