The Chitina leader. [volume] (Chitina, Alaska) 1910-1928, 1914-07-14

/ Geo. w. Sias has again been with
us a few days but is now on his
way to Valdez creek, having been
at his Boston home since last
October, when he came from the
interior. 1t is to Mr.. Sias that
credit is due for the development
of one of the biggest hydraulic
propositions in the interior of Alaska.
AS large stakeholder in the
Valdez Creek Placer Mines he put
forth the efforts as fiscal agent that
eral hundred thousand dollars neces-
sary to take in machinery and open
up the property that his company
had acquired.
During the past winter the bal
ance of the machinery necessary TO
equip this plant was brought to Cor
dova and from here shipped over the.
railroad to Chitina. From there 1t
was transported by team over the
government road to Gulkana. From
there it was necessary to sled it
distance of 100 miles northwest over
more difficult road But this was
successfully accomplished and sup
plies were also sledded in to suffice
for the employees of the company
until nexl winter. Mr.. Sias will
remain at the workings until the end
of the season in: October, when he
will come out with the other officers
and men via Chitna and Cordova.
Valdez Creek is this season the
scene of more activity than has been
witnessed there since 1907, the year
of the big influx of miners. Since
that time the richest of the proper
ties on the creek and it's tributaries
have been gathered together in one
ownership and are now controlled by
the Valdez Creek Placer Mines, an
organization with headquarters in
Boston and financed, by New Eng
land capital. This season they are
installing one of the most perfect
hydraulic plants of it's size that has
been sent out in recent years by the
Joshua Hendy Iron Works of San
Francisco.
Conditions on Valdez creek are
reported by engineers who visited
States Geological Survey and those
in private employ, to be ideal for
hydraulic operations. -
The creek carries from $500 to
1000 miners inches of water. In
flowing from it's source to the
Susitna river it falls rapidly and in
the lower few miles of it's course
cuts a canyon whose greatest depth
is about 1873 feet. This canyon just
above 2S-foot fall intersects a pre-
glacial channel whose bedrock is so
feet above the waters of Valdez
creek at that point. This old chan
mel has proved to be 10 feet deep
and about 200 feet wide. .-'
In this old channel on bedrock a
tunnel has been driven 1900 feet.
Every foot of the way had to be
timbered with square sets and in
places the tunnel is 80 feet wide. In
other places tunnels have been
driven at right angles to the main
tunnel, on one side for 100 feet and
on another side for 60 feet. The
total amount of workings are equiva-
lent TO one tunnel 25 feet wide and
feet high for the whole 1900 feet.
The gravels taken out have aver
aged $2I per cubic yard. These
workings have thoroughly pros
pected the bedrock gravels and the
engineers of the Valdez Creek Placer
Mines are satisfied that in the still
unwOrked gravels they have material
for several bonanzas. The most
striking thing and the thing that
first strikes the vision of visiting
engineers and hydraulic miners is
the close juxtaposition of rich gold
bearing gravels, of adequate dump,
| anu VI NoiuIllC anu ACdu vi WdlCl Ill
mediately available for hydraulic
operations.
The water supply comes from
Valdez creek. A ditch 5000 feet
long brings the water to the hill
Immediately back of the intersection
of the old and new channels. From
the end of the ditch steel pipe, con-
sisting of 1000 feet of 36-inch pipe,
1000 feet of 80 inch pipe, 1000
feet of 24-inch pipe, and 1000 feet
of 22-inch pipe takes the water to
the point Immediately above the en-
trance of the aforementioned chan
mel. 1000 feet of 1S-inch pipe fur
nishes the three branches requisite
to work from the points of vantage.
Through this simple system water is