The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-01-10

The value of the mineral output
of Alaska in 1913 is estimated at
$1S,90O,0 900 by Alfred H. Brooks, of
the United States geological survey,
as compared with $22,537,S31 for
1912. The value of the gold output
is estimated at $15,450,0O0; that of
1912 was $17,145,951. There was
very marked decrease in copper pro-
duction, that of 1913 being estimated
to have been 100000 lbs, valued
at about $3,014,000, while that of
1912 was 29,230,491 lbs, valued at
$~4,S23,O31. AS the Alaska silver
output is largely a ~byproduct of gold
and copper mining, this also showed
a decrease in value from $316,S39
in 1912 to about 100000 in 1913.
Other minerals. including marble,
gypsum, tin, etc., are estimated to
have been produced to the value of
about 100000 in 1913, or about the
same as the value of the production
of 1912.
The territory has produced min
eral wealth to the value Of $24S,-
5000 OF this $22S,20O,000 is
gold, s16,6SO,OOO copper, $4,000
900 silver, $26O,OOO coal, and the
balance tin, lead, marble, gypsum,
petroleum, etc. Copper mining began
in Alaska in 1901, and the total pro-
duction is about I10,000,000 lbs. .
There are several reasons for the
decrease of over SO 100000 in the
value of Alaska's mineral output, as
compared with the previous year.
The most important of these is the
condition of the placer mining indus
try, which, in spite of the advances
made in lode mining, still furnishes
two-thirds of the gold output. Less
than 40 per cent of the placer gold
is produced by large plants, the bal
ance being still won from the rich
gravels that can be profitably mined
by hand methods. Therefore marked
1uctuation in the placer gold output
in inevitable, due to exhaustion OF
bonanzas on n nand, and the dis
covery of new districts on the other.
Moreover, these small operations are
far more dependent on tn local wa
ter supply than are the large plants.
Under such conditions nj stability of
placer gold production is to be ex-
pected.
The exceptionally dry summer of
1913 and the fact that the bonanza
deposits of Fairbanks district have
in a large measure been exhausted
account for the decrease in gold out
put. There is, however, no short
age of auriferous gravels, but only
of deposits which can be mined I'M
der the present high cost of opera
ton.
What is true of the placer mines
applies also to lode mining except
on tidewater. The Fairbanks dis
trict has shown what can be &C
complished in lodge mining under
the most adverse conditions of trans
portation, labor, water and fuel.
While the coastal region is develop
ing at a rate which bids fair to over
shadow all mining operations in the
interior, no marked progress can be
expected in the inland region until
a transportation system is provided.
The falling off in copper output is
less significant, because it is due
solely to the fact that the kennicott-
Bonanza-much the larger copper
producer-was closed down on ac-
count of accidents for about one
third of the year.
The finding during 1913 of de-
posts of a%uriferous gravels in two
new and widely separated localities,
namely, in the upper Matanuska
basin and in the upper Chisana
basin locally called Shushana) a
tributary of the Tanama river, fur
nishes new fields for the prospectOr.
These discoveries curtailed the gold
output in some of the larger camps,
ers and thus caused a shortage of
labor.
There vas no railway construction
in Alaska during 1913. OF the 466
miles of track previously built only
about go miles yer operated in
1918. This is largely due to the
high cost of fuel and to the tax of
500 a mile on all operating lines.
These conditions have tended to dis
courage the railways, especially those
which are but partially completed.
Some excitement was caused by
the discovery of a feasible railway
route from Portage or Passage bay.
on the west side of Prince William
sound, to Turnagain arm. Here a
route was found which, by use of a
tunnel about 2 miles in length, will
avoid the glaciers and yield low
grades for both in and out bound
traffic. The distance from tidewateI
on Prince William sound to tidewater
on Turnagain arm is about IL miles
opd tho nropOSpd line will iOin the