The Cordova daily times., 1918-08-03

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The data in hand indicates that the
value of the placer gold output in
1917 was $3.50 900: in 1916 il was
$ll .l40,OoO. The decrease was due
chiefly to restriction of operations be-
cause of the high cost of supplies and
the scarcity of labor. The placer out
put was increased only in the Tolo.
vana, Marshall and Ruby districts and
at the new Tolstoi camp
Gold Lode, MINING
About 30 gold lode mines were op.
Grated in 1917. compared with 20 in
1916. The value of this lode gold
mined decreased from $5,9l2,0O0 in
1916 to about S5.25D. 900 in 1917. The
decrease was due chiefly to the dis
aster at the Treadwell mine South.
eastern Alaska. especially the Juneau
district. is still the only center of
large quartz mining development In
the territory. Next in Importance Is
the Willow creek lode district Gold
lode mining on Prince William sound,
kenai peninsula and in the Fairbanks
district is at a standstiil
Copper Mining
The copper production of Alaska in
1917 was about SS.2O0,0oo pounds, val.
ned at about $24O00.O00 This is less
than the production in 1916, which was
l19,6O0.000 pounds. valued at $685.
$29.4S4. 000. but is greater than the
production of any other year The
reduction in output was due largely
to labor troubles at the kennecott-
Bonanbza mine. During the year II
copper mines were operated. com
pared with Is in 19l6-S in the Ket-
chikan district, in the Prince WIZ
lam sound district and 3 in the Chit
ina district The enormous output
of the Kennecott- bonanza mine In the
Chitina district, in 1917. as In pre-
vious years, overshadDw that from
all others.
Tin Mining
About 232 tons of stream tin was
produced in Alaska in 1917 Most of
this came from the York district.
where two tin dredges were operated.
were also continued on
the Lost River lode-tin mine The
rest of the concentrates were recov-
cred incidentally to placer-sold min
ing, chiefly in the Hot Springs dis
trict.
Anthony Mining
The mining of anthony ore (stib-
nite) began in Alaska in 1915, and
on about the same scale
the first half of 1916, when
a fall in the price of anthony put
an end to most of these operations.
Mining continued at two localities in
the Fairbanks district in 1917.
Tungsten Mining
The Fairbanks district and Seward
peninsula were the principal pro
ducers of tungsten in Alaska in 1917
In the Fairbanks district two tuag.
stem mines are in course OF develop
ment, At one of these mines one unit
OF a 75-ton mill is in operation and
late in the summer was turning out
several hundred pounds OF scheelite
daily. At the other mine
"A similar mill was in course of CON
struction. Underground work was in
progress at both mines. The present
indications give promise OF a large
increase in the production of tungsten
in the Fairbanks district. In Sew
ard peninsula tungsten was produced
principally by sluicing the residual
scheelite bearing lode material in
Sophie gulch S,aaller quantities
were recovered as the result of placer
mining at other localities.
Mineral Fuels
The production of petroleum from
the only oil claim patented in Alaska
in the Katalla district was increased
in 1917. Drilling continued
on a small scale but no new produc-
tive wells were obtained
About 81 200 tons of coal, valued at
$500 600, were mined in Alaska dur
ing 1917. The largest production was
derived from the Eska Creek mines,
in the Matanuska field, which were
taken over by the Alaskan engineer
ing commission. Coal was mined also
at the Doherty mine. in the Mata-
nuska field. at the Blum Point mine,
on Cook inlet, on Cache creek. and
near Candle. The most important