New-York tribune., 1901-11-29
GOLD N SIBERIA.
PRIMITIVE METHODS OF WORKING THE
MINES
,-crreero7de,lca Of The London News

Correspondence of The London News
.Just - Siberia west Of Lake Baikal has every
thing tn make Il a grain growing region east OF
Paikal as far as be gathered, II has every
thing TO make II another California, or another
1aI n1 stretch Of country fun CT mineral wealth
Most OF the mines belong to the Ear t d e 6nee
American or English miner have come across
and who has seen how the siperlan goo Is %
he produces an weight nugget that has been
lost ros IN and fT @ een t to caIfoT and the
kiondke and So,ith Africa, but-well. may l have
SSns 5Ts, claims when proper machinery can 80 .
Al the have talked to agree that the RqS. iS
lacks scientific training II he sees the gold he
ssn % get @ it it in but he doesn't kn0" s0'o
Aho,ii S c5ooal worth of gold has been officially
sent out Of Siberia into Russia every year. but
this is probably not half the produce Tor gold
over eleven thousand gold miners, employed and
in Eastern Siberia only some LhirIy & theusaa9' nc san
In Eastern Siberia the men are well paid getting
Is 40 day s Tach j., is te hgh TSgf I%F IF 9
palatinsk. for instance only get hFepence a Gay
iii at night. recognizing neither SUNDAY nor
feast day: except that OF the Patron saint Of The The
government because the have far more money
Jan iar hey i ever % ;ifed % Ge a 8 Ss sten5
sibly purveys teaand their free days are given up
shed. Money is thrown about in the usual mining
camp fashion This recklessnesS among the min
ers now being partially stopped by government
official holding as deposit the amount earned oy
The men, and only r1nolfS IL over 10 Intll @tlell
they go home for the winter
The Russian mine owners are al enormously
The man who has the widest orgies and squan-
ders the most money is regarded as the best fel-
The government. anxious TO develop the gold
las ternporar renniIfed all duty on gold mining
machinery sent into 5he county An iS oxsr sI6era
a1 English. French or american engineer. sent out
geiS = saj5 4o 4xisr Siberian Prospecting party
consists cf Z leader. overseer. eight workmen,
tools. The OUTLAY being about 100
When likely valley is found the gold hunter
clay, or quartz coated with CRYSTALS. If the YER
dict on these is favorable. trees are felled and
The thickness of the earth covering the gold
18rtes from two twenty feet. and in regard TO
fhis should point out that. owing to the almost
forests the gold deposits are protected against
denuding action Of the water IF the tests
q. haf tons Of earth. the result is good. If there
Is less than an eighth Of an ounce If is poor:
eoid Is found in ton and q half Of earth If II
i fourd worth while to mine two posts are stuck
~, one al each end OF the ground and the place
* registered by the Commissioner of Police or
uader an authority from the Director OF Mines
a government surveyor next fnspects the ground
and prepares map After that the finder can
borrow money ON the security or his mine at rate
az from - to 90 per cent
4 claim is usually about three miles long. The
breadth Is determined by tne distance between the
Two mountains in which the gold seam lies but
permitted to hold claims OF more than three con
claims can he entered in the names of your wife
7aartner O friends. When mine is once regis
Iered IT must be worked. If the finder has not the
means he may sell his claim transfer IT. But
81 il Is not worked IL is after interval forfeited
the
All gold pays a the government of from
s 10 10 per cent on the yield. according TO the
district On land belonging to the Gar. or or
what known State lands. there is addi-
ffonal royalty OF eight ten shillings an
What for many years hndered mining that
ali gold had TO be sent 10 the government
smelling houses. either in Irkutsk Tomsk The
gold. having been smelted and assayed was dis
matched to the ST. Petersburg mint The miner
had TO wait till it arrived there before receiving
bills which he could locally draw coin gold