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PIUSt" YEAR, NO: 10. SEWARD, ALASKA^ I’K'I l>.AV. QCTQIIKK '-'I. Ittol,_SINCI.K rol’IKS m t'KNTS
Yathentic News Railway Construc
tion VN it! be Pushed Bank
Coming to Seward
lr. :he Seattle Post-Intelligencer <>f
• he'»th itistanet, an interview,with Mr;
.John 1\. Ih.liaint. president of the
Xanana Construction company, the
incorporation that inis taken the con*
tract to build the Alaska t entra! if ail
way t was published.
Te'> interview, leadlines and all. is
jjiven below:
-To rush work on Alaska central
Nothing to interfere with build
ing progress.
‘John E Ballainc president of ihc Tatiana
Construction Company, returns from t.:p
to cast, where; he secures all necessary
money.
"Construction work on the Alaska
Central railroad will continue us fast
as we can get men and mat* rial, "in
to!- ami sutnm* r, until the road is com
pleted to the Tanana rivet*. M e now
have 250 met at work, ami twenty-one
mi1* s of t ack.completed. Me aim to
complete an* th *r t ‘ t : 'iles yet this
year, a d next year to oush on to trom
100 to 125 miles. We aim to have our
rai's through to the Tanana river. 120
miles fro u S*ward, within two years
and a half.’
T is statment was made vest onlay
hy John M. Ball:in**, pr. si lent of the
'"anan Con-tructi n < ’ompmy. which
is building the \la>ka t entral railroad.
!!<■ has jus* return* l m>m a month's
trip to Chicago where a contract was
closed for all tie- money needed to
hu d ti.e Alaska * • n* •«! «f*ihsW,l.
Mr. Ballainc declined to give any tur
ther particulars, *xe*pt to say that the
ne v arvan-n. -nt would necessarily in
volves veral i npor ant changes in the
ntlieial make-up of the Alaska Central
Kailway Company . The hva'qu urcr-.
however, ar • t > remain in Seattle, and
Mr. Balliane cont inues president of the
construction company. He makes this
statement:
•In connection with the building of
the Alaska V entral. we are arranging
with the Alaska Pacific Navigation
Company to put on a sixteen-knot
steamer to ply direct between Seattle
and Seward, commencing May 1. next
spring. This will be in addition to the
r. other steamers now running between
Seattle and S, ward. We shall employ
next year from'l.5o0 to 2.000 men.
•It is unnecessary to remind the busi
ness men of Seattle what a re\olutiot
in the development of Alaska " ill In
brought about hy the building of tin
Alaska Central. If they intend tohoU
the increasing trade of that territory
some radical changes, which will read
ily occur to them, will have to b
made in their methods of doing busi
m-,, with Alaska Branch wholesal
houses should l>e established by thci
ut Seward, fur if they do not, other
will.
A bank i* to be ostuirnsmu
mediately at Seward, with a capital o
>.*>M>oo. The men behind it arc t . 1'
Dickerraan. a St. Paul capitalist, an
K. (}. Hale, a Spokane banker. It
bank will be opened and ready for bus
ness within sixtyulays.
Aside from tapping the rich ar
xtensive gold tields of Central Alask
with which the people of Seattle at
familiar, the Alaska l entral railio.
will open to the markets of the Paeil
the greatest quantities of high-gnu
coal west of Peennsylvania.
[ belive "he building of the rot
will add from *.'>0.000,000 to *100.000,0<
annuhllv to Alaska's gold output, a
will change completely the coal supi
of the entire Pacific ocean. '
Mr.Ballaine ha* almost single-hand
carried forward the Alaska Central t
"erprise, him*‘If raising all the mon
that ha* been expended in it, and t
additional several millions required
complete it. He will leave for Se
urd, the southern terminus next M<
dt»v. to organi/.e the force* there
thr work before them.”
Iut*t Tue*day the foregoing *
shewn to Mr. trunk L, ballathe v
pi -idem ol the Construction Coir]mi
uid who makes In* heudquurtei||
Seward.
y i . i u'ivi e utfiutd *.il that
brot her had said, and added that the
conn any were only carrying out the
details and plans that had been ar- !
ranyt d when work was tirst started
here last sprinyf.
He also stated that Mr. John K. BaIl
ian- had left Seattle on the Bertha,
would stop otT at Juneau, then proceed
toSkay w:i\ where he would take a trip
over tin- White Pass and Yukon rail
way. returning ty> Skayway and Ju
neau.lie would catch the Santa Ana,and
w ith other people connected with the
enterprise of which he is the head,
yvould arrive in Seward about tlit*Listh
instant!
*T,v t hi-time next year,” added Mr.
Ballaine. ••the raiiyvay yvill l*e complet
ed to the «*oal fields on the Matanuska
river.**
SUPPLIES FOR NATIVES
Being Taken to Copper Center by
the Government
Monday morning Lieut. Sharp with
t;> horses and ill 5,000 pounds of provis
ions. |, ft here over the trail to land
the •_> ...ms at Copper Center as a relief
s;;ppl_\ for the benefit of the natives
along i he ('upper river.
This is in compliance with an order
recently issued from the war depart
ment t> the command'r in charge at
Fort Liscurn, and is nodouht t lie result
of the trip through Alaska last summer
of Li*- it, mint Kmmons, wiio eatue to
examint into the condition of tlie nat
ives, and t«) report on measures of re
lief and advancement.
Tlie present supply will tide the
natives over the winter, an 1 by next
summer some action will be begun to
e iuiate them in such a manner that
in the iuture they may become self
support ing.
The large log building at Copper
( at i . known as the koo-koo's nest,
was placed at the disposal of Lieutenant
Sharp, d from there he will distrib
ute sup,', “s and render aid in a judici
ous manner.
,V.» »ur 11..J 1 i.'ill I'Mflllt Oil tlie
trip .a .lack Ingraham, Roy Merchant.
Joe Weckert. Jack Nelson, ('barley
Ne,' n. Billy Lewis and Hartman.
1' uspector.
GEOLOGICAL SUR
VEYS IN ALASKA
Ex|ert Examination Into the Dis
trict Has Been Profitable
Fw people realize how very little
unknown of the great Territory of
Alt ca previous to 1*08 and how much
oumresent knowledge of it- resources
i> t * result of investigations made by
mebers of the United States Geologic
al ‘irvey.
Irchased from Russia in 1*07 for
$7,h),000, it remained for 20 years
1 prtically unknown. The discovery
i in*97 of the rich gold deposit of the
- Kidike region tired popular fancy
' ar moved congress to appropriate
- $2 >00 for suveys in Alaska.
sudden widespread demand for
i kw ledge about this great unknown
s non of the national domain arose.
a the United State- Geological Sur
i- v attempted to collect the information
t t promptly a- time, circumstances
1. i money would permit. The general
d lilts of these efforts are set forth in
e • intersting article contained in
i- letin No. 227, a recent publication
he survey concerning its own origin,
d elopment, organization and opera
t. n,
e Yeviou- to ls:».s several investiga
id ns of a preliminary nature had been
io de. Although co-operating with
ie rious other organizations in these
vestlgationt. the survey had nospe
id it fund for \lakah work until 1895,
>0 ien congress appreciated the sum of
id (KM) for the investigation of the gold
l\id coal resources of the territory.
Under a similar ahproprintion in 1899
?oe examination b* the placer gold
n educing areas along the Yukon river
e as commenced. Sibco 1898 appropra
hons have been much larger, and the
tork In’s developed rapidly. Up to the
▼resent ‘ime the appropriation for thi
wRaskkn work aggregated $252,098.70*
f« The » epeditions of the earlier year
ad resulted in contributions to the
' nowlege of the Yukon valley, the
interior plateau, the St. Klias range.
■ Mi the coast south of that range, hut
a.-t of the count r\ was practically un
crown. *
The reconnaissance trip- oi 1898
added to the map many of the most
important geographic features lying
south of the Yukon river, ahd the trips
of each suceeding ye$r have filled many
gaps in the earlier work and oxtened it
from the Yukon Kf <’ to the Arctic
ocean and from the Koyukuk to the
codst of Bering sea. '
(Jae of the mdt important functions
of the survey in Alaska has been the
production of to|x>grt»l>hic maps. The
value of these maps can not be over
estimated. About one sixth of the
territory, constitutin',' an area of from
90,000 to 100.000 square miles, has been
•covered by topographic surveys.
The investigation- «>f gold-bearing
localities have been rich in practical
results, only a few <>: which can he
mentioned here. In 180S the regions
which might prove t he mineral de
posits of economic value were outlined,
and it is interesting t>> note that the
new mining camp “t Fairbanks has
recently been devlop 1 in one of these
areas. In the survey reported on the
Nome district, which was the accurate
one published, the fact was emphasized
that the source of the gold was in the
hills, not. as many supposed at that
time, oil shore. Tlu at tent ton of pros
pectors was directed mthe high gravels
occurring as terraces on the hill slopes,
and these have since been worked with
very profitable res Its. It was fur
ther predicted that tlu tundra bet ween
Nome and the hill- would probably
produce gold in pay i»'ir quantities, as
i it is now doing. The work of these
few weeks may be taken as an illust
ration of the practical value of the
survey’s investigat >n, I’he copper
deposits of !Vince \\ Uiam sound were
investigated in 189.1. those of Kletsan
creek in those of the copper river
country in 19iH.l. and those of the
Ketchikan mining district in 1901. In
everv case important tacts were learned
regarding the occurrence and distri
bution of the ore.
In 1900 a member of the survey noted
an occurrence of sttv.im in in the \ork
region. I*rospeetin was stimulated
hy the pubWr'tinp ■ , 4 *t*n«ly mjjort
on the subject. In luOS members of
the survey succeeded in tracing the
tin ore to deposits in granitic dykes.
A large amount of material has been
assembled relating to coals and the dis
tribution of eoal hearing rocks through
out Alaska. In 190.3 the oil fields in
the vicinity of Controller bay from the
Copper river delta to Cape St. Elias
were examined, including a portion
of the valley of Chilkat river. The oil
Helds on the west coast of Cook inlet
a ad on Cold hay on Alaska peninusla.
were also investigated.- Denver Min
ing Record.
Late stive in hats and caps at Brown
A Hawkins
MR. CARTER’S OPERATIONS
Heavy Shipment of Machinery
to Cook Inlet
On the steamer Santa Clara, the last
trip was a cargo of 12’> tons additional
machinery for S. Carter of the
Cook Inlet country.
As noted in this paper a few weeks
ago, the lirst installment of Mr. Car
I
tor’s plants Was delivered at its desti
nation some time ago.
This last shipment was more partic
ularly the heavy castings and iron for
the extensive placer plants that Mr.
Carter is putting in.
He will install a complete hydraulic
plant on Rainbow creek, and will erect
an improved California dredger on
Resurrection creek, near Hope. It is
claimed hv those who know, that Mr.
Carter has some very valuable ground.
As high as $(>.00 per day to the man
has been the average in gold taken out
heretofore with the pick and shovel.
fourth Avenue Improved
To the Alaska Central Commercial
Company too much credit cannot he
given for the work this concern has
inaugurated in improving the avenue
in front of their premises.
They went at the job in the proper
manner. It was immaterial whether
a man was proprietor, book-keeper or
clerk; wet weather did not dampen
their urder. they removed their coats
and went in to drill.
Teams were secured and hundreds
of loads of shingle, which makes a
tine street covering, were hauled up
from the beach and spread over the
surface. Now the lower end of Fourth
avenue is a credit to the town.
It is not improbable..but that other
property holders along that thorough
fare will be enthused s^d imbibe some
of this same spirit and if will not be
long until Sr ward wtl] us it should
be.
AMD GRUBSTAKE
An Account Which Tells of the In
terior Country and its Great
Possibilities
O. G. Herning, Held manager for
the Klondike & Boston Gold Mining
company, his wife and boy, arrived in
Seward on the last trip of the Dora
from Knik and will make this point
their future home.
Mr.' Herning has yenned residence
property on North Third avenue and
will at once begin the erection of a
house. His boy entered the public
school last Wednesday.
The Klondike & Boston company’s
property is located on Willow creek
and Grubstake gulch Willow creek
being a tributary of the lower Susitna,
and Grubstake gulch, a feeder of \\ il
| low creek.
This company own thirty-one placer
claims, some of their holdings having
been acquired in 1808, and others hav
ing since been purchased.
Willow creek, which runs about
east and west, is 50 miles in length.
1 and this property is situated in what
is known us the basin, about 40
miles al>ove its junction with the
| lower Susitna This basin, which be
gins above the canyon, is about -0
miles long and varies in width from
1 000 to 1000 feet. The Alaska Central
railway crosses Willow creek below
the canyon.
As Willow ereek heads in the foot
hills of the Matinuska mountains,these
claims are only about -4 miles from
; tide water at Knik, while by follow
ing the course of the streams the *1
j'tnncc Is 110 miles.
Mr. Herning now has landed at Knik
all the necessary hydraulic machinery
to operate the mines under his control
on a commensurate scale. This ma
terial will be sledded to the property
this winter.
This machinery consists in part of a
new Ruble grizzly elevator which will
handle boulders weighing as much as
800 pounds and throw them 35 feet in
the air. This does away entirely with
, the necessity of an elevator. There
will he three giants and the Ruble
grizzly at work next season.
During the past summer operations
' were conlined more to dead work and
getting ready for more extensive op
erations in the future. Instead of the
i best pay being found in the creek, de
velopment proved that the benches
were more prolific in auriferous wealth,
and as Mr. Herning stated, he is very
well satisfied with results.
Considerable dead work has been
done. It was necessary to blast 500
feet in length of rock in the canyon to
secure a proper dump. Ditches were
run one through a very hard cement
j formation.
Only ten days of actual mining has
been performed, yet in that brief time
sufficient gold was extracted to pay for
all the labor which had been carried
on. on the property. Mi\ Herning has
a troy pound of the gold with him; it
is quite coarse, very rough and is
! about 800 tine. This gold is different
! in appearance, not being worn so
i smooth as other gold from the interior.
Mr. Herriing tells of an interesting
j deposit belonging to his company. It
is a cement gravel hank 500 feet high,
which carries gold in paying quanti
ties. In digging a ditch through this
cement enough gold was recovered to
pay the cost of the work. This ce
ment is so tenacious, however, that a
giant will not cut it, but he is of the
opinion that by starting a face on it.
it will air-slack sufficiently .that sev*
eral feet can be washed away at a
time with giants;
Some nuggets were encountered
during flic few daVs that active mining
was carried on. Many pieces were
found hinging in value from 50 cents
to *i:00. while one was picked up that
weighed $11.'JO. The Grubstake gulch
gold is easy to save, even the Hour
gold, but Mr. Herning finds that by
using mercury lie obtained more sat
isfactory results.
Fresh candies and fruit will lie re
ceived at Seward News Stand by first
boati
MINING ENGINEER
ON THE KLONDIKE
The Same can be Said of the In
terior Tributary to Seward
“ If we could step ir.to tlie future
fifty yciirs it would be to sec at least
1,000.000 men mining in Alaska. That
number would be found wresting min
eral wealth gold, copper and lead
from the districts on ether side of the
great Yukon. In other words, the line
| of fortune-seekers would extend from
Juneau and Skagway ; cross to and
down tin* Yukon and around to Norm."
The foregoing observations wen*
made yesterday by Henry J. Powers,
a veteran mining enginter and expert.
*Jpon his return from the Klondike, a
passenger of the strainer Jefferson.
For many years Mr. Power* lias passed
upon mining properties in the capacity
| of an expert and engineer for the Cud
jahysof Chicago, his mission north
! was to map out a plan of winter oper
ation of the Klondike mines of the
North American Transportation and
Trading Company! in which the Cud
I ahvs are the heaviest stockholders.
I Mr. Powers continued:
When I say l.duo.uoO men will he found
mining in Alaska half a century hence
! believe it, of course, and l think the
statements! however extravagant it
I may seem to those who know nothing
of that vast treasure land, is consera*
! tive. And if 1,000,000 people are min*
: ing there, then they will certainly
I he making a living and better. That
much we have a right to assume, else
they would not he so engaged. And
; with that number of people digging
j out mineral wealth, one can scarcely
I conpute the annual production.
Take the Klondike, which to my not
ion i^ the most remarkable placer gold
district in many respects ever diseover
j od. and we find that they have hardly
more than begun to take out gold.
,T>’ue.’ if has dreduced over $100,000,
j 000 in gold, but there is much more
i left.
The district.as a whole, is the greatest
hydraulic proposition 1 ever saw. All
of the creeks, tailings and everthing
else, will he washed over by hydraulics.
There is plenty of tailing ground which
will run $1 to the cubic yard.
My judgment is that the Klondike
river, from which the famed distric*
takes its name.' and from which no
gold to speak of lias thus far been tak
en.' will within the next live years star
tle the world, ft will be done through
diedging operations. There is a con
tinuous deposit of placer gold extend
ing from the mouth of the Klondike
I fourteen miles up to the mouth of
i Hunker. This gold, my theory is,
! lias been washed into the Klondike
i from Hunker. Bear and Bonanza creeks,
all tributaries.’ These three streams
are fabulously rich. That their placer
treasures, a very large percentage at
least, have been washed out into the
larger stream, and more or less for
that matter on into the \ ukon, seems
to me most rensonable.
It is well known that the Klondike
river cart ies gold in paying quantities.
Prospecting has shown that to the
satisfaction of any experienced miner.
The reason it has not been worked b» -
fore now Is because of the heavy cost of
the machinery necessary to its develop
ment.' but Within tire years I expect
no less than 1(H) dredgers will be found
in operation on the Klondike rivers.
Joseph Boyle, a jK>or man. owns a
mineral concession covering practically
lull of the fourteen-mile stretch of river
I am discussing. His concession, while
still alive and effective, has so far
brought him but little, mainly for the
reason that he has not the money with
which to operate.’’—Seattle P.-I. 5th
instant.
From all information that can be
gathered, the great Tanana and its
tributaries will be equally productive
as the Klondike. When it is taken into
consideration that at least five tons of
material, including provisions, tools,
machinery, etc., per man each year
must be hauled into the country, not
counting the outbound freight, some
conception of the enormous tonage for
railways into the country can be ar
rived at.
Not only the Tanuhaj but the Susit
na, the Matanusku, Chickaloon, and
other well known water courses have
been proven to he prolific in their
wealth of gold, and are qnly awaiting
the advent of cheap transportation to
pour this latent wealth infn the coffers
of the world.