Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
ALASKA'S NEW COLD FIELD
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

but the general principle Of washing the
lighter materials free Of the heavier gold
is the same.
A good deal Of placer mining has been
done in the Ruby district, but there nave
been no rich strikes; nothing at all COM
parable to what the Beaver and Wone
Creek strikes are reported as showing.
The first discovery was made near the
present town OF Ruby In 1907. IL We
not q rich one. In 1910 gold was found
in Long Greek not far distant and at.
tracted many prospectors. The town OF
Ruby Sprang up and had brief pros"
perity and ever since the district mas
been internationally ranged by hopeiul
prospectors, hardy enough to dare the
temperature of 40 degrees below zero,
which Is prevailing there right now.
A mining company brought in modern
placer mining machinery and in 1912
there was considerable activity along
the courses of Long Greek, Bear Pup
Creek, Flint Creek, Trail Greek, Md
night Creek and Glen Gulch. Prospect
ing was pushed on to Poorman Greek,
Sulatna River and Swift, Birch, Tama-
rack, Flat and Timber Greeks. While
gold was recovered in quantities sum-
Gent to keep population of about
1 900 in the Ruby District. 1t apparently
was not abundant enough to warrant
keeping the machinery there, and 50 In
the Winter Of 1920-21 it was dismantled
and moved away.
Hardships Await Prospectors.
The hundreds Of prospectors who are
reported to be rushing to the new find
viii not find it easy to recover gold, for
the Geological Survey says that much
Of the metal is overlaid by layer Of
muck as much aS IL feet thick. The
miner must, at this season, break the
ice and dig down through muck frozen
to solidity before finding pay dirt. A
region, but not large ones, the largest
reported having been worth but $50.
However, If the mud pans out grains OF
gold dust 1t Is worth just as much to
the gold seekers.
An especially intriguing statement Of
the Geological Survey relating to such
nuggets as have been discovered in the
district Is that they are rugged and
Jagged with few rounded edges. This,
1t Is pointed out by the biologists,
means that the gold has been washed
q comparatively short distance in the
stream. Had It travelled far the mug
gets would have been rounded into peb-
bles. The fact of q short journey In
the stream bed points to an original
the hope OF finding the lodes Of ore
from which the particles found In the
creek beds came.
When the mining machinery was In
the district some lode mining was
undertaken-thAt is, the sides Of the
hills were dug into instead Of looking
only to the stream beds. Quartz Of the
gold-bearing variety was found, but al
though particles Of gold were discovered
In it, the deposits were not in CONNER
cial quantities. The words of the Sur
vey, however, are sufficiently eloquent
to cheer almost any miner on In his
search. It Ia stated: 1.-THE fact that
good-siSed nuggets with interviewer
quartz are often found favors the be-
lief that richer veins are present and
will ultimately be located and mined"
A difficulty encountered at this season
Is obtaining water for sluicing the pans.
At temperature Of 40 degrees below
zero water freezes almost instantly, and
while In Summer the creeks are pleas
ant purling streams supplying ample
water, In the Winter time snow and Ice
must be melted. It Is not an easy task
nor one to be undertaken by one afraid
OF getting his fingers chilled