The Nome nugget., 1925-07-04


 .ory untouched by the hand of industry owing to the absence of roads and resultant difficulties of transportation.
 The noted geologst. pr. Alfrel H. Brooks of the United States Geological Survey Bureau. has timated that there 210 square miles Of placer gold deposits within the confines of Seward Peninsula In addition there numerous gold deposits n lode form scattered throughout the dis trict Of these 210 square miles ot placer gold areas scarcely than 5o square miles have been touched by the miner. although their value has been known for years, while among the literally hundreds quartz deposits presentng productive possibilities there is not one 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 Nome is at present carried on by the use of gold dredees and hydraulic systems. the former being greatly in the majority as far as big operations are concerned The prin- cipal company interested is the L. Smelling. Refining and Mining Company, operating here as the Iiammon Consolidated Gold Field which they recently took consolidating it with the Nome Mines Inc thus controlling vast area of gold bearing tundra between the Boring Sea beach and the foothills This company has at present three mammoth Tuba electric dredses at the Little Creek site and is also operating giant hydraulic in section of the workings when there is an excess of water the thawing area Furnishing power for these dredges is large desel plant in the city At present the main work consists of thawing and drilling operations, preparing the ground for future uninterrupted dredging actv- ities When the dredges at Little Creek are 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 s1.317.S19.oo compared to a combined total of s166s,o76.oo from all other placer districts Eighteen dredges, about seventy five open cut mines and thirteen deep or under ground placers were operated; about $50 men being employed. Regarding the future placer outlook, Dr. Alfred H Brooks of the | s. Geological Sur says "It was estimated some years ago 1sosl that the value of the gold reserves in the gravel plain, ancient beach and high beach placers of Seward Peninsula about s2f5.oo'.o0o.o0. subtractns the amount Of gold that has since been mined from these deposits leaves the value of the reserves s200.oOO,oo0 %. Though the above es- inmates of the available placer reserves may appear extravagant to some comparison will be shown that they are moderate With the of 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 ss4,os7Oe produced in Alaska in 1920, large portion being obtained in he Nome mined from the Dime Creek placers. although recoveries of considerable value made Bear and Sweepstakes Creeks and at Willow Creek Until 1916 effort made to recover this valu- able metal but each succeeding year witnesses an increased output efforts at recovery extended
 Tungsten
 Tungsten bearing lodes developed at Fair banks and Nome when the needs les to abnor nal demand Considerable Tungsten was shipped from these properties between 1916 and 1918 and schelte recovered from concen- trates of gold dredges at Nome .. In all about s7 tons of Alaska Satellite concentrates have been mined and marketed.
 Silver
 Silver bearing ores are found in many places in the Nome District The omalik silver-lead mine on Fish River has produced considerable in the past but suspended operations with the decline in silver years ago. Promising lodes To- cated at various other points. notably on the Kug ruk River, where extensive development. work has been done during the past two years; although transportation difficulties have far prevented shipments of ore.
 Anthony
 Anthony ore, in the form of stbnite, is of the most widely distributed minerals in Alaska