Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 178, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1910 — THE COAL FIELDS OF ALASKA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE COAL FIELDS OF ALASKA

BY ALFRED H. BROOKS

I HERB are two known ! I areas of high grade coal I —the Bering river field, in the Controller bay re- | gion and the Matanuska I field, north of Cook inlet. The Bering river field, lying about 25 miles from tidewater at • Controller bay, em-

, braces 26.4 square miles 'Underlaid by anthracite and 20.2 square miles underlaid by bituminous coal. The coal bearing rocks trend to the northeast into the unsurveyed high ranges, and it is quite possible -85 at there may be an extension of the Coal fields in this direction. Coal beds varying from 6 to 20 feet in thickness are exposed in this region, with some local swellings, giving a <nuch higher maximum thickness. In ■quality the coals vary from an anthracite, with 84 per cent, of fixed carbon, •to a semi-b'_iaminous, with 74 per cent, of fixed carbon, and include some varieties that will coke. There has *>een much prospecting of these coals, '■but in the absence of railways no mines have been developed, though a ■small output from one bed has been taken to the

■coast in barges. The Matanuska ■coal field lies •about 25 miles from the tidewater, however, the a northerly emhayment of Cook inlet. As Cook inlet is frozen during the winter, however the ■distance to an ■open seaport must be measured to Resurrection bay, on the •east side of Kenai peninsula, ■about 150 miles from the coal fields.

The known c o m m e r c i ally ■valuable coals of the Matanuska

field vary in quality from a sub-bitu-sninous to a semi-bituininous, with «ome anthracite, and are included in folded and faulted Tertiary (Eocene?) shales, sandstones, and some conglomerates, aggregating 3,000 feet in thickness. The coal beds vary from 5 to 36 feet in thickness, and the total area known to be underlain by coal aggregates 46% square miles. However, gravels and none of It has been surveyed In detail, the coal bearing area may be much larger. The total area of what may prove to be coal bearing rocks is approximately 900 square miles. Up to the present time there has been no means of transporting this coal to market, so that no mining lhas been done, but many beds have been opened in prospecting. The anthracite from Matanuska and Bering rivers has no equivalent on the Pacific coast, and It compares favorably with the Pennsylvania anthracite. It ought to be put Into the San Francisco and other Pacific coast markets at a cost far below that of eastern coal, In which case it should have oo difficulty in entirely supplanting the latter. The Bering river seml-anthraclte and part of the seml-bitumlnous coal from Matanuska Is abo better than anything that Is being mined In the west. These coals are the equivalent •of the Pocahontas, New River, and Oeorges Creek coals of the east, and are eminently adapted for use on warahips and for other purposes for which a high grade, pure, “smokeless" steaming coal is required, and for these purposes will command a considerably higher price than any coal now being mined on the Pacific coast, or If offered at equal prices, should readily drive the latter from the market. Part of these coals will produce an excellent quality of coke—better, In fact (except possibly In content of phosphorus, regarding which no data are available), than coke which can be produced from any of the Washington or Vancouver island coals, and equal to the coke from Crow’s Nest pass. If an important smelter industry grows up In Alaska, as now seems possible, the Alaska coking coals should have the advantage, both of quality and of transportation. Mining developments In the Bering rlver cold fields of the Gontroller bay region and In the Matanuska coal fields of the Cook inlet region have been practically confined to surveys for patents, assessment work, and trail building. The most Important features are connected with the problem of railway construction. No patents for coal land have yet been granted. The value of these high grade fuels •of Alaska probably exceeds that of the gold deposits, and the exploitation of these coal fields is of the greatest importance to the entire western seaboard of the continent. These coals will furnish not only the high grade •team coals needed for various industries, but also the coke for metallm* gical enterprises. If the iron ores of the territory prove valuable, the west coast may yet be supplied from thia source with the raw materials for the manufacture of iron and steel. In any event, the copper smelters can be provided with coke of a high grade. The coals from other known Alaska fields than these are so situated or are of such quality that they can find markets only where excessive rates

on outside coals give them an advantage; that is, their markets must be local and probably small. These lignites and lower grade bituminous coals hftve a wide distribution in Alaska, and some of them will have great value to local industries. Peat is very widely distributed in Alaska, having been found in nearly every part of the territory. The climatic conditions, as well as those of plant life, in the central and northern part of the seem especially favorable for the accumulation of peat Everywhere the soil is clothed with a dense growth of moss and other small plants, and the frozen condition of the subsoil and the shortness of the summer season prevent decay. Alaska, contains a large variety of mineral deposits, and these, especially gold and coal, are widely distributed. The auriferous gravels are scattered over a very large area, but much of it is unprospected. There are some large auriferous lode mines in ‘southeastern Alaska and promising lode prospects In other parts of the territory. Copper mining has been done in two widely separated coastal districts. Very promising deposits of copper ore occur in two inland belts which are undeveloped because they are not yet accessible by rail, and copper prospects have been found elsewhere' in the territory. Tin, marble, gypsum and petroleum have been produced from Alaskan deposits; iron and other minerals probably have future commercial value. Mining began about 1880 and progressed slowly for nearly two decades, since which advancement has been very rapid. Much of the Pacific seaboard, with its cheap transportation, strong relief, abundant water power and timber, and equable climate, is most favorable to low costs of mining. These conditions have resulted In the development of one of the largest low grade gold mining enterprises in the world, as well as some others of considerable magnitude. They have also favored the successful exploitation of comparatively low grade copper ores, even at the low market value of the metal during the past year. Though placer mining has been carried on la Alaska for nearly SO years, It has been chiefly by the crude methods of the pioneer that more than 1100,000,000 worth of gold has been won from the auriferous gravels. The modern epoch of placer mining, with labor saving machinery, has only Just begun, and the field in which such methods are used Is capable of much expansion. Though the future discovery of bonanzas, such as have made Alaska famous In the past, cannot be predicted, It Is certain that the possibilities of new finds are far from being exhausted, and that there are hundreds of creeks known to be auriferous which may yield gold In commercial quantities when means are found to reduce ine present cost of operation. The inland copper district* await the railway transportation, which will not only lead to the development of known deposits, but also stimulate further search for ore bodies. Such developments of a lode mining industry will give a larger permanent population—at present Alaska’s greatest need. A full development of the mining industry Is possible only by the lm-

provement of the transportation facilities. At least >ne railway must be built to the Yukon gold fields, and the - inland copper lode districts and coal fields must be connected with Pacific ports that are open throughout the year. Then, and not until then, can Alaska's mining industry be developed to the

extent warranted by her known mineral wealth. The total value of the mineral pro duction of the territory since productive mining began, in 1880, exceeds $147,000,000. The known mineral wealth of inland Alaska Is embraced in the tyiti copper bearing belts of Copper riyer, lying 100 to 300 miles from tidewater; the Bering river coal fields, 25 miles from the coast of Controller bay and 100 miles from a good harbor on Prince William sound; the Matanuska coal fields, 150 miles from an ice-free port on the Pacific, and the Yukon placers, from 400 to 600 miles by feasible railways routes from the Pa eifle tidewater by high, snow-covered ranges, broken, however, by several river valleys. The full development of the mineral wealth of inland Alaska must awaii improvement in means of communion tion, which will need to be of a very radical character. Thanks to the Alaska road commission, and In a lesser degree to local enterprise, much has been accomplished In the way of road and trail building. Much, however, remains to be'* done, for in this territory, embracing nearly 600,000 square miles, there are only 642 miles of wagon road, 397 of sled road, and 256 of trail. The coastal service of ocean vessels and the river transportation systems of the Yukon and its tributaries are being much improved. In addition to this, steamboats have been placed on Copper and Sushitna rivers. Local transportation facilities have also been greatly bothered by short lines of railway, such as those at the White pass, at Fairbanks, in Seward peninsula, and the Copper River railway, which now extends from Cordova for about 70 miles inland. All these improvements In means of communication, together with the military telegraph lines, wireless stations and long distance telephone systems, have done much to advance the mining industry. They can, however, be regarded only as supplementary to a system of railways, which alone can make available the mineral wealth of extensive areas. In fact, they serve to emphasize the Inadequacy of the existing transportation systems. The industrial demands for better communication can be met only by railways which shall connect the mineral deposits with open ports on the Pacific seaboard.