Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-10-30
BRIGHT OUTLOOK
0EOL OOlcAL SURVEY REPORT FOR
YEAR 1901
Chronicles New and Important Dis.
coveries in Washington and
Alaska.--Nickel and Precious
Stones...Great increase In WASH
ingt0n Coke Output.

mineral production in Washington and
Alaska last year. This is shown by the
resume 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
importance of the new discoveries and
the bright promise afforded by the
latest prospecting and developing pro-
jects. For example. the iron and steel
industry in Washington apparently has
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 ia that territory
10 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 worlds 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 worlds
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:
IA 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 g,ossularitle 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
ly 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 II nm. on the
face.
"During the last year some speci-
mems of amethyst crystals containing
fine 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
pyrrhotite 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
the contact of diorite with quartzite.
Nearly all of the nickel used in the
United States is obtained from the
mines in the Sudbury district, Canada.
The ore is nickeliferous pyrrhotite,
and occurs in this district in enormous
quantity.
Coke in Washington.
Regarding coke from Washington
coal the report says:
washington is the only one OF the
Pacific coast states producing coal of
quality suitable for the manufacture OF
coke. The operations are not OF special
Importance. particularly when they are
considered with the output of other
coke-producing states, but they are OF
interest as establishing the fact that it
is possible to produce metallurgical
coke from the Washington GOALS. An
incentive to a greater development of
the coke-making industry has been
given by the construction of shelters
on Puget Sound. As result of this
the production of coke in the state in
creased from 1887 short tons in 1900
to 49,197 short tons in 1901, a gain OF
$3.50 tons. or 47.3 per cent. 1t will
be observed also, that there was an ad-
vance in price for Washington coke and
that the total value increased practical
" from $3.50, 965 to $239,02S. In 1901
two new establishments were added,
and one of these, with So ovens, began
producing coke. Another, the Carbon
Hill Coal Company, began the construc-
ton of SO ovens, but they were not
completed before the beginning of 1902.
The Wilkeson Coal 4 Coke Company is