The Nome nugget., 1919-12-20
COL. RAMSAY PURCHASES LlssURNE COAL MINE

II Prospects of an early commercial development of the coal mine at Cape l.isburne known us the Mcintosh mine are provided in the announcement that Col. Ramsay. the English baronet who Is interested in several local enter prises. among which are said to be the Alaska Lighterage Company and the power plant, has purchased the mine from Finley Mcintosh. who is at pres- ent on the Outside.
 \ A telegram announcing the sale was received by U. S, Commissioner Hugh O'Neill q few days ago, Nothing de- finite is known regarding Col. Ram says intentions. It is presumed however. that he will probably com mence development next summer as he Is a man of wealth and therefore in' a position to adequately finance an effort to place the mine on q com- mercial basis. Belief that develop ment work will be inaugurated next summer Is further enhanced by the fact that the British peer is not one who lets the grass grow under his feet. Being already familiar with the district generally through former as- sociation, it is probable that Col. Ram say is fully aware of the possibilities of his new venture and is proceeding in line with well defined plans to place the mine on a productive basis.
 1 From the viewpoint of the people of this section the acquisition of the mine by Col. Ramsay is a matter for con graduation. At no time in the hs- tory of the district has the need for development of the local fuel resources been more pressing than at present The high cost of imported coal has stified prospecting to the degree that only the more venturcsomc miner will attempt to prospect in the frozen ground composing the bulk of the known gold bearing areas. Scarcely more than Il dozen outfits are engaged in development work in this section and a majority of these are en- gagged on ground. the productive values of which are already ascertained. High fuel prices have practically fore ed the prospector out of business.
 | As there is little or no prospect of Nn mi tuiI Io fr,n u,.innp hni,,r q long time to come. the outlook for mining development for the next year or two Is far from encouraging. unless development of the local coal resour- ces works q change in the situation by lowering present fuel costs.
 | Owing to this unfortunate situation, the purchase of the Lishurne mine by Col. Ramsay who is in il position to proceed with it's development. is a matter of vital importance to the dis trict and its people. The mine is known to yield an excellent grade of coal of semi -bituminous character. Tests made in earlier years have demonstrated that the Lisburne coal, If not fully equal in grade to the in- fei for outside product sold here in re- cent years for fancy prices. Is suffic- iently good In quality to meet the bulk of local demands and it's use would be speedily adopted if placed on the market at Il moderate price. There is also the added prospect that systema- tic development of the Lisburne field will reveal q much better grade of coal than the surface samples from which the local tests were made. The bulk of the product brought here from Lis- burne has been composed chiefly of coal picked up from the beach below the coal veins and represented only surface outcroppings which had been exposed to the weather for possibly many years. Those who are familiar with the Lisburne fields are unanim- ously of the view that the deeper de- posits will be found much superior to the more exposed strata's. Should this prove to be the case, development will insure Nome and the district gen. lerally an almost inexhaustible supply lof fuel suitable to practically all local demands.