The Chitina leader., 1915-01-05
Cordova, January 5

SEAL LIE, Dec. l4.-Wu eu Adnu
/ Commissioner Tallman was in this
city nearly three months ago he
gave assurance to various coal
claimants in the Boring field that
! he would shortly announce decisions
in their cases. He stated to Cheez-
yum, Davis, Greene, White and
others that full investigation had
been made. and conclusions reached.
He assured these claimants that
when he returned to his office at
Washington decisions would be an
nounced. Every day during the past
month various coal locators have
seen diligently scanning the news
papers in the hope of seeing an an
lnouncement that their claims had
gone to patent But thus far their
hopes have not been realized.
While at first many believed that
it was the intention of the interior
department to issue some patents,
the long delay in so doing has had
a tendency to cause much discouf-
agement. And then there have been
various intimations since from
Washington indicating that but few
patents would issue. The one thing
that tends to keep up hope in the
minds of the Bering coal locators is
the report that up to a few days
ago there had been no applications
for coal leases under the new leas-
ing bill. And the locators believe
that if there is to be any immediate
development by private parties that
it must be on lands to which patent
will issue.
Since the result of the test OF
the Matanuska coal has been an
nounced there is a general impress
sion that the government will COM
mence in the spring and build rail-
road from Ship Creek to the Mat
anuska field, and likely engage in
the mining of coal. While this may
be done there is still strong hope
route to be selected for the trunk
! line to Fairbanks will go from Cor
dova via Chitina. 1t is not believed
that the government would think of
mining coal in the Bering field until
after another test of that coal is
made And that would require an
other appropriation and possibly a
couple of years time. However good
the coal there may be it is evident
that the government intends to
stand on the test made a couple of
years ago.
People who are not familiar with
the circumstances, as to the method
of taking out the sample OF coal
from the Boring river, and which
was fully exposed by the Daily
/ Alaskan before the coal was tested,
assume that the Boring coal is not
suitable for navy purposes. The
following misleading statement wos
recently published here:
"After many years congress was
finally induced to make an appro-
priation to secure a full test of
Alaska coal for navy purposes. The
first appropriation was entirely used
in getting out quantity of coal
from another Alaska field, that of
Boring river, where everyone who
had investigated knew that the coal
was useless for navy purposes, a
fact fully confirmed when the coal
was tested"
This article brought forth a reply
from T. P. Mcdonald, who expended
over $4,000 in the development of
Bering coal property. He says:
'Such statements as the above,
whether true or false, serve to dis
courage investment and develop
ment in the Boring river coal field,
hence it is of the. first Importance 10
know if the facts stated are true.
1t is fact that the coal mined by
the bureau of mines from the Beriug
river field and tested on the. battle
ship Maryland was very unsatisfac-
tory. The report of that test shows
the coal contained about 40 per cent
ash, and the coal clinkered badly by
reason of the foreign matter con-
tanned
THAT the coal tested from the
Boring river field was not a fair
| sample is evident from the official
reports on this coal field as pub
lished by the United States govern
ment
1T is putting the case in a
charitable light to say that the
bureau of mines demonstrated it's
| incompetence in mining the coal for
this test.