The Nome nugget., 1925-07-18

the absence of roads and resultant difficulties of transportation
 The noted geoogist. Dr. Afre 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 Sewart Peninsula In addition there gold deposits iu lode form scattered throughout the dis trct Of these 21o square miles Of placer gold areas scarcely than 5a square miles have been touched by the miner although their value has been known for years, while among the literally hundreds of quartz deposits presenting productive possibilities there i, 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 at Nome is at present carried on by the use of gold dredges and hydraulic systems the former being greatly in the majority as far big operations are concerned. The prn- cpal company interested is the T. s Smelting Refining and Mining Company, operating here as the Hammon Consolidated Gold Field which they recently took over, 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 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 thawing area. Furnishing power for these dredges is large deisel plant in the city. At present the main work consists of thawng and drilling operations preparing the ground for future uninterrupted dredging activ- ites. When the dredges Little Creek are turned loose again they will have thawed ground enough ahead Of them to practically continuous operation
 Despite the deterrng conditions under which it labers. the Nome District was the most prosperous of the Alaska placer mining regions in 1920 It produced gold values s1s317.s1o.oo compared to q combined total of s1.6sso7s.oo from all other placer districts. Eighteen dredges. about seventy five open cut mines and thirteen deep under ground placers operated; about 55s being employed Regarding the future placer outlook, Dr. Alfred H. Brooks of the U. s. Geological Sur vey says: ct estimated 1s0s) that the value of the gold reserves in the gravel plain ancient beach and high beach placers Of Seward Peninsula Was about s215Oo0 ooo,oo subracting the amount of gold that has since been mined from these deposits leaves the value of the reserves s20A 900 OOo 00 Though the above inmates of the available placer may appear extravagant comparison will be shown that they are moderate With the Of mai conditions. development has increased steadily in recent months and several important small strikes have been made as a result of renewed pros pecting efforts.
 Platinum
 Platinum valued at s34.os7.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 pacers although recoveries of considerable value made Bear and Sweepstakes Creeks. and Willow Creek Until 1916 effort made to recover this valu- increased output efforts recovery extended
 Tungsten
 Tungsten bearing lodes were developed at Fair banks and Nome when the needs led to abnor- mai demand ." Considerable Tungsten shipped from these properties between 19l6 and 1918 and Schelite recovered from concen- trates of gold dredges at Nome . In all about s7 tons of Alaska Satellite concentrates have been mined and marketed
 Silver bearing found in many places in the Nome District The Omalik slver-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 krg ruE River. where extensive development work has been done during the past two years although transportation d1culties have far prevented shipments of
 Anthony in the form of stibnite, is of