Amador ledger., 1900-01-05
YIELD OF GOLD FOR 1899
Experts Estimate the States
Output.
mint OFFICIALS PREPARE PRELIMINARY REPORT
Showing an Increase of Over One
Half a Million Dollars Over
the Product of 1898.

While it is yet too soon to expect a
complete account OF the value and dis
tributiOn of the bullion product for
1899, Frank A. Leach, superintendent,
and Charles G. Yale, statistician of
the United States Mint in this city,
have prepared preliminary statement,
based on receipts at the United States
Mint and other bullion repositories on
this coast, which shows that California
produce in 1899 gold to the amount of
SIS, 600, 600 and silver 1886, 900. AS in
the previous year the State on the
same basis of estimate, only showed a
product of S14, 43S, 601 and silver S415,- =
1894, there has been an increase in 1889
of $561, 4O6 in gold and 1920, ,6O6 in sill
YER, or total of S782, OH for the year.
This increase in the bullion product
is somewhat unexpected in view of the
record ''dry year" through which the
State has just passed. During the
summer of 1899 numbers of quartz
mills throughout the mountain coun-
ties closed down for some months
through lack of water. The gravel
mines as well as those of quartz were
seriously incommoded, the river bed
miners alone being benefited. In Kern
and other southern counties, however,
where no dependence is placed on water
power for mills, all being equipped
With steam-power plants, there has
been an increase of gold produced.
According to these experts, however,
the lack of water has been taken ad-
vantage of to repair, enlarge and ex-
tend water courses and strengthen res
ervoirs throughout the mining regions
to an extent that will appreciably in
fluence the supply for 1900.
Messrs. Leach and Yale have also
prepared corresponding estimate of
the output of Alaska mines during 1899,
which shows that the Territory has
doubled its gold product over the pre-
vious year. The record for 1899 is:
Gold, 81, 917, S21, and silver, 49,, $50, as
compared with an output of gold of
81, SIT, III and of silver of $40, 152 in
1898. This shows an increase for the
year of 81, 400. 700 in gold aud S33, 72S
silver, or a total of 81, 1874, 42S.
An attempt has been made in con-
nectiOn with the Alaska output to
segregate the amounts of gold re-
ceived so as to approximately deter
mine the yield of the gold fields at
Cape Nome, about which many con-
flicting statements have been made. 1t
is found that of the total output of
Alaska, 81, 4OS, $50 gold and S3935 silver,
l-came from the beach and tundra
placers OF Cape Nome and vicinity.
This is a remarkable record for camp
only in existence one year, to double
the output of It's territory in that short
time. The Nome placers have in 1899
apparently practically equaled in gold
product the combined output of the
quartz mines of Douglas and Unga
islands and Southeastern Alaska, and
of the placers of Manook, Circle City,
FOrty-Mile and other Yukon river dis
tricts.
The gold product of the Klondike
shows large increase for 1892 for the
yield is the greatest of any year since
the discovery. The Klondike gold out
put for the year is Sl6, 10, 129 and til.
silver $ll4,617. In the year 1898 the
gold yield was S11, OBS, 47S and silver
$50, 49S, so an increase of Klondike
gold is shown of S5,07l, Sol and of sill
yer s34, 119, the total increase being
So, 1O5, TO. The Klondike annual gold
yield thus for the first time eclipses
that of California, and by about
million dollars. Francifco Chron-
icle.