Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-29
TIN FOUND IN ALASKA
RESULT OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
EXPLORATIONS.
Samples Brought to This City by Mr..
Brooks-Deposit Believed to
Be Extensive

If the expectations of the geological sur
vey, representatives of which have been
for several years exploring and prospecting
in Alaska are realized 1t will be but
short time before the United States is an
independent producer of all the tin con-
sumed in this country At the present time
nearly all of the worlds supply of tin
comes from the Straits settlements, the
mines of Cornwall England, having been
almost exhausted, and since the commodity
is worth twenty-five cents pound the dis
covery of the metal in territory of the
United States is worthy of the most fiat
tering congratulations.
Fin5 Believed to Be Extensive.
In short time the geological survey will
issue monograph ON the subject, showing
just how far the explorations and pros
poets have been carried, and from the sam
pies of ore that have been brought to Wash
ington by Alfred H. Brooks. the geologist
of the survey. there is good reason to be
lieve that the find is one that will prove to
be all that is hoped for it, The ore that has
been found was in the gold washngs on
Cassiterite creek, so named because of that
nomenclature being used to describe tin
ore, and is very rich. The location of the
creek is within ten miles of the Boring
sea and within less than one hundred of
the Arctic ocean, on the arm of land pro-
jecting toward Siberia.
When first discovered the miners thought
1t to be iron and threw it away, but when
the biologists told them what 1t was and
that they probably had a find that would
be more valuable to them than the gold
they were sluicing in their boxes they be-
gan to store it away, and at this time
there are several companies on the ground
developing the discovery. 1t is not known
just how large the field is in which the
tin has been found, but from superficial
indications 1t Is extensive. At the point
where the first ore was located the climate
is not SO rigid as might be fancfed by
those who have not visited that section of
the United States territory. June, July
and August are warm months, the season
being delightful. The other nine months
are not altogether winter but the ocean is
closed to navigation, and at present the
only mail has to go overland by dog trains
for 1900 miles. There are extensive rail-
roads building, and many enterprises that
will grow soon the tin fields have
been ascertained to be what the present
indications warrant
What the Ore Looks Like.
The tin ore looks like black gravel and
sand, some of the grains being so small as
to resemble tho tiniest black seeds. 1t is
very heavy, but lighter than gold Mr..
Brooks, from sample, blew with a blow
pipe several beautiful buttons of pure tin,
and from that beginning the miners began
their work of developing the discovery.
The discoverer of the ledge of tin was Ar
thur ]. Collier, an associate of Mr.. Brooks
in the work of exploration that has been
conducted by the survey under the con-
gressional appropriation provided for that
purpose, and although this has not been
very fully developed, and from what is at
present known it cannot be proclaimed
that America has the coming tin mines of
the world, yet there is no reason to be-
lieve that the deposits not extensive.
The discovery means great deal to the
miners who are developing it, since if the
deposits are large enough to supply the
whole United States many millions or dol
lars that have annually gone abroad VIII
be exchanged with the American miner for
American tin