Iditarod pioneer., 1915-02-27
PLENTY OF TONNAGE
 IN1 SU5ITNA VALLEY

There Is plenty of tonnage in sight to warrant the building of the government railroad via the Sustna valley, in the opln- ion of Thomas A. Parker, one of the best known of the old time Alaskans Who has spent much time in that section, and who was engaged with the United States ra.I- road commission during the wori, of last summer. The resources which are to fur nish this tonnage, he says, are still practi- c5lIy unGevolGrcd, although the start that has been made has already given showing enough to prove that further development will open up vast resources not only in mineral wealth, but in agricultural pur suits.
 The Bread Pass section seems to offer evidences of prolific mining resources. Large deposits of gold ores, carrying values according to assay tests running from $l2 to &200 per ton, are known to exist, while the conditions for successful farming are
 ore favorable than in any other section of Alaska, except, perhaps, the Tanana valley.
 Mfr. Parker left that section of AlaSka during October just passed and at that time developments work in the Bread Pass sec ton was actively under way. The property of the Wells brothers is probably the best known and has had the greatest amount of development work dcre on it. They have developed three of thelr slE claims to some
 tent. On one claim they have driven tunnel fer distance of seVenty-hve feet end shown up an ore body carrying values running from SIP per ton to S200. The dcpcsit CT dyke las been developed to be 6Gj feet in width, and has been traced jr length fer a distance of twelve miles. Tie ere is base or seni-Dase and will mostly have to be snlelJed.
 On the same lead Coffee and Kelly are doing development work also the Bowker brothers, while twenty-five miles west ot Bread pass WClf and Hicks have developed lead of the same character of ore on the ChClitna river, a tributary of the Su3itna river. There were l40 quartz locations made during the past year
 J. w. Strausbetter, the well known min ing engineer, is on the ground with force cf men, representing big Eastern syndi- cate. They have an option on the Wells brothers property and will spend the winter investigating its possibilities further.
 It is absolutely necessary that the trans portatiCn facilities be provided in order to develop these properties and to operate them. This can only be done through the construction of railroad and the building of wagon roads so that mining supplies and machinery may be transported to the ground" says Mir. Parker
 "Alreadv." continued Mir Parker, there are fCrty bona tidc homesteaders located on the tilIable land of the Susitna valley, an3 they are engaged in building cabins and in clearing land at the present time One ranch owned and conducted by Olson and Larson this past summer raised potatoes on ten acres of ground that is under cultiv2- tion, securing yield of AGO tons to the acre. They also raised nearly all the other known vegetables that thrive in Alaska"
 It is Mir. Parker's belief that coal will be shipped from Ship Creek first, because ths $ the point where the railroad will first touch tidewater. After running the prehmi- nary lines party of government surveyors this past summer ran a location line from Ship Creek to the Matanuska coal fields This would seem to indicate that Mir. Par ker's belief is we'll founded These esti- mates were all turned in and the line Is ready for construction, he says
 knik is reported by Mir. Parker to be thriving in a wonderful way. At least seventy-fve new buildings were erected there during the past summer and fall. Mr Parker, who Is aboard the Admiral Evans will engage in the commercial business at knik next spring. He expects to return to Seattle within the next sixty days for the purpose of making arrangements for his new enterprise.
 The mines back of Knik produced during the past season approximately S2S0,O0O. he Gold Bullion alone produced Sl4O.OOO. Everyone around that section is reported to be In a cheerful frame of mind, and opti- mistic for the future-Juneau Empire.