| Alaska and Its Possibilities
Abstract of a Paper Read by T. J. Cornforth at the Denver Meeting of
the American Mining Congress.
It was Humboldt's primary theory that
the it re at gold belt extended from the Arctic
ocean in the Rockies to Cape Horn, and be
cause of the peculiar formation he held that
the far north contained the greater j art of
the precious metals.
In 18M> Prof.T. C. Mendenhall, of the United
States Geodetic t«id Coast Survey, in a re
port of an actual survey made by him, un
dertook to trace ;he gold through the Alas
ka peninsula. H© picked up goid in the
foothills of the Rockies at a point 100 miles
back of Nome, followed it to the headwaters
of the Koyukuk and Porcupine risers, and
then along the western slope of the Rockies
at the exact point of the source of the Klon
dike river.
In 1882 the first goid was discovered in
Alaska, on the An.aik river, a tributary of
the Kuskokwim. which joins the latter
stream about twentyfi\e miles below Kalma
kofsky, according to the Ketchikan (Alaska)
Mining Journal, by Ivan Simensuu Lukeeu,
at w hich time he built Fort Lukeeu, a post
of (he Russiun-Americaii Trading Company.
Lukeeu was born of Russian and Spanish- j
American Creole parents, in the Ross col
ony in California. lie was well educated,
and proved to be an active, energetic anil
intelligent officer.
At the time of the discovery of gold in the
Klondike,but little was known by the world
of the existence of such a rich mineral coun
try, hence the opening of Alaska dates from
1897.
The production of gold increases each
season. The "scarcity of water is the great
est drawback. The numerous ditches now
finished in the Seward peninsula, “costing
many millions ot dollar.*.." will double the
present output of the yellow metal next
year. The Tatiana district stands at the
front this season, with a production of over
$8,000,000.
The Malchatna and Koyukuk country will
he the next heard from.
Quurtz mining is not attracting the pros
pector at this time, for placer grounds are
so numerous and bring the ready cash in
the shortest time. The one quartz mine
with a stamp mill is the Hurrah, on Seward
peninsula. Its output is from $300.U.o to
$4j0.0 0 aiiuuuliy. t his is the only mill in
operutiou in the north. Many are iu south
eastern Alaska, hut this article does not
cover or refer to that section. Southeastern
Alaska is a territory in and of itself, and the
\alue of its rich mines is w ell know n.
Many believe that we have nothing but i
phuier gold in the north. Hundreds of pros
pects of gold quartz huve been found run
ning from two to fifty fc‘©t in width, and [
carrying from a trace to hundreds of dollars
a ton in gold.
We have many other metals in commercial
quantity, hut few people appreciate the
richness of Alaska; consequently they can
not understand its importance. Hematite
and chrome iron ores on the Ketiui peninsula
and Clark Lakes district, bismuth, north of
Nome, natural gas and petroleum on the
Seward i eninsula. native silver and galena
in the Golovin Hay district, tin from Cape
Prince of Wales to tin* eastward for neurly
200 miles, give hope of furnishing the United
States with future supplies. Anthracite and
bituminous coal o ur in the Controller Hay
region, near the mouth of Copper river.
1 lie copper districts continue to make a
splendid showing. The Alaska lliamna Cop
per Company has opened a 0-foot vein of ore;
the Millet property, near lliamna lake, a 12
foot \ein of ore: the Copper River country
fully corroborates past statements that it is
rich in copper ores. All that is needed now
is transportation to bring the ore to tide
water. The copper mines at La Touche
island. Land Locked hay and KUemar mines
in Virgin hay. all in Prince William sound,
are now shipping ore to the Tacoma smelter.
The lead-silver property near Council City
commenced shipping this season.
The development work on the einnihar de
posit, four miles above Kolmakof, on the
Kuskokwim river, assays from U to 80 per
cent, quicksilver. The remarkable feature
of the ledge is the quantity of ore and the
low cost of mining.
Many people are invading the Kuskokwim
country. Several experts from Montana and
New. York are exploring the country. Five
steamers are now in the river trade; stores
art* being established,one at the forks of the
main stream and the east fork some800 miles
from its mouth on Hering sea. Kverything
points to a heavy rush in the spring, as the
country is known to he rich in mineral.
The mining camps of Alaska received from
Puget Sound ports in 1;H>» over 2.">0,fi0i) tons of
freight, in value many millions of dollars.
The business continues to expand every
year. Thp principal exports from Alaska
are gold, copper, furs and canned salmon.
The people of Alaska wish to give their
support for a department of mines and
mining. We owe much to the officers of the
United States Geological Survey, which is
hut a slight intend notion to what a cabinet
officer would lie able to accomplish for the
mining interests of our country.
Today the only means of travel is by water,
sled, foot or horseback. Major Richardson
is building a few rnilesnf government wagon
roads: if continued support is given him by
congress his vv ork w ill result in great benefit.
ORIGIN OF CERTAIN PLACER GOLD
t
In the Mining World Ch!t*ui{> »f Fe' *.*
appeared an nrt r!e from Ur. Frunra ('
Nirholtm. tn-utiiitf «»f certain placer ground*
in ('oldmliitt which »** i f great intercut to
miner* and prn<«|n i tor« in Atu»kn «»f
the analogy lirliimi fhr r« ndit.on* n hirli
he write* and with a hi. h (irnplr in
thi* north uii* fiuniiiiir. Ur. Nirtminh * «
mining (NMfini'ir of no.e *r«I an honorary
mrnilirr of »rwr.il **• entitle *ociet ie*.
Mr of tU CuldHibiiiti mine* «t* *’g
remarkable gold Uo-r dcpo.it remarkable
not oniv for the hiiih va.nti otitained in the
iroltl » 0U11K1 hut that for the p* cnlforitie *
of formation.
"Protaklt no a here el*e in the world ran
one hud mite* ni • n u.ite* of river t#ih river
bar* amt heneti ura'cl* rich in gold. yet not
the vlgtt f a mineral hearing ledge. or vein,
in all the rountr* rouml about then* U henee
«ame ika foM I ha^e |«>rv imltv tvar
u*e»l the rrKhiii ami have »o n nunyrN
weighing over a i unmI I Have »r#n a ha*
fuit of nugget* of a u oh nee amt under ami
have M4m ue»l the river bar* amt found
goltl overv u here. Whence eume it? No one
• ail think it grew . nr rather arm mutated,
in the ritem. though <«ome people huvt
daiine.l that *u< h »mn the origin of gold in
pl.irer <le|»io it*.. and if an> where it can he
mo proven it »» eniM to he in the In* phieer
•lej om||« of western ('nioinhiu. I cnnar there
weliftw. Mpp.ir«'iitl>. no point of origin to
* hu h tlie gold run he tr .«eel.
• In tin* region the Cerfigue Mining mill
dredging Companv i* preparing to iiiMtall
inoilern ilroli'in to recover the goal that Iiim
attractedthe aft* utiouof the civil iaed w nr Id
mm*, e the di*en«erjr of Ainerieu. Modern
dredging pri>nu« » hriliiaut mimoni in *e*t •
eru ('olniiihiik.
In * e.tem Colombia at the foot of the
Anile* i* a Merten of Metlimentart rock* mm*
p< *e«l of ft nc-te% lured volcanic material
ahleh leviiMt iwm r*er a* one proceed*
Month till at Buenaventura the formation U
.•Ine •• * ntirei) of nater-norn gravel
eenarnteil a ith voieanie mml the gravel la
»*on»i“ ‘%e.| Ilf iMilentr pnrphtr> feblte*
«|Uart«iir i el MilleoitiM «late« a Ith
~6~&sms~irs jnris cms wrirrinmnnnr'ir
■ S. E. HEETER,
| Freighter and Packer
’ (Jood Equipment* ami
3 Service Unexcelled
pennies aim jasper; also a nme-gruy gravel
which would make any prospector think of
gold; yet gold is not there, but in the rivers,
the bars and bench gravels. It is a matter
of interest that in both Tolima and Antio
quia we find a series of elevuted placer grav
els, good hydraulic propositions at some
points, but apparently strangely out of place
and no part of the erosions brought down
by the action of the water courses on the
face of the country as it is found at present.
There seems to be some analogy between
these gravels and the outer low-lying grav
els in western Columbia. It seems possible
that a great system of rivers emptied their
waters further to the west before the time
of the intrusion of the more recent tion
gold-hearing outer range of the Andes.
•’This gi\es a clue to the source of origin
of the gold deposits in western Colombia.
If the rivers emptied further to the
west and deposited gold along their courses
ami near their mouth, then the gold in the
region under discussion cun he accounted
for. The bedrock could have been developed
through the at cumulations of volcanic ma
terial before the intrusion of the outer non
gold-bearing ridges of the Andes. It is prob
able that the volcanic accumulations would
have covered some of the gravel deposits
w hich carry gold, and that w ith the eleva
tion of the outer ridges of the Andes the
gold accumulations with the gravel remain
ing uncovered would have been washed
dow ii to the lowlands of w estern Colombia,
to accumulate on the bedrock of volcanic
sediments: this would account for the gold
found above and below the volcanic sedi
ments, which are reported to form a false
bedrock at many places."
Applying I>r. Nicholas’s solution of the
Colombian riddle to our own country, w hich
also has vast placer deposits the origin of
which is not apparent, we would start our
deductions at a period in history w hen there
were no mountain ranges between the Arctic
and Pacific oceans. At that time, we would
say there w as a system of gold-bearing riv
ers between the two oceans, and the source
of the river gold was quartz ledges worn
down and milled by the action of the w ater.
Then to the north and to the south solid
mountain ranges upraised, and the rivers
assumed practically their present course
and have ever since been washing dow u and
reaccumulatiiig the treasures held by them
before they were so rudely turned from
their former channels.
The Yukon und its tributaries at the
present time present conditions strikingly
similar to those described in Colombia: and
if l>r. Nicholas’s theory in true of one country
it is doubt less ulso true of the other.
Aside from its interest from a scientific
point of view the article quoted from treats
at length of one of the most mmuntie goal
countries in the world. Pronpectors are
warned that there is no vacant ground.
"irff-iTHTmnr
It is our .1 iin to iithe Valley News
intirestinj* to friomls to whom you may
serai it oil the outsiile.
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