Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-30
ALERTNESS IN ALASKA
AutomobiIing on the Shores of
the Arctic.
NUGGETS, SIZE OF A FIST
Enough Gold to Pay All of the Ma
tional Debt.
RAILROADS ACROSS THE SEA
Forests and Fruit Hot Sun Makes
Nature Jump-Virgin Mines
in Heart Of Land
Copyright. 1906, by Frank q. Carpentsr.)
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tCopyrlBnt, leUo by Frank q. Carpenterl
ALASKA CLUB,
ALASKA BUILDING, SEATTLE, 1908
l write these notes in the heart of Alas
ka's great commercial metropolis Seattle
am IN the Alaska Club, surrounded by
members from the Klondike, Cape Nome
Seward peninsula, Fairbanks, Ketchikan,
Sitka and Juneau; and at my elbow is Mr.
w. NJ Sheffield. the secretary. Upon the
walls are photographs showing all phases
OF life in our treasure land OF the Arctic.
Here is a picture Of a railroad whose
tracks lie nearer the pole than any other
on earth, and there an automobile, filled
with Eskimos, putting along on the edge Of
Cape Nome. About the room are specimens
Of wild hay, Alaskan-grown vegetables,
and on the table are numerous nuggets of
copper, silver and gold, locked up in glass
cases. Before coming up stopped in the
scandinavian Bank, ON the ground floor to
look at some gold which had just come in.
1t was brought out from the vaults by the
cashier in plain canvas bag of the same
size. as those which our Virginia boys use
for chestnutting. 1t would hold judge,
a peck, and 1t was half full of dust, grains,
peas and great nuggets of gold. The cashier
bent over as he carried 1t in and he asked
me to lift It, / did SO, and it doubled me
up like a jackknife
! managed, however to get 1t upon the
table. We united the leather draw-string
and picked out three nuggets-one worth
$1,000, another $500 and a third 81, 500.
Each had bit of dirt here and there
clnging to 1t, but, aside from this, was
nothing but metal. The nuggets were soft
and had worn somewhat In carrying
Indeed, the cashier told me that 60
cents worth of gold Is rubbed away every
time the bag is handled. The dust works
Its way Into the cloth, and the bags are
eventually burned and the gold saved when
the stun IS sent to the mint.
Thirty Million Dollars Year.
I find these Alaskans enthusiastic over
their mines. They talk big and their state
ments should be taken with a few grains
of salt. They are claiming now that Alas
ka will eventually produce enough gold to
pay our national debt, and that 1t will soon
be turning out an annual product greater
than that of Colorado 1t is claimed that
100000 or 900 worth has been
mined within the past year and that the
territory may at some time produce as
much as three times this amount. Accord
ing to the latest report of Uncle Sans as
say office here in Seattle, it had taken in
up to June 30, 1905, more than 500 coo 900
worth of gold This was the total of the
receipts since the opening Of the office In
1888, and 1t weighed altogether 2Os tons
avoirdupois. Think of that! Two hundred
tons of solid gold! a ton is a good wagon
load for two-horse team, and it would
tdht tWO HuHuieu SGcu teams TO drag that
golden burden OF the whole something
like $22.O00,000 of this has come from our
own part of Alaska, whereas SIT Oo0. 900
was taken 'front.' the Yukon and the British
northwest. Not long ago Mr.. Roberts the
head of the mint, estimated that Alaska
would be annually producing 100000 or
100000 worth OF gold and that Nome
alone might yield that much in one year
OF course, great deal of the gold goes
to other mints; but 1t is estimated that
fully 30 per. cent of all mined in Alaska
comes here to Seattle
have before me photograph Of thou
sand pounds of gold bricks which were
made in the assay office of the Alaska
Banking and Safe Deposit Company The
scandinavian Bank had million dollars,
worth OF such bricks piled UP behind its
plate glass show windows not long ago as
sort of advertisement. 1t was considered
rather dangerous experiment and two
detectives were stationed on either side of
the window to keep back the crowd, while
no one was allowed close enough to break
the glass and grab the gold
The Enormous Product Of Cape Nome.
The greater part of this gold is coming
from Cape Nome. OF the above amount
the assay Office reports that almost eigh-
teen million dollars have been sent in from
that point. and / should not like to quote
their claims for the future. According to
the Alaska Club men they are yanking the
gold out of the beds OF the streams as well
as from all along the beach. Anvil creek
has produced more than six million dol
lars worth, and 1t is said that no one can
predict as to Its future until the benches
have been sluiced down and the taiilngs re-
washed. Rich discoveries have been made
along the base OF Anvil mountain and a
little over year ago man named Brown
discovered placer at its foot the gravel
from which yielded $3.50 per pan. The WISE
acres prophesfed that that mine would turn
out something like million dollars worth
of gold In one year. All about Cape Nome