The Alaska daily empire., 1918-01-21
The Gold Output for the Southeastern Section for 1917 and Cop
 per Production.
GIVES SOME OF CAUSES
Declares Also That Plans for Utilizing Iron Ores Are Now Being
 Worked Out.

The advance figures given out by
 c. c. Martin on estimates for 1917,
 in which the total mineral produc-
 tion for the Territory is valued at
 $41,760,0 900, he takes up the produc-
 tion by each district Regarding
 Southeastern Alaska, his report for
 the United States Geological Depart
 ment, says:
 About nine gold-lode mines, eight
 copper mines, and two placer mines
 were operated in Southeastern Alas
 ka during 1917. Preliminary esti-
 mates indicate that the value of the
 gold produced in this field was about
 $4,900,000. The estimated copper
 production from this region Gall of
 it from the Ketchikan districD was
 3,650,o00 pounds, valued at $1,O00,-
 000
 In the Ketchikan district no gold mines were operated The principal
 copper producers were the Rush
 and Brown, It, Jumbo, and Mount
 Andrew mines. The Mamie mine
 was closed down in the Spring, and an increased output was made at the It. The Rich Hill copper prop erty, on Kasaan Peninsula, is being developed by the Granby Company. A 60ton Notation mill was con structed on the Salt Chuch mine formerly the Goodro mine,) where
 milling was begun late in the sum mer A molybdenite bearing lode in the vicinity of Shakan, on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, is being developed. Marble qaurrying
 was continued about as usual.
 Development of the copper lodes of the Ketchikan district, particu larly on Kasaan Peninsula, has led | 10 the uncovering of large bodies of magnetic iron ore in number of places This magnetitte, which con
 tains usually about 0.5 per cent. of copper, has hitherto been regarded only os a lowgrade copper ore. At tention has recently been redirected to these ores as source Of iron
 Magnetic separation should yield a high-grade iron ore and a valuable l the cost of separation. Plans for
 utilizing these iron ores are now
 being considered
 Gold lode mining on a large scale | continued at the Alaska-Juneau and Alaska Gastineau Perseverance, lode mines, near Juneau, in 1917. The new mill at the Alaska-Juneau mine was completed and put in operation 1 in ALril and was being run at about half it's full capacity of 5000 i tons daily in October. The Alaska i Gastineau mine and mill were turn
 ing out 7,5OO tons daily in October As a result of cave-in at the Treadwell, the 700-Foot and Mexi can Mines, which occurred in Ap Til, these properties are now flooded with sea water and abandoned. The surface equipment of these three mines is being dishmantled and sold
 The Ready Bullion mine, though connected at the 1850 foot level with the Mexican mine, was saved by a I concrete buIkhead which, after the cavein, was made permanent and greatly strengthened. At the end of June the drawing of, all broken and | cayed in ore above the 2,000 foot level was discontinued in order toi render the mine entirely safe, and | all open stopes are now being filled with waste Development of the l mine continued on the lower levels. l The 240O foot level is now complet- 1 ed. and rapid progress is being made on the 2600 foot level. The ! present plans contemplate the ulti- mate extension of the new No Fl shaft to the 420O foot level. The production of gold at the Ready Bull. lion mine was decreased to one third the normal quantity, when work above the 200O foot level was dis continued, but will gradually be in creased as the lower levels open up. Development work was continued Tt the Alaska -Ebner mine. The Jual- in mine, at Berner's Bay, was oper ated at the rate of 35 tons day during most of the year. Other properties in the Juneau gold belt were also developed or operated inI a small way, and prospecting for new lOdes was continued. Development work at the molyb- denite prospect nine miles north of Skagway continued.
 On Chichagoff Island both the Chichagoff gold mine and the gyp- sum mine of the Pacific Coast Gyp- sum Co. were operated on about the same scale as last year. The main tunnel of the Chichagoff mine is now over 4,400 feet long. At the gypsum mine work was started on the new 3O0-foot level. This mine has been a steady producer since 1906 Development work was continued on the group of copper claims near the head of Pinta Bay, about 15 miles northwest of Chichagoff. Al rs4sl