The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-01-21
MINING N ALASKA 1914
PROSPEROUS CONDITION
NEARLY s2o,Ooo,ooo-eoLD MAIN
FAcToR-LoW PRICES
HURT COPPER.

Alaska in 1914 IS estimated by Alfred
H. Brooks of the U. s. geological sur
vey, at s19.24S,000, compared with $ls.-
$4,000 for 1918. The preliminary fig
ures on gold output for 1914 show q
value Of $15,90O,000; in 1918 the value
was S15,G26,S18 Silver to the value OF
$4,000 was pr duced in 1914 com
pared with s2iS,sS8 in 1918. Though
the low price Of copper since midyear
greatly curtaled the output Of that
metal, about 20.S50,000 pounds, valued
at about S2,S72,000, was produced iii
I1914 against 21,65995S pounds, valued
at $3,357,293 in 1913 The output Of
the other minerals, including tin, mar
BILE, gypsum quicksilver, coal and pc
troleum, in 1914 had value of about
$2S5,0O0 compared with $272,242 for
1918.
Territory Was Prosperous.
Had 1t not been for the depression
In the copper market the value OF
] Alaska's mineral product would have
been considerably greater in 1914 than
in 1913 The gold mining industry Of
the territory as whole was prosper
Gus during the year, as Is made di-
rectly evident by the figures on out
put, but a more important item Of
progress Is the extensive dead work
accomplished on large plants that have
not yet reached productive stage.
No progress was made in coal mining
there being In 1914 only one small
productive mine in the territory and
that in one Of the Ignite fields. 1t is
expected that the new law providing
for leasing Of coal land in Alaska win
lead to the exploitation of the fields
containing high grade coal. The tin,
gypsum and marble industries of
Alaska had successful year
Railroad to the Yukon.
The certainty Of railway connection
with the Yukon basin has greatly slim
ulateu both prospecting and mining
development. There was a noticeable
Increase in investigation of large min
ing enterprises in 1914 compared with
previous years. This was due solely
TO the expectation of cheaper trans
portation.
The data alread yin hand indicate
that the value Of the placer gold pro-
dneed in 1914 was about S10,700,000, or
practically the same as that Of 1913,
which was $l0G8000O About A gold
dredges We're operated in Alaska for
the whole. or part Of the open season
Of 1914. Preliminary estimates indi-
cate that these dredges produced gold
worth between $2,05O 600 and 50 BOO
600, About rs gold lode mines were
operated in Alaska in 1914 and pro-
duced gold to the value of about So
100000.
Depression in Copper
he developments made up to mid
summer gave promise that 1914 would
be the most profitable year in the his
tory of Alaska copper mining, but the
financial stringency and collapse Of
the copper market that followed the
breaking out of the European war
closed down some of the producing
mines and put a stop to some very
important developments. Up to about
The first of August seven copper mines
We're in operation, but at the close of
the year only four were still WORKING
Had 1t not been for the war at least
nine copper mines would have been
ready to ship ore before the end of the
year
Wonderful Mineral Record.
The total production of Alaska tin
mines since the industry started in
1902 is about $50 tons of metallic tin.
valued at $4,000. In 1914 most of
the tin was obtained from the York
district. where both placer and lode
tin mining We're carried on, and lit
tie from the pacers of the Hot Springs
district of Tanana valley
Mining began in Alaska in 1880 and
since that time the territory has pro-
duced mineral wealth to the value of
S26S,000,000. OF this $244.S00000 has
been in gold, $19,SOO,000 in copper
$2,25t,000 in silver and $4,000 in
coal, and the rest in tin, lead, quick
silver, marble gypsum. petroleum,
etc Copper mining began in Alaska
In 1901 and the total production is
about 13S,OO0,O0O