The daily Alaskan., 1922-01-26

We are running today a portion Of the advance statement given out by the U. S. Geological Survey or the department of the interior, which has been sent to the press Of Alaska.
 The statement will be continued from issue to issue as il is too long for one insertion:
 Coal
 The output of coal was aboui 7S,- O0O tons in 1921 ard 6l.lll tons m 1920. In 1921 about 5S.0O0 tons came from the Jatauuska aeld. principally from the Eska n9uc. operated by the Alaskan Engineer ing Commission To supply coal for the railroad. The Navy Coal Com mission continued underground ey- nloration for coal a; Chick2loou and at Coal and Moose creeks. with fair ly encouraging results. The Eska mine. operated since 1917, was closed in October tor the reason that there was a large stock or sual on hand The Esans-Jonns m'1e. near the Eska, is heinz systemauCal- ly developed and rlw has a 20LUc1- ton with the rsiTr.sd. A washerv for the MatanusSa coal was 7bout completed at the c. d of the year.
 Work was sUs7eIGed at :he Bnl- ing River coal mine. in the T--ag River field. in May 1921 Tfoa9h excellent coal has b-en found on uEs property, the underground evFlo-a- rions have not yet established the presence of a tonnage large enou-1 to justify the construction oC a rail road. Othe. leases Save been grant ed in the Boring River field. and plans are under way for the build ing of a railroad to Controller Bay.
 The Healy coal mine. in the Ne mana Ignite field, is now being orer- ared on a regular productive baisi During the winter of l920-2l some coal was also mined on LiEnite creek. in the same field. by the Broad Pass Coal CJ Small Ignite mines were operated at several widely scattered localities-,wo along the Alaska railroad. one at EuEruk. Seward Peninsula. and one al Wainwright Inlet It is prob able that small quantities ot coal were also mined at other localities. from which no reports have vet come. In 1921 coal was produced at probably a dozen localities.
 The most significant feature Of the years coal mining is that there are now two commercial mines. the Eyans-Jones and the Healy. and these mines though only small pro ducers. will be operated through out the year becau,e they have rail- road transportation. Both these mines are the result Of local enter prise.
 The question whether the de7os- it's of high-grade b.tuminous coal in the Matanuska and Berfng River fields contain a large tonnage Of fuel available under the present high cost or recovery ard with the pres eut market is still unanswered. There is. however. no doubt that one or both of these coal fields will be able to supply the local demand. Actual mining of inc lower grado of Matauuska coal has proved that it can be produced in competition with imported coal The Alaskan Engineering Commission has dur ing four years of operation at the Eska mine. made an ou,pu- ot near ly 100000 tons Of coal at a cost of about Sl.l5W.uuW. or S5-Ol ton. This was used in the construction Of the railroad. Had the government imported this coal. it would have cost nearly S2.000.30O. This proves beyond doubt that commercial min ing in at least part Of the Natauu- ska field is feasible. Some have gone so far as to claim that the MatanU- ska branch of the Alaska railroad, which cost less than S2,5OO,00O, has already proved a blunder. Such statements are without basis of fact, as shown by the record Of mining in the Natanuska field.
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