The Nome nugget., 1940-01-22

duly high that it cannot be main tained or bettered in the near flu ure. In fact, throughout the Terri tory, new placer-mining enter priSes were under way which had not yet become fully pro- ductive, and none of the larger deposits of the older operations showed signs of being worked out. The Yukon region, including 16 principal productive mining districts and scores of small camps throughout it's extent, con tinued to lead in the output of placer gold, the value of which is estimated at more than $10,64O,- 900. Second in the list was Se- ward Peninsula, with g principal districts, which had an estimated output of placer gold worth more than $3,565,OOO.
 Of the gold won from placers, by far the largest amount was recovered by dredges, of which there were A in operation in var ious parts of Alaska. This num- Der does not include one dredge in the Goodnews district of the Kuskokwim region was was en- gagged primarily in mining plac- CT platinum metals. The gold dredges appear to have mined about 69 percent of the total gold recovered through placer opera tions in 1889. Of these dredges g were an Seward Peninsula. in the Nome, Bluff, Council, Fair haven, Koyuk, Kougarok, Port Clarence and Solomon districts; l9 were in the Yukon region, and 3 in the Kuskokwim region.
 Silver
 No Alaska ores are mined sole ly for their silver content, but considerable silver is recovered each year as byproduct from ores and materials that are prin cipally valuable for some other metal. It is estimated that in 1889 about 227 300 ounces valued at $154 300 was produced from this source. In the past the copper ores were the principal ones that have yielded silver, but as the larger copper mines discontinued operation in 1888, practically no significant amounts of silver were obtained from ores of this sort in 1889. Nearly thirds of the silver produced from AL aska mines in 1889 came from ores whose principal value lies in their gold content, and about one third of the silver was associated with the gold recovered in the course of placer mining.
 Platinum Metals
 The production of platinum metals from Alaska deposits in 1889 showed some falling off from the extraordinarily high mark set in 1888, the total being estimated as approximately 25,- 300 fine ounces, valued at about $936,000. In spite of the decrease its production in 1889 places AL aska among the half dozen larg est platinum producing coun- tries of the world. By far the greater part of this production comes from mines in the Good news distirct near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River, in south western Alaska. The deposits there are mined by dredge and draglines in practically the same manner as are the more com mon gold placers. In computing the value of the production for 1889 the average price for the composite material has been ten tatively assumed to be $37 an ounce. This is a litle higher than the price of pure platinum as determined for II months by the and Mining Journal $36.45, because the Geological Survey figure includes such div erse platinum materials as ballad ium, which usually sells for less than $25 an ounce, and rhodium, which usually sells for more than $100 an ounce.