Evening star., 1900-08-11
SIBERIAN GOLD FIELDS.
Rich Discoveries Reported to Have
Been Made by Two Americana.

beeh Niaue ny Two Americans.
Seattle Correspondence st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
| From time to time since last October
stories have reached Seattle concerning
| fabulousy rich placer gold mines on the
| coast of Siberia. across the Bering straits
| from Cape Nome. The first information
came In the form of an opinion from old
| miners and prospectors, who said that they
believed the gold belt, which had been
traced from Colovin bay to Cape Nome,
about seventy-1ve miles, and later from
Nome to Port Clarence, eighty miles, ex-
| tended across the water to the domain of
| the Car Of Russia. No effort was made
| at specifying the location of the gold. The
| suppOsition has been, however that 1t Law
| in the district nearest to the most west
| erly portion of Alaska. Cape Prince of
| Wales is the most westerly point of Alaska
and can be reached by following the coast
line something like fifty miles from Port
| Clarence
| From here It is only sixty or seventy
miles due west to Cape Nuniana, at the
entrance of st. Lawrence bay, on the
coast of Siberia. This point is fifty miles
south of East Cape, the most easterly
point of Siberia. 1t is a comparatively easy
matter to cross from the domain of Uncle
Sam to that OF the car, but actually to
explore the country is very serious mat
ter. The world knows something of the
prisons of this deso!ate country, and the
peremptory manner in which transgres-
SlOnS OF the imperial decree are punished,
Recent reports indicate beyond a ques-
ton of doubt that daring Americans have
actually discovered wonderfully rich gold
deposits In Siberia and made their way
back to Cape Nome without being molested
They speak of their finds being situated
east Of Nome. but are careful not to go int o
details, as they hope to secure from the
czar an imperial charter fashioned some
thing after that which Great Britain gave
to the British South Africa Company.
William Frye and Charles Swanson are
the discoverers. Their story indicates that
the Siberian mines will equal If not sur
pass, those of Cape Nome in richness, and
certainly extend over much larger terri
tory. While one always thinks Of beach
dggings when Nome is mentioned this
phase of mining does not crop out in the
report of Frye and Swanson. They saw
the gold they found In Siberia lies some
what back from the coast and chiefly along
the beds of dry creeks. They are expert
enced miners, and have been through many
golden excitements. including those of the
Klondike and Cape Nome, but never saw
anything as rich as In Siberia With their
shoes they turned up nuggets as large as
kernels Of corn, and in many instances
much larger. They say that all they had
| to do was to stoop down and pick up the
gold from the surface. The earth on the
surface and as far down as they went
only short distance-was literally filed
with pure alluvial gold nuggets
In these discoveries they have a partner
named Henry Cowley. who is correspond
ent OF the Lonuon Ddliy chronicle. He
went to the Klondike some time ago and
until recently has been connected with the
Klondike Nugget. one Of the newspap pers
of the Northwest territory. Mr.. Cowley
arrived in Seattle this week on his way to
st. Petersburg to see If the cZar will grant
his company a charter to work the mines
He has interested local capitalists in this
venture. which he considers one Of the
largest and at the same time most promis-
ing ever evolved from the many golden op-
portunities afforded by the extraordinary
development of the land Of gold, ice and
snow.