Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1907-12-07
MI ALASKA GOLD
0UTPUT CURTAILED

...Don mineral resources, has Just ,
.,nrned from Alaska and reports :
cartons unfortunate conditions /,
led TO such a curtailment of a
mining in Alaska during the +
y. srmmer as to result in a very !
..or,al reduction in the gold output !
oomnared with that of the previous :
,sar Accurate statistics will not be !
.vailable for several months, but the :
..o,,minary estimates indicate that
r.,re Of AlasIa's entire gold pro-
auction for 1907 will be between
,.7OOo.O00 and $4,000, 900, as
'noinst more than s21, 600 last
roor This loss must be charged for
mo most part to the decrease in the
,roduetion of the placer mines.
II is not to be supposed, however
nat Alaska's placers have passed the
zenith of their production. Accord
ing 10 Mr.. Brooks all the evidence
ooints to the conclusion that a great
II annual production than that of
1907 will yet be attained. The min
ing industry has, therefore, received
only a temporary setback, but it is
ope from which it may not recover
in less than a year or two.
Mr.. Brooks says:
The curtailment of placer opera
lions can be assigned to certain def
mite causes, of which the difficulty
Of obtaining adequate labor is the
most important. The Fairbanks dis
trict IS the one that suffered most
from labor troubles. A strike was
started there on April 81, just when
the gravel accumulated by the win
ter mining operations was ready %
be sluiced by use Of the water OF the
spring freshets. As a result many
of the winter dumps were not finally
washed out until fall. This not only
prevented the mine operators from
continuing work, but also put many
Of the smaller operators into fnan-
clal difficulties. because they had
counted on the winter production to
finance the work during the summer.
Labor conditions in the camp grad
ually adjusted themselves during the
summer. but throughout the open
season there was lack OF experienced
miners. When the strike began
about 1900 men, 1t is said, left Fair
banks, most of whom started for the
newly discovered Innoko district. AS
a result very few new enterprises
we're begun and many OF the estab-
lished mines we're not operated dur
ing the summer. Had there been
laborers enough the Fairbanks dis
triet would no doubt have produced
more gold in 1907 than II did in
1906. As a matter of fact, its pro-
duction was probably 5000. 900 less
than it was in the previous summer.
Among last summers important
developments were the noteworthy
production OF Esther creek. the open.
ing up OF considerable placer ground
on Vault creek. and the discovery o.
prospects on Eldorado and 0ul
creeks. These discoveries, together
with those on smailwood creek, in
dlcate that the Fairbanks districts
proper is more extensive than haC
been previously supposed. The find
\ ing of gold in an adjacent area, OF
the upper Cinema river. Is also Gig
niicant, as this region appears u
lie in the same general belt as tn
Fairbanks district.
The railroad from Fairbanks ha
new been extended 10 the mouth o
Cleary creek, and this road and tn
numerous wagon roads that hay
: been built make all parts OF the dis
trict accessible. The high charge
! on freight from Puget sound port
and the uncertainties and delays /
its delivery still greatly d%iscourag
all mining enterprises. These dis
couragements can be removed onl
by the establishment of railroad con
Nmunication with some coastal poin
Important Developments wer
made in the Rampant district. not;
bly, in its southern part, on the tril
utaries Of Baker creek. whore tw
bitches were built and some success.
full hydraulic operations were ca
ried on. Noteworthy, too, is the IL
stallation of three dredges in II
Forty-nine district. Two of the'
were in operation for a part of Il
season.
Some excitement was caused
the discovery Of placer gold at Sc
eral points on the lower Yuko
While no greater values were foun
yet these localities are so sccessib
mat they give promise of beir
mined at relatively low cost, I'll
q W largest stampedes OF the seasS
M fAnL