The Nome nugget., 1903-11-21
NEWS OF
 THE NORTH Developing Quartz Mines
 Near Skagway. MAGNETIC IRON 0RE| Which InterfereS With Navigation at Lynn Canal--Mining at
 FOrtymile.
MAGNETIC IRON ORE

Samuel Jackson Barnett, assistant professor of physics, has returned to the Leland Stanford university, after several months spent in survey work along the Alaskan coast. Professor Barnett had charge of a party sent out by the United States coast and geodetic survey, which made a special investi- gation in the peculiar magnetic dis turbances which have made navigation difficult in certain localities. Near Skagway, he says. these disturbances are very severe. the deflscton of the needle being so great that the compass is rendered almost useless. It was found that this strange state of affairs was due to the abundance of magnetic rock in the locality. This rock IS pres ent in immense quantities on Douglas island, and on the mainland, and near Skagway it is especially abundant Professor Barnett says that there was almost a perfect magnetic pole at that point. He will prepare full report on the subject for the government.
 Some of the very richest ore that was ever brought into Skagway was that | brought back from Toochi by A. H. Mckay, Dr. II. B. Runalls and Henry Boshart. The ore is rich in gold and other minerals, there being iron. lead and silver in it, as well as the more precious metal. The ore will no doubt show a value of several hundreds of dollars to the ton, says the Skagway Alaskan. Tho vein from which the ore was found could be traced for more than ,. 1000 feet from the out crOppings, and on the surface the croppings showed width of vein exceeding two feet. The ore in these croppings is so rich that the prospectors had no ditfi- culty in banning out the pure gold from pulverized rock The Skagwayans who have just returned from the mines each located quartz claim, running 1900 feet along the vein, which is on a mountain near Toochi creek. They are highly elated over the find. William taherty and Tom Pasco, to whom was let the contract to drive lO0-foot tunnel into the Le Roy mine, belonging to the Skagway Mining, Milling x Realty Company, few days ago. are at work on the contract and making good headway. The owners of the Le Roy expect good results from the work that is being done. If the in- dicatons shall prove to be as expected moro work will follow that upon which Messrs. Flaherty and Pasco are now engaged.
 The Dawson Record says: "About 100 men are at work on the bars along the Forty Mile river. They seem to be making good wages from their rockers.
 "The Mcdowell benches on Mosquito fork are being prospected in rather novel manner, and on Q large scale. Nineteen claims have combined in run ming ditch for bringing water to pros pect the claims, and the water is cutt- ing the dirt away in good shape. The nineteen claims make a stretch of territory five miles long and one mile wide, on the banks of the stream. The water is brought from Saline creek.
 "On Lost Chicken creek man named Mcdowell has a lay on a claim and has out mountain of dirt that averages 44 cents.
 "Chicken creek was closed down dur ing the dry season but is sluicing again now. Surveyor Joslin has completed a survey for system to bring water from Old Man creek, distance of ten miles above Chicken, to supply water for use on the creek. He reports that the plan is entirely feasible, and that a good pressure is assured
 "F'ranklin creek is not being worked much at present. Work there is re- tarded, from the fact that the majority of claim owners are old men who care only to take out grubstake, and do not wish to do any extensive work.
 ''There are three working claims on
 Eagle creek.
 | About half-mile above discovery on Steel creek, cemetery association
 has taken up ten acres of land on the creek as cemetery. As there are only four cabins on the creek It will be a good long time before the ten acres are filled. Evidently the ground was taken up for some other purpose than that of burying the dead.
 "The United States customs house has moved three miles further up the Forty Mile than it used to be, and is now located at the mouth of Moose l o~ook ,1