The Chitina leader., 1912-02-24
NEW COAL FIELDS
TO THE WESTWARD

trending south and west for a dis
lance Of nearly 600 miles, the Alas
ka Peninsula presents one of the
most striking land formations. Be
yond it stretches the chain of the
Aleutian Islands thousand miles
farther. The coast line of the PENN
sula is ragged and irregular, with in
Vulnerable indentations and bold
cliffs and headlands.
''The Geology and Mineral Re-
sources of Parts of Alaska PENN
sula' is the title of report by Wall
lace w. Atwood, recently issued by
the United States Geological Sur
vey. During the Russian occupation
of Alaska many facts concerning
the geology of the peninsula were
collected, but the study by Dali and
Becker, of the Geological Survey, of
the coal and gold deposits of Unga
Island and of some of the coal beds
of the mainland in 1895 represents
the first attempt at systematic inves-
tigation of the mineral resources.
Martin, in 1908 and 1904, made the
first examination of the petroleum
seepages. Meanwhile other investi-
gators had contributed to the knowl-
edge of the general geology.
The prosecution of the surveys
plan of investigating the coal re-
sources of Alaska led to Mr.. At
woods work, which included the
of Chignik, Herendeen Bay and I'm
ga. Incidentally he collected consid-
cradle information in regard to the
sources of the entire peninsula.
Mapping was done in some detail
in the surveyed coal fields and the
results are set forth with considera-
BILE confidence as to their accuracy.
Far less definite information was OBJ
tanned as to the areal and strait
graphic geology and mineral depos-
| its of the rest of the peninsula. If
funds are available, more detailed
| investigations of the geology and the
| mineral deposits will be undertaken
| when the mining advancement seems
/ to demad them. AS early as 1854
| attempts were made to mine coal on
Cook Inlet. Coal claims were staked
on Unga Island in the early seventies
and ten years later some systematic
mining at this and other localities
in southwestern Alaska was begun.
( The rapid development of the more
accessible coal fields of California,
Washington and Vancouver Island,
which began about 1870, supplied
the west coast market, and from that
time until very recently little atten-
ton has been given to Alaska coal.
Mining to supply local demand has,
however, continued in the peninsula
to the present day.
The coal of Alaska Peninsula is not
of as high grade as that of the Ber-
ing river and Matanuska fields, but
the fields are more accessible. The
fields described in the survey report
are all near good harbors, location
that will give them an advantage
over the higher-grade Goals of other
Alaska fields. Moreover. their close
proximity to the great circle route
from Puget Sound to Yokohama will
certainly eventually accrue to their
benefit, though it must be confessed
that their immediate use for trans
Pacific shipment does not seem prac-
ticable. On the other hand, unless
petroleum is found, they furnish the
only local source of fuel for Alaska
Peninsula, which is without timber.
| Some drilling for oil has been done
on the peninsula, but it has not
shown either the presence of the alb
sence of commercially valuable
pool. 1t appears, however, that the
| geologic data at hand warrant the
continuation of the search.
| So far as known geologic condi-
lions like those on Unga Island,
where successful gold mining has
been carried on for many years. may
be found in other parts of the prov
ince, so that there seems to be a
field here that warrants the attention
of the lode prospector.
Except for the absence of timber,
the conditions in Alaska peninsula
are more favorable for mining than
in many other parts of the Territory.
winter is less severe than in the in
terror or in Seward Peninsula. Mum
erous good harbors are open to navi-
cation throughout the year. The
luxuriant growth of grass in the pc
| ninsula, except in the high noun
tains, favors the use of horses, and
the many streams and lakes render
much of the region readily accessi-
BILE to small boats.