GOLD MINING ON SEWARD PENINSULA. I 33 
lich comes wholly from old beach and other deep gravels. From year to year the winter 
ttput has steadily risen, and that for 1904-5 would have shown a decided advance over 
at for the previous winter even if the remarkably rich gold deposits of Little Creek had 
>t been discovered. 
As in previous years, the Nome region was the chief producer, after which should be 
entioned the Council, Fairhaven, and Solomon River regions. (See map, lig. 9.) In 
e Kougarok, Teller, and Cripple River districts work during the summer was largely 
eparatory for coming years and took the form of ditch building. In fact, ditch build- 
g was actively prosecuted in all the placer-mining districts of the peninsula, but on the 
ougarok, near Teller, and on Cripple River this kind of work was more in evidence than 
tual mining operations, a condition which did not exist in other places. On Ophir 
eek and Solomon River the season was to a certain degree one of experimentation, a 
pt which contributed to the decreased output of those two regions. The four first- 
feed localities, where mining and ditch building were both carried on, are therefor*' 
e more important contributors to the year's gold production. 
NOME REGION. 
OLD BEACH AND TUNDRA GRAVELS. 
During the winter of 1904-5 a large number of holes were sunk along the line of the 
beach between Nome and Hastings Creek and helped to determine more accurately 
e location and position of its pay gravels throughout the greater part of that distance, 
out 8| miles. These pay gravels occur along the foot of a well-defined bench, which 
continuous throughout much of the distance mentioned except where interrupted by 
me of the larger streams. The pay streak, as is well shown by the line of tents and 
bins erected on the various claims where it occurs, forms an almost continuous deposit 
regular in its direction as the present beach, to which it is nearly parallel and from 
lich it is distant about two-thirds of a mile near Nome, but only one-third of a mile at 
istings Creek. 
The gold-bearing gravels, which rest on a clay, or at times a gravel, "bed rock," have 
thickness of from 3 or 4 inches to 2, rarely 3 or more, feet, and in probably most cases 
3 reached at a distance of from 20 to 35 feet below the surface. On several claims the 
pth of pay gravels below the surface is about 40 feet, while in a number of cases they 
3 less than 10 feet. The width varies from 25 to 100 feet, but averages from 35 to 40 
t, and at three widely separated localities the altitude above sea level is 37 feet. It 
s also been observed that the pay streak has a dip toward the south amounting in one 
stance to 4 or 5 feet in 50. In some places, such as Peluk Creek, Otter Creek, and 
me River, the gold-bearing gravels are less regular in their longitudinal extent and 
pear to have been cut through or scattered by the streams. On the other hand, it is 
ssible that there may have been an indentation of the shore line at the mouths of 
ese streams interrupting its regularity, although such is not the case along the presenl 
ach, the mouths of streams being characterized rather by delta deposits. 
The gravels from which the gold is taken are true beach deposits, and, like the beach 
to-day, contain a large amount of "ruby" sand and some marine shells. Broken walrus 
sks and driftwood have been taken from various shafts. 
[Little is known regarding the continuation of th# old beach west of Snake River. There 
no gravel bench like that east of the river to mark its course, arid few holes have been 
nk to find it. Gold-bearing gravels were recently discovered near Jess Creek, a tribu- 
tj of Penny River, however, which are probably part of its western extension. These 
ivels are at a distance of 1,200 feet from the present beach and resemble the deposits 
;t of Nome in most particulars both as to composition and gold content. They lie at a 
tance of about 20 feet below the surface and extend in a direction parallel to the beach. 
eir discovery so soon after the clean-up on Little Creek led some to expect a repetition 
the excitement following the discoveries of that locality, but when the season closed 
