Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-09-09
.ALASKA'S GREAT VEAL TIL.
The Seward Peninsula Full Of
Mineral in Various Forms.
STORY OF MONIES RICHES.
Several Other Districts Which Have
Great Fortunes in Store-Meth-
DDS of Mining.

opportunity to see and to Judge,
that the Seward peninsula of Alaska,
as mineral bearing section, is of the
utmost Importance. The richness of its
placer grounds, the diversity of minerals
to be found at Nome, the presence
of high grade quartz veins of gold and
rich ore bodies, and the established fact
that all Of these can be worked at a low
cost and large profit, point to a great
future for northwestern Alaska. Much
work has been done, but as yet the
ground has been scarcely scratched, and
it may be well said that this section of
Alaska stands at the Threshold of a
phenomenal development.
The Discovery of Nome.
On the Seward peninsula are fine min
ing districts, the most important being
the Nome district, in which is located
the city of Nome Gold was first dis
covered in the sands of the beach at
| Nome in 1898 by some wandering pros
pectors. In 1900 the discovery became
known to the world, and the great rush
| began. There was no shelter for men
nor supplies except tents. The beach
| became so crowded and the discomforts
were so great that few worked their
way up Snake river and the creeks trib
utary thereto, and it was some of these
men who located many of the claims
which have since made the district fam
Gus.
At present there are comparatively
| few miners on the beach, as the sands
were practically washed out during the
summers of 1900 and 1901. Those who
have remained, however, report washing
some very good pay sand
Ten Important Rivers.
There are in the district ten important
rivers, and it has been on the benches
of these and their $50 tributary creeks
| that have been up to the present time
the scenes of Alaska's richest gold
| strikes.
As an example of these rich strikes
| that made on the Portland Bench mine
of the Pioneer Mining company is by
| far the most famous. Gold in paying
quantities was discovered on February
% 1905, and between that date and
| June l S1oO,000 was taken from the
ground. The great wealth was found
| just above bed rock at Il depth of thirty
| feet. A thawer was used to thaw the
ground at night. and in the daytime the
soft ground would be lifted out and put
on the dump. When Little creek, on
which this mine is located, broke up in
| the spring the dump was sluiced and
| the amount of gold mentioned above OBJ
tanned. Many other mines used thawers
| last winter and many more have been
| brought in for use next winter.
Council District a Heavy Producer.
Next to the Nome district the Council
| district enjoys the widest reputation rs
a gold producer. A small find of gold
was made here even before the discover
les on Nome beach, but thought at the
time to be of no Importance and nothing
was done. This district is considered
by many to be better suited to mining
than any other on the peninsula on ac-
count of its large tracts of timber lands,
there being no timber in any other dis
trict. Besides gold, silver, tale and mica
deposits in paying quantities have been
found.
The Kougarok district lies in the in
terror north of the Nome district 1t is
looked upon by mining men as one of the
big producers of the future, but ON ac-
count of its inaccessability little has
been done there in the way of mining.
1t is now proposed to extend the Nome
Arctic railway into this district, which
will further the development of the
country greatly, as several Nome mining
men are only awaiting this improvement
to start operations there.
Rich Deposits of Tin.
This district is the largest on the Sew
sources are known to exist.
Of these the tin deposits are the most
| important and before the end of this sea-
son two tin mills will undoubtedly be in
operation. Besides tin, deposits of Gina.
bar, gold, galena and copper have been
discovered.
Port Clarence is considered as the
future port and distributing point for
northwestern Alaska as it is the only
natural harbOr north of Dutch harbor,
situated on Unalaska island. At Nome
there is no harbor whatever, all freight
and passengers having to be lightered for
| distance of about two miles.
The Fairhaven district is compare tive
! ly new, although many miners from
Nome are prospecting there in a small
way and some rich strikes have been
made. The most important of these is
| the discovery of some very extensive coal
| fields which, when developed, will be of
untold value to Alaska as coal is very
| expensive at present.
Methods of Mining.
Of the different methods employed here
at present, placer mining is by far the
| most important and almost every kind
| of placer mining may be seen. Among
| these are the shallow diggings in the un-
| frozen grounds which are worked in the
| summer. deep mining, such as is used
at the Portland Bench mine and de-
| scribed above, gravel banks which are
| hydraulized. the gravel being washed
| through sluice boxes and beach diggings
where the sand is either scraped or
| shoveled into sluice boxes.
| Up to the present time there has been
but little shaft mining in the mountains.
but in some shafts which have been
sunk. quartz carrying very good gold
values have been found which indicates
| that the future success of this class min
| ing is assured.
Business along all lines is in a prosper
Gus condition III Nome, there have been
no failures for the past two years, but
| instead many business houses are in
creasing their capacities.
Statistics.
| The following statistics were obtained
| from the custom house records, through
the courtesy of Deputy Collector of Gus
toms Garfield.