The San Francisco call., 1906-07-09


ers do. Placer deposits cannot be
worked successfully without regu-
lar and adequate water supply. Hy-
draulic plants and reduction works
of the common sort are impossible in
the absence of sufficient water. Hence
the Importance of a photographic in
vestigation in one of the most richly
mineralized portions of the United
States is evident.
The work will be done by the United
States Geological Survey. start will
be made this summer in the Nome dis
trict. Gradually the field will be ex-
tended to cover all the sections where
minerals are known to exist in large
and rich deposits.
An entire season will be devoted by
a party under the direction Of John
c. Hoyt to the collection of informa-
tion concerning the more important
streams that are now used in mining
operations in the southern part of Sc
ward peninsula Four-fift of the
gold output of Alaska in 1905 was from
the placers, which shows the advantage
to be derived from the proper conserva-
tion and use of water in the terri
tory. The installation of hydraulic
plants for the recovery of gold from
the gravels in the Klondike region
has been greatly impeded by lack of In
formation regarding the run off from
streams.
The idea is entertained, plausibly, by
the Geological Survey officials that mil
lions of dollars in gold may. easily be
added to the output of Alaska when
all the data is secured and use made of
the information.
GILBERT MAKES EXPERIMENTS.
The history Of Investigations con-
cerning water on the Pacific Coast of
the United States in the past few years
would make a large volume. The
United Statess Geological Survey. the
Irrigation Investigation Department
and the photographic arm of the gov
ernmental service have reached out to
lend aid in California and Nevada. The
location of reservoir sites, the gauging
of the flow OF streams, the investt-
cation regarding forestry reserves and
their withdrawal from entry, have all
been prompted to some extent by the
needs of the miners in California and
Nevada.
At this time Mr.. Gilbert of the Geo
logical Survey is pursuing a series of
experiments, while investigating into
the question of what can be done to
make the detritus, washed down by
torFential floods from the mountains to
the water courses, a means; of fertili-
Zation and extension of arabic areas
and, at the same time, to solve the de-
bris problem that hydraulic mining may
be safely resumed. The generaf min
ing problems connected with the water
supply in Alaska are without some of
the features that have provoked con-
troversy in this State in the past Their
successful solution will mean much
greater gold production in the north.
The California State Department OF
Highways, which has undertaken the
task of placing guide posts on the Cali
fornia deserts for the guidance of
mining prospectors and others, has
made a report to State Mineralogist
Aubury telling what has been accom-
plished to date. A large number of
points is safeguarded. The locations
are published for the information of
miners. The posts are at the following
mentioned places:
GUIDE POSTS ARE ERECTED.
Inyo County-Darwin and Keeler
road; east lower end of owens Lake;
Canyon; south end of Panamint Valley
and Wingate Pass: between Ballarat
and Wild Rose Canyon; entrance of
Wild Rose Canyon; Wild Rose; Harris
burgh Junction; Emigrana Spring; five
miles north of Furnace Creek; Fur
mace Creek ranch; Furnace Creek
Tule Hole; Benefits Wells; Black
water; Eagle Borax Works; salt well;
end of Lee wagon road; east trail to
Lee Flat; Willow Canyon; west trail
Bulifreg b and nd cerro Gordo G Trail; TX Keel
er; independence; Saline Valley Borax
Works; five miles south of Saline Val
ley ,BoraX Works; between Willow
Creek and boraX works; Willow Greek;
Waucoba; borax road six miles from
Lone Pine; Warm Springs in, Saline
Valley; Steriger's Springs; Mesquite
Springs; Sand Springs; Last Chance
Springs; Willow Springs; east end of
Wingate Pass; Rose Spring Valley:
junction of road, Emigrant Spring and
Stove Pine. Salt CfrPaK. Hole In Rock
junction of Wonder and Furnace Creek
road; junction of Wonder and Day
Stove Pipe and Hole in Rock road;
second junction below Wonder mine;
Death Valley road; lower Wonder
junction; Stove Pipe; Triangle Spring:
Cottonwood Canyon; junction of Cot
tonwood and Goldbelt canyons; Cot
tonwood headwaters; Burnt Coral
north of Cottonwood headwaters;
Jackass Spring; divide between Pana-
mint and Saline Valley; Piper's ranch
west of Pipers; Fish Springs Valley
Kern County-Jawbone Canyon Fork;
Desert Spring Fork; Red Rock Can
yon; Garlock and Coler Fork; Garden
holes; Indian Wells and Coyote holes;
MADAM road; Borax road; Six-Mile
House to Randsburg Willow Spring
to Los Angeles; Motave to Death VAL
ley; Tehachapi to Sand Canyon; Oak
Creek to Los Angeles; Granite station
to Glenville: Granite station to Woody;
Dalano to Glenville and Woody; Old
fields to Glenville; Wasco road to An
telope Valley; Antelope Road Fork to
Annette; Adobe road to Vineland; Sun
set and Emigdio road; Sunset and Patti
way road.
Riverside County-Brooklyn mine:
Iron Chief mine; Cottonwood Springs;
Shaver's Wells; Mecca; Granite mine
NEW SHELTER is PLANNED.
This does not complete the location
of posts in Kern and Riverside coun-
ties, but describes all the work to date
Miners and prospectors who are going
on the deserts would do we'll to cut
this list from The Call, for it may be
of Invaluable assistance to them. Many
miners and prospectors' bones bleach
on the California deserts, simply be-
cause the victims did not know where
they were. and some died having wa
ter within a few miles, but did not
know where to go.
The posts not only will serve as
guides to water holes and various
places where refreshment may be had,
hnf lcO lint he