The Nome daily nugget., 1914-03-26

C mmercial value In gold. this rail read extnded into these districts would open an immense territory tn the prospectors und miners.
 No mention will be made here of tin copper galena. antimony and other valuable minerals discovered on Seward peninsula. as the committee e intends that . sufficient showing has been made in sold resources to much more than justify the small cost cf the taking over of the present line ct railroad and extending the same as indicated.
 0eld Production.
 Estimated output of gold from Sew ard peninsula from 1898 to 1918 in- elusive totals sss.sl4.ss6 or more than oh times the purchase price of AL aska.
 In buliein No. 32s. page II. 1908. of the United States geological survey. our eminent Alfred H. Brooks gives us the approximate value of placer gold production of Seward peninsula ct $s7.247.ooo for the year 1898 to 1906 inclusive.
 The collector of customs at Nome NIT. R. W. J. Reed. reports the sum of sl6,2s0.4l0 shipped through his of flee for the years 1908 to 1913 inclu- sivc. no report having been kept f"r prior years.
 For the year 1903. 1. T. and 6. Mr. I,ooks reports se,52l.s .s2O more than Mfr Reed, or l37 per cent greater output. This seeming discrepancy is cn used by miners and others not re- porting their gold dust to the cus- tom officc. hut taking it direct to the outside government assay of'ac"s. from whence no doubt. Mir Brooks gnther- ed much of his Information. The limit of error in hts rports Ia placed ar s6Oo,000 To Mir. Reeds report sa6. .260, 900 add I37 per cent or $S.357,- e7G. gives a total "f $62. .5ss.Os6 for the utpu, of years 1908 to 1913 inclusive. add to this Mir. Brooks estimate for the years 1898 to 1902 inclusive $t6.- sIs, 800 and we have grand total "f seS.s14. .Ss6.
 No account is made "f the gold soh' to jewellers or dust and nuggets put nway by miners for keep-sakes. et' . This would run into many thousands of dollars hut no estimate can he made of the amount so used.
 The output of Seward peninsula up to date has largely come from camps nearby Nome and the most accessible places 10 water transportation.
 A great many mining claims on the upper Kougarok river arc equally rs rch in gold as were many of the claims on the famous Ophir creek. in the Council district. but lack of trans has kept mining down to the crudcst methods in the Kougarok. This statement Is made by man that mined on Ophir creek for i've sea sons on one of tho best claims, and who is now engagd in mining in the Kcugarok district.
 One of the main factors to be con- sidered In the economical mining ot placer gold is the cost of transporta' ton of machinery and supplies. The very rich or "bonanza" claims can ba worked under extraordinary excessive freight costs, but IS by far the great CT part of the production of placer field comes from the larger areas "f law grade auriferous gravels. the cost of transportation is n determining factor as to the profitable mining of same.
 The greater part of the gold pro- duction of Seward peninsula has come from the mines located not far from tide water. The Council district Is the only interior district that has 90 fa been heavy producer. This IS due to a great extent tn the cheap transportation afforded by the Nluk" lux river which flows through the middle of said district. This river with Fish river is navtGable from tide water by tow boats.
 As the fields are worked out in the of ready access. railroad tr becoms m absolute to lessen freight costs and enable profitable mining "f tho more remote diggings.
 The prospectors und miners have proven tho commercial valuo of the great low grade deposits of the intc- rior, which are at this present time Impossible to work on account of the hir: cost of transportation.
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