The Chitina leader., 1914-11-24
.OF GENERAL INFORMATION
Cordova, November IS

'" in progress at Camp of the Alaska Coal Oil Company. with good indica- tions of oil appearing in the drill- ings. The depth of the well is kept a secret by the company's represen- tatives. This we'll is eight miles from the Amalgamated company's nine producers, MT. Miller said.
 A new paystreak was opened on Wolf creek, in the Fairbanks dis trict, during the past summer, but it's extent was not determined. The pay was uncovered by viv Olson and Ole Larson on the right limit, at 4 above, at the mouth of the gulch. The News-Miner states that it is one of the most encouraging strikes that has been made in the vicinity of Fairbanks in long time.
 Cordova, November 19
 That Alaska will become one of the great steel manufacturing cen ters of the United States and that the territory is entering upon a new era of prosperity generally is the opinion of Dr. Alfred H. Books, chief of the Alaska branch of the United States geological survey.
 There are some big deposits of iron ore in Alaska" said Dr. Brooks to the representative of Seattle paper. "Doth hematite and magne- tite, while I have not seen an analysis of these ores, there is every reason to believe that they are com mercially valuable. There is big deposit of iron ore at Nome, but that is rather distant for successful operation. There are several deposits of iron ore in the Ketchikan and Prince William Sound districts, but these, generally speaking, are asso- to be crushed and treated by electric furnaces. Of course, there is an abundance of water power in Alaska for this purpose.
 What Alaska needs more than anything else just at present is cheap fuel. I do not mean cheap fuel in the sense in which the words would be used in the United States, but u reduction of the present exorbitant prices. In Fairbanks, wood costs from SIP to SIS cord, and the wood is nothing more than brush. The tying up of the coal has caused q denudation of the land SO far as timber is concerned. The generation of power with fuel at these prices makes successful mine operation ai- most impossible except in eases where the pay streaks are extremely rich. The heavy cost of fuel has cer- tainly retarded quartz mining in this section. The development of the Nenana coal fields will overcome this condition"
 Dr. Brooks is exceedingly optim- istic concerning the mineral output of Alaska this year. Because of the abundance of water and labor in the territory there has been an increased production of placer gold. This is in Nome, Ruby, Iditarod and Fair benks sections. Last summer was exceedingly dry and there was shortage of labor in some places be- cause of the. stampede to Chisana.
 Cordova, November 20
 Burglars whose work indicates they are not past masters in the art of blowing safes, visited the Cor dova Cafe last night and obtained S60 from the cash register. That they failed to open the safe and relieve the proprietor, Y. Nakao, a Japanese, of $500 more was due to the fact that their load of nitro glycerine was not sufficient to blow off the door of the safe. The explo- sion merely blew out the combina- tion knob and shattered the lock, some of the debris dropping into such a position in the cavity that the. burglars were unable to open the uOOT. lue pIOpi Cloi "1S obliged to use wedge and sledge to effect an entrance after he dis covered the condition of the safe this morning.
 Although people were sleeping in the adjoining and nearby buildings. no one, SO far as known, heard the explosion the noise of which was deadened by sacks of flour and fruit which were piled on and in front of it. The safe crackers seem to have operated in the regulation way, first closing open joints about the door with soap and then pouring the dope" through a hole left in the top. They entered the building through the side door, using pass key.
 Cordova, November 23
 That we have an America today 1, ic due in A great measure to the