Douglas Island news., 1908-07-22
A Real Bonanza

land Is the real thing in Alaska cop per mining but it runs along summer and winter with so little fuse that most persons forget it Is there except when they call at the dock on a steamer. Yet 1t Is valued at S10,000,- GOO for the ore Sin sight," and sum not far from that figure has been re- fused by its owners.
 This remarkable mine has an ore body 300 feet and nobody knows how deep into the hill 1t runs. It Is blocked out in two directions with tunnels. Unlike most mines it is not worked by shafts. It is strictly an outside niue. The men who work it simply tear off the ledge matter from the side of the hill where an ex. pansive face ia exposed Down thls the miners slide ore, gangue and country rock, few "horses" being stabled in the hugh vein.
 At tn e bottom of the workings the ore is sorted, for be is known only ore of good grade can pay transpor- tation tc the outside and smelter charges and leave profit. Tho orc shipped from Beatson's mine to the Tacoma emeller runs from ' to 10 per cent copper, with a trace of silver. The lower grade ore Is showed into huge dump to await construction of a smelter or concentrator in the vicin- ity.
 Beateon's Bonanza was located July 4, 1897 by Andrew K. Beatson and others. It began shipping steady about 1902 and it's outpui in 1907 through the Tacoma smelter was Sl,- 020,0OO lbs. copper and 5000 oz. silver. It usually employs about thirty men, all work being done by hand. The ownera do not contemplate working 1t any other way so long as the profits are largely eaten up by transportation and emelting charges. When the ore can be reduced at home at minimum of cost Latouche island will doubtless boast at Beatson's of great mine worked by machinery. The present method pays regular profit of several thousand dollars a mouth in spite of the low price of copper and is scarcely making dent iu the vast ore body.
 The mine lies in the lower slope of mountain quarter of mile in an air line from tide water on the west eide of Latouche island, near the north end, about ninety miles southeast of Valdez. From the dock a tram road little more than half mile long leads to the mine. Down this the ore cars run easily by gravity with man riding to put on the brake. Few mines are so conveniently located by nature for inexpensive operation and shipment.
 A large store is run In connection with the mine It stands at the land end of the bridge leading to the dock and nearby is long boarding house, where most of the miners live. A few are married and live in co ttages.
 Latouche. the common anglicized form of La Touche, as some persons insist on writing it to prove that they are French scholars, is one of the most picturesque of the numerous beautiful islands of Prince William sound. They are all similar except in contour and size-hilly, deficient in beaches, but with many deep water bays and bights, presenting long ar rays of wooded slopes with barren cliffs too steep for the clinging of veg citation. The upper heights are covered with snow until late summer and from some 1t never disappears. The line of venture is regular and above tower the jagged peaks of recent geo. logical uplift,-gauns. hostile, gray. Four months of the year the islands are white to the waters edge and in the other eight rain falls during more hours than the sun shines. But the sunny days seem more beautiful than anywhere eIse-perhaps because of their rarity, and In August Latouche island Is an attractive camping ground.
 Andrew K. Beatson, part owner and manager of Bonanza, Is a native of New York. but was California mining