Seward weekly gateway., 1905-12-02
HYDRAULIC WORK
 ON COCK lNLET
(. ". Burlington Says ii is One of Few Localities Where That
 Method Pays.

"Cook Inlet has the best possibilities for hydraulic mining know of,' is the expressed opinion of C. W. Puring- ton. the Denver mining engineer, who made report on Alaska mines for the government las, year. He has just negotiated thc sale of the Crow Creek mines toa Boston company and k now in Seward. Concerning hydraulic mining on che Inlet he said:
 "Uydraulic mining aN it was done on a gigantic scale in California fifty year, ago i, almost unknown today. | know or only one big hydraulic mine: that i, at Caribou, British Columbia. The oxpor, managers of hydraulic mine, today could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand
 Offers Necessary Conditions
 "Cooll Inlet appears to me oprcSeut peculiar opportunities for hydraulic mining because it, creeks some of them at least present the peculiar conditions necessary for successful hy- draufc mining. One prime requisite is a large flow of water with very swift descent. That requirement k fulfilled al Crow creek, and think on some others around tine Inlet, though [ have not examined them.
 "Hyd"aulic mining js a spectacular method. and for that reason appeals to many who lack the technical knowl- edge Co conduct it successfully or 10 judge when successful operation is pos sible. It k au impressive sight to see a great stream of water tearing away gravel from procipi,ous hillside, but there are few localirie, where that me- thod is the most profitable.
 ''In Nome they have gone to enorm- ouS expense to build ditcheS for carry they have to resort 10 artificial mcan, to obtain the force necessary, and the operations have proven very expensive. l think the steam dredgcrs which are coming into use at Nome are more economical and will be generally em- ployed. recommended them in my re- uort 10 the government last year.
 Gigantic Hydraulic Work
 "In California hydraulic mining was conducted upon gigantic scale under condition, which cannot be duplicated anywhere in the world. In that state were found immense deposits on steep hills, with ample water to wash them down. To Uni, day Chinamen are scratching the bottoms of the gulcheS for the fine gold which settled there from tine hydraulic operations.
 AIr. Burlington says the formation at Crow creek is peculiar. and one rare in gold mining regions. From the creek rise a succession of benches to the top of the adjacent range. The claims of tine Grow Creek Mining Company em- brace the first and second benches on one side. Operations have been con- ductcd chiefly on the first beach, but sufficiently on the second to show that it also contains pay gravel. Mr. Pur- ngton thinks it likely that gold may be found also in paying quantities in the higher benches
 Whole Region Looks Favorable
 While he made no examination of other creeks on the Inlet Mir. Puring- ton saw enough of several to lead him to the belief that they also present great hydraulic possibilities. He says that Six Mile looked good to him at the lower end. and from descriptions give him he is of the opinion that the whole region may soon have valuable hydraulic properties in operation.
 In 1895 Mir. Burlington was on the Inlet on a government expedition to ascertain the mining possibilities of Alaska. A few proSpectors were there but only one man was producing any thing, and that on a very small scale.
 The party found traces of work done there by Russian engineer who was sent to the region in lS4O by his gov ernment The engineer appears to have been run out by the Russian American company, which did not want miners to invade the country, as they would have driven out the fur bearing animals, but he wrote a'boo5 on his work here, which shows con- siderable knowledge of the country.
 It Is announced that the anthracite