The Nome nugget., 1903-08-29
INMACHuk ,ANDC CANDLE Lots of Slucing and
 Prospecting. PAY DIRT STRUCK Many Claims Are We'll Pr0spected and Much Work Will Be
 Done This Winter.
PAY DIRT STRUCK

Since my last report I have visited most of the claims that are being oper- ated on Candle creek, and while the outpUt of gold from Candle will not be as large as expected this season, owing . to the fact that the present channel has been pretty we'll worked out, and most of the easy money extracted, still all of the creek claims contain pay, but will require different method to get it, as the pay runs under the frozen banks and is there held in an icy grip that tries the patience of the average miner to the snapping point. Thawing ma chimes. or ground sluicing with the early spring freshets may solve the problem for the miners, but if drawers are used the miners must be able to get cheaper fuel than they have been able to secure so far.
 They have in their vicinity coal mine which at present only produces an inferior grade of coal, but it is stated on good authority that when they get down on the coal vein deep enough, the quality will be very nearly equal to the Seattle coal. Then, above them, up the Keewalik river some 40 miles, there is plenty of spruce timber for such pur- poses, but this would have to be cut a year ahead and floated down to Candle when the river is high in the spring and hauled out to the claims on the ice in the following winter.
 What little work that has been done on Candle creek benches shows up re- markedly we'll. The bench off of creek claim No. 19 is rich, and the gold is nuggety. The bench opposite claim l2 has had several holes put down to bed rock with a thawer with very promis- ing results. This claim is on the second tier of benches.
 While the reports that came from Bear and Cub creeks are somewhat conflicting, the gold taken from that vicinity is evidently of . high grade. The miners have to pay a transporta- tion tariff that almost prohibits work. This will be remedied, however, in time.
 Reports from the Shellnack tor Shun. nakl a tributary of the Kobnk river, continue to be of favorable nature, in- deed some reports, if true, are decided ly flattering. Certain it is that the steamer Saddle brought down about S4OOO from that country, which may be considered very good in view of the newness of the camp and the primitive methods of mining.
 The Inmachuk river in a mining sense, is steadily forging ahead. Mir. Fox, near the mouth of Pennell, put down seven holes during the past spring and summer, and at last located good pay. Rhul and Shipsby are still pros- pecting and have very encouraging re- suits. Hogandarn and Tug Wilson, as is known, have uncovered wonderful pay. At the Dashley camp, while they eulled out a lot of men and laid them of for various reasons, they have by no means closedsdown, as was rumored, but are working . force of about IS men. They put in dam across the h. machuk river, and completely turned the river out of its present channel-n0 small undertaking considering the ma terial at hand-sacks filled with sand, sods and willows. This dam cost about $70OO, and is about 2 feet on the bot tom, l6 feet deep, and about ' feet on top. With the water thus turned they will ground sluice the muck off of the bench part of their property, where lies their best pay. They will no doubt take out quite a. bunch of money this season. It is not difficult ut all for them to get dirt varying from 25c to 8 to the pan. The Polar Bear group have put in 8 cross-cut of about 40 feet, and can rapidly raise ground from 3 cents to s5 to the pan. They have located good pay and do not know the extent of it yet. The Homestake claim, just below the Polar Bear group, have put in cross-cut of about l5 feet, and have five feet of gravel that will average e to the bucket. It is about 16 feet to bed rock. They are employing about ten