The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-04-25

Sc"A 70 'OoiSSo Vi hiooho, ~ a.
III, of the Twenty-second Annua
Report Of the United States Geolog
ical Survey, now in press, Mr.. AL
fred III. Brooks adds some brie
comments on the other sources o
fuel. In addition to coal, he says
there are three possible sources o
fuel supply in Alaska, namely, tim
Der, petroleum, and peat; and O
these, timber alone has been util
lied. Southeastern Alaska is heav'
lily forested and affords ample wood
for fuel. Certain species of trees
are found as far west as Kadiak Is
land. Beyond Kadiak, TO the west
and north, the coast region Of Alas
ka is practically treeless. Some
willows, ard occasionally spruce,
are found in the sheltered regions
but for the most part the coastal
belt is covered simply with moss,
grass, ard low shrubs. This type
of vegetation extends northward to
Point Barrow and thence eastward
The moss and grass covered plains
and the rolling plains are called
Itundras, and are found on the north
,ern continental margins encircling
the globe.
The interior Of Alaska has usual y
a sufficient supply Of wood for ordi-
nary purposes of building and min.
ing and for fuel. The larger river
valleys are often heavily forested
with spruce and other trees. On
the Yukon, near the international
boundary, the timber line is at
about 5000 feet; northward it de-
creases in elevation, and on the
Koyukuk it is about $500 feet.
Still further to the north and west
it further decreases in altitude, and
on the Upper Kobnk the timber is
said to be limited to the floor of the
largest river valleys. In the north
ern Arctic, drainage reports state
that there is no timber except the
willows, which, however, grow to
considerable size. The Kuskok-
vim, Sushitna, and Copper rivers
all have timbered basins. During
the great influx of population Of thu
last three years, much timber has
been destroyed by fire in the dry
or -, mar ,,,pnfhc
In the northwestern and northern
parts Of the territory, from Norton
Bay around to the mouth Of the Nc
Kenzie, the shore was once abund'
antly supplied with driftwood. The
Eskimos, who have been using this
wood for generations, are very eco
nomical in the matter Of fuel, and,
until the coming Of the white man,
the probabilities are that the drift.
wood was accumulated faster than
lit was used. This driftwood is
brought down from the interior by
the larger rivers, whose banks are
wooded. The cutting Of the wood
along the banks OF the Yukon has
already decreased the annual con.
tribution of driftwood to northern
Bering Sea. This, together with
the rapid exhaustion by the white
man Of the supply which had &C.
formulated in tine past, will soon
cause the Eskimo as we'll as the
white man to be dependent on 9th.
er sources for fuel. The north Arc.
tic coast, eastward from Point Bar
row, which is but thinly populated
by natives and seldom visited By
whites, has some driftwood.
The possibilities Of using for fuel
the thick growth Of vegetable mat
ter which covers alost Of the treeless
regions Of Alaska, have been sug-
gested, but have never been put to
practical test. During the months
Of June and July, 1900, extensive
fires swept through much OF the
treeless region Of Nome and other
portions Of the Seward Peninsula.
The moss and grass, when dry,
were found to burn rapidly with
considerable flame, and fires ran
over nearly the entire region visited
by prospectors during the dry
months. This fact makes it evil
dent that the surface growth Of the
tundra cauld be used for fuel, pro.
vided it were properly dried. This
material has in many cases been &C
cumulated to considerable thickness
in peat bogs.
With regard to the third source
Of fuel supply, petroleum, we have
no definite knowledge of its exist
ence in commercial quantities. !
lis reported to have been found il
southeastern Alaska, between Yak
u,et and Controller bays, south 0
\ Mount st. Elias, AID also on th'
east side Of Cook Inlet near Kache
max Bay.
A possibilitv-Papa--"A yOunJ