The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-09-13
MAKING FORTUNE
AT NOME, ALASKA
SAM SAMSON'S MINE STILL PAYING
Went Away FO Two Weeks, But Re-
turns to Find Himself $50, 900
Richer-Tells About Alaska.

1t isn't every one that can go away
for two weeks visit and come back
to find letter awaiting them telling
that they have made $50, 900 while they
have been gone. This however, is
what Sam Samson did. As has been
stated before in connection with three
partners he owns a mine near Nome,
Alaska. and while he has been away
they have taken out over 500, 900 in
gold from the mine and the letter
Samson received told him all about
it.
SO far $3.50, 900 has been taken from
the Cyrus Noble mine which is the
name of the placer deposit of yellow
metal owned by Samson and his part
ners. One hundred and seventy five
thousand dollars of this pas been
sluioed out and $50, 600 more is ready
for that operation.
Samson was at one time resident
of Hood River and is well acquainted
here, where he has many friends. He
at one time ran shingle mill at
Chenowith and is something of a me-
chanical genius, having filed several
patents that had they arrived few
nouIs sooner at the patent office in
Washington would have made him
wealthy. 1t was through these 1t Is
said that he lost most of his money
and was forced to seek new field to
recoup himself. Six years ago. he went
to the goldflelds of Alaska and COM
menced prospecting and working ne,r
Nome.
For several years while he made a
living he was unable to find anything
rich until last January when the Cy-
rus Noble commenced to show signs
of fine prospect and later developed
into most fortunate strike for him
self and partners.
Samson has just returned from u
tour of the eastern states and is at
present stopping at the Mount Hood
hotel, but will shortly start for Nome.
In talking about his mine and other
phases of life III Alaska the other day
he said.
"Our mine is located about two
and one-half miles from Nome and
we have about % men employed. La
Dor in ALASKA is not as high as somo
suppose although expensive enough
We pay our men So a day and hoard
and they work ten hours. This is tho
general price. There are labor unions
in Alaska as elsewhere hut so far they
have not caused any trouble. Proba-
bly, this ia due to the fact that there
are so many out of work there. 1t is a
mystery how they manage to exist In
such an expensive country to live in,
but they do and life Is very much the
| same there now az In the states.
"Mining there is, however, attend
ed with good many difficulties ev-
cry foot of ground excavated has to
be thawed out by steam. Coal costs
us S24 ton. 1t is only SIG at Nome,
but it costs us 50 to have it hauled
two miles and a half, and In the
spring 1t sometimes gets pretty
scarce. Our mine i, ITO feet deep
with the ground frozen all the way.
The most dirt we have been able to
take out in a day is yardage
equivalent to 8 feet deep and so feet
long. This we do in winter and sluice
1t out during the summer. The gold
is in nuggets some of them pretty
large and come out free. We have an
other mine called the Diamond l.
which we hive not yet developed but
expect to do so before long. Near Ut
ls the Margaret Mine owned by man
namedDaly that will pan out between
$500, 600 and S400, 900. The other
claims near US have been staked out
so many times and abandoned that il
is difficulty to tell wholthey do belons
to now. Ii takes nerve an staying
power to work mine in Alaska and
good many prospectors get discour
aged before they make good. "
When asked about the price of liv'
ing In Alaska Samson said that tloul
costs Sc barrel, butter 70 cents rol
and other things in about the same
ratio, Drinks of oil kinds are two
for a quarter beer as well as whlskey.
Samson expects to eleave for Nome
Sebptember %, and says that when HI
was there he was satisfied but nov
that he has been in the states foI
awhile he looks forward to the Ions
cold winter in his far northern hom'
with aOme regret.