The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-03-30
FALL TO RULE
ALASKA MINES
Interior Department Gets
Rich ChickalOOn and
Mantanuska Fields.
is PARTIAL VICTORY
Transfer First Step in Plan Of
Secretary to Control Terri
tory's Resources.

The rich ChickaIoon and Man.
tanuska coal fields in Alaska will
pass into the hands Of Secretary OF
Interior Fall on May !. il was an
nounced at the Interior Department
yesterday.
1T was agreed at the Cabinet
meeting Tuesday that this transfer
should be made as of May l." Sec
setary Fall said. The transfer
places in the Interior Department
leasing rights subject solely to the
decision of that department
These mines, which have been op-
Grated by the Navy Department to
furnish coal for the Pacific fleet.
are said to be equipped with
modern mining machinery and coal
washeries- Eleven hundred thous-
and dollars has been invested in
machinery by the Navy Department
Only Part of Plan.
Approximately 100000 tons of
coal have been blocked out at the
Chickaloon mines and diamond drill
ing has developed 2,500.OOO tons at
Coal Creek, about two miles from
Chickaloon. After washing. the
coal shows 1900 B. T. T., and is
said to rank with the Pocahontas
coal in the United States. The
Chickaloon mines have a daily ca
pacity of $50 tons of washed coal.
Transfer OF these mines to the In
terror Department is but a part Of
the announced plan Of Secretary
Fall to gain control of Alaskan re-
sources. Recent efforts of the Sec
retary of Interior to further his
plan through acquisition OF the For
est Service. brought to light a
Cabinet controversy between the
Secretary of Interior and the Sec
retary of Agriculture.
Leasing is Expected.
Conservationists are waiting anx-
iously for announcement of the dis
position Of the newly acquired fields
by the Secretary of Interior. While
he has not stated definitely what
will be done with the mines, Sec
retary Fall has admitted that he
opposes a continuance of govern
ment operation. and intimated that
the fields would be leased to pri-
vate companies. This would be in
keeping with his recently announc-
ed plan to develop natural resour-
ces in Alaska at government ex-
pense. and lease OF sell the enter
prise to private corporations.
Secretary Fall yesterday sub
mitted a memorandum to the Navy
Department in which he outlined
a plan Of work to be followed by
the navy until il formally releases
the mines to the Interior Depart
ment on May /.
This plan. prepared by Director
II. Foster Balm, of the Bureau of
Mines, provides that a test OF the
Chickaloon coal should be made In
the washery at Sutton to determine
efficiency of the washery. and
to determine the availability of
Mantanuska coal for navy use.
1t was further suggested by the
memorandum that after removal of
SUFFICIENT coal with which to make
this test, all work in the mines
should cease, pending a new plan
of operation TO be prepared by Sec
retary Fall. mo tenants will be
evicted and the use of school
houses will not be discontinued $
the Secretary announced.
Fall Denies Friction.
Commenting on the transfer, Sec
retary Fall emphasized that there
has been no friction between the
Secretary of the Navy and himself
over the transfer. The desires of
the Navy Department. as stated by
Secretary DENLY. are that the de-
velopment asset be maintained. that
the present daily cspaciay OF $50
tons be not decreased and that
terminal facilities be enlarged Al
Seward or Anchorage
"The Navy Department" Secre-
tary DENLY said, rs not prepared
to guarantee the purchase OF anS
coal from the Alaskan fields CT
give any favorable price differential
~ .tir,ula te deveionunent