Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-10-29


square miles OF new terri
tory and will pass through regions where
the precious metals are known to exist. 1t
will cross the Kcnai peninsula, which is pep
percd with gold and which contains working
mines both placer and quartz. The first
gold found in Alaska was discovered there
in 1854 by Russian engineer, but in the
changing conditions, the camp was aban-
doncd and the discovery forgotten. Over
20 years ago workable pacers were found
on the northern part OF the peninsula not far
from where the railroad now runs, and they
are still mining there. The total output OF
the peninsula has been in the neighborhood
of two million dollars worth of gold and
only a small part of the country has been
prospected or scratched
Even less work has been done in the coun-
try running north to the Tanana valley
About 40 miles from Anchorage are the
Willow creek mines, where they have re-
Gently taken out several hundred thousand
dollars worth OF quartz gold with little
stamp mill Willow creek is about 10 miles
north of Seward and perhaps 800 miles
from Fairbanks. Three mines are working
there now, and there will be more when the
coal from Matanuska fields can be brought
in by the railway.
On Broad pass, over which the road
crosses the mountains at an altitude of about
$500 feet, silver-ead ores are reported, and
little further north is the Bonniheld dis
trct, consisting of gold pracers which have
already yielded considerable metal And
then there are the Skwetna and Yetna mines
west of the Talkeetna river, where they are
thawing placer gold out of the ice, and to
the north and west is the Kantishna mining
district, which contains not only gold, but
anthony.
Anthony has risen in price since the war
in Europe, and it is now worth several hun
drcd dollars ton. Apother valuable min
eral which is being mined near Fairbanks is
scheelite. 1t is a high-grade tungsten used
in the making of ammunition. The concen-
trate is now selling for over $4,000 a ton.
AS to the Fairbanks district itself. it has
many gold mines, both placer and quartz
The most of the gold so far has come from
the placers, the total product amounting tC
more than $80,000,000.
The plan is to extend the railroad by I
branch line to the Kuskokwim region. This
will give cheap fuel to large area of gold
bearing territory and will make the lnnoko
Iditarod and other placer mines much more
accessible. There are 25 or 80 plants now
operating in the Kuskokwim basin, most
OF which are tributary to Fort McGrath
which will be the terminus OF this branch Of
the railroad
The Innoko district has rs or 30 mines
now working The gold output OF the ldit
arod annually amounts to 100000 and up
ward The placers are on or near the ldita
rod river, branch Of the 1nnoko, about lO(
miles southeast of Fort McGrath The colo
is found in the beds of the creeks. A great
part of the output is that Of the Yukon Coll
company, which is working the creeks witt
drcdges driven by gasoline or electricity
There are several hundred men employed
there Common laborers are getting 80 4
day and board.
Another rich placer district is at Ruby
close TO the Yukon. 1t produced million
dollars in 1914 and has SIS different mines
which are operated during the summer. lr
the Hot Springs district which lies near the
Tanana river between Fairbanks and Fort
Gibbon, 40 mines are being operated, and
not far away are the Tolovana and Other
new gold fields.
Tn all of these gold regions, the output de-
nends on fuel to oDerate the machinery and