brooks.] PLACER MINING IN ALASKA IN 1904. 27 
ordinarily less than 100 and seldom over 200 inches of water. They flow in open 
valleys, with a grade of about 100 feet to the mile. The stream gravels are compara- 
tively deep and in most localities frozen throughout the year. The average section 
shows a layer of muck underlain by barren and pay gravels. The last are mostly 
quartzite and mica-schist, are rather angular, and are mostly under a foot in diameter. 
They frequently contain considerable clay in the lower portion, and the proportion 
of bowlders is small. The thickness of the different layers varies greatly and the 
maximum total depth, so far as determined by prospect holes, is over 80 feet. 
On Pedro Creek the depth to bed rock is 8 to 30 feet, and the alluvium includes 
muck, barren gravels, and pay dirt. The last is 1 to 4 feet thick, and gold is found 
in the decomposed bed rock to a depth of 1 to 5 feet. Pay streaks are from 40 to 
over 200 feet in width. Values vary from 3 to 25 cents to the pan, and much of the 
ground has probably averaged $1.50 to square foot of bed rock. The largest nugget 
was valued at $19. 
Steam point drifting and open cut are the methods chiefly employed. Boilers up 
to 30 horsepower are in use. Work is confined mostly to the 3 miles of Pedro Creek 
between Twin and Gilmore creeks, though some gold has been taken out on Twin 
Creek. On Gold Stream the gravels are 30 feet or more in depth. It is probable 
that as conditions improve considerable work will be done in this lower portion of 
the valley. 
On Cleary Creek work has been done from near the head to within 2 miles of the 
mouth, a distance of about 7 miles. Here the depth to bed rock is 14 to 80 or more 
feet, and averages over 50 feet. The material is muck, barren gravels, and pay dirt, 
and the gravels average about 20 feet in thickness. 
The pay streak is 1 to 7 feet, and gold is found to a depth of 1^ to 4 feet in the bed 
rock. The width of pay streak is 35 to 150 feet; so far as determined, it is on the 
low bench on the west side of the creek above the bend, and on the opposite or 
north side below the bend. The gold includes, as on the other creeks, a flat variety 
in pieces up to one-fourth inch or more in diameter, and a coarser variety, of which 
one nugget was valued at $233. Values in the pay streak average from 2 to 25 cents 
to the pan, but occasionally are much greater. One pan seen by the writer yielded 
nearly $5. 
Chatham Creek is a small tributary of Cleary Creek. It is only about 1 mile long, 
but has been a gold producer. The depth to bed rock is 10 to 30 feet. The gold 
from the head of the creek is very rough. 
The drifting method is used on Cleary and Chatham creeks and some open-cut 
work on Chatham Creek where the depth permits. Some good values have been 
found above Discovery claim, but this portion of the valley last season was still in 
the prospecting stage. Most of the production thus far has been from Discovery 
claim to Claim No. 4, below Discovery, inclusive, and extensive work has been done 
in this portion of the valley. Boilers up to 20 horsepower were in use and handled 
from 20 to 50 cubic yards of dirt a day, with a fuel consumption of a cord of wood 
every 24 hours. The wood cost $10 per cord delivered on claim. Wages were 
generally $6 a day and board. 
Last summer developments were being made to within 2 miles of the Chatanika, 
and it seems probable that as the conditions of development became more favorable 
considerable ground will be worked at a profit in this lower portion of the valley of 
Cleary Creek. It is probable that under the conditions which existed in L904 
gravels could not be worked at a profit for a gold content of less than 3 cents to 
the pan. 
Ditches are built with difficulty, and the cost of production in some cases was 
increased by the frozen muck and "live water" in the lower gravels. 
On Fairbanks Creek there was, in 1904, active work from No. 8, above Discovery, 
to No. 8, below, including about 4 miles of the valley. The depth to bed rock is 15 
