The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-11
ALASKA OF TO-DAY The Geological Riches of That Region-How They Are
 Being Used. MANY GOLD DEPOSITS The Time Will Come When There Will Be Trunk Lines Going
 There.

Three years ago Alaska mines pro- duced IS 1-2 million dollars. In 1907 the mineral output was nearly 2t millions. Though it includes only 5S6, 400 square miles, or one-hfth the area of the Unit ed States, It's cast and west width Is as great as tho distance from the At- lantic to the Pacific and its most north- 'erly and southerly points are as far apart as the Mexican and Canadian borders.
 lhe gold deposits of Alaska are for tie most part associated with certain pelts ot altered sediments. One skirts ne coast ot southern Alaska and finds US continuation in the Prince William sound and Kcnai peninsula. IA second belt Hes in the central portion between lanaha and the Yukon rivers and Wi'nin thls belt are the most valuable or the Alaskan placer deposits A tnird belt of metamorphir rock occprs 'h me northern part of Alaska and its continuation is found in the Seward peninsula Over 91 per cent of tha .aiue Of Alaskas mineral nrodrctio, las come from these three helts os tnetamorphic rocks oi
 ne most important centers of n,ao er n'lnlng are the Yukon-Tanana 10 sion and Seward peninsula These two provinces have an annual production or nearly sl6,O0O,0O0 some fin doros us are being worked in this district
 The gold and silver lodes arc con hned' for the most part to southeastern Alaska. The productive copper demos US are confined to two districts. Tho central portion of Prince of Wales Ts- | lands and on Prince William sound 5oO miles northwest There is also con l per belt which follows the northern slope of the Wrangell mountains
 There are two important coal fields that carry' bItumnous and anthracite coal, One Is near Controller bay and the other 200 miles to the west on the Matanuska river Some bituminous coal is found on the Alaska peninsula and on the lower Yukon as well as | Cape T.isburne.
 Tn 1907 Alaska produced upwards ot l five million pounds of copper. Hadley Alaska Is the center of the copper in. l dustry
 l The Treadwell mines, the fourth Ir 1 size in the world with it's low values has been an object lesson for the min l ing world The output is valued al l S25 5,O0O GOO and tho magnitude of thi, ! enterprise with 900 stamp mills, has ob scured the fact that there are othe, extensive mining operations in tht Juneau district The copper river re gon has been 2 local point of interes because of its plans for reaching 1t by rail from Pacific tidewater It's ores are sulphides with native copper.
 The Klondike gold fields now pro duce about SlO0O0000 worth of gold an nually. and Is, of course in Canadian territory. The Fairbanks district is l from the standpoint of production tho most important of the inland districts with an annual output of about sq, 900, l 0o0 Gold eravels lie at consdcra be depth, varying from 20 to 300 feet.
 "The Seward peninsula. since Its golt discovery in 1898, has produced so.0OO,. 1 000 worth of gold. Lode deposits includ. ling gold copper, antlmony and gaona have beer discovered in various DOT. tlons of the peninsula Though the coa fields of Alaska lie only 25 miles iron the coast, the Pacific seaboard offer no good harbors Plans are on foot fo the construction of hreakwaters neai Katalla which are proposed to connect by railroad with the coal fields Anoth. CT plan Is to construct line from Cor dova bay which means 100 miles O track The coal of Alaska is higher in fuel value than any coal west of the Rocky Mountains"
 Dr Broiks then discussed placer min
 Ing and among the many illustration shown was that of the man who dis covered tho placer mines of Sewar, peninsula He declared that In tn placer mines of Fairbanks. wher wages arc from S6 to sl0 a day. onl, the richest mines could be operated TTo described the various methods Q placer mining al length, lncludini | dredge mining, and exhibited man, photographs He declared that Alaskl mining was being hindered by expens i've transportation. thot railroads wer very few, and that the river shppinj seasons were necessarily short. Fl declared that mining would be almos impossible were the claims not yer, | rich.
 AS 2 matter of fact there are yer, l extensive areas of auriferous alluvlun which cannot now he handled at a prof because of the high cost of operation These can be reduced by the introdus ton of machinery and skilled engineers which are sadly lacking In most Alas kan mining enterprises. But for an, material reduction lt will be necessar,