The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-06-21

railway in an all rail route between
New York and Paris, conspire to bring
Alaska into especial prominence just
at the present time.
Pretty nearly every one, | assume,
knows something of Alaska's vast min
erai resources, which. though yet but
hardly tapped. hive poured into the
minis of the United States many mill
lions worth of tue precious metal,
much more. indeed, than the $1,000
600 originally paid for the territory.
But gold Ii not the only, and probably
not the greatest. mineral wealth of
Alaska. There are here also In abun-
dant and paying quantities silver, cop
per. coal, lead. tin. cinnabar. arsenic.
anthony. manganese, corundum. pc
troleum. slate. clay and many varieties
OF building stone.
Speaking of copper. which. with the
growing development of electricity, Is
becoming one of the most valuable OF
metals. Alaska will soon be prepared
to supply the worlds demand for this
useful product. Copper ore is here In
abundance. only awaiting the coming
OF the miner and smelter. About 40
miles from Valdes. In the Chittyna
valley. are very great copper deposits,
which during the last season have
been visited By many experts Some
OF the ores run IS per cent copper. and
there are many thousand tons in sight
assaying 10 per cent.
Recently there occurred a great
mountain slide in this region, reveal
ing, so Ii In claimed as much as 4O,-
0o0.O 900 tons Of high grade copper ores.
valdes bay and the low pass north of
1t are the American gateways TO the
Yukon valley. and already railroad
has been surveyed and partly graded
to the interior, for the copper, though
1t can be quarried like the iron ores Of
Lake Superior, without a railroad will
remain worthless. The railroad itself
is assured an unlimited tonnage. 1t is
the shortest line to Dawson and the
Yukon valley. and, what is Of more i'm
portance, 1t can carry supplies deliv-
cred at Valdes from sailing vessels or
deep draft ocean steamers In all the
months of the year, with only one
break of bulk at Valdes, and also reach
the deep navigable Yukon and the
Koyukuk month earlier than by the
Yukon mouth, which Is closed by Der.
ing sea ice until July 1.
Coal and coal oil have been discov-
cred in various sections of Alaska, and
generations after the anthracite and
petroleum fields of Pennsylvania have
become exhausted Alaska will be fur.
nishing the world these producers of
heat and light Some of the most ex-
tensive coal fields are those at point
westward from Renal In the Seward
peninsula, which rank second to those
of Kayak, where there are rich and
extensive deposits OF both coal and
OIL. The fields near Kcnal are of
unique value because Of their location,
these being the nearest of all American
coal mines to all Of the island posses
sions of the United States on the Pa
cific, the nearest point. In fact, of the
American mainland to Hawaii. Samoa.
Guam and the Philippines. and are
nearly 1000 miles nearer to Asia than
the Puget sound mines or San Francis
co.
Very little, 50 far as I have observed,
has yet been written about Alaskan
oil. Indeed very little was known of
the oil deposits Of the territory until
comparatively short time ago. Proper
" speaking, the oil fields OF southern
Alaska are divided into three parts
the Cold bay district, the Cook inlet
district and the Kayak district. While
6li these districts show unmistakabIe
evidences cf oil. the Kayak district
easily takes the lead and will receive
the first attention OF the public from
the fact tina several hundred thousand
dollars have already been expended in
surveying. building roads. bringing in
expensive 4 chinery. launches. barges
and small boats. Oil well derricks aft
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