The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-20
GOLD Fields OF Nome
A Statement That Does Not Agree
With Recent Reports.
Ed Run,ors Concerning Conditions
n the Cape Credited to Dfxap-
az the Yellow Metal But 1t Takes
Money and Experience to Secure IL

| A man who has been looking over the
ground at Cape Nome supplies a number
sSneral outlook in the Alaskan gold fields,
| which, in view of the contradictory reports
are unusually interesting. He speaks ia
| vorabiy of the prospect for future profit
| from certain claims. and dlsposes of many
of the statements that emanate from those
| who have failed in the gold fields. Such
men he calls cold feet implying that
| they feel Obliged to circulate discourszins
reports to cover their retreat. The men
who have the requisite backbone. says he,
| providing they take advantage of their
! opportunities. are bound to, win out and
make money.
| Upon reaching Nome this observer per-
1 sonally inspected a number OF claims. He
states that although he was unable to go
to bed rock on account of the solid ice he
encountered two feet below the surface. he
did not wash a single pan of dirt without
| finding good color in the pan. There = no
/! doubt, he says, that these claims are very
valuable and will yield thousands of dollars
! when properly opened up. He advises the
retention of claims where by the outlay OF
a few thousand dollars the present owners
might reap the whole of the proceeds. In
some cases it is necessary to strip the
moss and willows away in order that the
ice may carry of a portion of the surface
and leave the sun and rain to thaw the
gravel beneath. In some cases il is nee
essary to run the entire length of the
claim a bedrock drain ditch then make
cross-cut to locate the pay streak Such
J ditch serves to carry off the seepage as
fast as the ground melts. The cost of such
| a ditch is in the neighborhood of $4,000 per
claim.
In working claims in this locality he
advises the use of centrifugal pump.
which. with engine and boiler laid down
| on the claim. costs about $500. Before
/ such pump can be placed steam thawers
should be imported to fix upon the most
+ favorable location. In this connection the
! expert states that it Is well nigh impos-
| sible and extremely expensive to trans
port supplies and machinery from Nome
| up to the claims he had to pass upon
The cheapest method of transportation Is
1 by team and in wirter, and in order TO be
! in position TO work claims for which
machinery Is required next season il is
considered advisable to ship supplies and
machinery at once.
The season between the arrival of the
first boat in spring at Nome and the de-
parture of the last toat in fall is extreme
ly short. Before the arrival of the sprir &
boat and after the departure OF the last
in the fall there is good weather and op-
portuDity for dead work" TO be done
| The actual work of sluicing cannot go on
more than sixty or ninety days each year
but during the first week OF actual sluicing
last June one OF the clanus produced
1885, 0e0.
The practice of claim jumping in Cape
Nome is brought out strongly. Claim
holders are almost in every instance ex-
periencing trouble in getting possession of
their claims. 1t is stated that every claim
in Nome has been jumped during the past
winter from one to six times. Eventually
IL is believed the authorities will see to it
that rightful owners hold their property,
but the fact that court did not meet in
Nome until August had been made the
most Of by the jumpers. II IL said the
! United States Commissioners have been
able TO accomplish little against the prac-
tice. and that General Randall, who holds
the camp in military control, has been
absorbed By the sanitary problems.
An estimate of the production OF seven
teen claims. considered to be of the best
In the country. gives an idea of the re-
sources at Nome. One claim produced
S145,0G in 1899 and in three clean-ups this
year ylelueu siS,cCU. another that pro-
duced s65 GOO in 1899 yielded $50 ,0eO in one
week last June. The estimated product
for another in 1900 is from $4,000 to
sl75.oo0. Three claims gave total of
$4,000 in 1899. Another claim yielded in
three days in 1899 s.. COO. With the use of
rocker one claim alone yielded in 1889
81 Geo. and in 1900 81. 900. Another. which
yielded $4,000 in 1899. produced this year
soo.ceo. Seven claims that were worked
last season produced about s5Ts.e eco. and
these, 1t is estimated. Will yield over $780,
0G0 net this season. The gross production
Of these seven claims. it is estimated, will
be over 81. Geo. COO.
The claims thus far it is believed have
been badly worked from lack of knowl-
edge. lack OF proper machinery or lack OF
capital. 1t is considered. therefore, that
a considerable amount of gold contained
in the dirt handled was rot saved. The
cost of working the properties is thought
to have been too high by perhaps 10 per
cent. Certain of these properties. it Is
believed could be made to yield 81 000,-
600 per year if properly worked
The question naturally arises in re-
Spouse TO such a favorable account:
Then why do the owners sell?" The ex-
pert has ar answer to this question A
sum CT money such as 81 0C0 900. says he
is a fJod deal of money to men who are
ignorant and once were penniless. man
who has spent few years in Alaska had
rather take such sum in cash and get
out of the country than spend more time
there and eventually make much more
cash
A man at Nome has a specimen nugget
worth 1872 and another worth sS5. both
OF which he picked up on the day of his
arrival. when he saw a cleanup from one
line of boxes in thirty hours amounting
to s10.9G0 In the same day three clean
nns elsewhere arilnuntsd to 20 900