Kuskokwim Lode Dis
trict to Be Proven By
Work Now Going On
[Continued from Pag'i .11
Kdrth F<rkof ’tbe Kuskokwim, and
down the Kuskokwim to MeGrath
When opened'this will be the most di
rect route for passengers and mail.
•‘Two winter trails lead to this dis
trict. One is via the old mail trail over
Rainy Pass which leaves the U. P. rail
road at Wasilla. This is the quickest
and rtost direct route to the Kusko
kwim valley, hut is suitable for dog
teams and foot travelers onlv. The
other winter trail is over the Govern
' ment railroad via Nfenana, Fort Gibbon,
Ruby, Ophiiy.and 'tbfence to McGrath,
a lbng, rouod-abbut winter route, over
which the winter mail is now being
hauled/
MaiF Service.
"The mail service to McGrath is
very slow and inadequate for the fu
ture camp. The postal department,
planning on present and past census
figures, does not build for the future.
Its service follows the development of a
district, but takes no part in the open
ing up of a new section. On the other
hand, the policy of the Department of
the Interior; with its Geological Sur
vey, Bureau of Mines, Reclamation
Service. Alaska Engineering Commis
sion, etc., is just-opposite to that of the
Postal Department. AlthOugh'the pop
ulation of the Kiiskokwim and Iditarod
districts is very small (between 300<andi
400 whites), < thbir necessities- entitle*
them to b&ttewmail service.
"In this world thfere«are two kinds of
obstructionists: thb>active—those who
actively'oppose measures and plans for
. progress-and development? ahd the
passive—those who see the need of
service but do not lend a helping hand,
e. g.. the Post*! Department in Alaska.
"•Ki*-c3!B»eetioB with transportation
and mail routes, the proposed winter
and summerroute from some point on
the U. S. railroad near Lignite creek
to the Kantishna district should be
mentioned, and particularly the pro
posed extension from the Kantishna to
McGrath This road, if available now,
would assist greatly in opening up the
Upper Kaskokwim district, but unless
beguD and completed in the next few
years the greatest* need for the road
wtR ibav© passed. The dredges will
baveworteed out thek"ground and the
lodes-will have passed into old age.
TEe<Lode Mines.
“The lode roioes of Nixon Fork, near
McGrath,-comoer Bing which much has
appeared recently imthe press are sit
uated near the-heads of Hidden, Ruby
and Mystery creeks, all tributaries of
the left limit of the nixen Fork of the
Tk'cotna river. The- ‘mines’ are 35
milefe -easterly' from1: McGrath and 11
miles-nortfcbrlyt fraao>-tbe forks of the
Ktwkokwwixriva*.!-.
“The claim* are Ideated along the
margin of a granite stock about three
miles in diameter, which intrudes a
palezoic limestone. Alt the ore bodies
to date have been fouo<| in the lime
stone, although some mineral-bearing
veins occur in the granite. The min
eralization seems to be closely associ
ated with certain porphyry dikes whet
they occur-at or near the lime-granite
contact. The position, shape and oc
currence of the ore bodies are very
irregular; some He along bedding
planeaia the lime, others aloug frac
tures in the lime, and some immediate
ly at the contact.
“The average assay of the ore that
will be mined will depend somewhat on
the costs of operating and the efficiency
of the milling process. The lower the
costof operating and the higher the
efficiency, the larger will be the av
erage tonnage of ore and the lower the
average assay.. At present one ore
body which has definite walls will av
erage about $60 in gold and silver. An
other will average about $50. and a
third in tbe neighborhood of $30. For
the present the tonnage is indefinite.
Prospect Work.
‘‘Three shafts have been sunk oq the
claims this past summer, which are
only 50,' 70 and 100 feet deep. From
these shafts 850 feet of drifts, crosscuts
and raises have been driven. Sinking
deeper was prevented by the lack of
hoisting equipment. The early freeze
up delayed the arrival of gasoline for
the compressors and hoists, and this
winter’s work will also be alowed up
materially. In addition to the under
ground work, 732 pits and trenches
were dug through 3-to 8 feet of soil and
gravel to determine the nature of tbe
bedrock below. At the permanent
camp site two frame buildings- have
been completed for a bnn{chouse and a
messhouse, as well as a framed ware
house and power house at the Berry's
Landing, on the Kuskokwim. Two log
barns, an assay office, a foreman’s
cabin and a log hoist and comvressor
house have also been erected. Thirty
one men was the largest number em
ployed at any one time. The crew for
the wittier has been cut down to 25
mem Charles Htamer, of Treadwell,.ie
ab present the foreman in ebarge.
Lloyd Bullard, formerly the Treadwell
assayer, is the assaver and surveyor..
Frank Pusich, of Treadwell and Thane,
is the blacksmith.
v
“Twelve sacks of ore have been
shipped to Treadwell, upon which-met
allurgical tests will be made to deter
mine a suitable process for recovering
the gold, silver and copper. Half of
the experimenting will be done at Kel
logg, Idaho. Between 400 and 500 tons
of sorted ore will be shipped next
spring to determine tbe freight and
treatment charges, and smelter dlf—
counts. These results from shipping
ore will be compared with those that
may be expected bv producing bullion
on tbe grouod as indicated by the tests..
Future Will T®lli
“Howevei*, It should be clearly borne
in mind that the Nixon ‘mines’ are as
vet only prospects and their future can
only be determined by further devel
opment work. Nothing has been found
that warrants a stampede to the dis
trict in the expectation of finding bo
nanza ore, nor is there anything that
warrants operating on a large low
grade basis. The two great disadvan
tages of the district are the high oper
ating costs and its isolation. The future
of the Nixon, fieldi is prospective, and
depends on this winter's and next sum
mer’s work.’*
Regarding the tests spoken of above,
it may be staled that tbe tests at Tread
well will be under the direction of Mr.
Swarva, and those at Kellogg under
Mr. Handy. The results of these tests
will determine tbe 'flow-sheet for the
mill which undoubtedly will be built
on the mill site at the mouth of Ruby
creek, this comiDg summer.
During the winter a compressor and
hoist were installed on the Whalen
property, and a new shaft was driven
from the 100-foot level to the surface.
This shaft will be timbered and a head
frame will be erected over it as soon as
possible. At present tbe work on the
other properties is confined to stoping
near the surface.
Notice of Forfeiture.
To Arnold Hals, Hans Sorensen, P.
Olson., C. Hansen, G. Koootz, F. E.
Levy, James Hansen, P. CristeDsen,
John Griffin, Fred Vogelsang, their
heirs, executors and assigns:
You and each of vou are hereby noti
fied that during the vears 1910,19li, 1912,
1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, I expended
the sum of ($100.00) One Hundred Dol
lars upon your interests in the Nugget
Association and the North Pole Asso
ciatioBv sk,nated on Yankee ereek, in
the Inoka Recording Precinct, Terri
tory of Adaska, in order to hold said
claims under the provision of Section
2324 of the Revised Statutes of the
United States, and the amendments
thereto concerning annual labor upon
mining claims, being the amoum re
quired to bold said mining claimsfor the
period ending December 31, 1916, 1920,
and if within ninety days after the pub
lication of this notice you fail or refuse
to contribute your proportion of said
expenditures, as well as the cost of
recording and publicatihn of this
notice, as co-owners, your inter
ests in said claims will become the
property of tbe undersigned, your co
owner, who has made tbe required ex
pend iturs under qhe terms of said sec
tion of the Revised Statutes of the
United States.
John A. Olson.
First publication, February 2, 1921.
Last publication. May 4, 1921.
Max Simel
The Pioneer Trader
Furs Bought and
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Miners’, Prospectors'
and Trappers’
Supplies
Steamer Service On the Inoka
River.
Ask the People of Ophir about us.
, STATION
Fairview : Inoka River
NORTHERN
COMMERCIAL
COMPANY
McGrath
1x3 1-2 Tool Steel
1x4 Mild Steel
Forges, 3-16 and 5-8
Chain
20 ga. 30x96 Black Sheet Iron
24 ga. 30x96 Black Sheet Iron
18 ga. 30x96 Galvanized Iron.
20 ga. 30x96 Galvanized Iron.
12 ga. 48x96 Sheet Steel Shov
eling Plates.
6 and 8-inch Hydraulic Hose.
12 and 14-inch Flume Hose.
Drop In and Talk Prices Over
With Us.
THE KUSKO TIMES
Twice a Week :: Wednesday and Saturday
Two Dollars Per Month
UNION CONSTRUCTION CO.
SHIPYARDS
14th St, Oakland
r MINING DEPARTMENT :
694 Mission St., San Franciseo
Dredges Drills Concentrators
Mining Machinery of All Kinds. Assaying.
Union Gasoline Drills of various types now universally used for ground up to one hundred
feet in depth. Arranged for transportation by dog team or pack animals.
Send for Catalogue.