The daily Alaska citizen., 1920-01-14

with S110S.00o in 1918 A total oj q gold dredges were operated in the Seward peninsula distributed as fol lows; eight in the Nome district, & in the Council district. f in the Solo mon district and one each in Kouga- rok. Fairhayen and Port Clarence dis trtcts. Three dredges used the SO called "coId wator method of thawing the gravel~ In addition to the d.cdges. about 75 open-cut mines and 13 deep placer mines were operated ,u Seward peninsula in 1919 About 55o men Were employed in placer min ing and about 75 of these were en- gagged in deep mining during the win fer Tin mining in the peninsula win he described below Some % ounces .l platinum were won from the gold placers of the Dime creek region h the southeastern part oI the Seward peninsula
 There wcr" no important develop 9nnts in placer mining on the Pacific Hope of Alaska during 1919 Tn value ot the placer gold output from ri. region va- about 23O0.O0o fn 1919. compared with s4o0ooo in 1918 Fly, drauic mining was continued on a considerable scale in the Nizina dis trict of the Copper river basin The gold output of the Nentna districr was less in 1919 than in 1918 because the dredgc was not in operation A hydraulic plant i~ being installed to
 furnish power for the drrdge. So far as is known beach mintne at Yal,a- taga and oil CT places continued on about the same scale as IT previous year.
 As has been shown, the general economic conditions that affect Alas l,a gold mining and especially placer mining. are worldwide in their in- funncc Thc Alaska placer miner has, however. in addition. his own special difficulties. and these relate principal ly 10 transportation. With a decrease in placer mining has come a decrease in transportation facilities and an in crease in freight rates The best aid that can be given the miner and prospector is good transportation ser vice by water and land and reasonable freight rates Of first importance is the completion of the Alaska railroad, but better and cheaper steamboat service on both ocean and river. are also imperative, Moreover, if the rail road is to be fully used for the deyeI- opmcnt of the resources of the terri tory it must be supplemented by rails and wagon roads.
 Gold Lode Mining.
 Eighteen gold lode mines were op- erated in Alaska in 1919 and produced ~oId worth about $4,10O 900. Twenty five mines were operated in 1918 and produced gold worth $3473,000 The increase in 1919 came from the three mines at Juneau, but does not assure the continued prosperity of the lode mining industry, for these mines at Juneau are working on too small 4 margin between the value of gold recovered and the cost of operation 10 make il certain that they will be able to pay the continued increasing expense of mining. The only other large gold-lode mine in Alaska is in the Sitka district, where operations in 1919 were. so far as known. on about the same scale as in 1918.
 The most important event of the year bearing on lode mining in Alaska was the development of some large ore bodies in the Steward rive basin of Portland canal. which marks the southeastern boundary of the terri tory. So far as known, the only property developed sufficiently to prove the value of these bodies are on the Canadian side of the Interna- tional Boundary but close to it. The same geologic conditions occur on the Alaska side of the boundary, where metalliferous lodes have long been known to occur and where many claims have been staked. The na- tural seaboard outlet for the Cana dian as well as the American proper ties in the Stewart river basin is the town of Hyder, on the Alaska side of Portland canal The lodes of this | district, so far as known, consist of