The Alaska prospector., 1904-01-14
observations
Wharfage Facilities at Valdez.

ITcNiouS to JuiN, iJuZ, all Ira11SIefS Ot freight and passengers here were made by ships boats and lighters. and the long stretch of tide flats. now utilized for build- ingS and for street extensions, ncccsSitated Il tedious trip before the business portion of the town Was reached.
 At that date the wharf oi the Valdez Dock and Warehouse G.. was completed and opened for traffic. During the first year 6.O0O tons of freight. and 3.OO0 incom- ing and outgoing passengers passed over this wharf. X large portion of this freight was for he Chistuchina. Chisna and Nizina placer districts. Shipments for the inter- for are now largely increased by outfits and supplies for the new diggineS in the Panama and Shushitna
 During the spring oi l90, the Keystone wharf was completed. two blocks further east. at rhe fool Oi Keystone avenue. The two docks represent q total cos; oi S3O OGO, and have a combined storage capacity of lNM tons.
 B"tb docks are provided with ample floor space mntsidc oi the warehouses. insur ing prompt dispatch of vessels discharging cargo.
 Gold Output ard Mining Possibilities.
 EN .. .. uFhrLE. BANKER.
 The gold ouiput Tor 'hr Valdez di: .rict i> very hard to estimate. a- a large part oi il carried out by. miner, and prospectors who only spend the minin. season in the "oun- try. During the year l9m. after many hard-hips few men discovered Slate crecl. and Miller gulch, with pay dirt ana brought back $l500O worth of gold dust for a few days work. Each succeeding year has in- creased the output and more discoveries tf.iy h.4an I. ba camp cleaned up $l15.Om. The year 1902 was still better. with clean-np of $al0M0 for probably ninety days actual work. Tin. year 1909 had more disadvantages. there heinz an unusually heavy snowfall and With all the disadvantage. encountered. the output was S215,OO0.
 The Nizina placer camp was discovered in the summer of 1902 and after ail neaes sarv arrangements had been made for onen- ing the mines. the output for the first year was $2O.NW. The second year. 1903, $135. GOO was taken from the same place. shu- shitna' was discovered in the summer of l9O3 by five prOspectorS, and for 15 days work they cleaned up 100 ounces, or $l75O This promises to he one of the richest of the camps tributary 10 Valdez. Another new find was reported this year on Lowe river. only few miles from Valdez While little development work has been done on the property, it promises to be an important | one.
 The copper possibilities of the country are great. Copper is found everywhere. and in many places so rich in quality that the pure copper pro jects from the ground The Nizina is full of high grade ore that averages from 40 to 70percent. When ad- eqnaie transportation facilities are provided Valdez will become the center of the smelt- ing industry and the shipping point for the greatest group of copler mines in the known world.
 Steamship Service To Valdez. BY J. (. MARTIN.
 Previous to the famous stampede of 1S91-9S to tine Copper river, transportation along the North Pacific coast of Alaska was confined to one small coa,tiny steamer plying between Juneau and Unalaska, dur ing five months of the year. In the follow ing two years success crowned the efforts of the prospector, wher it became necessary to increase transportation facilities. Now Valdez has fleet of four ocean going ves- sels each month from Seattle on regular schedule. Copper ore shipments from Prince William Sound to the smelters at Tacoma have increased 10 an extent which required additional vessels, which were add d from time to time. During the past twelve months there have been 54 arrivals of steamers from Puget Sound, almost an average of five per month. Valdez is the home port of the Steamer Newport" carry I ing U. S. mail westward to CnaIaska once