The Cordova daily times., 1921-02-19
SENATOR GIVES BOOST TO WORK
 OF COMMISSION

"I am for the Alaskan engineering commission and after more than a casual study of the work it has already done and is doing I can only say that it is doing big and won. derful work" declared Senator E. B. Collins, of Fairbanks, who ar. rived in Juneau on the Northwestern, says the Empire. Senator Collins came out over the Alaska railway, was several days in Anchorage where he went over the entire Alaskan en- gineering establishment and visited and inspected the coal mines at both Eska and Chickaloon.
 q do not say that the commits sion has done it's work perfectly. There are, of course, some small things that naturally come up that could be criticized but do say that there is no ground for serious criti- cism and it certainly does deserve the highest praise for the work it is doing and has completed up to date" he declared. What it will mean eventually for the territory not even the most optimistic has any real idea of.
 COAL MINING INDUSTRY
 "As an illustration of what ! have in mind" said Senator Collins, "one has but to view the coal mining industry now beginning to be opened up from interior Alaska to the fields near Anchorage. Beginning at Fair banks where Ignite coal is being used with entire satisfaction to An chorage where steaming coal is being landed, I saw the industry in it's infant stages. Coal at Fairbanks costs us $10 per ton delivered in our bins. We are not using it in the mining industry for the reason that the coal mines have not yet been de- veloped to the stage where they can furnish the necessary fuel Coal at Anchorage, which is better grade than that mined in the interior, I understand sells in car load lots for $11 per ton.
 HEALY RIVER MINE
 The only operating mine for com. mercial uses in the interior Is at Healy, a construction town at the confluence of the Nenana and Healy rivers. The vein lies under the tracks of the Alaska railway. It is operat- ed by the Healy River Coal Corpora. ation which has opened up on a nine- foot vein of high grade Ignite and is furnishing fuel for the Alaskan engi- neering commission and to the towns of Nenana and Fairbanks. It supplies the camps through the Nenana can yon as far as Jack river A few miles up Healy river the company has an- other lease on ground facing the river where massive 30-foot veins of Ignite are exposed to the surface The companys output has been cur tailed by development operations and by shortage of rolling stock on the railroad caused by the demands on rolling stock for construction pur- poses Both of these drawbacks will be overcome shortly.
 COAL FOR CAMPS
 From Jack river to south of Broad Pass at Sullivan's roadhouse wood is still used as a fuel Near Sullivan's however, the commission is mining Ignite which furnishes the camps from there to the end of steel with fuel for all purposes. From the end of steel at the northern end of the southern division coal is ob- tained at the commissions mine at Eska where 120 men are employed.
 At Eska there is a world of coal for commercial purposes and use by the commission. Under Supt. Sum- ner Smith, this mine is being de. veloped into a big proposition. A ! tunnel has been driven hack . mn