A DEAD ROMANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 132, 25 November 1911, Page 8

A DEAD ROMANCE.

HOW GOLD IS MIXED TO-DAY. There is no longer any romance in gold-mining. While it is possible for a poor man to go to Alaska and make a fortune if lie happen to strike it rich, si ill, the successful Mining is being done by companies, for the reason that it requires a large amount of capital to work the claims in sucli a maimer that the profits are not eaten up by the operating expenses.

Cold mining in Alaska is on a business basis. The era <of hydraulic mining •has arrived, and it has practically supplemented the old method of working the dirt by band. This has necessitated the building of costly ditches, but it has also opened up new fields, for dirt which yields only Cd or 7<l a cubic yard can he worked profitably, while under the old method it meant failure to handle dirt which yielded less than 12s or 16s a yard.

Then, again, the country along the coast is. becoming settled The towns in the gold fields are almost as modern and well equipped as the smaller cities in the Eastern States. There is no more outlawry or disorder. Life is as safe in the Alaskan goldfields as it is in New York Even gambling has been stopped.- Scarcely'anything remains to rhake the life picturesque and exciting as it was during the rush to the KJondyke in 189!). The country is becoming civilised, and there is nothing like civilisation to dispel romance.

The rich strikes of scores of prospectors have made the Nome district famous, but by far the larger amount of gold has linen taken out gradually in small amounts. Seven men took, out £84,200 in sixty days from the Portland Beach claim, but' that was an exception. Gold has been discovered in paying quantities m practically every stream in the Nome district, as well as along what is known as the third beach line, and thousands of acres have been located for placer mining purposes Many of these mmmg claims have Von worked profitably for several years by the primitive methods of shovelling into sluice-boxes. Tins is a very expensive method, because labor costs £1 a day, in addition to iris a day for board. As one man can handle only three cubic vards of dirt a largo share of the profits is eaten up The dirt is shovelled into sluice-boxes, through which water is turned. The gold dust settles on the floor of the box and can easily be collected. Occasionally small nuggets are found but the grea.ter part of the gold is found in the form of dust. When this is very fine, as it is when found along the coast, mercury is placed on the door of the sluice-boxes to catch it. Later the mercury is separated, leaving the pure gold. 'As long as the dirt runs about 10s or £l. this method, is practicable, although extremely wasteful.

These conditions existed for many years, but a great change has taken place. There are several lines of steamships plying between California and Nome, and two railroads run several hundred miles info the interior. A few years ago it cost 2s a pound to bring freight of any kind into the Nome ooun- !"'' r n "'. ' ( f ' n?!s ' pss tlmn ( -' 5 10s a lon. This has enabled capitalists to build (lie reservoirs, ditches.'flumes and iupe-!in".s which av( , absolutely necessary for V. draulic mining. Often this necessitates the combination of seven] locators, who unite their interests for the common good of el! concerned, and the manner usually adopted is to form a. company. So the largest share of the mining in the Nome country fo-dav is being, done by companies, although it is possible for prospectors with a modere l .-amount of capital fo work their own ciaims by huving w.aier from the owners of ihe (laches Wafer sells at; abonf, 7s I'd a min-r's inch per day, and it is a souv.-e of great revenue to (lie owners of 'he water rights. My this hydraulic method, the dn'i; is for-ad info ,| hno-a sluiee-bnx and washed down to a. dump. The particles of gold settle on the door of the box, where they are e"si!y collected. The stream of waler is so powerful that it will cut down dill's ami move huge boulders, and. of course, it forces an immense amount of dirt into the sluices A cubic yard of dirt can be handled in this way for about I'd. When this figure is contrasted with the 12s fid it costs to handle it by hand, the advantage of hydraulic mining is evident.

Several oilier methods are employed in mining gold in tlio Momn district, lint Hie hydrnulie. method is far superior and less expensive than any of them. Of eourso during the winter months all operations have to bo suspended. (,„(; from the first of June until IM/> in fHnber (ho temperature is oompara,!wl" '"il'l. and the daylight twenty-four w. rs i n „.,- The sold is in the ground. It is simplv a question of getting it out.