The Alaska daily empire., 1922-07-15

and Moose Creek.
 Results of Explorations
 "A limited amount of high grade coal has been developed at the Chick aloon and Coal Creek mines" MT. Bain said ''In the exploration of these fields, the Navy Alaska Coal Commission has painstakingly pieced out the stratigraphy of these fields until there is now little doubt as to the facts in the ground explored. These facts are extremely discourag ing so far as finding workable coal on the pitching limb of the syncline is concerned. Not only does the faulting interfere, but the intrusion of igneous rocks has destroyed much of the coal. AS an example to illus trate the situation, 1t will serve to mention that the thick No. 8 bed on which reliance was mainly placed in opening the mine, is of worka ble quality and thickness through about oDethird only of the distance ex plored along the strike. In order to get out any tonnage, it would be necessary to mine discontinuous patches on several different beds of coal, in badly broken ground and to do most unusual amount of dead work in rock. These conditions com bine to make it virtually impossible to mine this coal at a profit and causes any consideration as to what constitutes the actual reserve to be come wholly theoretical. In the un explored ground north of the present workings there arc good reasons to hope for better mining conditions but it will be necessary to do more work before this can be determined
 ''The ground in the western portion of the field, where private capital has been interested, is less broken than in the area which contains the high grade coal, but the solution of the faulting problems still consti tutes the main difficulty. The ground already opened on Moose Greek shows that many faults are to be anticipated and while a good thick ness of excellent coal is present, no reserve of mineable coal of large quantity has been blocked out. This is unfortunate since at least one of hbe beds present is of grade suit able for steam and domestic use as mine run. Along Moose Creek there are other leases and permits and since the rocks are progressively less disturbed to the west, there is good reason to anticipate the ultimate find Sng of adequate supplies of workable coal suitable for local industrial anf domestic use. The immediate neet an this field is for a careful detailed study of the structure, checked from time to time as development pro- ceeds and the Navy Department has generously detailed Capt w P. T. Hill of the Marine Corps Ito the Blu rean of Mines, to make this study Captain Hill served as geologist with the Navy Alaska Coal Commission and is especially qualified to carry on this work"
 Heaiy Supply Adequate
 The Ncnana or Hcaly River coal field lies about no miles south of Fairbanks and 50 miles from the Ia mana River crossing. Secretary Fall has recently authorized the construc- tion of a spur from the Government Railway at Healy to the coal fields, a distance of about four miles. The coal in this field is a good grade of sub-bituminous. Along Healy Creek rh gre are at least a dozel workable beds of coal, eight of which are so situated as Ito be easily opened and economically mined Mir. Bain said.
 While the Healy coal is not of sufficiently high grade to warrant expectation of building up an out s'de market. it is adequate to all rail. way and local industrial uses and properly exploited the property os, sures the cheap fuel which is the first essential to the building np of industries in the western part of aha Territory. The coal should be deliverable to down-river points from Nenana just as Pittsburgh coal is c3rried down the Ohio and Mississip- nj many miles at low cost. The de- veropment in this field is being done hy private interests"
 eerino Field Handicapped
 Considerable development work has ] zen done by several companies in the Bering River coal field. which is situated about 60 miles from Cor fova and about 20 miles from the nearest point on the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. At the present time, 600 tons of washed coal are being mined and prepared by the Boring River Coal Company for tests to. be undertaken by the Navy De partment during the summer to de- termine the quality and availability of this coal for navy use. MT. Bain said that the U. s. s. Jason, navy collier. had left Colon on July en route to Controller Bay to load these 500 tons and to Anchorage. where it will load 5000 tons of washed coal from tho Chickaloon mine.
 Lack of adequate transportation facilities has rendered the delivery of these 600 tons of coal excep- tionally difficult. Mir. Bain said After being mined and washed. it is sacked
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