The Nome nugget., 1925-07-25

eory untouched by the hand of industry owing to the absence of roads and resultant difficulties of transportation
 The noted geologst. Dr. Alfrel H. Brooks. of the ! United States Geological Survey Bureau, has es- timated that there 210 square miles Of placer gold deposits within the confines of sewar Peninsula In addition there numerous goi deposits in lode form scattered throughout the dis triet Of these 21o square miles of placer gold areas scarcely more than 50 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, producing values This remarkable condition is due almost entire; to absence of highways during the greater part of the decades of gold production.
 Gold mining Nome is at present carried on by the use of gold dredges and hydraulic systems, the former being greatly in the majority as far as big operations concerned. The prn- cpal company interested is the L. 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 of gold bearing tundra between the Boring Sea beach and the foothills. This company has at present three l 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 of water the thawing Furnishing | power for these dredges is large deise plant in the city At present the main work consists | of thawing and drilling operations, preparing the ground for future uninterrupted dredging actv- tiles. When the dredges at Little Creek turned loose again they will have hawed ground enough ahead of them to practically continuous operation.
 Despite the deterring conditions under which it | labors the Nome District was the most prosperous of the Alaska placer mining regions in 1920. It | produced gold values at s1.3l7S19 compared to a combined total of $1,66s,o76O0 from all other placer districts. Eighteen dredges. about seventy five open cut mines and thirteen deep 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 some years ago i GaOsl that the value of the gold reserves in the gravel plain ancient beach and high beach placers | of Seward Peninsula a put s215ooo, ,ooo,oo subtracting the of gold that has since been | mined from these deposits leaves the value of the reserves s2OO.OOO,oOo. Though the above es inmates of the available placer may appear extravagant to some, comparison will be shown that they are moderate. With the return of nor mai conditions development has increased steadily in recent months and several important small strikes have been made as result of renewed pros pecting efforts.
 Platinum
 Platinum valued s34Os7.oo produced in Alaska in 1920. a 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 on Bear Until 1916 no effort made this valu- able metal, but each succeeding year witnesses an increased output as efforts at recovery are
 Tungsten
 Tungsten bearing lodes were developed at Fair banks and Nome when the needs led to abnor nal demand :. Considerable Tungsten was shipped from these properties between 1916 and 1918 and Schelite recovered from concen trates of gold dredges at Nome In all about s7 of Alaska Satellite concentrates have been mined and marketed
 Silver bearing ores found in many places in the Nome District. The Omalik slver-ead mine Fish River has produced considerable in in silver years ago Promising lodes To- cated at various other points, notably the Kug ruk River, where extensive development work has been done during the past two years: although transportation difficulties have far prevented shipments of
 Anthony ore. in the form of stibnite is of the most widely distributed minerals in Alaska