The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-01-05

The large increase III the amount of lode-gold produced in 1886 as compared with 1885 is in part to be explained by the fact that in 1885 the production from this source was unusually low, owing to strike that seriously curtailed the opera tion of the largest gold mine in the Territory for period of at least two months, whereas in 1886 inter ruptions of this sort, except for the general shipping strike toward the end of the year, were not serious.
 As in the past the principal pro- ducers of lode-gold are the mines in Southeast Alaska, especially those near Juneau and in the Chichagof Island area. The second district, in value of lode-gold production, was the Willow Creek district, at the head of Cook Inlet, near the south western Hanks of the Talkeetna The Fairbanks district continued to hold third place as producer of lode-gold, but its out put was somewhat lower than in 1885. In addition to the mines Of these principal areas there are a score of smaller gold-lode mines and prospects scattered throughout the Territory. Many of these mines are already turning out considerable amounts of lodge-gold, and at oth- CTS development work is being car ried on intensively and with such good results that they are likely soon to be numbered among the producing mines. Properties Of this sort occur in the Nabesna district, the Prince William Sound region, and in the Kuskokwim region.
 The large increase of placer gold in 1886 was due to the generally fa- vorable climatic conditions that aid ed mining in most of the Territory and to the increased activity in min- ing. as a result of which number of new projects began operations and many of the older properties showed increased outputs. Although the output for 1886 sets high rec ord of achievement, it is not regard ed as SO unduly high that it can not be maintained or bettered in the near future. The Yukon region, including a dozen or more produc- tive mining districts and scores of small camps throughout it's extent, continued to lead in the output of placer gold, the value of which is estimated at about $7,640,000 Sec- ong in the list was Seward Penin- sula, nine principal districts, which had an estimated output worth $2,- 900,OO0. These regons were follow ed by the Cook Inlet-Susitna, Kus- kokwim, and Copper River regions. named in the relative order of their estimated placer production, and by Northeastern Alaska, South east Alaska, with small outputs.
 Of the gold won from placers more than 7S percent was recovered by dragline; the remainder was re- covered by hydraulic methods. by the use of mechanical scrapers, or by the more primitive and simpler methods of ground sluicing and shoveling the gold-bearing gravel into sluice boxes by hand. Forty dredges (20 in the Seward Penin- sula region, 18 in the Yukon re- zion, and in the Kuskokwim re- gion) were active throughout more or less of the open season. Several new dredges were in course of con- struction during the year but were not completed in time to run more than few shifts, and material for other dredges was in course of de- livery so late in the season that the erection will not be completed until 1937. Other dredging enterprises, such as that in the Ester area west of Fairbanks, were still in the pre- paratory stages that must be fur ther advanced before specific plans for suitable dredge can be drawn, though the tests that have already been made have been carried well beyond the point of settling the commercial practicability of the en- terprise and assuring the construc- ton of such dredges as will be re- cured. Still other projects for the development of placer ground by means of dredges are under consid- eration at a number of other places in the Territory, and though most of them have not yet advanced to the stage of definite commitment, several of them will doubtless soon reach the stage and help in main- taining or increasing the output of placer gold from Alaska.
 Silver
 No Alaska ores are mined solely for their silver content, but con- siderable silver is recovered each year as by-product from ores and materials that are principally val uable for some other metal. In 1886 about 468,000 ounces of silver is es- timated to have been produced from