The Nome nugget., 1925-07-11

the absence of roads and resultant difficulties of transportation.
 The noted seologst. Dr Alfrel H Brooks of the United States Geological Survey Bureau, has es- timated that there 21o square miles Of placer gold deposits within the confines of Seward Peninsula. In addition there numerous gold deposits i'll lode form scattered throughout the dis tric: Or these 2lo square miles of placer gold arels scarcely more than 5a square miles haze been touctet by the miner, although their value has leea known for years. while among the literally hundreds of quartz deposits presenting productive possibilities there i. producing values. This remarkable condition is due almost entirely to absence of highways during the greater part of the two decades of gold production.
 Gold mining at Nome is at present carried on by the use ot gold dredges and hydraulic systems. the former being greatly in the majority as far big operations concerned The prin cipsI company interested is the T. s. Smelling Refining and Mining Company. operating here as the Hammou Consolidated Gold Field which they recently took consolidating it with the Nome Mines Inc, thus controlling vast of gold bearing tundra between the Boring Sea beach and the foothills This company has present three mammoth Yuba electric dredges at the Little Creek site and is also operating giant hydraulic in one section of the workings when there is an excess 0, water at the thawng Furnishing power for these dredges is large deisel plant in the city. At present the main work consists of thawing and drilling operations, preparing the ground for future uninterrupted dredging activ- ities When the dredges at Little Creek turned loose again they will have thawed ground enough ahead of them to practically continuous operation
 Despite the deterring conditions under which it labors the Nome District the most prosperous of the Alaska placer mining regions in 1920. It produced gold values at s1317S19oo compared to d combined total of s1.s6s.o7s.oo from all other placer districts Eighteen dredges, about seventy five open cut mines and thirteen deep or under ground placers operated about $50 men being employed Regarding the future placer outlook, Dr. Alfred H Brooks of the |. S Geological Sur vey says: "It was estimated years ago f1aosl that the value of the goe reserves in the gravel plain ancient beach and high beach pacers of seward Peninsula was about s215 ono 900 oo subtractng the amount of gold that has since been mined from these deposits leaves the value of the reserves s2Oo 900 oOooO Though the above es inmates of the available placer may appear extravagant to some, comparison will be shown that they moderate With the return of nor nal conditions. development has increased steadily in recent months and several important small strikes have been made result of renewed pros pectng efforts
 Platinum
 Platinum valued at ss4Os7.oo produced in Alaska in 1920, large portion being obtained in the Nome District. The bulk of the Nome output was mined from the Dime Creek placers, although of considerable value were made on Bear and Sweepstakes Creeks and at Willow Creek Until 1916 no effort made to this valu able metal but each succeeding year witnesses an increased outpu. efforts at recovery extended
 Tungsten
 Tungsten bearing lodes developed at Fair banks and Nore when the needs led to abnor- mai demand Considerable Tungsten was shipped from these properties between 1916 and 1918 and Schete recovered from concen- all about g. tons of Alaska Satellite concentrates have been mined and marketed.
 Silver bearing found in many places in the Nome District The omalik silver-lead mine on Fish River has produced considerable ore in the past but suspended operations with the decline in silver some years Promising lodes are To- cated at various other points. notably the Kus ruk River, where extensive development work has been done during the past years; although transportation difficulties have so far prevented shipments of
 Anthony ore in the form of stibnite is one of the most widely distributed minerals in Alaska .