The weekly Alaska citizen., 1920-01-19

cut, and the isolation of the district
 b itn the consequently difficulty of ob-
 taining labor and the high freigh,
 rates. has not encouraged the ex
 ploitation of the placers of lower
 tenor. The same Is true to great
 extent of the Tolovana district, where
 most of the mining has been done by underground methods, but some shal-
 low placers in this district can be
 developed when operating costs are
 reduced. Nothing of importance was
 done in the Hot Springs district
 Except for the discovery of another nay streak on Poorman creek there
 was no important advance in the
 Ruby district during 1918. Placers
 were discovered on the Hogatza river,
 in the Koyukuk district, in 1919, but they have not yet been sufficiently developed to determine their value.
 Placers are also reported to have been discovered in the Birch creek basin, U 4bAitii Ap W iiN llNttr anu uioo III
 the Koyukuk district tho these re ports have not been verified. These placers are in inaccessible regions
 and would have to be very rich to justify their development under pie
 sent conditions. These rercrts, how ever, indicate that not al! the Alaska ! irosnCctors have become discouraged. The gold production from the Mar shall district has been maintained by the output of a few mines work,
 ing on comparatively rich plac er''.
 placcr mining in the Fortynile dis tlict and in the smaller Yukon dis
 tricts is being and under present economic conditions will be continued principally by men who have operated l in these regions for a long time. "et no doubt a large percentage of such bining is being done at a loss if 1 the owner charged his own services at present high wages against tho ! cost The same is true of the Kobuk ! the most inaccessible placer camp oi Alaska. Such mining will however. 1 be continued by many wno prefer the l inde0cndcnce of working their own mall mines to the more substantial eva [ that they might gain by work i ing for others. At least half of the | rlacer mines operated in 1919 Were 1 probably of this type and they gLve employment. perhaps to 800 or 800 men. The value of thei' output is estimated to be between $500 0GO and s600,0O0
 The only important operation in the | Kuskokwim basin in 1919 was that of the dredge on Candle creek, which
 vas installed in 1918. Placer minine was, however, continued in I velv emall way in the KuskokwiG, and Goodnews bay region. In all about 15 or 20 mines were operated in thest, regions. employing betwef 60 to 100 men.
 Seward peninsula was the most prosperous of the Alaska placer-min- ing regions in 1919. It produced gold to the value of $1 900,000, compared with $1 10S, ,0O0 in 1918 A total ot q gold dredges were operated in the Seward peninsula, distributed as fol- lows; eight in the Nome district, 8 in the Council district. in the Solo mon district, and one each in Kouga- rok, Fairhaven and Port Clarence dis tricts. Three dredges used the so called "cold water method" of thawing the gravels. In addition to the 3~edges, about 75 open-cut mines and 13 deep placer mines were operated on Seward nonineula in 1919. About $50 men were employed in placer min ing and about 75 of these were en- ragged in deep mining during the win ter. Tin mining in the peninsula will he described below. Some 20 ounces cf platinum were won from the gold r'acers of the Dime c~eek region. ih the southeastern part of the Seward peninsula
 There were no important develop mcnts in placer mining on the Pacific "lope of Alaska during 1919. Tn value of the placer gold output from this region was about $500 900 in 1919. ! compared with $tOO 900 in 1918. Fly draulic mining was continued on considerable scale in the Nizina dis trict of the Copper river basin. The gold output of the Yentna district was less in 1919 than in 1918 because l the dredge was not in operation. A i hydraulic plant Is being installed to 1 furnish power for the dredge. So far as is known beach mining at YaIta, | taga and ot' CT places continued on about the same scale as in previous years.
 1 As has been shown, the general o(onomic' conditions that affect Alas. "a gold mining and especially placer
 mining, are worldwide in their in.
 fuence. The Alaska placer miner has, however, in addition, his own special
 difficulties, and these relate principal ly to transportation. With a decrease in Dlacer mining has come dacrease