Gold Mining in Alaska.

Manawatu Herald, 27 June 1895, Page 2

Gold Mining in Alaska.

Alaska is that portion of North America lying tjetweep 00 arid 70 decrees of latitude, arid divided from 1 Asia by the Behring Straits rendered well-known by the constantly oecujs. ing fishery disputes. This is the property of the United States and bounds the North-West territory of the Dominion of Canada. JChL land was .originally Russian but Wad" purchased by the tJnited 1 States in 1867f0r 7,200,000 dollars. A large river, the Yucon, emptying into the Norton Sound in the Behring Sea, runs from West to East across the territory and almost through the middle of it; making its head waters almost tfitm'd the Artie Circle. Port William is on the South of Alaska, opening on to the Pacific ocean, and someway inlatyih rise the range of Alaskan mountains. Thus the position does not appear a pleasant one even for gold mining. It is near the headwaters of the Yukon, atld its tributaries that the gold fields have been discovered which in extent and richness promise to equal those of California. Gold was- first discovered in 1860 by hunters of the Hudson Bay Com? - pany, who came over the mountain . from Fort Mackenzie in the far Northwest territory,- the only white men who then ventured into the savage and unknown wilderness. The country was not prospected, however, until 1872, when one miner ventured in and reported finding coarse gold. The dangers of crossing the mountains and rivers and the hardships to be endured were so great that not until 1880 was the trip again taken, when a party of twenty-five went in, finding gold in . many places. The next year the •first paying gold diggings were discovered, and in 1886 the tremend*. ously rich Cassiar was discovered. From that date every year an increasing number of men dared the dangers oi the trip, going in in the spring, and coming out in the fall with their gold. Prospectors entering the country outfit at Juneau, in Southeast Alaska, 2,000 miles southeast of the mouth of the Yucon, and take a steamer for the head of navigation, 100 miles up to the Coast range. Here the hardships of the journey begin. Everything must be packed over the mountains twenty-five miles through Chilkoot pass to Lake Lindeman, the first of the navigable waters trjbu.. tary to the Yucon. Here rafts are built of poles and when the fearful mountain wind so common in this^ . lake is quiet the trip must be made to its lower end. From there is a rocky portage of three quarters of a mile to Lake Bennett, where the boat or raft on which the long trip on the Yucon down to the gold ■'■;'■ diggings is to be made must be built. The trip is through a succession of. grassy bank 3 and rolling hills, interspersed with grand canyon-, dangerous rapids and portages. Many b.;ats are lost every year by the venturesome crews who prefer to.;/ run the risks of the rapids rather thau make laborious portages around them. Eight hundred miles of this brings a traveller to the diggings. Stewart river is .the first and one of the, oldest of the diggings, Several miles below this is Sixty-Mile Greek andf^loxV 1 fliia again are a amtfbflßp* of camps along the river until Fortf • Mile creek is reaohed, 100 miles further down. Here Fort Cudahy is situated in Northwest Territory. This is the depot for supplies for the rich diggings of Poker, Davis, Glacier, Little Gold and Miller creeks, whioh until, the recent strikes of gold on Birch creek the last year, had proved the richest of the diggings ; $300,-----000 was taken out last year ; $85,-----000 was taken from one claim alone in a -place only 30x100 feet, one clean-up being made of 1,100 ounces. About 125 men work these claims,wages being §10 per day, with whisky SI a glass, butter $1 50 a pound, potatoes $1 a pound, and other things in proportion, payable in gold dust, the current money of the region. Every one on the Yucon carries a buckskin bag and a pair of gold scales. Three men took out $63,000 on Birch Greek last summer, which they brought to the Mint in San Francisco and received credit for. When the Raetzler mountains, in which Birch creek heads, are explored great quartz leads will probably be found. Owing to the dryness of the clirriate hydraulic mining is impossible in ' the gulches, and the mining has to be done with a pan or cradle, the only water available being the glacial drip., ,-.." . ..^ ,-• Some winter placer mining jtigs ~" .been carded on for the last two years by means of fire. Digging ■-*■ down through the frozen ground - until pay dirt is found, the miner . builds a fire. When thawed out the './. gold bearing earth is removed and another fire built farther on. " When spring comes the pay dirt is. quicldy^ washed out. i?r -

ThU .fungus causes the disease commonly know as scab. Doubtless every fruitgrower is familiar with the work of this pest. It attacks the leaves and fruit, and frequently the tips of the young shoots. The scabby spots which occur on the fruit are usually more or less circular, and at first are quite small, but gradually increase in size, and ultimately the, fungus in the central part of the spot dies, and the living fungus is only found at the outer edge. . The plant-body of this fungus consists of minute branching threads, which are usually colourless. These threads never penetrate deeply, but grow just beneath the epidermis of the host, . They send up an immense number of short, coloured branches, upon the ends of which the spores or reproductive bodies are borne. The spores are dark brown, and vary exceedingly in size and shape. They are usually one-celled, but occasion" ally are divided by several transverse partitions* The fungus is found beneath the epidermis of the host, and when it has attained sufficient size it rupture* the thin skin which covers Jfc, and the exposed sporos and threads form the brown velvety spots described above. This fungus usually appears early in the spring, soon after the blossoms fall ; and the Bpores are iound throughout the summer, and germiDate whenever the proper conditions of moisture and temperature are fluent. The pest is never very actt^tf during hot weather, but at the approach of cold and damp the spots rtfpidly increase in size. The fungus usually forms on young fruits during the prevafpbje of wet, and seemingly this conditfoß of the weather is necessary for tKe germination of the spores.

Treatment Recommended. i Several remedies have been used, with more or less success, to destroy the spores of this fungus : — ! The kerosene emulsion. Hyposulphate of soda, lib. to 10 gallons. j '• Liquid grisson " : Prepared by , boiling 61b. of sulphur and 31b. of lime in 6 gallons of water until the whole is reduced to 2 gallons ; allow ! to settle, pour off the clear liquid, and bottle until required. Then mix one part of the liquid with 100 gallons of water. Paris green, which is a compound of arsenic and copper, is also con* sidered useful if modified With lime. The lime-water should be formed by by putting from 41b. . to 81b. of thoroughly slaked lime into 200 gallons of water. The lime must be thoroughly soaked, atter which strain, and add lib. oi Paris green. The most effectual means to check this fungus will be found in the treatment and remedies recoras mended for pear-cracking and leafblight, viz., spraying sulphate of copper (Bordeaux formula) before the buds begin to swell ; then again just before the blossom appears, this time using the ammoniacal carbonate of copper solution ; again, two or more sprayings, at intervals of about twelve days, especially if wet weather prevails, or if the disease is of long standing. If desirable to use an insecticide and a fungicide at the same time, as for districts where the codlin-moth is prevalent, add Jib. of Paris green to 100 or 200 gallons of Bordeaux mixture.