The Chitina leader. [volume] (Chitina, Alaska) 1910-1928, 1915-11-01
GOAL FIELDS At
bED|NG RIVER
VISITED

Geo. C. Hazelet, president of the
local Chamber of Commerce, and
Falcon Joslin. president of the Tanana
Valley railroad. have just returned
from visit to the oil fields at Katalla
and the Bering river coal fields, where
they made an examination of the natu-
raj resources. The trip was made to
Katalla on the launch Prospector ana
they mushed from the coal fields to
Mile SO. on the Copper River railway,
over the proposed route for transport
ing the coal from Boring river to Cor.
dova, and are very enthusiastic over
the future OF this section of the coun-
try. To a Daily Times reporter Mr..
Joslin said:
"Our trip into the Boring River coal
field and to Katalla was immensely in
teresting. What we saw tends to con-
firm what l have long claimed, that
is. that Alaska is acre for acre as rich
in natural resources as any other
equal area in the world.
"In the Tanana Valley the resources
are gold and agriculture. In the Cop
per River Valley it is copper; at Katal-
Ia the resources are coal and oil.
What delights one Is to find that both
the coal and the oil is very finest
quality. In the time to come the
name Alaska Coal and Alaska OIL
will become trade names signifying
the very best.
I'VE mined coal from vein twenty
feet thick and burnt it in coal stove
We found in an abandoned camp on
Carbon creek that was so high in fuel
value it would probably have melted
the stove if the draft had been left
open The coal which analysis shows
has between 20 and 80 per cent fixed
carbon burns white hot. We were in
formed by those who have used the
coal that it will melt the CRATES in an
ordinary stove If not used carefully.
We were reliably told of case where
a IL inch drill bit left in the forge to
be heated while the blacksmith was
at lunch was found to melted when ne
returned, and this without forced
draft.
1--WE also made coke Of this coal by
starting a fire with it and then COW
ering it with earth. It seems quite
probable, however, that the coal is of
such high heating value it may be
used for smelling as it comes from the
mine. without coking it. If this
should prove to be true it will be a
great economy in the smelling of the
copper ores adjacent to Cordova.
The coal field is more than 30 miles
long and several miles in width. In
the upper end of the Held, which we
did not visit, there is said to be the
finest anthracite coal. The field at
its nearest available point is about 25
miles from the Copper River railroad
and about the same distance from tide
water at Katalla. There in an excel
lent route for branch line railroad
from the Copper River road from
about Mile 80 via Lake Charlotte. We
also went over part of this route and
over all the alternate route via Kattal-
la and the sea shore. Either route is
quite feasible. If the line should go
via Lake Charlotte to the coal it will
probably be found advantageous to
extend it on to Katalla, for the de-
velopment of the oil field about there
will undoubtedly make sufficient traffic
to attract railroad.
Indeed it is entirely possible that
the oil field may become of more value
and importance than the coal. The
oil field as proved by seepages-ex-
tends from the Copper River delta on
the west to Yakataga on the east, a
distance Of more than a hundred
miles. 1t appears to skirt the shore
line and In width extends toward the
interior 10 or Is miles. 1t is not a
small field as I had supposed, but a
very large field. We found gas bub.
bling up in many places in Boring
Lake and found we could with q
match light the bubbles as they came
through the water.
There are three or four producing
wells near Katalla and small REIN
cry There is about $4,000 gallons Of
crude oil produced monthly from
which about $4,000 gallons of gaso.
line is produced. The rest Is wasted
1t is pity to see the fine parafine
base oil thrown away from the lack
of means to refine and market 1t.
"In spite OF these wonderfully fine
resources the whole district is dead