The Kusko times., 1927-01-29

mines, in the Matanuska region, and the Suntrana mine, in the Healy river field. The Evan Jones mine was closed down in September, and the owners did not pan to operate again during the year. The Alaska Mata- nuska was more or less closed down foreweNeral months during the sum- pler for the purpose of installing new machiner and getting the washing plant,1ntp running oRfer.s With the completion of this work it materially increased it's production in Septem- Der, and it has probably maintained quarter of thvbgkq cmfwycmfw shr an even higher output for the last quarter df. the year, as it has one of the largest contracts with the rail- road for. coal. The legal difficulties of the Premier mine have. been solved sufficiently so that it continued to pro- duce a, small. amount. of coal. Some development work under lease or per- init was4 also dena.,at the Rawson mine, on Moose. creek, and on Coal creek oppositsh& &iekaloon. The Healy River Coal Company's mine was in operation throughout the year, though it's production during part of the sum- mer was reduced while certain con- struction work was in progress. A little, coal is4 reported to -have been mined from the Chicago Creek mine, in Seward Peninsula. A small amount of coaLswas dug .sby natives for local use from,coal. beds exposed near Wainwright. and applications weru Sled for coal prospecting per mits covering several other areas in Northern Alaska.
 The controlling factor of Alaskan coal production ,continueso to be the markets, and special efforts have been made by several :. off the com panies during, the year to build up an outlet for their coal As a. result of these efforts, shipments have been made to several points, as far distant as Southeastern Alaska but the largest quantity of coal continues to be used on the Alaska. Railroad and in enterprises in the immediate vicin- ity of the railroad. Even in the area in which Alaska. coals should have decided. trade advantage, they have
 not supplanted coal from outside fields. Much, therefore, might be ac- cqmplished in supplying more fully local. or nearby markets, but the trade can be won only, by reliable de- ,lveries of coal of uniformly standard quality.
 PetrOleum.
 All..the. petroleum produced in Alaska continued to come from the wells of. the Chilkat Oil Company. Lear kataila, where, in addition to
 .e oil wells, the company operates a
 small refinery. The gasoline and dis sillate produced by the company are  much in demand in the local market,
 as they are said to be of better quail .ty than-.the usual commercial brands. 1 The exploration for petroleum on | the Pearl Creek dome in. the Alaska peninsula, which has been in pro- sress for three years by the Standard oil Company, was definitely suspend ed early in the year, when the test we'll was abandoned at depth of 5,034 feet. According to the Stand ard Oil Bulletin of April, 1926, this
 well proved wholly unproductive of petroleum" though it was we'll situ- ated in the area and constituted full test. of the formation, in the opinion
 of the company's ,geologists.' AL though these conclusions are ,unques- tionably true for the Pearl Creek dome, the test by no means condemns other parts of Alaska peninsula, for,
 as has alrdsdN been pointed out in published .napnrts of the Geological