1QEZ CREEK
DISTRICT WILL BE TRIBUTARY
TO ANCHORAGE WHEN RAIL
ROAD FURTHER ADVANCED.
WILL BE IMPORTANT ADDITION.
One of the Largest Hydraulic Plants
in Alaska%Is Operated on Valdez
Creek, Which Was Discovered Years
Ago hv Pete Monahan—Individual
Miners Also Working.
The following article concerning the
Valdez creek district, is of especial
interest to Anchorage, because this
town will be the supply base foi that
section when the government rail
road reaches the Indian river country.
The article is taken from the last is
sue of the Alaska and Northwest
Mining Journal, published at Seattle.
One of the most successful gold
mining enterprises in Alaska toda\ is
conducted by the Valdez Placer Mines.
According to the United States geo
logical survey, they have already ex
tracted $375,000 in gold. Their hold
ings comprise 5,000 acres, covering
creeks, some of which have yielded
enormously by the old hand methods.
This region attracted especial at
tention from the L nited States geo
logical survey, which in 1010 sent a
large special expedition to make a
reconnaisance survey of the \ aldez
creek district. The following brief
extracts are taken from the report:
“Valdez creek is approximately 14
miles long. It flows almost directly
west from its source for ten miles over
the gravel floor of a broad, glaciated
valley, then enters a canyon about
three miles long, and finally emerges
on the Susitna lowlands. The part
above the mouth of Roosevelt creek
is about equal in length to Roosevelt
creek and carries approximately the
same amount of mater. Valdez creek
has a fall of 1.000 feet in the first
ten miles above the western end of
the canyon.
Gold was discovered on Valdez
creek on August 15, 1903. lhey cros
sed the Susitna river and made their
first important gold discovery below
the mouth of a narrow rock-walled
canyon on Discovery bar. They re
named the stream Valdez creek, and
spent the few remaining days of the
season in getting out a grub-stake.
The Tammany bench claims were
found in the fall of 1904. The value
of the total production of Valdez
creek, including that of the summer
of 1910, is estimated to be about
$'275,000 Valdez creek has cut its
vanyon through the overlying gravels
into the slates beneath to a depth of
over 175 feet, and in so doing has in
tersected an older gravel-filled canyon
whose bottom is 60 feet higher than
the present creek level.
The Tammany Bench is of particu
lar interest both because of its uij
u.-ual character, and because it has
yielded a large part of the gold pro
duced in this district. The gold-bear
ing gravels are worked through a
tunnel that follows the bottom of the
old canyon. Gold is found chiefly in
the lower five feet of the gravel, al
though fine gold occurs in all the can
yon filling.
The old canyon gravels are favora
bly situated for the application of
hydraulic mining methods. Valdez
creek will supply water for moving
the gravel without great expense, and
its canyon provides an excellent dump
for the disposal of tailings.
Prospecting has shown that the
tributaries of Valdez creek that flow
into it from the hills on the north
yield practically no gold. On the oth
er hand, tributaries such as Timber
line creek, White creek and Lucky
gulch, that rise in the mountains tc
the south, carry important gold-bear
ing gravel.
The hills between White creek and
Lucky gulch, known locally as Gold
Hill, is of special interest in connec
tion with the bedrock source of gold
The decomposed material on the hill
slope yields fine gold on panning, as a
result of which the gold has been
traced to sources in bedrock at sev
eral places. The decomposed material
from these veins in places yields as
much as $1 in fine gold to the pan.
The placer gold from Lucky gulch
is of interest in this connection. It is
remarkably coarse and contains many
large nuggets, some of« which are
smooth, but most of which are rough
with spines and protuberances. Sugar
quartz is of common occurrence in
the gold. It appears certain from
the character of the nuggets and the
narrow gulch in which they lie that
the gold has traveled but a short dis
tance from its source in the slates.
Gold Hill is without much doubt one
of the local centers of mineralization,
but there is no reason to believe that
there may not be other centers in
the district.
Lucky gulch gold is coarser than
that from any other part of the Val
dez creek district. In general it is
rough and many pieces contain frag
ments of granular quartz although
some of the gold is flattened and
well worn. Large nuggets form an
important part of the gold product of
this stream. One found in 1010 weigh
ed 32 ounces and a larger one weigh
ing 52 ounces was taken from the
gulch two or three years previously.
Xuggets like these which evidently
are not far from their bedrock source,
offer much necouragement to the pros
pector for gold lodes.”
I-'orves Rickard, the wellknown min
1 ing engineer of Denver, Colorado,
i was employed by the company to go
to Alaska and make a thorough ex
i animation of the property and follow
ing is a summary of his report: “The
gravels of this property occupy an
old channel, which is gravel-filled up
to a height of 110 feet; there is a'
‘ sheer fall of 60 feet available for |
'dump, and a further fall of 20 feet;
just below where the stream goes
over the falls. Upon this channel a j
bedrock tunnel 6 by 5 feet has been
driven for a distance of 1,000 feet.
The bedrock gravel for five feet
thickness has for the entire work av
eraged §21 per cubic yard. I estimate j
trnivpl immpflintplv ■
fnr ilio
above this lower five feet an average;
gold content of $1.25 per cubic yard
of gravel. Taking bedrock and in
termediate gravels and overburden al
; together for a height of 110 feet, I ar
rive at an average of 04 cents per cu
bic vard for the whole bodv.
i
“There is probably not less than 20
• years’ work in the high gravels. Of
the success cf the installation pro
posed their is no obstacle other than
the necessity for large capital, and I
, know of no gravels so favorably con
ditioned for hydraulicking.
r “In this connection I take pleasure!
in confirmnig my statement that in
my opinion there is a wide margin of
value which makes the securities of!
I the Valdfez Creek Placer mines an ab-j
solutely safe investment, providing;
; the hydraulic operations are carried!
out in accordance with my recom
mendations.”
Since the above report was made I
by Forbes Rickard, the Valdez Placer |
! Mines has installed a hvdraulic plant ;
' *
: even more powerful and effective than
; that recommended by Mr. Rickard.
! During the season of 1016 this great |
i plant was completed by Pietre Bou- ■
ery, who has been called the fore- ;
most hydraulic engineer in America.
, and is now ready for efficient opera- j
i tion for 24 hours of each day. The
! full season is about 150 days. The
1 pipe line’s capacity is 3,500 miners’
j incres every 24 hours. Alaska hy
! draulicking has attained a duty of 5
j cubic yards per miners’ inch every 24
j hours.
The company makes the following
estimate of what they expect to pi'o
duce during 1918:
The 36-inch pipe will carry 3,000
niches of water every 24 hours.
We will get a duty of 2V> cubic yards
of gravel per miners’ inch, or 7,000
cubic yards.
The gravels have proved to have a
gold content of 70c per cubic yard
over the old workings.
Seven thousand cubic yards at 70c
| per yard would give $49,000.
Estimating the working time at
i 150 clays, 24 hours per day, before
the clean-up will give us $735,000.
Fourteen men will operate the prop
erty for the full 24 hours, and the
annual minnig cost will not exceed
$40,000.
MAKES ADDRESS ON ALASKA
BEFORE COMMERCIAL AND
CIVIC BODIES OF PITTSBURG.
l'ELLS OF COUNTRY’S WEALTH.
Says Alaska Has More Coal Within
Her Borders Than Pennsylvania,
Ohio and West Virginia Combined
—More Copper Than Michigan,
Montana and Arizona, Etc.
James Wickersham, delegate to con
gress, never misses an opportunity to
advance the interests of the territory
he so ably represents. Notwithstand
ing his manifold duties in Washington
Mr. Wickersham is always at the beck
and call of his constituents, especial
ly in matters pertaining to Alaska.
Through the influence of Chas. E.
Herron, Mr. Wickersham recently
made a typical Alaska speech before
the combined commercial and civic or- j
ganizations of Pittsburgh, Pa. The j
affair was under the auspices of the !
Kiwanis club and was held in the ball j
loom of the William Penn hotel. The;
Iviwanis club js strictly a commercial
organization and is recognized as a j
standard in the east; Kiwanis is an I
Indian word meaning “to trade.” A j
large representation from the follow-1
ing Pittsburgh clubs heard Mr. Wick-1
ersham:
Pittsburg Credit Men’s association.
Advertising Men’s club, Commercial
club, Railroad Men’s association; Ro- j
tary club, Kiwanis club, Builders’ ex
change, Hotel Men’s assocaition, Stew
ard’s club, chamber of commerce and
the Bankers’ association.
i\ir. v\ lCKersnam useu as nib suu
ject “The Resources of Alaska” and
his speech received exceptionally fav
orable comment from the combined
press of the city. In part the Pitts
burgh Gazette-Times published the
following under the date of May 17:
“Alaska has more coal within her
borders than Penensylvania, Ohio and
West Virginia combined. She has
more copper that Michigan, Montana
and Arizona; more tin than Wales, i
more gold than California and Colo
rado, and more agricultural land than
Norway, Sweden and Finland, which
support a population of 12,000,000
people from agriculture alone,” said
James Wickersham, delegate to con
gress from Alaska, at a luncheon yes
terday noon at the William Penn
hotel, given by the Iviwanis club.
Mr. Wickersham referred to the
popular misunderstanding of Alaska
as a frozen country, and pointed out
that the coast on the Pacific side of
the peninsula is swept by the warm
Pacific current and the harbors on this
side never contain so much ice as he
sees every winter in Washington.
“We have the greatest river in Am
erican territory—the Yukon,” con
tinued Mr. Wickersham. “It is larger
than the Mississippi. The railroad be
ing built from Seward will open more
than 0,000 miles of navigable streams
to the commerce of this country. The
area of Alaska is 590,800 square miles,
just 13 times the size of Pennsyl
vania.”
He advocates ^ the development of
the country,^particularly with a view
to protection against a possible future
Asiatic enemy in the Pacific, or the
permanent occupation of Russia by
Germany.
“At the time Mr. Hobson was fuss
ing about the yellow peril we actually
had only 30 days’ supply of coal for
the naval forces cn the Pacific, and
even now, coal is shipped from the
Pocahontas region of Virginia to the
Atlantic seaboard and carried around
the Horn for the naval vessels on duty
in Alaska waters,” he said.
WILLOW OPERATOR E?n ROUTE.
Wm. Martin, the big Willow Creek
operator, left Seattle on the steamer
Alameda en route for Anchorage. Mr.
Martin has had a force of men work
ing at the mine for the past thirty
days getting things in shape for the
summer’s run. He will start the mill
operations upon his arrival.
JOE KRAUSE WRITES
FROM KELLY FIELD
Under date of May 14, Joe F.
Krause writes an interesting letter
from Kelly Field, an aero station lo
cated near San Antonio. The letter is
addressed to Jack Robarts, who kind
ly gave it to The Times for publica
tion:
“Will drop you a line to say hello
to you and all the boys. Well, Jack,
I am one of the 61 boys that left An
chorage that made good. I passed all
tests and examinations A-l and now
I am chief inspector of airplane mo
tors and head motor tester of the
Fifth airplane battalion. I have all
my clothes and am on my way east
to pick up my tools and equipment,
and on May 26, I am off to France.
“I have spent a number of hours in
the air here testing motors, and it is
great sport, believe me. There is one
man killed every day. They are
turning out qualified flyers at the rate
of 575 a month. I have tested 18 en
gines and machines in one day, break
ing all previous records.
“Well, Jack, you will hear from me
in the near future from France. But
I do not expect to return, for I am
bound right for the firing line, to take
a man’s place that got his, you know, j
but I am raving to go, and if they j
get me, they will have to go at better
than 142 miles per hour, for 1 covered
one mile in 23^4 seconds May 12.
“Tell all of my friends in Anchor
age I will always have a warm heart
for them, for I shall never forget the i
day we departed from there. With !
best wishes and regards to you and j
all. I have no permanent address, j
My next address will be France, some- j
where in the battle.
“JOSEPH F. KRAUSE,
“Aero Battalion No. 5.,
“Kelly Field, Tex.”
JUNE 39 DATE FOR
ANCHORAGE DRAFT
June 30 is the date set by the mili
tary authorities for the Anchorage
draft, according to information re
ceived from authentic sources this!
morning. The quota of men allotted
to Anchorage is 184 and it is expected
that this number will be trained here
at the local baracks.
The officers and men of the local
detachment of the 14th United States
infantry will be ordered to report at
the headquarters of the 14th infantry
in the states of Washington within the
next forty days, it is said and that the
local barracks will then be sufficiently
large to accommodate the boys sub
ject to the Anchoarge selective draft.
SWANSON BAY DAM
FOUND MINED ALL
READY TO BLOW UP;
Jver Wick, of Ketchikan, who re- j
turned last evening on the Prince Ru- j
pert, reported to local Food Adminis- j
trator Wysckoff, that it was common
talk in the Canadian city that the de- j
struction of the Vancouver shipyards j
by fire, was the work of German ene- ]
mies. He also reported that three
men who had been acting queerly at
Swanson bay where the big Canadian
pulp mills are located, were arrested j
and an investigation of the works:
brought to light the fact that the en
tire dam furnishing the city and
pulp mills at Swanson bay had been
carefully mined and awaited only the
touch of a catch to the well-hidden ;
fuses to blow up the whole dam, and
flooding the town and plant.—Ketchi
kan Progressive-Miner.
FORMER ANCHORAGE MAN
LOSES BUNCH OF CHECKS I
(Seattle Times)
James Isbiter, 1729 Eighth, Spo
kane, became a bit confused with the
noises an daction of a city’s streets
and, in dodging vehicular traffic and
keeping his feet clear of entangle
ments, he didn't give much heed to his
purse—until late x It was too late. He
lost .$50 in currency and six pay checks
issued by Government Paymaster
Donnelly, of Anchorage, Alaska, with
: a total value of $343.50.
NAMES IS NAMES.
Chase A. Deer lives at Grundeville
Texas.
ASSERT THAT OUTSIDE IDEA OF
BIG WINNINGS IS MOSTLY
IN THE AIR.
LIVING IS VERY HIGH NOW.
Men Who Have Jobs in Alaska Arc
Said to Be Making More and Saving
More Than Those Employed in Out
side Positions—Advised to Stay in
the Territory.
(Juneau Empire)
On nearly every steamer arriving
are Alaskans who were attracted
away from their vocations by the
idea that big wages were to be se
cured on the outside, and who declare
that the average man makes more in
Alaska than he does Outside.
It is true that there are certain
classes of skilled work which pay
large wages, but even mechanics have
gone outside who found that there was
no brass band at the dock to welcome
them and conduct them to their jobs.
Then there is the greatly increased
house rentals and car fare and other
incidentals to be reckoned with which !
makes big holes in the salaries of em
ployes.
In a recent issue of the Seattle
Times was an appeal that the govern
ment allow contracts for concrete!
i
ships to be built at Seattle or else j
there would be a lot of men out of j
employment. For instance, it says:
“The Seattle council decided thatj
the rumor referred to in the Ta-1
coma resolution was not worthy of |
serious consideration, in view of the
fact that the shipping board itself had
complemented Puget Sound shipyard
workers on their loyalty to the gov
ernment. And disregarding that fea
IUIC UI me:
I COUIUUUII
council voted to co-operate with the j
Tacoma unions in a general campaign |
to bring about a change of the ship- I
ping board’s reported intention not to j
build concrete ships on the Sound.
“It was pointed out in the discus
sion of the subject that several thou
sands of skilled building trades me
chanics in Seattle and proportionate
numbers in other Sound cities, are fac
ing unemployment owing to the sus
pension of general building construc
tion, and that concrete ship construc
tion would give them an opportunity
to be of immediate and lusting service
to the government in the prosecution'
of the war.
“Structural iron workers, carpen-'
ters, plasterers, metal lathers and
several other trades were cited as par
ticularly fitted for concrete ship work,
though not particularly called for in
the steel shipyards.”
ANOTHER VESSEL
SUNK OFF CAPES
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 7.—
1’he British steamer Harpathian was!
torpedoed and sunk by a German sub- j
marine one hundred miles off the Vir- I
!
ginia capes Wednesday night, accord
ing to an announcement made by the
navy department today.
All members of the crew of the
steamer were rescued. One member
was injured when the ship was tor
pedoed, but will recover.
ALASKA REPRESENTATIVE
GOES TO WEST POINT
(Juneau Empire.)
Donald Leehey, son of Maurice D.
Leehey, the Seward and Seattle law
yer, leaves this week for West Point,
where he will enter the United States
miltary academy to which he was ap
pointed by Delegate Charles A. Sulzer.
Donald Leehey had been a student at
the University of Washington, spend
ing his summers at Sulzer working in
the mines, before the war broke out,
when he joined the United States
army, enlisting in the artillery. Dele
gate Sulzer appointed him as one of
Alaska’s representatives at West
Point. He recently successfully passed
his extrance examinations.
ALASKA PAPER MAKES
RECORD FOR VOLUNTEERS
(From Alaska Daily Empire) t
The Valdez Prospector has proba
oly made a record among American
:1ai 1 y newspapers for patriotism—it
las sent its whole force off to the
war, all but the proprietor and he is
:oo old for service. On the steamer
Alaska, which passed through Juneau
recently were Tom Selby, son of H.
B. Selby, editor and proprietor of the
Valdez Daily Prospector, and Harlan
Eveesler, linotype operator for the
paper, on their way to join the Amer
ican forces who are fighting to make
the world safe for democracy.
Thos. Selby and Harlan Keesler are
making their expenses to the outside
is guards with prisoners and insane
patients from Valdez. Deputy Mar
shal Horace DeLine was in charge of
the guards who had the prisoners
from Valdez to Juneau and here he
turned them over to Marshal J. M.
ranner. The latter retained the two
guards.
The loss of his force has compelled
Proprietor H. B. Selby to suspend the
iaily edition of his publication. He
will continue to print the Weekly
Miner, and when his son returns, aft
er the American army shall have con
quered its foe in Germany, he will
resume the publication of the Pros
pector, which served the people of
Valdez as a daily purveyor of news
for more than a dozen years.
(Valdez Miner)
Since the above was printed the
sole remaining employe of the Pros
pector, Mr. Lloyd Stickler, has been
called by the draft, and the youngest
son of the proprietor will leave for
the states July 1, to enlist in the sig
nal corps. The proprietor and his
daughter, the sole remaining members
of a once large force, are now consid
ering enlisting in the home guards in
order to matte it unanimous.
FRANCIS ROTCH
DIES AT SEATTLE
(.Juneau Empire)
Francis Rotch, sr., half brother of
Gov. Thomas Riggs, jr., died at his
Seattle home on ihursday of last
week, according to word received by
Gov. Riggs yesterday. Mr. Rotch has
been in ill health for a number of
years.
Francis Rotch had been a resident
of the Territory and State of Wash
ington since the early 80’s. He was a
member of the first Washington state
legislature in 1889, serving as a rep
resentative in the house cf represen
tatives from Thurston county. He also
served as representative from Seat
tle, representing the fourth ward dis
trict for two terms, 1913 and 1915. He
was widely known and very popular,
taking a likely interest in public mat
ters and the club life of Seattle, where
he had made his home for many
years.
For several years he was associated
with J. E. Chilberg, represented his
interests and those of his associates
in the big power company at Fairbanks.
Returning to Seattle from Fairbanks
in 1909, he continued with Mr. Chil
berg and had offices in the Alaska
building. About five years ago he
broke down in health, and has been
ill a great deal of the time since then.
During the legislative session of 1915
he was unable to be present at many
of the sessions, being at the hospital
for a considerable portion of his time.
In order to regain his health, he went
to sea and served the Admiral line as
purser of the Admiral Wainwright
and other steamers.
He is survived by a son, Captain
Francis Rotch jr., now in the United
States national army, but who was
commander of the Alaskan Engineer
ing commission’s steamer Midnight
Sun, plying on the Tanana and Yukon
rivers. He entered the army shortly
after the United States entered the
war.
DO WHAT YOU CAN.
Though coin is scarce, do not despond,
O’er helping our boys over there;
If you’re too poor to buy a Bond,
Buy Thrift Stamps and you’ll do
your share.
Read the classified ads.