Show PLACER MINING IN placer mining in in alaska is affected by conditions which are not combined in any other field familiar to american miners many an old placer miner of california has come to grief in the northern clime because he was unacquainted with the peculiar conditions that exist there during the last three years the united states geological survey has received numerous requests for information regarding the cost of operating gold bearing alluvial deposits in alaska and the best means of working the claims in the various districts to collect data for a report which should embody such information the geological survey sent mr C W purington a mining engineer of denver colorado to alaska during the field season deaso of 1904 accompanied by mr sidney paige mr purington visited the juneau atlin klondike birch creek fairbanks and seward peninsula districts stopping on the return trip at the gold dredging field of oroville california the results of mr Puring tons investigations are now avail able in the form of a survey bulletin no which is entitled methods and costs of gravel and placer mining in alaska this work includes data concerning districts not visited by mr pur purington ington or his assistant si stant notably the porcupine chistochina cook inlet fortymile Forty mile and rampart dis dils tracts and remote parts of the seward peninsula but all such information has been collected from reliable sources especially from members of the geological survey who have made investigations in those portions of aafka in each district a study was made of the water resources the most important factor in placer and hydraulic mining and of the cost of building and maintaining maita ining ditches flumes blumes and storage reservoirs for the purpose of using water under pressure the important development oi of ditch building in the seward peninsula receive particular attention in the report the quantity and quality of timber in the mining district is discussed by mr purington with reference to its use for fuel for the construction of flumes blumes and sluice boxes and for timbering drift mines it is an unwelcome fact that the important placer districts of the northwest do not contain a great amount of timber the question of wages and cost of living have been considered from the viewpoint of both the laborer and his employer while the rate of pay for miners appears attractively high the cost of living and the expenses of transportation to and from the country have to be considered as well as the shortness of the active season and the low rate of winter wages the main objects of this report have been to determine the most expeditious way of getting out the auriferous material gravel sand or bed rock and the cost of so doing the best methods of hydraulic mining the cost of removing overburden under each set of conditions and of handling the tailings the capacity and co cost st of installing mechanical ch anical methods the cost capacity and adaptability of the methods employed to thaw frozen gravel and the most feasible method of mining in little developed districts in addition to the consideration of matters relating directly to the operation of placer mines attention has been given to means and most of freight and passenger transportation for the benefit of those who must depend on local supply points in the north for their needs a table is given showing present costs at each principal point of the articles most necessary to the miner all available data and statistics relating to the construction of wagon roads in the northwest are also presented the need of good roads in alaska cannot be urged too strongly while many of the figures presented in this bulletin are subject to fluctuations fluctuation yet comparative study of mining methods asa a a co mr Puring tons report will undoubtedly be a valuable and permanent contribution to mining litera literature tur e it is published for general distribution and may be obtained free of charge on application to the director of the united states geological survey washington D C |