The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-06-03

Anthony and A. Laurie Brazee.
 a byproduct in connection with the mining of gold ores in southeast AL aska The quantity of lead was about 486,000 pounds more than in l 1885, and the average price of lead was AT cents a pound, or or cent higher than in that year, so that both the value and the quantity of the output in 1886 was consider ably greater.
 Coal Mining
 Coal to the value ot $573,7 was produced in 1886 from Alaska mines. principally in the Matanuska and 'Healy River fields. In quantity the ioutput of coal was 136,600 tons, which is the largest amount of coal produced by Alaska mines in any year since coal mining has been in progress in the Territory. No Alaska coal was exported, but 27,643 tons was imported from the States, chief fly from Washington, and ,806 tons from foreign countries, chiefly Brit ish Columbia, so that the total con- sumption of coal in Alaska in 1886 amounted to about 175,949 tons. No notable new developments were re- lcorded in the Alaska coal industry during the year. That coal deposits are widely distributed through the Territory is well known, as well as the fact that many of them contain coal of high rank. The main prob lem that the Alaska coal industry faces is to find or develop markets for it's product. Attempts to open new markets in Alaska for the local coals are meeting success as min ing and general industry develop but the growth is slow.
 The principal mineral commo- .dity that is included under the heading Miscellaneous m i n era |products" in the foregoing table is the group comprising platinum and the platinum metals. A great many different metals are included under
 the term platinum metals, includ- ing platinum, iridium, osmium, ru- thenium, and palladium. The total quantity of this composite material lproduced from Alaska mines in 1886
 was 5, 654 fine ounces, valued al $241, 300. By far the greater part of these metals came from placers in the Goodnews Bay district and the lode mines in the Kasaan Peninsula. These lode mines supplied consid- erable quantities of palladium. h. cluded also in the miscellaneous lgroup is the tin ore produced n1ain- fly from placers in the western part of Seward Peninsula. These and other Alaska deposits in 1886 yielded more tin than during any other year since 1916; this production has been exceeded in only two years since 1902, when tin mining started in Alaska. No petroleum was pro- duced in Alaska in 1886, though some new drilling for oil was done lon the Alaska Peninsula in the h. iskin- -Chinitna district. The marble lquarries in southeast Alaska, which have long been consistent producers of stone that is much in demand lon the Pacific coast for interior trim were temporarily inactive in 1886 Limestone from quarries on Dall Island, in the 'Ketchikan district of southeast Alaska, was shipped to the States for use as constituent in the production of cement. Some 4 quicksilver ore was mined in the I Kuskokwim region, and revival oi development in that area was in progress.
 | The foregoing notes are taken from a comprehensive report of the United States Geological Survey
 entitled Mineral industry of All aska in 1936", prepared by Philip s Smith, which will form one of the series of similar reports that the
 Geological Survey has issued tc describe the progress of Alaska min- ing each year since 1904.