The Wrangell sentinel., 1929-01-03
$14,12S,OOO $14,4O4,OOO
GOLD


 The total production of gold from Alaskan mines in 1928 is estimated at $6,775,0OO. This marks a note worthy increase over the production of the preceding year and is attribut- able to increased output by both lode and placer mines. The greatest increase, however, came from lode mines, so that the ratio of the value of the gold produced by them to that of the gold produced by the placers seems to have been about 52.7 to AT. This is rather a significant change, because in 1927 the corresponding ratio was about 50 to 50, in 1926 it was about A to 56, and for the en- tire period that gold mining has been in progress in the Territory it has been 33 to 67.
 The increase in the production of gold from the lode mines is attribut- able mostly to the greater output from properties of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Go. in southeastern AL aska. The quantity of ore mined by this company appears to have been somewhat less than in the preceding year, but its gold tenor was much higher. No noteworthy new develop ments were reported at the other gold lode mines, but most of the properties that have been active dur ing the last few years continued op- erations. Gold mining at the three larger properties on Chicagof Island was carried on at a considerably re- duced rate. The production from a number of small mines in the Hyder and Ketchikan districts was consid- erably larger than in 1927. In the Willow Creek district the gold lode mines report somewhat smaller out put than in the preceding year and considerably less than formerly. The small gold lode mines in the Fair banks district report a considerable increase in their yield of gold. Sev- erai other small lode mines scattered widely through the Territory, but especially in Kenai Peninsula, near Nuka Bay and at Crow Creek, and in the Kuskokwim region near Nixon Fork report some production of gold, and prospecting was active at a num- Der of other places.
 The increase in production of gold from placer mines is attributable in most part to the greater output from the properties of the Fairbanks Ex- ploration Co.,, in the Fairbanks dis trict, which early in 1928 placed two of it's large dredges in operation on Goldstream Creek and the Chata- nika River and before the end of that season had finished a smaller dredge on upper Goldstream Creek and had begun mining with it. The begin ming of production from this large project has not only resulted in greatly increasing the amount of gold mined in this district, but, what is perhaps even more significant, gives promise of a greater output in the succeeding years. So far as has been reported, no other new Gredges were constructed in Alaska during 1928, but several that were constru ted il 1927 and operated only a short time during that year were running throughout 1928. A few of the dredges that formerly were active were idle during 1928, but on the whole all the dredges that produced much gold in 1927 were again active last year, and most of them report fully as large a production as in 1927. As a result approximately GA per cent of the placer gold that was recovered in 1928 was mined by dredges.
 The amount of gold produced from the placers that are mined by other methods than dredging seems to have