Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-06
LARGEST DISPLAY OF GOLD
Pile Of yellow Metal from
Alaska at the Seattle
show.

show
Curiosity. which has been aroused BY
the arrival in Seattle OF more than 5000 o
in gold from Alaska. can be gratified IL
one will visit the Alaska building at the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS exposition. Up
wards Of s5Oo.Oo worth Of sold was placed
on exhibit there, and an additional million
in dust, nuggets and bars will also ne
found on the pile. 1t is the biggest, most
costly single exhibit ever shown at any
WORLDS fair.
Only on rare occasions IL an automobile
seen within the grounds OF the exposition,
but only a mild curiosity was displayed
yesterday afternoon when a car drew up
at the front door Of the Alaska building
This, however, turned eyes big with in
terest when the word was passed around
that the Alaskan buildings gold exhibit
had arrived. The car, with its load Of
more than $4,000 had excited no interest
until the men who were in charge Of the
treasure closed while the gold was being
taken inside and arranged on the big, vel
v~et-lined pan in the exhlbit booth.
In charge OF the gold during its trans
mission from the scsndinavian-Amerioan
bank to the exposition grounds were James
c. Mcbride, Alaskan commissioner to the
AnAAs oAAo abhA n iNAh NAAN AAAAAAAAn 49, ~
charge Of the mineral exhibit in the Alaska
building. The two men and the chauffeur
were all heavily armed, while armed
guards attended during the removal OF the
gold from the automobile to the place OF
exhibit.
The same precautions which were exer-
cised with the placing of the exhibit
will be followed in caring for the
golden treasure. It now rests in a steel
and glass cage, the whole surrounded by a
steel cage. At night, the gold is dropped
into a steel vault and two guards stand on
watch all night.
The principal nugget in the collection Is
the great 1SO-ounce lump owned by Jafet
Lindeberg. president Of the Pioneer Mining
company Of Nome, and one of the original
d]iscoverers Of gold at Nome.
This is the largest nugget ever taken out
Of Alaska and II has IN interesting his
tory. A workman was sinking a hole for
a post under a sluice box on Anvil creek
when he encountered what he thought was
a large piece Of gravel. After some diff
Guilty he d~islodged 1t and brought 20 the
surface the huge nugget. That lucky post
hole meant a 500 note on the spot, given to
him by Mr.. Lindeberg. The two other
large. nuggets, OWHeu ny ine Oih mn
lionaire and displayed with the big one,
were taken from near the same spot. There
are ~eighty-one other nuggets in the Linde-
berg section,
The next collection in point Of value, out
side the five bricks loaned by the United
States assay office Of this city, and valued
at $3.50, 900. is owned by Mrs. Clarence Berry
OF Fairbanks. She has two large nugget
on exhibition, one weighing 15 ounces.
The SO, 900 worth OF samples she shows are
all the fruits Of Mrs. Berry's own pan
ming. Her husband told her she could
have for herself all Of the gold she panned
off his claims and the $4,000 collection is
the result.
There are a number of smaller collections
represented and among the most interesting
thing shown is a gold flask, hammered out
of one nugget, and five drinking cups,
each hammered out OF a nugget.
Following the arrival of the steamship
Victoria from Nome, with other gold al
ready held by them, the scandinavian
American bank will turn over to Commits
sioner McBride sS25, 900 in gold nuggets and
bricks, and this will be added to the pile
on exhibit at the Alaska building and bring
it up to almost 81, 500, 0OO.-Seattle Times.