The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-18
ALASKAN VEAL I'll
IS STAGGERING
Few Figures Given Showing
Output TO Date From the
Territory.
WAS GOOD BARGAIN
FOR GOVERNMENT
Enormous Tonnage of Coal Is
Certain and Possible of
Development.

When Oh October is. 1867. the United
States by treaty became the owner oil
Alaska for the sum of S7,2O0,ooo in gold
psId tn Russia. the world smiled broadly
at what IL termed the success oil the
car in driving a shrcwd bargain with
the Yankees. Since that date many mil
lions OF dollars In fur, fish and oil have
been shipped from tho Alaskan coast
while tho mineral output from 1850 10
1909 lis valued ut Sl6?. 4S2, SO. distributed
rs follows: Gold, sl62, est. 40 silver; 81;
1879; copper. A,S0o,0li: coal SS2S, lS9'
marble. gypsum and tin, $iSs.ioS.
For the fiscal year ending juno so,
1909, there was shipped from the states
TO Alaskan ports over SlI,uou,oo worm
Of manufactured and raw materi3i oan ana
in that period Alaska returned $50. .Oo0,
400 in minerals. fur, llsh, oil, etc Tic
average annual expenditure for the trans
portation OF supplies and equipment is
between 81 900. 000 and $4,000, 600 OWING
10 the lack OF transportation facilities
distance from the bases OF supplies and
tho scarcity of numbers to conquer SUCH
an empire, the territory Is but partially
touched. the mineral and agricultural in
dustrics still being In their infancy.
Coal Measures Immense.
But one especial phase OF the resources
OF Alaska coal mininc-iilustrates how
much Of a folly the purchase of this
far-nortl land was. In bulletin No. Az
ports the progress Of Investigations
during 1909 in Alaska. and some statis-
tics on coal are given which are fairly
staggering in their immensity,
Admitting that the tonnage given is
based only such fields where actual.
visual results were possible. and, saws
the report, areas used in making the
estimates arc consequently small and
arc possibly subject TO an immense OK
tension In the light Of subsequent lnfor
nation the experts OF the government
of Of irNt,e
Of coal assured. But it lis agreed that the
estimated minimum coal deposits of
Alaska viii reach 10000. 900. 600 tons.
An Enormous Supply,
The worlds output of coal during 1905
is estimated at l,ll0.oOo.oo0 tons, hence
world supply, The survey figures thai
tho market FOR this coal will be In tho
Pacific coast states mainly. in which the
average consumption OF coal during the
past ton years has been i,419.5i6 tons
per annum.
Regarding tho fifteen billion tonnage
the report SAYS:
In considering the above IL must bc
remembered that these estimates cover
only the 1902 square miles Of coal lands.
namely. that part of the coal fields which.
with a reasonable degree OF certainty
Is believed 10 he underlain by workable
coal beds. No allowance whatever is
made for the remainder OF the 1861
square miles Which arc mapped AZ coal
nclds. The possibilities NJ finding coal
III the Ilnsurvcyed districts are also iE-
nored Evidently. therefore, If the same
acre tonnage holds throughout the coal
helds. these estimates should be multi
plled by ten. Again. the discovery OF
nc" coal fields will add to the Tonnage
u rs therefore probably safe 10 say that
Tho minimum estimate of Alaska's coal
resources should be placed Al $50. 0OO. 600
VoO tons and that the actual tonnage may
br many times that amount These Gr
ures indicate coal resources far i'm OK
cess OF the original coal supply OF Penn
ever. that over half tho Alaska coal ie
ignite while all OF the Pennsylvania coal
is of a high grade ii