The Chitina leader., 1910-10-01
TRANSPORTATION THE CAUSE.


 River & Northwestern railway as far as Chitina, large number of pros pecting parties are outfitting, at even this late day in the season, for pros pecting trips to the mountains and surrounding country adjacent to Chitina, as well as other sections of rich mineral belts through which the rialroad runs. The railroad is now ''the place of beginning" all prospectors using or naming the mile posts along the line of railway in starting or returning from their trips as far up as the Bonanza mine
 Early,s prospecting parties report finding splendid showings this year of gold quartz on the south side of the copper river. about 16 miles from Chitina, and good copper specimens have been brought in located about the same distance from here to the westward of the Copper river.
 These samples of ore, which have been coming in since early summer, have created an enthusiastic feeling for further development of this sec tion of the country, and gives to Chitina prosperous outlook, due to the fact that prospecting parties can now outfit at Chitina, at practically Cordova prices.
 In past years it was impossible to prospect this section of the terri tory owing to the lack of transpor- tation facilities, but now that rail- road has tapped this great mineral region many new discoveries of gold, copper and other valuable minerals will be heard of in the near future. Wealth that for years has been ly ing dormant in the mountains, prac- tically beyond the reach of man, due to excessive cost entailed on the prospector. and inaccessibility of the country, will soon, due to easy com munication and transportation, be opened up, furnishing wealth to the prospector and work for a large body of men who may have failed, indi- vidually, to strike it rich for them. selves. All prospectors, realize of course, that copper holdings require capital to operate, but if they have done sufficient development work to show that they have a copper mine, capital will ever be ready to purchase it for what it is worth. But the prospector has many other rich minerals in this belt which he can handle to a better advantage. The remark is often heard that plac- CT is the only poor mans proposi- tion, and both placer and gold quartz has been found on a number of the rivers and creeks in this vicinity this past summer.
 On Canyon creek, about twelve miles due south from the old Indian village of Taral, which is situated at Mile 127, reports come in of ex- tensiye placer fields, and Canyon creek itself has been developed it. self in several places to the extent of showing deep gravel deposits which will run over 50 cents to the cubic yard, and on bed rock in a number of locations at a depth of twenty feet from the surface, the report at least ten cents to the pan. Several Drospectors re- port good beacn diggings along the White river and it's tributaries, an- nouncing that they are even able to work all winter and rock out from s5 to S7 per day to the man. When men can get wages by the slow meth cd of rocking out gold by hand dur ing the cold winter months, it is a most encouraging outlook for min ing on a larger scale, now that it is an easy matter to transport hydraul- ic machinery and dredges for ex- tensive work
 Not only do the placer fields look promising, but gold quartz has been found in this section, splendid sam- ples of which have been brought to Chitina, creating no little comment and reorganization to the lucky prospectors. All of these promising prospects are tributary to Chitina, and all this past summers activity in the mining and prospective field can be attributed to the building and completion of the Copper River rail- way as far as Chitina.
 In view of the rosy outlook for this mineral belt, we should indeed be grateful that capital has awak- ened to grasp the vast resources here for the rich as well as the poor, and that in giving us transportation thus far they have done more for the l. .k...a.