The Alaska citizen., 1917-01-22
A|aska's Mining Year Was 1916
 Dr.. Brooks Makes Mining Report

In 1916 Alaska mines made a min eral production valued at S5o.900, 900. These are the advance figures issued by the United States geological sur yey. department of the interior. and are based on estimates made by Alfred IL Brooks. The output Of aiasha mines iu iSi5. winch was greater than that of any previous year. had value of S32,S50.000, and the increase in 1916 was therefore over 54 per cent. It was the pro duet of the copper mines that so greatly swelled the mineral produc. tion of the year This amounted to 12O,S5O.O00 pounds. valued at $32400.- 900. There was also. however, an increase in gold output which in 1916 was S17,o50Oo0, and in 1915 was s16,7O0,000 Of the gold pro duced ill 1916 $1O,6f0,000 is to be credited to the placer mines. Alaska also produced i'll 1916 silver, lead. tin. antimony. tungsten, petroleum, marble, gypsum and coal to the value of S1,30O,000 During 32 years of mining Alaska has produced S351, 100000 in gold, silver. copper and other minerals. Of this amount S278,- 100000 represents the value of the gold, and s6S,0OO,0O0 that of the copper.
 MINERAL PRODUCTION.
 The value of the total mineral production of Alaska in 1916 is es- timated to have been $50.9O0000, that of 1915 was S32,S54,0OO and was itself greater than in any pre- vious year. The increase In 1916 was therefore $1S,OO0,0O0, or more than 54 per cent. Although this enormous increase in output was in large measure due to the large ton mage and high price of copper, yet nearly all other minerals were pro duced in greater quantities than in the previous year. During g years of mining Alaska has produced over S351, 100000 woth of gold, silver, cop per, and other minerals.
 It can not be expected that Alaska will continue to produce so much mineral wealth each year, yet the large amount of preparation made in 1916 for lode and placer mining and the development of the coal mining industry, now assured, give promise of a continuous healthy growth of the mining industry of the territory. This is especially true of the Pacific coast region and of the territory served by the railroads built or un- der construction.
 The Alaska mines are believed to have produced gold to the value of about S17,O5O,O0O in 1916, compared with s16, 100000 in 1915. This makes the total value of the gold mined in the Territory about s277900,000, of which some $196,800,000 has been won from the placers. In 1916 about 12O,S50,O0O pounds of copper was produced in Alaska, valued at about s32,400,000, The production of 1915 was S6,500,000 pounds, valued at s15.- 100000 The total copper production to date is 340.7OO.OOO pounds. valued at s68,3O0,000.
 The value of Alaska's lesser miner al products in 1916 was about as follows Silver, s950,000; tin. s120. 900; lead, s110,000; antimony, $60.- 900; tungsten, s6O,0OO; coal, S3O,000; petroleum. marble. gypsum. etc, s130,00O.
 GOLD PLACER MINING.
 The data in hand indicates that the value of the placer gold output in 1916 was s1o,64000 in 1915 it was S1O,4SO.00O. About GAO placer mines were operated in 1916, employing some 4,60O men. All the older dis tricts appear to have held up or in creased their output compared with the previous year, except Fairbanks. The increased output is, however, to be credited chiefly to the new camps of Marshall and Tolovana. Thirty-six gold dredges were operat ed in Alaska, in 1916, one more than in 1915-29 In Seward Penin- sula, three in the Iditarod, and one each in Fairbanks, Circle and Yentna districts. Of these 36 dredges four were installed in-1916. It is esri- mated that these dredges produced between s2,0O0.000 and s2,200,00O worth of gold If the final figures bear out this estimate, 1t indicates a lower recovery per dredge than