THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Telephone: Main 125 $1.50 PER MONTH
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Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943 at the
postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879
Subscribers not receiving tneir papers by 5:30 p.m. call
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FOOD AND GASOLINE
We have read much about Guatemala recently. As
usual where Communism is involved, discord and revo
lution brought misery and loss to the common citizen.
The country’s economy was sagging badly after
the new anti-Communist government took over. An
interesting commentary on the situation appeared in
Newsweek, which said, “Food and gasoline were short
and inflation was depressing the quetzal.”
It is rather startling to see gasoline bracketed with
food. One does not ordinarily think of it as being so
vital a necessity, and yet what would happen in the
United States if the gasoline supply were shut off for
even a few days? Confusion would be complete in
cities and on the farm, and in many cases food would
be unobtainable.
The United States can be thankful that it has the
greatest systems of food and gasoline distribution in
the world. The two can be rightly paired together as
necessities.
Statement by Secretary Dulles Viewed
As Endorsement of Nationalist Chinese
Attacks On Communist Chinese Bases
TAIPEH, Formosa, Iff*—Nation- •
alist planes seared Red China’s
coast opposite Formosa with rock
ets and napalm fire bombs Thurs
day in the fourth straight day of
sea and air blows in the “vest
pocket war.”
The Air Force said the attacks
were pressed him in bad weather
along the coast and around Amoy,
the battered Communist base only
five miles from the Nationalist
outpost island of Quemoy.
The attacks came as Secretary
of State John Foster Dulles, stop
ping here for a short visit, de
clared that Nationalist China
“doesn’t stand alone against the
forces of aggression.”
Dulles flew here from the
Southeast Asia Security Confer
ence in Manila and spent three
hours and 15 minutes closeted
with President Chiang Kai-Shek.
A high Nationalist official said
“they exchanged views on ques
tions affecting the two countries.
The result was satisfactory to
both.”
Only five hours after Dulles’
special plane landed here he and
his party were airborne again,
headed for Tokyo.
In a statement read to news
men at the airport he reiterated
that the U.S. 7th fleet is under
orders to guard Formosa.
He said Communist China now
is intensifying military and pro
paganda activitity against the Na
tionalists “but we shall not be in
timidated.”
This statement was viewed here
as a direct and challenging reply
to Communist threats to “liber
ate” Formosa and as an endorse
ment of Nationalist attacks on
Amoy and satellite bases from
which the Reds have shelled the
Nationalist island base of Que
moy.
Amoy is only five miles from
Quemoy, just Off the China coast
120 miles west of Formosa. .
Report on Alaska Mineral Output
In 1953 Shows Gold First In Value
Followed By Coal, Sand - Gravel
From the Report of
MINERAL INDUSTRY SURVEYS
MINERAL PRODUCTION
IN ALASKA, 1953
Bureau of Mines, Dept, of Interior
Despite a record production of
coal and an increased production
of gold in Alaska in 1953, the to
tal value of the mineral produc
tion declined 8 percent ($2 mil
lion), compared to the 1952 out
put. The decline in 1953 was due
principally to an appreciable drop
in the production of sand and
gravel and platinum-group metals.
■Gold was again in first place in
1953 among the territory’s miner
al commodities in terms of value
of output, after ranking second to
sand and gravel in 1952. Coal ran
gold a close second in value of
output in 1953; sand and gravel
fell to third place. Output of three
commodities, gold, coal and sand
and gravel, accounted for 92 per
cent of the total value of the min
eral production in Alaska in 1953.
METALS
Antimony—No antimony ore
was produced in Alaska in 1953.
Gold—The value of the gold
output accounted for 37 percent
of the value of all mineral pro
duced in Alaska in 1953. Gold
production in 1953 increased 5.5
percent above the 1952 output.
The quantity of gold sold as “nat
ural gold” on the open market at
prices higher than the official
United States Treasurey price was
insignificant. Most of the gold
sold as “natural gold” was pur
chased in nugget form by buyers
for use in making jewelry.
Three operations classed as lode
mines, and 148 operations classed
as placer mines were reported ac
tive in Alaska in 1953; compared
to 6 and 119 respectively in 1952.
Of the 253,783 fine ounces of gold
recovered in 1953, 253,116 fine
ounces came from placer mines
and 667 fine ounces from lode
mines. The leading five producers
of gold in 1953 (all placer opera
tions using bucketline dredges)
supplied 72 percent (76 percent in
1952) of the Alaskan total gold
output.
In 1953 the leading five opera
tions (listed in order of output,
largest producer first) were: Uni
ted States Smelting, Refining &
Mining Co., Fairbanks Unit, 6
dregdes in the vicinity of Fair
banks; United States Smelting,
Refining & Mining Co., Nome
Unit, 3 dredges in the vicinity of
Nome; New York Alaska Gold
Dredging Corp., 2 dredges at
Nyac; Callahan Zinc-Lead Co.,
dredge at Livengood; and Alluvi
al Gold Co., dredge at Wood
chopper near Circle.
Bucketline dredges (23 in 1951,
1952, and 1953) operated by 14
companies recovered 78 percent
of the total placer gold in 1953
(38 percent in 1952); non-floating
washing plants (gravel is mech
anically handled by using bull
dozer - dragline - hydraulic equip
ment either separately of in com
bination) accounted for 21 percent
(16 percent in 1952); hydraulic
and small-scale hand operations
accounted for the remaining 1
percent.
Platinum—Mining of platinum
continued to be an important fac
tor in the mineral industry of Al
aska. The recovery of crude plati
num-group metals in 1953 was
substantial but considerably less
than in 1952. The Goodnews Bay
I Mining Co. continued to be the
only producer of platinum-group
metals in Alaska in 1953 and the
only operation in the United
States or its territories that active
ly mined platinum as a primary
product.
Silver—Ninety-seven percent of
the silver produced in Alaska in
1953 was recovered as a byprod
uct of gold from placer mining; j
the remaining 3 percent was re- j
covered from gold ore milled, gold
ore and lead ore smelted, and
concentrate from cleanup at mills.
The United States Smelting, Re
fining & Mining Co. was the prin
cipal producer of silver. The com
pany recovered silver as a by
product of gold from dredging
operations in the Fairbanks and
Nome districts.
Tin—The recorded production
of tin (49 long tons) in Alaska in
I 1953 was recovered by the North
ern Tin Co. from its placer opera
tion on Buck Creek in the Port
Clarence district, Seward Penin
sula region. The United States Tin
Corp. mined and milled tin ore at
the Lost River mine on Cassiterite
Creek in the Port Clarence dis
trict. Seventy-seven short tons of
concentrate produced during the
year assaying about 43 percent tin
was held awaiting the installation
of new mill equipment. The com
pany expects to up-grade the con
centrate with the new mill equip
ment to avoid smelter penalties
and to reduce shipping and haul
ing expenses.
Also in the Port Clarence dis
trict and with DMEA assistance,
Zenda Gold Mining Co. continued
its exploration program for placer
tin in the Cape Mountain area by
drilling on Boulder Creek, and the
Alaska Tin Co. began an explora
tion program for placer tin in the
Ear Mountain area by drilling on
Tuttle, Krueger, and Eldorado
Creeks.
Tungsten—The Rocky Moun
tain Mining Co. made a shipment
of tungsten ore from its property
on Rocky Mountain Creek in the
Nome district, Seward Peninsula
region, during 1953. This ore had
been produced and stockpiled
from prospecting work performed
during the years 1951 through
1953.
NON - METALS
Gem Slones—The Empire Jade
Co. and the Shungnak Jade Prod
Eight Community Projects
Recommended To Rotary
For Action Next Year
The Thursday meeting of the
Nome Rotary Club was highlight
ed by the presentation of recom
mendations by the Community
Service Committee as possible
projects for this year.
Considerable interest and com
ment from the members present
were elicited by these recommen
dations. They are:
1. Look into the Big Brother
program, with view of participat
ing therein.
2. Invite and encourage group
extension courses to be conducted
by the University of Alaska, for|
adult vocational education and
other courses.
3. Sponsor or assist in sponsor
ing the baseball program for the
youth of the community.
4. Inquire into possibilities o£i
additional recreational facilities!
for children, such as playgrounds!
and indoor recreation, and super
vision thereof.
5. Sponsor organization to par
ticipate in the program of the
Alaska Music Trail for concerts
by professional artists.
6. Encourage school band and
concerts or music festivals by
band and/or choir.
7. Foster and promote a pro
gram of civic betterment in co
operation with the City Council,
particularly as to adequate water
supply, sanitation and garbage
disposal, and improvement of the
streets and sidewalks.
8. Continue and improve th^
Boy Scout program in greater aid
to Nome Troop 666, sponsored by
the Nome Rotary.
Fine Job Printing at the Nugget
ucts Co. produced a small quan
tity of nephrite jade from the
Shungnak district, Northwestern
Alaska region, during 1953. By
careful selection and cutting, gem
quality jade is obtained from this
material.
Most of the jewelry stores in
Alaska sell jewelry set with Alas
kan jade. Scraps from the cutting
and inferior quality grade not
suitable for cutting, are cut into
blocks and sold as souvenirs to
tourists. A small quantity of pet
rified wood and agate was cut
and polished for jewelry in Alas
ka in 1953.
ISAAC EBEN
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1954-1955 WINTER SCHEDULE '
FLIGHT 901 —
Lv._Seattle_Thursday 7:30 a.m. i
Ar. FairbanksThursday 11:45 a.m.
Lv. FairbanksThursday1:15 p.m.
Ar. Nome Thursday 2:2 T p-.m. j
FLIGHT 904 —
Lv._NomeThursday 5:30 p.m. 1
Ar. FairbanksThursday8:40 p.m. I
Lv. FairbanksThursday 10:00 p.m. 1
Ar. Seattle Friday 5:45 a.m. £
All times shown are local standard for each city as indicated
EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 26. 1954