The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-10-30
croI OdICAL SURVEY REPORTFO
YEAR 1901
chronicles New and Important Dis
coveries in Washington and
AIaska---Nickel and Precious
stones--Great Increase in WASH
ingtOn Coke Output.

rpsume of the years work throughout
the United States, as prepared by the
geological survey.
The remarkable and significant fact
about the mining operations carried on
in Washington and Alaska in 1901 was
not the vastness of the output, but the
inheritance of the new discoveries and
the bright promise afforded by the
latest prospecting and developing pro-
iects. For example, the iron and steel
industry in Washington apparently has
a bright future, and precious stones
have been discovered in Alaska. The
coal output in Washington is growing
steadily. So is the marble industry
Splendid coke is produced. and the pro-
duction is increasing. Arsenic, the
mineral rarely found in the United
States, is being produced in Washing
ton, and the operations now being car
ried on may be developed on some
what extensive scale.
Some Recent Developments.
The production of gold in Alaska is
exceeded by that of no political division
in the United States except California
and Colorado. Marble was produced in
Alaska for the first time in 1901. The
product is of a fine quality, and the
future of the industry in that territory
is assured. Nickel has also been dis
covered, and the occurrence is similar
to that of the same metal in the Sud-
bury district of Canada, where half of
the world s supply of nickel is produced.
The geological survey has this to say
in regard to one of the recent develop
ments in Washington:
"Among the new industries that have
been developed recently in the United
States in the manufacture OF arsenous
oxide, which was taken up during 1901
by the Puget Sound Reduction Com
pany, at Seattle, Wash, and an output
of 800 short tons was placed on the
market. Previous to 1901 the world
supply of arsenic, and arsenious COM
pounds was derived almost entirely
from the mines in Cornwall and Devon,
England, and at Freiberg, Germany"
Alaska Precious Stones.
In regard to the discovery of precious
stones in Alaska, the survey reports as
follows:
"a remarkable discovery has been
made during the past year on the
property of the Green Monster Copper
Mine Company, near Sulzer, Prince of
Wales Island, Alaska, Of magnificent
crystals, large in size and brilliant in
color, of epidote and grossularitle gar
net, associated with twin crystals of
quartz of the Japan type.
The garnet is true grossularite, and is
disseminated throughout the chalcopy-
rite of the copper mine. The more
brilliant crystals, however, are found
IN the limestone contact varying great
y in color - pale cinnamon, pale
brown, rich honey brown. dark brown,
pale yellow brown, dark brownish
green, smoky brown, and reddish black.
All these are in the form of crystalline
sheets over paler mass, and are not
detached as when found in the chal-
copryite. The pale-colored garnets are
all smaller, the darker larger, some of
the larger measuring IL nm. on the
face
During the last year some speci-
mems of amethyst crystals containing
me material were brought to the Unit
ed States from Alaska. Further devel
opment of the amethyst vein known to
exist is expected"
Nickel Discoveries.
The surveys in regard to the Alaska
nickel discoveries are as follows:
"A recent discovery of nickeliferous
ppyrrhotite is reported near the head of
Skowl Arm, in the vicinity of Ketchi-
Kan, In Southeastern Alaska. The ore
occurs in two parallel veins or lodges at
u. .ne contact of diorite with quartzite.
Nearly all of the nickel used in the
United States is obtained from the
NJ T,ihes In the Sudbury district, Canada.
ihe ore is nickeliferous pyrrhotite,
anu occurs in this district in enormous
quantity.
Coke in Washington.
REGARDING coke from Washington
'oal the report says:
D washington is the only one of the
a aScihc coast states producing coal of
Iuailty suitable for the manufacture of
;OAe' The operations are not of special
mportance. particularly when they are
nsiuered with the output of other
producing states, but they are OF
i a'erest as establishing the fact that it
possible to produce metallurgical
iUa ae from the Washington Goals. An
H. centive to greater development of
o;r o coke-making industry has been
'n by the construction of smelters
~ Fuget Sound. AS a result of this