Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-22
and 1t falls into the RIFLES as
stream washes the debris away.
WATERS RUSH our

stream washes the debris away.
WATERS RUSH ,OuT.
- 49, 1s< LIKE A FLOu
Al lrst the water comes In n no,,
It carries the stone. gravel aud Mar
down VIII >a~rush. Five miners. ,lI
III roush clothing. with rubber boo
TO their thighs. stand In the curro
ana STIR as the water ppurs down. III.
throw out the big bowlders ana MI,
ana fork over the mortar and sn,.
They stop IL here ana there with lid
shofeis, SO That every bit Of gold -Slud
E washed OF. After II time bits Of ~
bottom arc visible. In some places M
hoX has turned yellow; tho gold du
mas piled up and coated the boart.
The rifles become filled with bla,
sand. This is mixed with the ycllo,
and now aud then a small nugget
to be seen. The rifles are lifted o.
and the black sand containing the 20
Is washed over. This is carefully don
The water NOW flows slowly, al
the men asitate IT with brushes OF SC:
weed Of about the size OF IL whist
broom With these they separate mo-,
Of the sand from the dust. ana the We
low -four and grains are caught i'm
scoop and thrown into a pan. 1t cover
the bottom OF the nan like coar,
cornmcal. and looks somewhat I,
though il were yellow corn xroun,
The cleanup OF this week amountS
10 about three quarts Of gold. 1t
worth over $4,000. and the gold cor
tents will average SIT per ounce.
After getting the gold gu, OF II
box we took il into tho Office cabf
nearby and dried II over "A fire.
was then tossed up by the miners 1
blow out the bits OF sand that wen
left. They did this. throwing the poi
into the air. much as you throw scrceIi
ings TO chickens. blowing the biacl
sand away and catching every Bit q
the gold in the pan. Al the end Iii .
sand was all out and the yellow gol
only was left This was the clean u
OF a small mine Larger clean-ur
sometimes run into the tens of thout
ands OF dollars.
HAS PRODUCED ABOUT
24,O,b,.O0O IN COLI
Clcary Creek haH many exccileII
claims. | am told there are place
where YOU can walk up the valley AM
every foot under you will be wortI
$4,000. The creek altogether has prGI
Auced about s24.000.000 worth of gold
and It is estimated that there IL NOR
gold in the ground that has yet bee
taken out. They are now working
over some Of the claims for a secnn
time and. with cheap coal. better trans
portation and modern dredging NAL
chinery, the most of the ground WHY
be handled again. Senator Guatard.
member Of the Territorial LeEisluturtI
estimates the values left In Cleary a{
something like $50, 900. or $4,000.
900 more than has yet been washed OUT
There arc a dozen or more creeh
about Fairbanks that are producing
gold. The biggest output so far liza
been from Cicary; but large amount
have been obtained from Fatrbankl
Creek, Dome Creek. Gold Stream and
Ester Greek. The product Of Ester 81
larEe AT this writing. one of the clean
ups last week having realized Owe
$1,000 In 1919. Fairbanks Greek had
already produced more than $4,000. 0oW|
more 10 the square foot have beels|
found ny 1910 Ester had produced
about sS.ocn,o0O, and Little Eldoradt
more than s5.o00.000 The gold In the
several creeks varies in value. In SONG
it does not average more than els PEI
ounce. while In others II is worth Wv
and upward per ounce.
Nearly all of the gold taken oG, a
the ground about Fairbanks has beer
placer gold This means II is made vi
OF gold dust and nuggets sca;terct
through the earth and gravel. 50 tina
il has 10 be only washed To get thd
gold out. OF quartz gold. which comes
from veins or other particles of gold
Embedded in and mixed with the soiiJ
rock. this region has AS Vet prohucc'S
litile although several quartz nincA
are now working (
MAJORITY OF ALASKA I
GOLD FROM PiAtER>f
The most OF the gold OF Alaska hn1
come from placcrs The total valued
produced is now :.bont $3.50. ooo,"0o. ardi
oI this almost 500. 600, 900 has GOMEZ
from The paccrs. The greater part of5
the quartz gold has been and still isJ
from the great mines Of Southeastern rms
ALASKA, and especially those of Tread
well and Juneau. Some Of those minesp
will be producing for century TOT
come. and they are now yielding mil
lions OF dollars "a year.
The remainder of Alaska so far hasE
been to a large extent placer Hoids
and the placer output att
present is about 100000 per year
Much of this comes from mines likes
the Nolan mine ] have described. but
much also comes from the dredges now
working On the Seward Peninsula, and
especially about Nome. The Sew
ara Peninsula is estimated to haNeI
more than S300. 100000 worth OF gold
still left in it's Gravels.
There ere many millions Of free GOLD
in this district aud also in other parts
of the Yukon ananR Basin. There is
placer gold along the kuskokwim
River and dredEcs are now working in
the Iditarod and along the Tpnoko,
The GugEenheims are considering the
OF dredging over the old
creeks about Fairbanks. They have
been going over the ground and trying
to buy UP the claims, but the owners
want too much for them ] heard one
miner discussing the possibility of his
men striking for higher wages. Said
he: '"rhey can strike II they want to.
! can make a living out of my dump
heaps. can take rocker and wash
out sl5 any day Of the week"
Placer mining in Alaska is far differ.
eut from thai of other parts of the
United States. In California and In tho
Rockies all that miner needed to
start business was n pick. II shovel and
n pan to wash out the glod. He might
add rocker or some other rude pieces
of machinery. hut all told the outnt
cost little. The free gold lay on the
top Of the ground. orr OH the banks and
n the beds of the creeks, and it was
comparatively easy to find and wash
out. Here about Fairbanks more than
so per cent of the productive deposit.
lie at from forty to 200 feet under
ground. and most OF them are In wall
ley bottoms. which are solidly frozen