The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-01-05


 cut the railroad belt and in adja- cent parts of Alaska, including many places as remote as points on tlle Alaska Peninsula. Coal mining by the New Black Diamond Goal Co. on Moose Greek, in the Matanuska district, continued on a small scale throughout the year to supply coal Of bituminous grade During the year the Alaska Railroad compiet- cd it's underground work at the Es- ka mine to make available the de- pDsits at that place as a standby if an emergency should jeopardize it's supply of fuel, which 1t now ob tains from private companies.
 Other Minerals
 Several other mineral products came from Alaska mines in 1886 | of these the group of platinum met als added most to the value of the mineral output of the Territory The total value of all the platinum met als recovered from Alaska mines in 1886 is estimated to have been SS12 ,000, an increase of nearly @50,- o90 in value over that for 1905 This increase is to be attributed mainly to the increased selling price og platinum metals in 1886, which more than offset some decrease in the quantity produced in that year. By far the greater part of these metals was recovered by placer min ing in the Goodnews Bay district of Southwestern Alaska, near the mouth of the Kuskokwim River, where well-equipped modern scrap CT plants were in operation during most of the open season. Some platinum metals, mainly palladium. were also won by reworking the tailings that had resulted from ear Tier lode mining operations on ka- seap Peninsula in the Ketchikan cli5tiict of Southeastern Alaska. Smaller amounts were recovered in connection with placer gold mining, especially in the Koyuk district of Seward Peninsula.
 Tin mining in the western part of Seward Peninsula that was re- vived in 1885 showed g remarkable growth in 1886 and gave every in dication of continued future growth The tin minerals recovered occur in the placer deposits that lie near the contacts of granite in- trusions into the limestone. The output of the principal productive area and that of smaller opera lions elsewhere in the peninsula and other parts of Alaska, is estimated to have yielded concentrates con- tanning about 223 400 pounds of me tallic tin At 46 cents a pound which was the average price of tin for the year as computed by the En- ! gineering and Mining Journal, this tin was worth $l0300O
 Considerable quantities of lead were also recovered in the course of smelting the concentrates from the i gold-lode mines. More than 1,850,- 000 pounds Of lead was derived from the lodge-gold mines, mainly from ores of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Go, in Southeastern Alaska At the average price for the year which is estimated as 4.6 cents a pound, this lead was worth about s85 GOO The lead production ill 1886, therefore, increased more than 100000 pounds in quantity and about s2oooo in value over that for 1885
 ! The shipment :. .4asstone from i qlarries in Southeastern Alaska to Seattle, where it is used as a con- stituent of cement, is an enterprise that was started some years ago and was active in 1886. This work was carried on at the quarries on Dall Island from June to Seplenl- Der. inclusive, during which time considerable high-grade limestone was exported to Seattle.
 { Although in the recent past con- siderable quantities of petroleum marble, and quicksilver have added each year to the mineral output of the Territory, none of these min