The Minneapolis journal., 1906-03-28
MILLIONS BEING
SPENT IN NOME
Richness of Gold Fields Attract
ing Immense Sums for De-
velopment Work.

remembers TIC soo rush to y Nome ans
men went to the Berlng sea city,
expending thousands of dollars and
practically losing it all. Those thous-
ands of men were glad to escape from
the north as best they could, and for
several Years the very mention of Nome
was the occasion for sarcastic smiles or
curses. However, there were a few
practical men and others, hardy and de-
termined, who held on at Nome. These
men prospectod, discovered good "pay
streaks," and in a small way worked
them until they had accumulated small
fortunes. Gradually their holdings of
placer claims were extended, and as the
gold output steadily increased from
$2,5OO,OOO to $500O,000 year, the at
tention of men with money was at
tracted to the country and within the
last three years. a sum close to $2,000,-
900 mas been spent in development and
the installation Of modern plants for ex-
tracing the gold from the gravel.
! That the Nome country and it's gold
fields is no longer a myth and is des-
tined to yield a tremendous sum, is now
the belief of the best informed men in
the west and many companies with big
resources have been organized to do
work upon a large scale. F..
System Is Changed
The original methods of mining at
Nome were confined to small systems of
sluice boxes, the water for which was
obtained from a hundred to several
thousand feet above the pay ground.
| This water was led to the claims in
small pipes or open boxes and was suffi-
cient to keep six or seven men working
during the season Of water. But this
plan was soon found to be too costly
and too slow, and the claim owners saw
that to get the best results, it would be
necessary to bring large quantities of
water from the head of the streams in
well-constructed bitches. to build reser-
voirs and store water, that they might
sluice during the entire open season.
But to install this modern system of
mining, it was necessary to expend large
sums. The ground at Nome is frozen
solid summer as well as winter, one foot
below the surface and it costs as much
to build serviceablc ditch as to con-
struct railroad thru u mountain coun-
try.
However the advantages of the sys-
tenn when once demonstrated blythe
change in methods thruout the Nome
ing capital. Many companies took a
year or. more to get the money, but the
success Of one helped the others and last
year over $1,500,O0O was expended in
the construction Of bitches and this
coming season will see this work carried
to completion. and at the same time will
witness the beginning Of work upon
many other systems of bitches.
| Neu1 ni+@1, Svs4nrns .-
Tie great works under way at Nome
and the country round about for dis
tance of $50 miles, will be matter OF
surprise to: everybody not acquainted
with the situation. Here are the ac.
tual facts about the great system of
bitches and canals being built at Nome
building big ditch systems of from
thirteen to fifty miles in length ant
carrying about 10000 inches of, water
These bitches are about five feet deep
ten feet wide at. the top and three fee
at the bottom. and will average one
mile in three blasted out of solid rock
The average cost per mile is $4,000, no
including the reservoirs, intakes ant
pcnstocks. In addition there are twen
:, tyo or twentyone small companies ant
l individuals who are constructing ditche
! some as large as those mentioned above
n others smaller, of from two to ten mile
7 in length and carrying from 500 tt
: 5000 inches of water each.
The total mileage of bitches now I'm
| der way and contra cted for this com
: ing, season is about 315 miles. the tota
F.; inches of water is about $4,000, and tn
n total cost will be close to $5,0O0,000.
Il Two Big Tunnels.
! Included in this, ditch work are tw
tunnels, one 1856 feet long and nov
d in use, and a second to be complete,
o next year of over 1000 feet. Thes
i tunnels are about foru feet wide an
= seven feet high. In many places tn
y bitches are carried across wide gulche
3 on wooden trestles.3uaAt other place
r they leap a gulch by the inverte
: syphon\ system constructed of twenty
> six-inch steel pipe. At many place
r. pipes. four feet in diameter. There ar
. about five miles of these wooden pipe:
= One Of the serious drawbacks to tn
- old system of mining was the shOrtnes
It of the season Of sluicing. The earl
It run lasted about two months and ende
when the spring foodwaters had ru
: off. Then came a dry season Of tw
# of rainy weather, during which goo
Ie runs were possible. Following this cam
e. two months without water and the
% the freezeup. In the winter, unde
r ground work was done on rich claim
a. the making of g. dump to be washe
]. in the spring being common practic
n Under modern conditions with bi
IS bitches, the water will be stored, bot
20 from the spring foods and the rain
in season, and it will be, possible to ope
T. ate steadily during the entire summe
: of about six months. With long,
season. cheaper operation and enlarge
capacity for -sluicing, the gold outpl
h will he greatly increased, and it is b
i i lieved that the output Of the Non
II country will reach $2O,000,0O0 per a.
10 mum. ..-. ~. ,.i....
If .@.. Some Big bitches.
in Among the leading ditch projec
n completed, under way and to be starte
,e are the McDermott ditch, a high-li
1e ditch in the Solomon river district, wi
a capacity of 5000 inches Of water; t
Solomon River Ditch company S lii
III capacity 5000 inches and six and
5 half miles long; the Bonanza Calif'
hs MIA creek ditch on Bonanza creek, wi
i'll length Of fifty miles, capacity 4,5
is inches, carrying water to $50 squa
a miles of ground and to cost $65O.Ot
On tho Miocene ditch, in operation sir
IL 1901. with a length Of fifty miles
Glacier creek and Snow gulch, and
tunnel Of 1885 feet thru Anvil MOI
,s tain. tho Onhir creek ditch in the Cor