The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-01-01
MINES AND MAILS
IN FROZEN alaska
roSTOFFiCE INSPECTORS TALK
or EXPERIENCE AND oB5ER-
VATloNS IN FAR NORTH.

! 1homaa Tlavin and Charles 3.
Walter. two Of the postofiice inspect
RS who have been engaged in investi-
tatins the recent postoffice robbery in
this city spent the last summer In
Alaska inspecting postofflces in that
remote territory and generally looking
after the postal affairs Of Uncle Sam.
Mr. Walters had charge Of the mar
row strip Of territory running along
southern coast Of Alaska including
points far into the interior Mr. Fla.
yin had the territory tributary to the
Yukon river from the British line west
Of Dawson to St. Michaels, near the
mouth Of the Yukon and Nome. Post
Offices are few and far between In that
section, some of them within the Arc
tic circle. at the head of streams navi-
gable for only few weeks in the
year. and where, with the exception Of
these few weeks the mall Is delivered
by deg trains travelling vast distances,
but making The "trip with surprising
regularity
Went IN by Way Of Dawson.
In order 70 reach the scene OF his
operations, Mr. Flavin had to go first
TO Dawson. In British territory and
there take boat down the Yukon
river In fact he took a boat at White
horse in order to reach Dawson and
from Whitehorse to the mouth OF the
Yukon is 1900 miles The postoffice.
as rule are situated on tributaries Of
the Yukon whore placer gold IS being
mined. With the exception of Nome.
on the extreme west coast, all the
pcstotlces IN that section Of Alaska
are If the fourth class. and Mr. Fla
win says that they are better kept than
Offices Of ike class in the states. This
IS explained by the fact that an EN-.
ploye Of a big mining company gen
orally has charge Of the ONCE and
handles It With as much care and sys-
TEN as the COMPANY business
Salaries ct rcetnssters ard Clerks.
Nome, the largest Office N northern
Alaska, is Of the third class. The pop.
ulation Of Nome IN the summer tins
, is abou. 1000 With the approach Of
inter everybody that can get away
leaves for a more con genial cline This
pos Mna ster at Nome receives a salary
If $500 per wear. the assistant post
,,,I 80
clerks receives $500 the same as the
Ipostmast y Is Impossible to secure
clerical help AZ the rates of wages paid
| In the states, Mail is received during
the short summer by steamer from Sc
attic about once week, and during
the winter there is long interval be-
tween mails which Is carried by dog
train The contractor Is required t,
carry 500 pounds Of mail at a trip,
giving preference to first class mail
Postmaster s25, Assistant SIS.
At Katella, fourth class postoftlce,
the postmasters salary averages about
S25 per month, while his wife. who is
his assistant, receives q fixed salary
of s15 per month Katella Is near the
famous coal claims which were To-
Gated by Clarence Cunningham, for
,nerly Of this city, and which we're fin.
ally cancelled by the government after
the contestants had carried the con-
!tast for them from the local land Of
fee through the interior department
land indirectly T. the white House
Fairbanks Summer Fe.cr.
Fairbanks, situated far in the in
terror Of Alaska and well toward the
eastern edge Is described by the in
spectors as an attractive town Of
abou. $500 Yea. and modern homes
ARE 4 feature Of Fairbanks and the
constant sunshine Of the short sum-
ner makes It possible to raise a.! the
ordinary early vegetables. The gov
ernnlent rnaintains ar agricultural ex-
pertinent station there.
Placer Mining at Fairbanks.
Fairbanks has produced millions Of
1o.,a-s IT. placer geld 7. IS necessary
to ainh through frc,en ground TO
depth Of from 60 to Too feet 10 reacl,
pay gravel From the bottom Of these
shafts drifts are run IL the pay gravel
along bedrock The ground is thawed
by driving hollow tubes into the gravel
8 or 10 feet and about 18 inches apart
Hose Is attached to these tubes and
steam turned IN which thaws the
ground. which Is then h oisted and the
gold extracted Obviously It must be
very rich ground to Weld profit un-
DER this method Of mining.
Decline Of Daw.cr.
From a population of $4,000, which
II. had following the great stampede Of
1928 and 1892, Dawson. in Yukon ter
r.ory has declined until 1t can now
claim, not more than $500 Deep era
vel and frozen ground made. It i'm
practical for individual miners to make
1T pay except in rare cases, with the
result that the ground IS now gener-
ally held by big companies. Two mon
ster dredges, each of which cost s.2o.-
| 200, are at work during the summer.
The size Of these dredges and the pow
er required 70 run them Is indicates
| by the statement that there are 50
buckets on each dredge and each