Douglas Island news., 1901-10-16


 about the finding of the mother lode; says the Skagway Alaskan. Yesterday more information was learned about the geological description of the find. The country rock from the northeast shore of Atlin lake to little north of Boulder creek and east and west from Mckee to Mouro mountain, belongs to She magnetism order, principally the hard, green, intrusive diorite. This hard diorite seems to be cut diagonally by belt of soft, decomposed magne- ite, interlaced by bands of serpentine. The width of this belt has not yet been determined, but it's course seems as follows: Beginning at Boulder, it runs south, cutting Birch, crops again at Pine. crossing Spruce in the vicinity of 100 below, and here heads for Mckee creek. In crossing the divide from Spruce to Mckee, coming from the di- rection of Boulder, the same rock may be found and followed across Mckee, about 30 above, losing it's self in the slate formation, east of the creek. This mineral bearing magnesite is cut diag- onally by quartz veins, which seems to have a northeasterly strike, and dips 6O.2O east. The country rock for many feet on each side of the vein seems to be inpregnated with mineral with val ues in free gold sufficiently high to pay handsomely for milling.
 The stockholders named in the Trans-Alaska Company for the con- struction of the Nome railroad have incorporated under the laws of the State of California. From Nome it is proposed to extend the line on to Port Clarence in the Boring Strait sec tion,a total distance from Iliamna bay of 500 miles. The line will cross the coast range at an elevation of but E50 feet, which is reached by gradual rise for over fifty miles on either side of the summit. It is proposed to be- gin the actual construction of the rail road next spring. The line will tap the Bristol bay cannery regions and open up the immense country ly- ing between the Kuskokwim on the north, the Copper River on the east, Cook Inlet on the south and Boring sea on the west. So far these regions are practically unexplored. The pro- motors of the enterprise believe that as large, if not larger deposits of mineral wealth areto be found to the west of it as are known to exist on the Copper River side of the coast range of noun tains. Iliamna bay is port that is op- en to seagoing vessels at all seasons of the year.
 LA. Bradley, of the Keystone mine, has been in town during theweek, says the Ketchikan Journal. He reports work in the drift on the 100-foot level progressing satisfactorily, without material change in the character of the ore body, except that heavier flow of water has been encountered, indicating a change of some kind not far off. The ore of the Keystone is low grade, but carries values sufficient to insure pro- ftable mine in the event that the ledge which is over thirty feet wide, between smooth and we'll defined walls, is found to hold it's size over the length, it is de signed to extend the drifts in either direction from the point where the tun nel connects with the shaft. Itis the purpose of the management to open the mine to asuffcient extent to oinsure a steady daily product of at least 200 tons before putting in mill.
 The Ketchikan Journal says that the Big Three group,under bond from JIM. Smyth, James Brennan and David Mic. holls, to the original locators James Freeburn and Sam. Lichtenstadter, consists of five contagious claims, To- cated about twelve miles due west from the head of Karta Bay, five miles of the distance being by water through Karta lake. Enough work has been done to expose a we'll defined vein over a con- tinuous length of 1,60O feet, and aver aging about three feet in width. The ore is of the same general character as those of the Crackerjack region, and very similar in appearance, the values, as thus far shown by assay, being about s3O per ton, in gold, copper and silver, respectively-the gold predomi- hating.