The San Francisco call., 1904-09-03
STRIKE AT GOLDFIEID
GIVES NIXON 100000
Rich Ores in Mine OWnedby Senatorial Candidate MIKE Big
Showing for Nw Bonanza Region and Yield Him Fortu1s
Directors Sanction Contract for Draining the Comstock

Importance the Diomede Islands may
merit investigation. There should be
tin at Brooks Mountain, eleven miles
north of the mouth of Lost River, and
also on the Bon River. Discoveries of
tin at Ear Mountain are reported. Buck
Creek. on the Arctic slope of the Sew
ard peninsula, was the scene of the first
actual mining of tin ore in Alaska, and
this remains the center for tin placer
mining activity. Buck Creek is about
twenty miles northeast of York and
four miles from tide water on the Lopp
lagoon, a body of water not navigable
for sea vessels and affording no harbor
for such craft. OF the Buck Creek de-
velopments Collier says:
Buck Greek is a small stream about five
miles in length. 1t receives a large tributary
known IS Sutter Creek mile from its
mouth. About four milss from its mouth it
again forks and has two branches. the right
Creek. boulders and pebbles OF green stone
occur in the gravel deposits. These have not
came from a group OF hills on the east side
of Grouse Creek before the present drainage
was established. At a number of places along
Biek Creek small quartz veins were found
cutting across the bedding or running parallel
with 1t through the slate Some of these quartz
veins are as much as three or four feet thick.
The gravel deposits in the bed Of Buck Creek
from ten to one hundred and fifty feet
wide. varying greatly in different parts Of the
creek.
cassiterite, in the form of stream tin. is dis
tributed from the mouth of the creek 10 within
one mile of its head, above which point little
more than traces have been found The ore
varies in size from sand to pebbles weighing
thirteen fourteen pounds Several pieces
from nve to eight pounds in weight were seen,
though the average size is much smaller. A
few OF the pebbles are perfectly rounded. but
most of them are subangular. The ore from
the claims the mouth Of Buck Creek
Is generally well rounded, while that from near
the head is sharp and angular. In general
the stream tin grows more angular the mead
OF TIE creek is approached
The color Of the cassterite varies from al
most black TO a light resin amber; when
res.nods powder. by which ii is readily dis
tinguished from hematite or other iron miner
ais that are frequently mistaken for 1t, since
they invariably give a distinctly red, brown
or black powder. Sometimes small pieces OF
cassiterite are found inclosed between frag-
ments of slate, showing that the ore some
times occurs yeinlets in the bedrock.
II has been stated that the gray=ls contain
cubic yard. The value per yard on this basis
WITH TIN at Is cents per pound, would be 81 34
out OF which charges for shipping and treat
ment would have to be paid
The pay streak appears to be confined to
the present stream-bed and food-plan deposits
In the present creek bed the ore is found from
Outside the creek bed in the flood plain, there
Is a covering Of moss and muck above the
pay gravel No cassterite is known to have
been found on the hisides surrounding Buck
Creek Valley is incised. though such
currence is to be expected. The known pay
streak varies in width from ten to one hundred
and fifty feet. and in thickness from a few
of tin ore in the graves vary from eight to
twenty-seyen pounds per cubic yard.