The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
FACTS A%BOUTNOME'S GOLD.
.Yprsrs o READY 10 PAS FINAL
JUDGuENT on THE FIELD
Thousand. Of Disappointed Fortune Huntsr'
Leave Nome-The Gold Production Less
Than Last Ysar-Two Notable strikes ana
pYosneets Of MoTe-Prices Tumble down.

NlME NhNh'N HA@s
vestern Alaska and particularly the region
arouni Cape Nome will fu'nl expectations as
agreat COLI produce Is not less bright because
Mt least three or four thousand men have al
rasdy returned TO the States disappointed
Tn. situation Is still p~roblematical. and there
= not a Government official. geo!ogist or MIN
ing expert in the Territory who Is prepared At
this date 10 express n very positive opinion re-
gariinc the value Of the country. Some OF
them are inclined to believe that the region
has been over'atei. while others prefict guard
ally that IL will exceed all expectations hut no
man Of reputation and experience Is ready 70
pass final judgment, The corollary OF tlH
propositton Is, OF course. that the Cape Nome
region is not a. thousands ct persons supposed
q place 10 which any man can acquire greet
wealth In single season.
The situation has become rather more hope.
ful within the last three weeks. Seven hundred
messengers, tho majority OF them disappointed
fortune hunters. sailed for the outside last
Friday on the ohio. and several hundred more
ill start for home to-day on the Senator. But
this does not condemn the mining camp. those
who have gone home do not belong 10 the class
Of natieut. handy nrospsctors on whom me
thorough exploration OF the Alaska gold coun-
Try depends.
The porulatlon Of the city Of Nome. which
Al one time this season was something IKE
noon, Il probably not now more than l'''W
or tho 500 who have gone away probably
about 2.0oO are or have been very recehtN
working on the beach and on the creek c'a'ms
IN the back country; a few hunire' e have gone
IN the Yukon 20 the Klondike region ana me
others are prospecting the gold belt Of western
Alaska from Golovrin Bay to Cape Prince of
Wales AMI from tho Boring Sea 200 miles M
land TIE teach long ago proved 20 bea fou-
urc for al except rocker men who are satisfied
70 wash out from s. to s. worth OF gold a cav
Operations on such creek Claims as are known
W be good have been hiudered by a variety OF
causes AMI IL is still too early TO estimate eH-
sotly the value Of these properties. generally
,peakinR Even in the few instances where
the richness Of the creek claims has been e-
tablishel. circumstances have consptred 10
keen down the output Of gold. The season u
now far advancei. Mining on The creeks must
certainly cease for the year at the end OF s1
or seven weeks from this time, and IN a MUS
moro than two months tho mining camp VIII
be frozen up and communication with the out
aide world, except by 'nfrequen' and labori-
Gus means, will be cut OF until next June.
Many persons In Nome who have staked their
all on the belief that the Cape Nome region VIII
for several years turn out a very large quantity
81 gold are becoming exceedingly nervous az
rhe prospect IL il believed that not more IMAM
1000. 900 worth Of gold has been dug out OF
the ground In the western peninsula OF Alaska
so far this season. II is possible to make TINS
estimate with some assurance OF correctness.
The most careful calculation places the output
Of the Topkuk digRings at from ss5o,OO to $780,
no. The claims on Anvil and Dexter creeks,
Snow Guleh and other streams where mining
operations are being carried on have produced
probably not far from $500. 900. There Is more
difncilty In estimating the product OF the beach
diggings, for the rocker men, az a rule. brought
thar provisions with them, and. not being
Obliged TO spend money, have not presented
their gold at any OF the places In Nome where
the yellow dust Ia bought. They will carry II
with them when they 90 back home THIS fal,
or II they remain here over winter Will sell
part OF II to buy next seasons provisions.
Probably $500. 900 Is LARGE estimate Of the prod
uct OF the beach sands since tue uIggings wers
opened last spring,
IL has been estimated that the product OF
the Cape Nome district last year was about
1880. 900. The camp was then In its infancy
and there had been no opportunity Tor tho
expenditure Of capital and the employment
Of ext nsive mining machinery. Yet the present
outlook is that this seasons output OF dust
Will not ehcttu sStUDu,Opo III 'hih'' ~ sh'
amount Is included the product OF the rich
Topkuk beach. sixty miles southeast OF Nome.
An impression has undoubtedly gone abroad
in the United States that the output ~ gold
at Nome this year has been larger than It treaty
Is. This may arise partly from the fact that
a large mart Of the gold which steamships have
carried down TO Seattle and San Francisco this
season Il last years product shipped from
st. Michael, and a considerable part ~ II, more
over, was from the Klondike and the Yukon
River digRings.
The discovery OF Topkuk, one Of the two
notable strikes OF the present season. was
made before the opening Of navigation, and 1t
did not benefit the newcomers to any great
extent. The rich diggings do not extend
more than 900 yards along the beach, and they
have already been worked out. Daniels
Creek, at the mouth Of which the remarkable
strip Of golden shore is found, has proved to
be exceptionally rich in both placer and quartz
gold. The stream cute through the e;el tun-
dra near its mouth, but rising ground IL found
few hundred yards from the sea and the banks
OF the creek rise almost abruptly toward the
mountains. One Of the richest placer deposits
In Alaska Is found along these banks, but the
stream Is a short one. In the high ground
on each side gold-bearins quartz has been
lOuuus duu pIoNpt'Nhlb - b'tllS Ndiilbu WI
In the hope OF finding the mother lode. some
Of the samples Of quartz found here appear
TO have mercury in close conjunction with
the gold. but, 20 far as known, no assay has
been made 20 ascertain definitely IL this Is true.
The substance which the prospectors believe
70 be quicksilver takes up a limited amount
Of gold dust when brought into contact with
IL. The two metals found In natural c%onjunc-
ton present an unusual II not Unprecedented
phenomenon in mining experience. Such
samples of ore as have been shown from Top
kuk carry from a few dollars 10 several thousand
dollars worth Of gold 10 the ton. The dis
oovery Of gold at Topkuk, while gratifying TO
those who hold that western Alaska is a great
gold region. is confined 10 a very small though
rich area.
The other notable strike Of the present season
was reported here last week from the Bluestone
river, eighty miles northwest OF Nome. This
property does not belong to tho Cape Nome
district, but to the country between Port Clar-
ence and Cape York, where gold was disoov-
cred last year and in the value OF which only a
few persons Il, t,ts region have expressed the
slightest confidence this season. The whole
region was staked last year. the creator part