THE MINING INDUSTRY IN 1906. 35 
and Teller, some developments are being made, but they are entirely 
overshadowed by the other camps. 
In the Fairhaven precinct notable advancements were made, chiefly 
in ditch building. The Fairhaven Water Company completed the 
construction of about 30 miles of ditch, which taps Imuruk Lake and 
which when completed will have a total length of 52 miles and will dis- 
charge at Washington Gulch, an easterly tributary of the Inmachuk. 
The ditch has a capacity of 5,700 miner's inches. A 4-mile ditch is 
being built at Hannum Creek. A number of surveys have been made, 
with a view of bringing water to Candle Creek, where the rich bench 
placers are being worked. 
Dry weather prevailed in the Fairhaven district, as in other parts of 
of the peninsula, and hence the largest production was made during 
the winter months. Considerable gold was taken out of the benches 
of Candle Creek by winter drifting. The coal mine at Chicago Creek 
furnishes the fuel for these undertakings. Some rich placer ground 
was mined on Chicago Creek, and current reports indicate that one 
claim at this locality was the largest producer of the season. It is also 
stated on good authority that prospecting in the immediate vicinity of 
the ground failed to reveal any other workable deposits. Considerable 
winter work was done on the lower Inmachuk and its tributaries. It 
seems probable that the value of the production of this camp in 1906 
was between $200,000 and $300,000, though by some it is stated as 
high as $500,000. 
YUKON BASIN. 
The enormous production of the Fairbanks district, which amounted 
to over $9,000,000, overshadowed all other developments in the Yukon 
basin. The smaller districts all made progress during the year. Of 
these the most accessible, such as the Rampart, and to a certain de- 
gree Birch Creek, naturally received the most attention. 
FAIRBANKS. 
It is estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000, people were in the 
Fairbanks district during the summer of 1906. Probably over 50 per 
cent of these left before the fall freeze-up. A large part of the influx 
was made up of people with little money or experience in mining, and 
naturally the expectations of many were doomed to disappointment. 
In spite of the prosperous condition, the midsummer saw the camp 
crowded with men who could find nothing to do. While wages con- 
tinued high, $5 to $6 a day with board, the character of most of the 
operations made it possible to employ but few inexperienced men. 
The depth of the alluvium, from 10 to 200 feet, makes prospecting 
exceedingly costly. Prospect shafts cost $6 to $8 a foot, and every 
pay streak that has been found represents an enormous outlay for 
