brooks.]  PLACEK   MINING    IN    ALASKA    IN    1903.  53 
gravels  are  from  40  to  200  feet  thick,  and  are  usually  frozen,  so  that 
neither  shafts  or  drifts  require  any  timbering.  There  are  some  20 
shafts  and  several  miles  of  underground  workings  in  the  gravels.  The 
pay  streaks,  of  which  there  are  frequently  two  or  more,  one  above 
the  other,  usually  run  in  narrow  channels,  so  that  no  great  amount  of 
stoping  is  required.  The  sinking  and  drifting  in  the  frozen  ground  is 
all  done  with  the  aid  of  steam  thawers,  and  man}^  of  the  mines  are  pro- 
vided with  steam  hoists.  Pumping  has  not  been  found  necessary,  as 
the  workings  in  the  frozen  ground  are  practically  dry.  This  mining 
can  be  carried  on  throughout  the  year,  but  the  operations  are  often 
confined  to  winter  months,  when  miners  wages  are  50  per  cent  lower 
than  in  summer.  The  winter  accumulation  of  gravel  is  washed  out  in 
the  spring,  when  water  is  plentiful.  Some  of  the  high-bench  placers 
have  proved  very  rich,  and  as  no  large  investment  is  required  for  plants 
they  are  very  profitable.  Similar  high-bench  gravels  occur  at  other 
localities,  and  some  of  these  are  known  to  be  auriferous,  so  it  is  fair 
to  assume  that  other  high-bench  placers  will  be  discovered. 
Briefly  considering  the  results  of  the  past  }Tear  in  the  peninsula,  it 
is  found  that  the  extensive  developments  were  confined  to  the  Nome 
and  Council  City  districts,  and  consisted  chiefly  in  the  introduction  of 
mine  machinery  and  equipment.  Hydraulic  lifts  have  been  installed 
on  Glacier  and  Anvil  creeks  in  the  Nome  district,  and  many  claims 
are  being  worked  by  hydraulic  sluicing.  Water  for  these  operations 
is  furnished  by  the  Miocene  and  some  smaller  ditches,  as  well  as  by  two 
large  pumping  plants.  The  coming  season  will  witness  the  construction 
of  a  number  of  additional  ditches  in  the  Nome  district,  some  of  which 
have  already  been  begun.  One  of  these,  to  supply  the  placers  on 
Hastings  Creek,  will  be  built  to  Flambeau  River,  a  distance  of  about 
15  miles.  Another  is  planned  to  furnish  water  to  the  Cripple  River 
mines.  The  drift  mining  on  the  high  benches,  already  described,  has 
been  actively  pushed.  In  the  Eldorado  basin  some  mining  is  being 
done  on  Venetia  Creek,  and  across  the  divide  to  the  north  Iron  Creek 
and  other  tributaries  of  the  Kruzgamepa  have  become  important  gold 
producers. 
The  Council  City  or  Ophir  Creek  district  is  second  only  to  Nome  in 
importance.  A  narrow-gauge  railwa}^  connects  the  camp  with  navi- 
gable waters  on  Niukluk  River.  Several  ditches  are  in  operation,  and 
the  equipments  include  three  hydraulic  elevators,  several  inclines,  and 
derricks.  One  steam  shovel  and  one  dredge  were  in  operation  on  the 
"  bars  of  Niukluk  River.  The  Koksuktapaga  Basin  includes  many  prom- 
ising placers,  but  their  exploitation  has  not  been  commensurate  with 
their  importance  because  of  the  lack  of  transportation  facilities. 
Two  steam  dredges  were  operated  last  season  in  the  gravels  of  Solo- 
mon River,  and  sluicing  was  done  on  a  number  of  tributary  streams. 
A  ditch  has  been  projected,  while  the  building  of  the  Solomon  and 
