io8 



The dredging season opens about May 1st and the 

 dredges can operate from then until some time between 

 October 15 and November 1, an average of about 175 days 

 each year. 



The capacity of the dredges on the creeks in which 

 they are working, has proved to be about 100,000 and 

 120,000 cubic yards (76,000 and 91,000 cubic metres) per 

 month for the 5-foot and 7-foot boats respectively. The 

 area they cover depends largely on the depth of the ground 

 in which they are working. During 1912, however, the 

 5-foot boats covered, on an average, about 12,000 square 

 yards (10,000 square metres), and the 7-foot boats an 

 average of about 16,500 square yards (14,000 square 

 metres) per month. The dredges run day and night, and 

 shut down only for repairs or to clean up, the latter being 

 necessary about every 3 to 9 days. 



The ground to be dredged is all previously thawed. 

 In some areas, as in the neighborhood of a creek, or where 

 the moss has in some way become stripped off the surface, 

 the ground has become naturally thawed. In places, also, 

 the gravels have been thawed during former mining oper- 

 ations, but the greater part of the ground is thawed by 

 steam just previous to dredging. Long, hollow, perforated 

 steel tubes with sharpened points are driven into the 

 ground, and steam is forced through these and into the 

 surrounding frozen ground. 



The dredges take up, in addition to the gravels and 

 overburden, the underlying bed rock to a depth of 3 to 9 

 feet (-9 tp 2-7 m.). 



The properties on which the Yukon Gold Company's 

 dredges were situated near the close of the season of 1912 

 are as follows, and in all probability these boats will be 

 very close to these positions during 1913: — 



No. 1. — 5-foot Bucyrus boat, on No. 97 below Dis- 

 covery on Bonanza creek.* 



No. 2. — 5-foot Bucyrus boat, on No. 60 below Dis- 

 covery on Bonanza creek. 



Nos. 3 and 6. — 5-foot and 7-foot Bucyrus boats, on 

 No. 76 below Discovery on Bonanza creek. 



No. 4. — 7-foot Marion boat, on the Anderson Conces- 

 sion on Hunker creek. 



No. 5. — 7-foot Bucyrus boat, on No. 17 below Dis- 

 covery on Bonanza creek. 



*For these positions, see map accompanying R. G. McConnell's report 58. 



