126 ALASKAN MINERAL RESOURCES IN 1905. 
creeks. Other creeks where work was being done were Walker Fork, Franklin, Napoleon, 
Eagle, Mosquito Fork, Buckskin, Montana, North Fork, South Fork, and Fortymile Creek, 
and in the vicinity of the town of Eagle, American Creek, Discovery Fork, and Seventy- 
mile Creek. 
The mining on Wade Creek is mostly open-cut work; that on Chicken and Lost Chicken 
creeks mostly steam drifting. No important discoveries were made during the year and no 
new methods were introduced. Developments have extended to the lower part of Wade 
Creek. There a steam hoist with automatic dump had been installed and a dam with auto- 
matic gate had been constructed, but at the time of visit, in July, there was insufficient 
water for effective use. At Lost Chicken Creek, too, an unwashed dump left from the win- 
ter's work bore witness to the lack of water. The water supply is often unequal to the 
demand in a dry season, and this fact can not he too carefully considered in the planning 
of an equipment, as otherwise an elaborate plant may be found well-nigh useless. The 
Fortymile region is at a disadvantage compared to some of the other districts because 
its remoteness from sources of supply makes the freight rates necessarily high and also 
because its supply point i-> on the Canadian side of the boundary, necessitating the pay- 
ment of duties in addition to the high freight rates. Plans for utilizing the water supply 
of the larger st reams by means of ditches have been under consideration, as have also plans 
for the introduction of dredges. 
The gold-producing areas in the Fortymile region are many, and new discoveries of more 
(>]• less importance will probably still he made. The district is, however, passing to the next 
stage of development and the main problem, one not easy to solve under present conditions, 
is that of handling large quantities of gravel at a low cost. 
BIRCH CREEK REGION. 
The amount of gold sent out from the Birch ('reek region during the year was about 
$30(),(MM). The developments were confined mostly to Deadwood, Mastodon, and Eagle 
creeks. New discoveries were made on Switch Creek, a tributary of Deadwood Creek, and 
in t he valley of Mastodon Creek, where the I tench on the west was found in places to contain 
good pay. 
There was considerable activity along the Yukon above Circle on small tributaries from the 
south, notably Woodchopper and Fourth of July creeks. The output lor these two creeks 
was at least $15,000, most of which came from Woodchopper ('reek. 
RAMPART REGION. 
The statement regarding the Ramparl region is based mostly on information furnished 
the Survey by Mr. 11. F. Thumm, of Pioneer Creek. The production of the region for the 
winter season of 1904—5 and the summer of 1905 was approximately $200,000. 
Some discoveries were made in the Baker Creek area, where pay gravels have been located 
at various points in the bench of Omega ('reek over a distance of more than 2 miles, and in 
the bench of Pioneer Creek, where further discoveries have extended the limits of possible 
productivity from What Cheer Bar toward the head of the creek, a distance of about 5 miles. 
Ditches have been extended to the bench of Eureka ('reek and a hydraulic elevator has been 
installed on Glenn Creek. In the Minook Creek area a large hydraulic plant was installed on 
Minook Creek and other plants were in the process of installation on Ruby and Hbosier 
creeks. So far as could he learned, little was accomplished by hydraulic mining during the 
last summer, not so much through lack of gold in the gravels as through lack of experienced 
management in the conduct of operations. 
