The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-03
which date the ice around St. Michael

which date the ice around St. Michael l breaks up.
 There is striking similarity of the | Nome placers with the early California placers They are shallow, rarely ex-i | ceeding five feet to bedrock, and the
 ground can be easily and rapidly pro-
 spected and worked. It is estimated that fully two million dollars was
 cleaned up on the beach this last sum -s
 mer, and this in spite of the fact that these diggings were not discovered ur- til the middle of July and work ceased early in October because of the cold.
 This beach runs seventy-five to one hundred feet wide for at least sixty miles. HHundreds of men rocked ou{t an ounce of gold per day, and some old miners made fifty and one hundred dol
 lars day, and occasionally clean up
 of one thousand and fifteen hundred
 dollars was reported. The pay streak
 runs down to the waters edge, and
 perhaps further. No claim on the beach
 between high and low water can be
 staked, and the mining laws of the
 camp last season allowed every man
 nine feet of ground If man left his
 working ground for any length of time
 another man could set up a rocker on
 the place and work.
 Notwithstanding that there were ful-
 ly five thousand people in the camp last season, the resources of the beach are so extensive that neither the tundra, creek nor quartz claims were given any
 attention, except in rare cases, and these few cases proved bonanzas. The tundra diggings, which prospect as rich as the beach diggings, extend from the beach about four miles to the foothills; but little work was done last season, save to prospect, because of the rich- ness of the beach diggings, which were easier to work, owing to the proximity of the water. The many creeks and streams in the foothills beyond have proved to be immensely rich by the little work already done on them. Sev- eral have paid one hundred dollars . day to the man, and one claim has record of two hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars for two months work. Numerous ledges Of high grade quartz have been located but as yet no one has for lode claims.
 Many of those who came out this fall will return in the spring to work tundra and creek claims with the most im- proved machinery. The creek claims have produced about $I,500, 900 thus far. Charles ". Lane. the California millions aire, has invested heavily in these creek claims, and it is known that the com- pany in which he is interested has se- cured ten miles of territory along Snow Gulch and Anvil Creek. For three claims on Anvil Creek Lane paid sey- cnty thousand dollars.
 The power of attorney by which man can locate any number of claims for parties not in the mining district has proved to be curse in the coun- try. The work of the last season was greatly retarded by the lack of lumber, and exorbitant prices were paid for sufficient lumber to make rockers. Lumber sold as high as two hundred and fifty dollars thousand, ard coal cost one hundred and fifty dollars ton. The Albion, the last boat to leave Nome, sailed early in November, and 'eported that fully two thousand peo- ,le would winter there, and that, owing o the scarcity of lumber and fuel, there would be much suffering and many leaths. Many will be obliged to wn- CT in tents, and this means sure death Il that cold region. Scurvy and ty- ohoid fever will also claim many vic-
 inns.
 Rich discoveries have also been made tt Cape York, one hundred and fifty niles beyond Nome. and it is likely that ich deposits of the yellow metal will ,e found all along the coast as far as Sound.-W Wrangell (Alaska) of the Springfield Re- publican.
 0AsrozrA.