PRODUCING COPPER MINES
Guggenheim Properties,Bonanza and Beatson, Contrib
uting an Immense Sum to the Output of Alas
ka in High Grade Copper Ore.
W. H. Seagrave, superintendent of
the Beaison mine on Latouche is
land, was in town yesterday on his
way to the states on a short busi
ness trip. Mr. Seagrave left ort the
steamer Victoria, which vessel was
taking out 750 tons of copper ore
to the Tacoma smelter.
But few people realize the develop
ment work that is going on at this
mine, which, until recently acquired
by the Alaska Syndicate, was not
adding much to the output from this
territory. Where formerly a force
of half a dozen men were employ
ed there are now seventy men on the
pay roll, and it is expected that this
number will be increased to over a
hundred within a short time.
Bunkers of the latest type of a ca
pacity of three thousand tons are in
use. The dock is being extended so
that steamers can lay there at all
stages of the tide, and the loading
capacity has been increased to 200
tons an hour. While workmen were
recently excavating on the property
for the laying of a water pipe line,
a new ledge of high grade ore -as
uncovered at a depth of three feet.
It has been traced for a considerable
distance and promises to prove as
high grade as any that is now being
shipped.
Yesterday’s vessel took out a ship
ment of 750 tons to the smelter and
all boats south stop in at Latouche
and load this ore. The steamer La
touche is today taking on 1,000 tons.
Development has progressed so rap
means that just one of the many
properties owned by the Guggen
heims in Alaska is adding over $150,
000 per month or nearly $2,000,000
idly that the mine will ship 3,000
tons per month for the winter, which
is a remarkably good showing. This
a year to Ihe output of this northern
country. This is basing the value of
the ore at $50 per ton, which is a
very conservative estimate of its aver
age run.
By March 1 the Copper River &
Northwestern railway will be oper
ating to Kennecott, where the famous
Bonanza mine is yielding high grade
copper. In preparation for the be
ginning of the regular ore shipments
at that time the Bonanza mine has
been undergoing many improvements.
The buildings for the installation of
a large mill in January are already
completed; an 80-foot extension to
the tram terminals and transfer
bunkers, ore chute and housing from
tram terminals to the track are now
ready.
Snow sheds between the mine and
ore bins have also been erected, all
the lumber for the buildings being
native lumber and answering every
purpose. The machinery for the
crushers and concentrators, as well
as the power for the electric and
steam plants to be installed early in
the new year, will be run from a
head of water from a dam construct
ed across National creek.
The Bonanza mine will make its
first shipment in March and will send
thereafter 2,000 tons of copper ore
per month to the smelter. This ore
runs more than seventy per cent cop
per, and only this high grade quality
is being sacked for shipment. It un
dergoes a sorting process and ore
running more than twenty per cent
is thrown on the dump, which wili
go through the crushers and con
centrates.
At the present price of copper
every monthly shipment from the
Bonanza mine will be worth $280 -
000 or $3,360,000 per year, making
a grand aggregate production of over
$5,000,000 annually from the Bon
anza and Beatson mines, which are
tributary to Cordova and only two
of the many hundreds of properties
in this section that will be yielding
copper and gold quartz for years to
come.
MANY NEW GOLD STRIKES
ALONG THE COLTS) RIVfl)
The completion of the railroad
from Cordova to Chitina has greatly
stimulated mining activity in the
Copper River valley and its tribu
taries. It is precisely what was ex
pected that is happening though the
results in the past two or three
months have been even more mark
ed than could have been hoped for.
Cordova is rivaling Valdez and Sew
ard in its active interest in lode min
ing. Numerous finds have been made
and there is a movement to invest
capital in their development. More
and more it is becoming apparent
that the coastal ranges along the Gulf
of Alaska are amazingly well miner
alized.
In the Lake McKinley section,
which is but 25 miles inland from
Cordova and but three miles from
the railroad, there is substantial ac
tivity. A small test mill is now
pounding on ore there with most fa
vorable results. Prospectors have
been at work in this section for sev
eial years and considerable real de
velopment work has been done. They
brought in favorable reports and
many excellent samples of gold-bear
ing quartz, but until recently the dis
trict has never been experted nor any
considerable amount of money put
into it. One of the best locations in
the district was made by Capt. Storey
about five years ago. He had so
much faith in his find that he invest
ed ten thousand dollars in develop
ment and in buildings, a steamer
and a dock. His tunnel, however,
failed to find the ledge and he gave
up with the idea that the ore was
all at the surface. Since then fur
ther exploration has shown that Capt.
Storey was running alongside the
vein and missing it by only a few
feet. The ledge has now been cross
cut and shows several feet of ore.
Under lease the property has been
equipped and the mill just mention
ed erected and started.
There are a number of other prom
ising prospects in the section and one
of these has just been taken over
by local capital. This is the Wal
ker-Erickson property from which
about 200 tons of ore has been min
ed that contains a little visible free
gold and has been determined to be
of high grade. The ledge has been
traced for a mile and varies in width
from one to fifteen feet.
A recent strike at the head of
Salmon river in the McKinley lake
district is reported. The ledge is
said to be 150 feet wide and trace
able for half a mile. Samples show
ing visible free gold have been
brought from there, but so far there
has been little development. Another
strike is reported from near the rail
road at Alaganik, which is the near- j
est point to McKinley lake. The
vein is said to be four feet wide and
some of the quartz speckled with
gold.
Renewed activity in the Bremner
river section, somewhat further in
land, is reported and there also
quartz ledges carrying free gold have
been discovered. The ledges there,
although not so sensationally rich as
the Valdez showings, average a great
er width. One ledge located by Levi
Decker is 18 feet wide on the sur
face.
There has been considerable plac
er mining on Bremner river this year
again and, although the miners were
handicapped by high water, they have
in some places been taking out from
one to two ounces of gold a day to
the man. Operators have been look
ing over the ground this year to de
cide its possibilities for dredge min
ing and their report is said to be
favorable. F. A. Smith, who recent
ly came out from the section, was
much impressed by the showing and
was also much interested in the plen
tifulness of black bears. He says they
pay little attention to the men,
spending their time catching salmon
along the streams. As their hides
are of no value in summer, they were
unmolested by the miners. Ed. Sel
lers killed one, however, and apolo
gized for it, giving as his excuse that
he did not mind associating with
the bears in the daytime, but he
would be blamed if he would sleep
with them on the same bar at night.
On Eagle creek, near mile 108 of
the railway, there have been two or
three discoveries of gold bearing
quartz. One of these is a ledge from
ten to fifteen feet wide which out
crops for 1,500 feet, sample assays
showing gold throughout. Early in
the spring a trail is to be built from
the railroad and substantial develop
ment begun.
Well defined outcrops of galena
and silver are reported near mile
122 and still another strike has been
made at mile 127, a short distance
below the town of Chitina, which is
already a center of prospecting ac
tivity. Another substantial property
is located in Abercrombie canyon,
which is 50 miles out from Cordova.
This property is almost on the rail
road. About 120 feet of tunneling
has been done on the ledge, and it is
said to average nine feet wide. The
owners are so well pleased with the
showing that they are going to build
ore bunkers this winter in prepara
tion for shipping.
On Canyon creek, which is near
Chitina, prospecting for placer gold
has revealed deep gravel that is said
to go more than 50 cents to the cubic
yard, with pans of ten cents on bed
rock at a depth of 20 feet.
Although the railroad has only re
cently started up the Chitina basin
the expectation of its coming has car
ried the mining stimulus ahead up
into the basin. There has been con
siderable development in the estab
lished copper properties and some
new copper strikes are reported. E.
G. Roundtree, George Miekle and
John Canning, who spent the sum
mer prospecting on the Kotsina, re
port locating a copper ledge fifteen
miles from the mouth of the river,
with which they are well pleased.
The ledge is thirty feet wide and
they have gone In ten feet on It.
The ore is of excellent grade and the
showing looks so well that they will
try to put it in shipping shape next
summer. Reports on the copper
properties are also especially favor
able from Dan creek and the Kusku
lana. A number of men have been
prospecting the gravels of the upper
Chitina this year for the first time.
It has long been expected that the
exploration of this territory would
produce good results, but heretofore
the district has been so difficult to
get supplies into that very few men
have got that far and there is still
much virgin territory. Good pay has
been found this year 50 miles east
of the Bonanza, at the head of the
Chitina river. Bedrock will not be
reached this fall, but there will be
considerable preparatory develop
ment for a big season next year.
Chicago, Nov. 25.—An attempt
was made to blow up the plant of the
Federal Steel Company, but was frus
trated by the finding of seventeen
sticks of dynamite burled under the
works. It is believed that employes
are at the bottom of this dastardly
plot.
Here in
CHITINA
Is a genuine opportunity for a man or
woman with a few hundred dollars to in
vest in lots, for either a home or for busi
ness purposes, if the advantages of this great
undeveloped empire are accepted now.
Thousands of settlers, prospectors and
tourists will come into this country next
spring to make this their home and add their
mite to the development of this vicinity.
You cannot afford to miss this oppor
tunity to get in on the ground floor and to
get established for the business that is sure
to come.
DO IT NOW
Chitina Townsite Co.
Copper River & Northwestern Railway
Good Passenger and Freight
Service to Interior Alaska
i
For Rates and Other Information Apply at
DEPOT OFFICE
When in Cordova
Stop at the
< K ■ ■ - ■■■-.. .... . . , ■ _
MacCormac Hotel
Corrdova, Alaska
Chitina Bar
S. O. BREEDMAN, Prop.
Best of Everything
Wines and
Liquors
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Fire Proof Safe in House
Restaurant in Connection
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