Review of Mining
Potentialities Of
Seward Peninsula
By HOWARD LYNG
Territorial Senator
The 13th and final article in a series
exclusive to the Nome Nugget
Operations of the U. S. Smelt
ing, Refining and Mining Com
pany at Nome come under four
headings — prospecting, thawing,
dredging, and hydraulicing. Intel
ligent prospecting determines the
thawing ground, and these large
areas are processed by a method
patented in 1918 by John Miles,
called coldwater thawing.
In order to carry on these oper
ations, large quantities of water are
required, which are supplied by
a system of 110 miles of ditches
and laterals, and sixteen 14-in.
double suction electrically driven
centrifugal pumps. During a sea
son of full-scale operations, these
sources deliver approximately
17,000,000,000 gallons of water for
thawing.
The 91 miles of actual ditches
break down as follows: (1) Mio
cene ditch, which originates at the
headwaters of Nome River —
length 37 miles; (2) Seward ditch,
starts at Dorothy Creek near U.S.
Roadhouse — length 30 miles; (3)
Pioneer ditch, whose intake is at
Santa Clara—length 24 miles.
The four dredges normally op
erated by the U.S.S.R. 8c M. Co.
are all 9 cu. f . machines, and
wo ? all built by the Yuba Con
structicn Co. of California.
The approximate total yardage
handled by these machines since
1922, less 6 seasons between 1942
48, to the present, is 65,000,000
cu. yds, or 100,000,000 tons of
material and of this total, ap
proximately 57,000,000 cu. yds. of
frozen gravels wrere thawed by
the coldwater method.
Here is a short description of
No. 5, which dug last season, 2\*z
miles back of Nome: Length, 210
ft., width, 72 ft., displacement,
3,400 tons, digging depth below
water, 90 feet, digging height
above water, 25 feet, daily capac
ity, 8,000 cu. yds., hull and super
structure, steel.
Hydraulicing is carried on along
the hillside benches above the
third beachline and at the mouth
of Anvil Creek when excess ditch
wTater is available. Gravity dis
posal of water and tailings is not
always feasible and frequently
necessitates use of hydraulic ele
vators and elevated sluice boxes.
Auxiliary monitors stack the
I coarse tailings.
The mean annual temperature
at Nome is 25.9° F, and the mean
temperature during the dredging
season is about 41° F. Due to its
location on Bering Sea, the Nome
district does not experience the
wide extremes in temperature
that prevail in the interior. The
record extremes over the past 40
years are: -47° F and 84° F. The
I mean annual precipitation is only
17.26 inches.
One of the territory’s largest
diesel power plants, situated in
Nome and owned by the U.S.S.R.
& M. Co., supplies the power that
sparks the whole operation. The
plant contains six 525 h.p. Werks
spohr air injection diesel engines;
two 525-h.p., one 575-h.p. and two
1400-h.p. solid - injection Fair
banks-Morse diesel engines. Total
rated capacity of the plant is
5170 k.w.
Fuel oils, lubrication, greases,
and gasoline are delivered annual
ly by tanker from Seattle. Eight
steel tanks provide storage space
for 80,000 barrels of fuel oil.
Bering Sea is open to navigation
between June 1 and Nov. 1—the
rest of the year Nome is isolated
except for air transportation.
The company maintains modern
and complete repair shops, con
taining lathes and other tools of
sufficient size to effect repairs to
any dredge parts and power plant
equipment. The electrical shop
handles all electric motors and
allied equipment repairs, and the
automotive and tractor equip
ment are cared for in a modern
garage. Due to the long distance
from markets it is necessary to
carry unusually large stocks of
equipment, repair parts and sup
plies. The- importance of the
warehouse department to the op
eration is indicated by the fact
that around 18,000 items are car
ried in stock.
The main roads in the Nome
district are built and maintained
by the Alaska Road Commission,
with a small amount o'f territorial
participation. All branch and ac
cess roads to the thaw fields and
dredging areas are constructed
and maintained by the company.
In the summer, equipment and
supplies are hauled from Nome by
truck, and where necessary fur
ther distribution is made by trac
tor and trailer. Ditch camps are
serviced by rail car over the Sew
ard Peninsula Railroad, a narrow
gauge tram recently abandoned
by the territory, who formerly
maintained it.
The company operates three
main camps for the acco'mmoda
RADIO PROGRAM
ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE — NOME FIELD
Monday
5:00—Father Knows Best
5:25—This I Believe
5:30—Bud’s Bandwagon
6- —New«
6:15—Sports News
6:"0—Rev. Romp. Requests
7:30—Horatio Hornb'ower
8,: 00—Gordon McRae Show
8:30—Meet Millie
8:55—One for the Book
9:00—Arthur Godfrey
9:25—The Todds
9:30—FBI in Peace & War
9:55—Knox Manning
10:00—Requestfully Yours
11:00—News
11:1'—Jo S‘ afford
11:30—One-Night Stand
12:00—Music from the Night
1:00—News Headlines
1:05—Sign Off
Tuesday
6:26—Sign On
6:30—Bill Ring
6: - Rise and Shine
7:00—News
7: —Rise and Shine
8:00—News
8:0 —Rise and Shine
8: n—Morning Devotions
8 —Rmnie Kemper
9:00—Tennessee Ernie
9:15—Dave Garroway
9:25—John Conte
9:30—Coffee Concert
10:00—You be Weatherman
10:30—Lucky - U Ranch
10:45—I ' m and Abner
10:55—Edward Arnold
11:00—Curt Massey
11:15—Lina Romay
11:30—Honor Roll of Jazz
11:45—Jack Berch
12:00—At Ease
1t>:15—T^day Is the Day
12:30—Platter Parade
1:00—Personal Album
■ 1:1"—H' lbilly Jamboree
2:00—News
2:15—Jack Kirkwood
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—Inside Track
4:15—Bing Crosby Show
4:30—Behind the Story
4:45—Let’s Go to Town
5:00—My Little Margie
5:25—This I Believe
5:30—Bud’s Bandwagon
■—News
6:15—Sports News
6:30—Rev. Romp, Requests
7:30—Call Me Freedom
8:00—Amer. Music Hall
8:30—Judy Canova
8:55—One for the Book
9:00—Groucho Marx
9:20—Te- as Rangers
9:55—Philip Norman
10:00—Requestfully Yours
11:00—News
11:15—Steve Allen Show
11:30—One-Night Stand
12:00—Music from the Night
1:00—News Headlines
1:05—Sign Off
Wednesday
6:26—Sign on
6:30—Bill Ring
6:45—Rise and Shine
7:00—News
7:15—Rise and Shine
8:00—News
8:05—Rise and Shine
8:30—Morning Devotions
8:45—Ronnie Kemper
9:00—Tennessee Ernie
9:15—Dave Garroway
9:25—rJohn Conte
9:30—Coffee Concert
10:00—You be Weatherman
10:30—Lucky - U Ranch
10:45—Lum and Abner
10:55—Johnny Lee Wills
11:00—Curt Massey
11:15—Music from S. A.
111:30—Piano Portraits
11:45—Jack Berch
12:00—At Ease
12:15—Today Is the Day
12:30—Platter Parade
| 1:00—Paulena Carter
1 1: —T 'billy Jamboree
j 2:00—News
j 2:15—Jack Kirkwood
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—Sports Forum
4:15—Spotlight on a Star
4:30—Behind the Story
4:45—Guest Star
5:00—Junior Miss
(AFRS program schedules subject to change without notice.)
Missing Witness
Identified In
Renter Shooting
DETROIT, UP)—The missing wit
ness in the Reuther shooting case
was identified Saturday by the
Detroit News as Don Ritchie, 33,
recently released from the Essex
County jail in Windsor, Ont.
Ritchie was released from the
jail Dec. 6 after serving a 30-day
term for the theft of a coat, Wind
sor police said.
Detroit authorities questioned
Ritchie in jail regarding the Reu
ther case, Windsor police said.
The paper said Ritchie, a French
Canadian, disappeared from a De
troit hotel room last night where
he had been under police guard.
Prosecutor Gerald K. O’Brien
had termed the missing witness
“the key witness” to the solution
of the five year old assassination
attempt on CIO President Walter
Reuther.
Reached at his home, O’Brien
confirmed the identification of
Ritchie. But he said, “If you want
to publish the name, that’s your
responsibility—I don’t want to
be responsible for putting a bullet
in that man’s head.”
O’Brien said the witness saw
the shooting and was one of three
“assigned to the job,” although he
didn’t fire the shotgun blast that
maimed the labor leader’s right
arm and all but killed him.
It was mainly on the witness’s
statement, O’Brien said, that a
warrant was issued earlier this
week charging four men with as
sault to murder and conspiracy to
assault with intent to murder
Reuther on April 20, 1948. The
prosecutor said he had corrobor
ating evidence, but none from the
shooting scene.
Two of the four named are in
jail, one is under $25,000 bond,
and the fourth is sought. The
warrant also lists four unidenti
fied “John Does.”
Without the missing witness,
O’Brien doubted he could convict
any of the four named.
tion of its employes within a 3Vi
mile radius of Nome. Five small
messhouses are also provided
along the ditch systems. Under
normal summer operations, 300 to
400 men are employed, of whom
a large proportion are native Es
kimo's. All indications point to
wards considerably increased em
ployment next season, with the
payroll going in excess of 200 for
the first time since the disasterous
gold mining shutdown of 1942.
The main offices, warehouses,
shops, and staff housing units are
in Nome, and theU.S.S.R. & M. Co.
operations in the Nome field are
under the management of Carl
Glavinovich.
f --— . ."V
GLUE POT
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FOUNTAIN
FRESH ICE CREAM
AND POPCORN
-daily
cigars, CTG/VRETS
TOBACCO
Candy
*■
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BERING SEA CLUB |
RESTAURANT ^
— OPEN CONTINUOUSLY — ggj
FROM S A.M. TO 2 A.M. DAILY
UNTIL 3:00 A.M. SATURDAYS
CLOSED MONDAYS
Come In For After-Show Snacks!
Featuring Home - Made Pies
WINTER SCHEDULE
Wien Alaska Airlines
i
Fairbanks to Nome to Kotzebue to Fairbanks
Monday - - Passengers
Thursday — Freight Only
DEPART NOME 10:45 A.M.
Fairbanks to Kotzebue to Nome to Fairbanks
Wednesday — Passengers
Saturday — Passengers
DEPART NOME 12:20 P.M.
BUSH FLIGHTS
Kotzebue to Nome to Kotzebue
With stops at Candle and Deering
FRIDAY — Passengers and Freight