St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-29
MINERALS OF COPPER RIVER
Millions of Tons of Copper Ore of
Fine Quality in the Bed of the
Riuap


Fine Quality in the Bed of the
River.
From Lieut.. Henry P. Aliens report
of his explorations up the Copper river,
the Juneau (Alaska) Free Press, we
learn the following interesting facts
about the country:
Cooper river is stream of consider
able size, very swift and difficult of
ascent in boats. 1t is not confined to
one channel, thus forming many large
islands, and its volume of water is so
great that the stream spreads over
nearly the entire bottom of the valley.
Along its banks are large gravel bars,
and the country is marked with extern
sive glacial deposits. After passing
the glaciers, which lie about forty
miles back from the coast, the cli-
mate in summer is dry and warm,
and in the winter it is mild and no
great depth of snow falls. The noun
tain ranges are very high, and are
marked by many lofty peaks, the high
est of which is Mount Wrangle, which
is now considered the highest noun tain
in North America. But few years
ago Mount Wrangle was an active vol
cano, breathing out flames and molten
lava, and she now sends out clouds of
smoke and vaporS. The mountain is
situated northeast of Mount st. Elias,
and about 200 miles back from the coast,
and in the very heart of the mineral
regions of Alaska"
In regard to the mineral resources of
that section, Lieut.. Allen speaks as fol-
lows:
1.-THE minerals of Copper river have
long been source of speculation. owing
to pieces of pure copper, knives, and
bullets of the same metal, having been
brought down to the coast by the ma
tiveS. Some of the specimens are sup
posed to be associated with silver, and,
in fact, have heard of some brought
down which aSSayed in Boston $50 per
ton silver and 60 per cent of copper.
NicOlai'S house, situated on the ChittO-
stone, the south branch of the Copper,
and six miles above the mouth of the
ChittytO river, is supposed to be in the
heart of the mineral region. and by him
we were shown vein near his house.
which at that season of the year, April,
was above the snow line. He gave us,
however, some specimens which proved
to be bornite, Sulphuret OF copper and
iron. He said the pure copper was
on the Chittyto river. between
his house and the central branch of the
Chittypa, as well as on other tributaries
of the same. He had bullets of pure
copper in his possession. We found
specimens of bornite also in the hands
of the natives of Nandellis. just across
the divide from the head of the Copper
and on the headWaters of the Tananah.
The waters of the Chittyto Copper
water) are of a deep yellow
rh 1c
of copper, and the natives
informed me that the waters were poi
sonous, and that salmon would not as
cend the stream. Its length is prob
ably not over fifteen miles At one
place on the Copper, on an island, were
springs so strongly impregnated with
mineral that their water could not be
drank. Even a sip left for long time
disagreeable taste. In ascending the
| Copper river it was observed that
the banks were green hornblendic
rock, intersected by mineral bear
ing quartz veins. Up further
which had at its northern end fine
quality of slate that split easily into
lamin@ transversely to its bed. A few
miles from the moth of the Chittyna it
cuts through bluffs of beautiful green
stone, intersected by white veins,
| which appeared to be limestone. The
| pebbles and powders in this river bed
| are much discolored by copper stains,
but not to such remarkable degree as
those of its tributary, the Chittystoiie.
The mountains around the headwaterS
of the latter are sandstone and felspa-
thic granite. A feature of some of the
high banks of the Upper Copper is the
strata OF powders many feet below the
| curfoca ,,