NIXERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA IN 1941 AND 1942

B 1

PHILIP S, SMITH

VNmm ma- - P I m m m U OBBICI

W*BHMeTON t 1U1

Inwdm,-,,,,-I--*----*--,,,---,-----,,*,,,--,,,,*,,,,,-,,,,, hlollodad~bd,--,--,---,,,,,,-------.----,---------,-----1,,, Mineralprodu&ian,,,-,,-,,,,,,-,--,----,-,-,----.------,,,,,-,,,,

Generd featurn -,,,, , ., ---,- ----,-,-,,-----,--

Total mineral prdudlon ,,,-,,-, -,-*--*-*- *,*- --, ---- -----*----

crold--------,-*-.,*,-,,.--,-,,*,,,,,*-----*,,,,,--,-,,,,,*--, OandIakrrek-*--,., ,----------*,,--,, . ,-,, ,--,*-,,,-,, Go1dl&.*,.,,,.--,.,,**--+-,-*-,---+-**,*-**,,------*-d Goldp-,-------,-,*,--------,,*,-,---,-,-,-,-*-------

General d i t h t m 7-----,-----+------dd-,---,----*--,,- Production by regions ,,,,,,,,,,,,----------------------

Y n h region, ,,,-,--,,- --,,, ,,, ,,,-,-,- ,,,,,,, L, k n r d Ponlnmh ,,,,,-.,,-----,~----,-,--.--..--, Kuakohim d o n ,-,,,-,,,,-,----,--*--------,,,-, Mia6eUneotlr,, ,,, , -- - - , -- - - - , - --- - ,- - , , -,---. -- , -

Drdl&g-,.-,,,-,.,,,,,*,,,,,,,,*,,,,,,--*------.----

*I ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,- *----*,---*-----.,,,,,,,,-,,,---,.,------- Other daarrl prduk,,, ,,,,,,- , -- --- ----- - -, , - -, ,- ----- , --- -

Inasr,,,.,,,.,,,,,-,_----*,,-,,-,---,--,-,,----------------.,

MINERAL RESOURCES OF ALASKA, 1941 and 1942

M I H E W INDUSTRY OF dWlSKA IN 1961 AND 1942

By PH~YP S. Smm

Far each 'of the 37 yeam prior fa 1941 the Gm1ogicd Snrvey haa , 'imd a repart regarding the yarly production of minerals from

Alaskan mines and prospects, In these reports ham h e n mrdd the ststhtica for each &f tlra different kinds of minerals produoed, notes iw to: any new mine developerrts in progress, and comments on events that were regarded as affecting the mining industry BS a whole. On the declaration of war it was realized that the publication of this sort of infomation might be of value to our enemies by pointing out the places from which this country was deriving, or could derive, needed m i n e d products. This was especially true with reswt to the group of so-called stratqjc m d critical minerals, of which the known domestic soerces of mpply were likdy to b inadequate. Among 'mineral comrnwlities of these dwes that were being supplied, br might be supplied, from h k a n deposits are platinum metals, quicksilver, tungsten, chrominnr, tin, nickel, and antimony. Suppression of in for- mation regarding these commodities would nece~rrrily make a report covering the other mineral prdnct~ so incomplete as n real pmntation of the;ccindition of the mining indnstrJF of the Territory that general publication of m;ch a report did not then seem justzed. IIowever, the mnvaaa of d the m i n d producers was conducted as usual, the; statistiw were compiled for aLt of the minmal commodities, and the results were made available to the war agenciea that were concerned.

With the passage of time, the danger that the information might be of military value to our enemies has p t l y decreased. It themf ore now seems desirable to make certain of the earlier records available w b m thatcsn bdonewitfiouthamto theNationb war plan. The present report is therefore designed to furnish some information as fo the Alaska, mineral industry for the two calendar pears 1941 and 1 : In ea-g out this plan it is d l 1 necessnry to omit detaib as ta some of the commditk md ta cunsolidate m o d s of mrtain of

. them w tbat the quantities and sources are not spedfically d i ~ c l d . Ta obtain the information recorded in these annual statements the

Oeological S m y , in addition to its other investigations, conducts m umud canvass of the entire mined industry of the Territsry. This - ,

a h . . 1

conskta of mdhg specific mhedules to each of the known prodwarn. 9 =dd-&a- mfe,paemI i n q ~ k i a @re ahad@ & e m s qqpwW14pd orgmiz~tions, mch as the Bureau of Mines, the Customi &irric~,' and The Ahdm Railrod, which in the course of their m g u b dutim collect much aata -&hat are phident to these rnimm1*&&est: host '

of the bankg asprsas companiw, - r t d other business org.d&ations in N d a also collect for thair WII' urn- dnta mygarding certain mineral c o m m ~ t i ~ in the districts in-which they operate, and ,they have moperated cordially -in making the d w i d infomation available to . the Geological Survey. Their mopbration is gratifying evidence of W getwad a p w t b a wf $4888 rt9nUBJ. aunmtfi~g,

It is w d J y s p w n t , ~ W ~ V W , that the factfi WW W dSem& ~mmsI d b u g b of I t h ~ l v ~ strictly amma&, am likely t~ & v M UF &&d QlS & % ~ h h Wn~afh nf Mmpwes pequip~s wmsidwabla dtisg arad A s i o n to bring tbm dl to me dwdad In thew mummirim standard P d ~ p b d i s the mlwa d the amud pmd~~~.$ion mmputed & the awmge amit aa- gsk~ d a oemmoditg for tbe y @ ~ ~ o u k w h fer bndliw w t a m t i a n Wgee to the market, These hi te t ions should .bo stsessd, for although the rdstbtica am awmpambh among tkmdv%g they &Bar fmm q u d y authoritatiw i d by other because they primaFi1y m r d s of production, w h a r a t$oe i d by the Bureau of the Mint d a t e to meipts by o h of W Bureau, t h m i ~ u d bg the Custo9ls Semiea rebh to shipments m ~ d e d at it43 &ations, and those issued by other oqg~nieations m y be compuM on &iU othbr b m . I

. The doption of an averap mit prim fq esch of the rii&m& aam mditias ie belierd to sflord B mom trseful repm~tat isq of tb iw dustry .*s & whole than w d d hawe bem & o d d by using t b prim sctually w i v e d by individual prodw~~a, which ofben t d ~ hh w- m t market 0uCGU&tiom and v&kps dedwtiom mid e- h t . l l u ~ ~

made r9gaimt iftdividual shipmsab. t

ACKNO WLEDGMENT8 1 1.

the piwate individua and mmpanim who haw b - w p c i d v eodemm in mpp3ying infomation of g e n d .si~iiimmm outside +.kt phi&# b their own ~praSions m y be msntiolpsd & Alaska W d y , t.h Miming World., &a B~1dwi.q and yiey &L mond .d the Northem Commtreial Cob, of Seattle, Wesh., a d e h agents of this mpmny, rnpial ly , 6. W. Fsrrell at H D ~ $pmqp; Dewey.Goodrich ah &by; Ralph and Carl hmn, of m d . Name pthe A k a Juneau &Id MRlirtin~ &., the Daily Abakrs Fimpiq WMI Ju@- Gamma, of Ju- ; f iu1 r % m ~ of the Hid-Chich~gd MirfIng-Ca, of Kimdsn b~e , land Jwk LiM*, of C h i c b e the Retchifran Alaska Chpncle a d the First National Bank, of Ketclli-

\ MlX@lU& IMDWBTB'II X H 1913 AND 5948 8

Icm; $idmy Andirtmi, of Hydar; lthe Cordova D d y 'Ik* of a r : hvs; J,.B. O'PPurill, of Macarthy ; ths First Bank of V ~ 1 d a a d M. J. a o w h s , & %Ida; Carl m t h a m , of Chihim; Slwyn Sw&.mrtna' md the % m m d N&s, of Semard; the Bank of M&, the Fir& XB- k n d : B d , W, E. DmHe,. W. Q. Culver, Drsvid Strandberg, the

the Anchotxge Tim$ and 8. A. 5bnkjec.k af Anchorage; E W. Nwley and B. H. Mayfdd, of Talkeetna; A. W. h e r o , of ChmWm; J. J, RiUard, of Eagle; W. A. RsarthoWae ~ n d other ofBcers of the Mhdomae. Oil Corporation, of Fairbanks and Norne ; the Bank of Alaska, the First National Bank, R. 13. Earling and other offinerer of F ~ i h n h Department. of the United StrrteR .Smelting, hfhing & Miniag Co., the Fairbanks Daily New-Miner, Jmn's Weeklyt LE. Wyer and R. C. Gebhardt and other otEcem of the Cleary Bill Mima G., the Masks Miners &miation, and L. C. Ress, of Fakbdm; I. J. Chghlin, of Rampart ; H. S. W a n d e r 1 of W k + man; John BicC~ndlish, of Liven&; the Miners and Mewhank. Bank gnd Herr$ Donnelley, of Flat; Eric Hard and Mrs. de$sie M, Howard, of 42phir; J. W, Wick, of Russian Mission; 8. S. Erickeon, Q£ M&U ; d. L Jean, of Goodnews Bag ; Chad-. dohn$on. of the G m h e w s Bey Mining Co., of Pltttinnm ; the Nome Nugget, the Nome Depiwtmmt of the United States Smelting, R e h h g & Mining Go., O. E Jackson of the Miners and Merchants Bank vf Alwka, and C. W. 'Ehorn~og, of Nome; A. S. Tucker, of Bluff; A. W. Johnso& of Hay- m k ; %,E M. Me-, of Teller; abd Lewis Lloyd, of R o w

Thmnghmt the early part of lM1 mdtions in the &ask@ mineral hdustry w m c~entislly the 'bee as in the e i a g year. By the m1y %umm& 6f l.OLel, hwerpr, the construction progmms that ham %taw to provide &ports andother f~ ibt ies ab pwnerous p 3 m amdghout Cb TenribQry were under cay, and the high wages paid for mem u~&Jled workeTr~ on thew pmj& k.@n to lare ewny many of; tbm cuslat . i ly emphpd jn the mime. This redW in some ~~t in the eperations st a number of rninetr, rt cowlition that mas further InWif ied by Jnbor didlmlti~s, which ma& the com- pleb closiag down for a ccmsidersble part of Che operating seamn of m v e d of th larger+ p l a t properties. Ths incsehshg ternion and Wen the m b d outbrenk of war Eater in the year neomwjly a f l d all of the Alaska enterprises, as it did those throughout the rest of the mxld. T h e actual occupation of part of ATaska by the enemy nnd +e plana for the Mmw of the Territary 3ed to the adoption of many ;mtrictiom rxdt normal li\ving and bmxineas p r d n r w . In- tdmnstmct5an #& meet war n& and e-idy the hildmg of the m-called blcran, or Alaskan,Bighway divertad mwh o£ the mobile

equipmt, such as draglines, &a&%, a d grading machines, .fm- rnerly nsed in mining opratjans. and further depletd the supply .of labor ordinad y employed in the mining industry. Finally, in b r 1942 an order of the War Prductim Board dwlared that gold. mining, with few exceptions, was no longer regarded aa essentid and -

called for the virtual closing down of all unessential mines as rapidly an possible a d deprimd them of further priorities for mpfiea and. equipment. FoUowing'this.mndnte most of the lrtrgm gold mind.. thronghwt the Territory, except those ~ p & a U y exempted, promptly suspended opemtiona,

Throughout 1941 and 1942 there was a marked incream in the sesreb. for and development of ofaakm deposits of metals a#er*than.gaid that were needed in the Nationb war plans. Severd of them ventureti were successful in didusing deposits that appear likely to s3uppIy significant quantikies of some of the mineral commaditiea that tiweb .fore h+ve been procursd mainly from foreign countries, from which normal imports by long oversea rout& m y ba wriausly intadend with by the enemy. Recognjtian that AIaaki does contain such d&' posits will doubtlm have n pronamed effect on the development of the Territory even after the urgency for military purpmea is ptcseed and pence ia estaMis2led.

Growth of the mining industry, homer, is not to be pmdicatd done on the increased production of thee 1ess.common mineral mate- rials. Already there has been a notable i n m in the prduttioe of cad, and a still p a t e r incream in .tha development of the c d resources of Alaska seems inc.table to m&t the anticipated gmwth of population and industfiea in the T e h r y .

Tbe unit prices for several of the mineral wmdties that ama from Alaskan mines showed an apward trend during 1941 and 1942. This trend in gened, however, mas -moderate ~ n d not marked by sudden end sharp fluctuntions.. Comparison of the aberage unit prices for sever81 of the miners1 commodities during 194.2 with thorn during 1941 showed an incmae of less than 10 percent, but the pricwr of gold, silver, snd kin were identical during the 2 years. Inasmucb as somewhat more than 90 percent of the value of the production of Alhskm . minernls cnme from those metals in which there was no change in price during the period considered, it is evident that mch upward trend as did take place had little real && on €he value of a0 tatd mineral production. . .

' .: TOTAL m I E a L SBODUCTION

I .

From the time of the earliest records of mining4ih Alaska b..tha end of 1942 minerals to' the value of nearly $878,000,000 have-,loeen produd from Alaskan mines. T h e distrjbution of this,lsrge totat by years is & forth in the following tub2e.

m ......*..... ;..... 1881 .................. 1881. ................. 18kS--_. --., ..--.. ... IBBI .----...-....-,_. 1886. ............. .... IBBB. ................. 3 8 8 1 ..............- ... JW--* ............... 1w .................. 1BWI .......-.*.......* lPQI-, ................ 1898 -..........-.... .. l e g 3 .................. 18W ......*......-.. .. . as95 ..................

1B98 .............-.*.. lm7-I .......... ;. ...-. 3 . m --------- *-*-*--- 1Ew .................. low-, ............... 1P01.- ............. ..

75 U(X1 425, Wil MO. Orul Bb7, OllO 4387.181 Mr. 4on tr73,no

I.01cais 1,01K JW 1,101, W2 1.334.332 2 M. 832 2M.n'B 2, aw, njl z am. 41 16 8 .43 . m2 7, w5. m 7 . M . 361

a47&818 1WI .................. 9.mw I 'm .................. t!,en,rYa ma .,..---...-...- ...

I6 4lM ?!A? 1927 .................. d ~ 1 3 7 7 0 10% ............... ... 20,840,671 IWil..-....-......---- 2U.OU9. b01 1Q%0 ........ ..A. ..... 21. l4f l .BID 1031 .................. 19, Rih22A 1932 .......L.......... ?0,7M.4MI la:% .................. n,at,~a rwr .................. lb. M7,2D2 1MS .--.-.--.---..---. 18 3UQ. 731 1W& .................. 32.7W.844 103 ..................

m7wm ;i%e 1 1 4 M . W I4.(WL,O(HI I& m. OW 13.s1aDOO I2 Zi'R,WO II.R~A,~;*WCI 1U.3AR. 000 f 6, i Z1,OGO la a12 uco 23,6B4,000 28. BbD. OUO !B. M7.ORO

J[n the following table 'the value of the total. mineral production from Alaska ia distributd among the various metals and'nonmetallic pduc t s . F m this tabla it will be smn that gold accounted for nearly 89 p e m t of the total value of the mineral production, and that gold and copper together accounted for nenrly 95 percent.

I , , - - m, 413, a00 h d , , - - - 2 gzB BOO Copper-,- ,,,,-,,,,, 227,4S8,3M) Other mEnm1 prodmts- 15,180,700 8 - - 14,003, WO -- Coal ,,,,,,,,,,---- 14, grfi, 400 Total,,-,WT7,717,000

ThFou@;h~llt 1M1 and 1842 the prim of gold remaind hedl officially at $35 an ounce. This fact should be kept in mind when comparing any of the record8 for this period with those for years prior to 1934, as duxing those earlier years the standard price of gold was nppruxi- m t l y $26.67 tm ounce. The value af the gold from AInskan mines during the years 1941 and 1942 wm M1,299,000, of which, as ahown by the following table, $24,231,000 was mined in 1941 and $17,068,000 in 194% The value of the output during each of these' pears was below that for 1940., This comparison may, however, create a somewhat erroneous impression unless it is also realized that the value of the production in 1940 marked the all-time high record for the whole period during which gold mining has been in progress in the Territory. Explenations of some of the ressons for this decrease ham already been offered on preceding pages, md additional ones are given on subsequent pages.

There are two principal types of deposits from which @Id is re- coveTed-Ides and placers. The l m ? ~ are the wins or mine~alizcd

of om in place in eonntq rock, which, in general, were formed

through deepsated geullogie p&ems. The ptl&cm~ are &posits of ~4 &#d gravel which have been worn from the hard roeks in t31& ga~&619 vicinity and in which the loose pains of gold or other v a h &B% &erals have been more or less wncentrated by mf ic id gcra- I&@ prmesses that are effwtive because of some distinctive physical or c&&eal propePty of the: material thus concentrated.

The fdlowing table shows the amount- and value of the gold pro- d t r d wnual$ for the entire period up to the end of 1942 that gold dni; has been in progwas in the Territory and the value of the gal& &rived f p ~ f ] ~ each of the two princip~l types of gold mines.

I Erom this reeord it will be seen that of the tobal$603,413,000 in gold t:ht h d been recovered frM Alaskan deposits to the close of 1OB tbre p k ~ s had .yielded goM to the v d w of $896,116,000, or a liftb more than 65.6 percent, whereas the lodes had yielded $907,291,000, or a I&& tess 34.4 percea This is essentially the ratio $8 h s ~ll'&~ftil&fe~ t n&~ d recent yew%&

Gold prodzrced in Alask4 1880-I@#

Year

IsSO-Sg --,,.-.-------------------------.---- lm _-------.---.---------------d------ 1901 .--.--,-----------------------.---------- m .--------------------------------------- iw .-.----.-.-.-------------------- lW4 ............................................ ,,--------.----.---------------------------- 19135 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . lge7 .------,.---.-------------------- 1% -----..-----------------------------.-.- ---~. - lW.-----,..---------------------------------- 1910 ..--.-----...---------------------- 1011 >,.-.-*..--.--- -.-.------------------.--- 19% ---...-..-----------------------------------

Fine ounm

1,163 88Q 384 92%

3%' 42% 1% 440938 76dm

I.&W 936,043

2 ; 780,13*

:

vdua

1 w ....., x; -.-+ ,.---- -------- *------- -.---.-- -- Em

Lode mines

$16 161 & $S$W 2388 fa0 3:606,000 a4as.m 2,868,743 8404,818 4159,078 4 141.943

TOM 1

$23,%3,000 7 896 000 im:m aaram 8,748.m 9115000

1i846'000 22:03a:7aa 19,349,743 19292818 7 1 6 ' 16: 1%' 749

placer m~nes

8 692000 4623 OW

23% :%8

1 2 ~ ~ 0 0 0 i a 6 0 . 1 : ~ 16.91.000 16.688.000 16,252,638 11. $84.806

1%. - - - . . - -. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

is& ;::::--+------------------------------------ $bbel- --...-.----------.--------------- as;6s&8% 6 ~ , 4 - 1 3 , 8 ~ 8 ~ 1 1 % ~ 4~0,S(ll",,d80? I 4.. rU

$@E ;2$;% 33%:

During the, early part of 1941 lode-gold mining in ATdm pro- d e d at abut the aama rate and at mmt of the same p k as it had doring the immediately preceding ~ r s . As time went on, more and more.mciETties were experienced in maintaining a d q ~ a t e crews, and longer and longer delays in getting needed materials and supplies ~nsued trs the defense measures attracted the workers away Prom the mine4 and the transportation of men and materials for these projects taxed more and more heavily and limited the. facilities available. Tbe. actual outbreak of war late in 1941 caused most of the lode operators to realize that further restrictions and curtailments of their mining operatiofis wers inevitable, and early in 1942 many of them prepared to meet that situation either by reducing at onm thn wale of their rmdertakirlp or by witching some of their ectivitia ta the searth for, or development. of, minerala other than gbld. By mid~urnmer of 1949 them handicaps had become m keenly

recxr@ized that when'on October 8 an order stte issued by the War Production Board declaring that hencdorth most gbld mining was to be classed as a rhnessential industry, the impact of the order was not QO drastic as might h ~ v e been predicted. Fortunately, the order also,

, p~ovided for oortain exceptions to the application of the general rule laid down, and a few of the larger Alaska ldle producers that were eligible under its terms were able to avoid comphta closure and ta continue their opemtions on at least a reduced scale for the remainder of the year. Thus one of Ithe large mines, which, in addition to gold, recxrverd considerable lead as a byproducL, was permitted to continue work at a lower rate, and certain other mines, at which accessory values in tungsten minerals might be recovered, were allowed to coqtinue on a small 8cele throughout the rest of t h ~ year, The difficulties of obtaining suffiitmtly high priorities to enable even those mines, to obtain n-ary equipment and supplies, the shortage of transports-

, tion fracilitiw to ship in those things that cauld be purchased in the Statas, and the inmasing difficulQ of retaining or recruiting adeqnate personnel presented handicsps to even such ope&tions as were per- mimi ble under the order. Viewed from this standpoint the production of lode gold .from Alaslra mines in lW was much better than might have hem expectd, and, although marking a serious decline from the production from this type of mine during the @Ing year, does not p- a permanent decline in the industry 9s s whole when normal pmcetjme conditions are restad.

Of the Masks lode-gold mines, those in watlw&em Alaska con- tinued to furnish most of the lode gold mined in the Territorg and

. ramwn6ed. for :abut '10 percent of the M e output for I941 and I944 6 8 0 8 H - 2 L

The lode-gold mhm in the Willow Creek district and a d j m t areas . in the -Cook I&-Snsitna region ~ t d m n d in the value of their dladsgold output and accounted for approxim&ly 25 percent. of the Territory's lode-gold production for the period. The remainder came '

- from scnttard mints in the Fairbanks district and h r n maller mines ib more remob parts of Alaska, Of the. Alaaka lode mines, that of the A l u h Juneau Gold Minbg

Co., mar Juneau in southeastern Alaska, in by hr the largest. As that company publishes for its stockholdem an annual analysis of its o@tiom5 it in permikMe here to nota some of ths outstanding

. features mwrded in those reports. The total rock mined and trammed to the mill was 4$54,nO tom

, in 1941 and 2,766,190 tons in 1942. , 01 thsse amounts 2,148,559 tons , of conme tailings wers rejected in 1941 nnd 1,140,!585 tons in 1842. 'Ilre quantity of ore that was fine-milled was 2$11,211 tom in 1941 and 1,024,601 tons in 1942. The average gold content'of aU of the material mined W ~ B 0.0347 ounce ta the ton in 1941 and 0,0345 oounce to the ton in 1942. The amount of gold lost in that part of the rock

E B 8 d GUampmY'mvllIartlm. * h C E n t a n m *

1 blsska Jnnmn hH M h f a g a,. 21th bU. &pt, Sw rw 84'19*31 and 28th Am. E8pt , for th yem a d d Dacemtmt 81, 1WP

which was rejected was about 40063 ounce to the ton in 1941 and C1.QOM ounce to the ton in 1949, and the gold content of the ore that was further treated was 0.0643 omca to the ton in 1941 and 0.0463 onnce.to the ton in 1942. Of these contents somewhl~t more than 83 percent wap recovemd as bullion, and the rest was recovered in the concentrates, which were subsequently smelted. The preceding table, compiled from the published report of the Alrssks Juneau Gold Mining Ca., summarizes the record of that company ~inm the beginning of its operations in 1893.

The cost of mining in 1981, as stated by the company, was 87.9 cents for each ton of ore trammed. The cost of milling was 23.1 cents, and all other marketing casts and expenws were 18 cents, making the entire cost for each ton of ore trammed 74 cents. Similar costs for 1842 vm, mpctively, 89.6 cents, 28.6 cents, 13.2 cents, and 814 cents.

Placer mining in hlasktr in 194 yielded gold worth $16,M1,000 and in 1942 worth $l2,829,000. These figures indicata a considerable fall- ing off from the al l the record set in 1940, when the value of the placer production was $18,854,000. The reduction in the output of placer

, gold during 194f alld 1942 was due to many of the game cams that, have been mentioned as adversely affecting the general mineral in- duetry during those years. In addition, during 1941 the mines of the largest operatom in the Fairbanks and Nome districts were closed down completsly for more t11m a month during part of the open sea- son by strikes, and the intemption of work that resulted from un- settled labor conditions was felt throughout practically the whole wa- son andat many of the; smaller properties. During 1942 placer minirig oprations,were somewhat more heavily handicapped thm other types of mining by the heavy call mrtda on the operators to release dirt- mdving equipment for use on many mnstruction projects that were ,

'

in progress.. The numerous airfields, both military and civil, that ;were being built, the Alaska military highway, formerly known as the Alan Highway, and countless other projects in the vicinity of the mili- ,taq establishments created demands for dragha, bulldozers, tractors of all kids, and power generatom that customarily are used et the- minq. Many sf t h w new projects operating on a cost-plus basis were hot restricted by prim? and consequently their builders offered ab- normally high prims for the acquisition of this equipment and urged its release for their purposes.

Placer mining is especially dependent on weather conditions, which Gntrol the length of the working season, and &-amount of water avdable for use. At many of the placer camps the open wason is

ordinariTy limited to I20 dap, so that any curtailment through late . opening of the season in the spring or mrly closing in the fall ?m cmse of the coId mribusly affects production. The placer camps in 'both 1941 and 1W enjoyed aomewhat longer open seasons than usnal, as the weather permitted a number of them to &art work early in the spring and prolong it late in the fall. This advantapus con- dition, however, was somewhat offsst during 1941 by the fact that owing to the exceedingIy small rainfall, most of the placer camp suffered a severe shortage of wehr for many of the important min- ing p r m s s a As a result, many of them were operated on a re- duced m l e during the open season, arid some of them were EO short of water that the optrtors d p p d mining long before the seasan would have been closed by the cold. In 1942 the supplies of water far mining at most of the Alaska placer camps were larger than usual, and, indeed, many of the stream were at exceptionally high atagw even late in the =son, dmost up to the, time , they became icebound.

PBODVrnOl# BY REttfCIars

Tha great number of small placer mines widely scattered throngh- out the Torritory and the resulting dilEeuIty in obtaining records of their production at all, or on a uniform basis with more general rec- erds obtained from other sources, cause some uncertainties and pos- sible errors in the preparation of the statistics here set down. E v e q rea~onable precaution, however, has b m taken to adjust or m i h h any recognized discrepancies. As a result the figures given for the total placer-gold production are believed to be in close awrd with the actual fncts. T h e distribution of that total aprong the different regions, districts, end camps becomes progressively less certain the smaller the unit considered, because the gold, unless reported to the Survey by the original producer, may have been credited erroneously to mme.other area through which it pasad in the course of trade. 'In the following table the diffemnt regiona have been arranged

in the relative order of the value of their placer-gold production. This istthe same relative order that hns prevailed during recent years.

From two-thirds to three-fourths of the annual placer-gold pro- . . dnction comes from mines in the Yukon region. In this region the

larger placer, camps are gnuped around a number of centew, which for convenience nre here referred to as districts, though smaller camp are found widely dispersed even in the most remote parts of the area, and the limits of the indivjdual districts are intentionaI1~ only ~ 8 & n ~ I g &fined. Of the various placer districts in the Yukon region the Fairbanks district has for many years been the most productive, with Circle, Idittlrod, Innoko, plnd Ruby ordinarily following in that general order. The record of the output of the various distxicts of the Yukon region for the yes13 1941 and 1942 is set forth in the following table.

Ydut of pheer pdd praduccd in Yukm r q h , lg4I and lflg, by distda

BEWAEU PE?TIA&UU

The production of placer gold from Sewad Penimla, gs indicatdl in the table on page 10, was $4,737,000 in 1941 and 12,595,000 in 1942, as compared with $4,475,000 in 1940. The placer gold comes from

. a number of mine8 that for convenience have been grouped into Beven more or lea distinct districts. So much. of bhe placer gold from same of these districts comes from only one or two mines that it hns not seemed advisable to puMish statements on the production of the separate districts, as to do so might reveal confidential information. In the relative order of their output of plnwr gold in 1942, which was also in fairly elom accord with their standing in 1941, the mining districts of Seward Peninsula stood aa follows: Nome, Kougarok, Fairhaven (including the ~nmackuk), Council (including Bluff}, Solomon (hcIuding Casadepaga), Port Clarence, and Koyuk.

In the Kuskokwim region there am t h principrtl districts in which p l m ~ g o l ~ rnining.has been actira Theaa am the Tuluksak- $ni& disbict, some 64 m i l a in an easterly direction frbm Bzthel, the Goodnew district, nesr the southern limit of K w k o h h Bay, and

1842 -.-

n60.m 12sm 17 MO n,R'Q n0,OUO &nnO

Dlstrkt

F a l r b h ................. Clrel*.... , ................ Idlt~rnd ................... Inpnko .................... .................... Iluhy. Trilorana .................. Br(~tByrlngs5ndTmam.. E'clrty ~ r ~ i l o . . ............... Kr)yukuk and Chandal~~..

l W l -- mmm

1.ZYI.CW HI4.MID PSZIKIO 386W ar3.m 3 k R . m 2r8, tm 231.m

--

1M1 - 113 MO 24.0,P 24 HI0 14 000

lY1

$&%OW 775m 5SZMh3 510.W1l a s ~ . m m , r n n

'1 D m

1 Mershsll .................. Kmtishna ...... Buun~fleld ................. TIamptr! .................. Eamle ................... C~I-YI ................... --

lO.4N.Wl (it?b.Um 2z.m 2os tm wfi,wo

Total. ............. ..

12 'MINI- mm OF AWBM,, 1941 '&kD' 194%

tbe , M m t M~Kidey~McQrnth district, which embraces most of of8 emtern headwater area of the Kuakokwim Valley. Much of the re- gion isr rsIatively inacce~sibla and hm been less extsnsiveIy prospmbil than my other part of Alaska muth of the Arctic Circle. The plmr camps in the Kuskokwim region, beawe of their remoten-, have probably felt the impact of the wsstime Mrictiona mom than the amps in any of the other prbducdvi regions:

Grouped together on page 10 as u~iscellaneous" are a number of mdl. placer camps in arelts that exltend from mutheastern Alaska to northern Alaska. Between these extremes are other small camps in t h e Copper River and Cook Inlet-Susitna regions. In southstern Alaska tha only camps that have reported their placer production during 1941 and 1942 to the Geological Survey am near Yakataga. In the Copper River region the principal placer pining was in the vicinity of Nidna. In the Cook Met-Snsikna region some placer gold wm mined at camps in the Kenai Peninsulq in the Yentna-Ceehe Creek district and in the Vddez Creek district. In northern A h k a the only placer gold reported to have been recovered was from deposits at two widely separated areas in the valley of the Eobuk River.

In 1941 gold to the vdae of $1Q9474,000, or abont I pmmt of tha entire placer-gold produetion of that year, wwas mind by dredges. In 1942 gold valued at $9,240,000, or about 74 percent of the placer output of that year, was recovered by dredges These amounts bring the total d u e of tha gold m v e d by dredges since 1903, when dredging was started in the Territory, to $139,600,000, which Is a little more than 85 ,percent of the total value of the gold produced from all kinds of placer ,mining sinm 1880f

It is ~ignificant h note that until the orders of tha War ~ n c t i m Bonrd dosed most of tha gold mines 4"'essential~' dredging appsars to have been less affected by war conditions than othsr types of placer mining, This trend is indicated by the fact thst in 1942 the ratio of gold recovered by dredging to the totd placer production was greater than in 1041. The low rate of dredge production in 1941 m m s largely attributable to the e%e& of the labor strikes during that par, which led to complete -tion of mining by the two largest producers for a period of more than a month. Probably the abiIity of the dredging compnies to withstand better mme of the handimps to which com- panies csmyiag on other f orma of minlng.eerly succ,umM was due tu

9 RernrUa remrding tEw aperatloma of tb dndm In tne Eumtohlll that L a~m p r h s r t b la mkdo* the p k w @utlnnm & p i t 3 .re not lndndcd In any of tbs mtatemmta firen in tbh rtctian of the rsport.

' ' M ~ ~ ~ I N D U B T R Y I N ~ s a l ~ m isra : 13

t&ir operating on a larger m I e and maintaining more extensive stockg of supplies and replacwqent parla

During 1941 there were 47 gold dredges in operation in varions pnrte. of Alaslca. Of these, 5% were mining in districh in the Yukon region, 3 in the Kuskohim @on, and 22 in s w a r d Penin~uIa. Of the d d g a s in the Yukon region, 10 wem in the Fairbanks district, 4 in the Innoh Met, 3 in the Circle district, 2 each in the Fortymile and Iditard districts, and 1 in the Tolovana district. Two of the 8 dredges in the Kuskokwim region WBW in the Tulukmk-hiak district,

'

and the other one was in the Goodnews district- The numbr and '

diatribntion by didr ich of the dredga operating in %ward Peninsula in l!M1 were as follows : 6 near Nome, 5 near Council, 4 each in the Kougarok and Fairhaven districts, 2 near Solomon, and 1. in the Koyuk district.

During I942 them wem 38 d r e d p in operation in various parts of Alsslra. Of t h q 19 were in the Yukon region, 2 in the Knakakfliim region, and 17 in Sward Penimla. Of the dredges in the Yukon region, 9 w m in theFairbanks district, 3 each in the Cifcle and Innoko distriats, and 2 each in the Iditamd and EoIctgmile districts The on1 y dredges operating in the Ruskokwim region in 1942 were in the Tuluksak-Aniak district. Four dredges were mining in each of the following didricts in &ward Peninsula: Noma, Council, Fnirhaven, and Kougsmh. The ody other dredge operating in 1942 in the Sewnrd Peninsula was one near Solomon.

For a number of years it has been po&bJe for the Qeologicnl Survey ta furnish dose estimates of the amount of gravel llandled annually by the dredges. This carnot be done fox the years 1941 and 1942, owing to the incompleteness of the available records. It may be pedinent to point out that for the period from 1916 to the close of 1940 dredges had handled 214,239,000 yards of gravel, from which gold to the value of $10?,453,000 had been recckemd, indicating an amrage tenor of gold worth 50 cents a cubic yard. In this can- neetian it_ h d d be mkd that tha records af t h ~ ~ years prior to Z S M m b d - t t r s p r l e a d Road * m r n - w h e r e a s on arid after that date the statistics were computed for gold at $35 an ounce. As a consequence of that increased price of gold the murent nth of about 55 cents a yard for the gold tenor would have been ahat 83 cents: a yard if the former rate had held.

None of the rnahrhle that are now being mined in Alaska are dumb18 p h a @ I y for the silver they contain, and tbe dver that is r a c a w d oactxis as a relatively minor canstituent or, bypmduct of ares or bdlion, the principal value of which lies in mme other m&.

Tri the past the gmat bulk of the' silver horn Masks was as an accessory metal in the copper o k , but eince 1938, .with the csornplete cwsation of copper mining & such, there has bxn na output of silver from that source. A8 is probably well known, all .gold as it '

murs in nnture i s alloyed with otheraetds. Silver invaqing . smounta is commonly the principal acFessory component of such allays. Usually this silver cannot be seen as a didinet component . hut is recqgnized by chemical WB and M recovered in .the course of smdtjng and d n i n g to wIzich the material is subjected. In much of the Alnska placer gold the proportion is a b u t 120 parts of silver to 870 p ~ r t s af gold. In the gold from tha l d e mines the ratio of silver to gold in the bullion i s usually somewhat bigher than for the pl~cer gold, and in most of the concentrate.^ from lode mines there are tbcce~sory amounts of silver e~rried in some of the other minerals in the ore, notably galena, or lead sulfide. In some of the lode mines the value of the silver recovered from these two mm k m e s of considerable commercial sipificance. Thus, at the mine of The Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Co. the riIvsr recovered in 1942 was valued at more than $44,000, though as computd from the published atatistics of that company it amwnted to only a little more than 0.038 ounce of silver to the ton of rock thmt was fine-milled.

The silver recovered from all Alaskan saurcw in 1941 amounhd to 199,700 fine ounces, worth $l42,000; in 1942 the production WM , 185400 ounces, worth @6,C100. *The value zrtatd in the foregojng,, estimates are based on the assumption that nll of the silver qualified for purchase under the advanced prim allowed by the Qovernment for silver derived from domestic ores. The unit price for mch silver was appmxirnntely 71 cents an ounce. Thjs was about double the price allowed for silver that did not qualify for purchase under the Government's terms.

The development of ores that are valuable principalIy for their silver bontent is neoessarily attended by many more difftcnlties and axpensea than am J ih ly tu be met in devdoping gold mines. Among the most obvious reasons for this difference are the much lower value per unit of weight of the silver nnd the fact that more elahrste and expensive processes usually are required to rerover the silver

, in 8 readily salable metallic atats than to mover gold. These factom exerciee especially gtrong controls on the development of Alaskan deposits of silver ores. As a result there is little inducement at this time to attempt to develop or even to search for silver lodes in remote parts ,of Alaska, unless the ore hag an especially high tenor. Therefore, although silver-lead lodes have hen e n p r t d at many places 8 in Alaska, few of thew have. appeared sufficiently atkmeti~e to induce persona with money to have the neeessay e&stionr! made and to undertake their exploitation,

MINERAL INDUSTRY I W 1 8 4 1 AND 1943 15

LEAD

Tbe lead produced from Alaska ores is estimated to have been . 1,485,000 pounds in 1941 and 1,047,000 pounds in 1942. Both of these m o u n t s were considerably less than the production of 1,680,000 pounds recarded for.1940, itself a year of rather less than normal output. The decreases are attributable to the marked falling off in the activities at the lode-gold mines of the Territory, h a u s e a 1 of the l e d is recovered as a bproduct from the concentrates of their om. These concentrates are shipped to smelters in the Statas for treatment to m v e r .the valuable metals they contain. By bar the greater part of the lead that was recovered either in

1941 or in 1942, ns well as in a number of the pmceding pars, came from the treatment of o m of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Co. in southeadem Mtl-ska. According to the published reports of this' company, it recovered about one-third of a pound of Iead from each ton of ore that was mined m d trammd b the miIl, or about four-

, sevenths of a pound of Iead from each ton of ore that wns finernilled. , From the table on page 8, dlich shows the reco~esy of metals from

the Alaska Juneau mine, it is evident that tha amount of lead re- covered from the ore treated wns considerably below the average for the period of the mine's operation since 1914, which is slightly more than 0.86 pounds of lead to the ton of ore that is fine-milled.

h d is B heavy, relatively low-priced commodity that requires rather elaborate treatment to produce, and tl~~,se draw-backs nct as dehmnts to the developing of lead deposits in remote parts of Alaska. The outlook for any notable increase in the production of this metal seams to depend mainly on the stimulation of the mining of other, metals and the conmquent incrense in the production of lead as a byproduct. Such increase cannot be anticipated under the exist- ing stress of war, but it seems likely to occur after the estrtb1ishment of pm, when, with the attention of buainass througbut the world direcW toward repairing the ravages of war, general development and improvement .in transportation h c i l i t i ~ in Alaska will inevitably follow.

Cbafr

For the 6 years immediately preceding 1941 the annual output of ml fmm Alaskan mines was rr-pproxirnntely 150,000 tons. To meet the domestic needs this 1-1 WRI was supplemented mnaaIly by im- porn of 15,000 to 30,000 tons of coal from mines in the United States and C~nada The total Alaskan consumption o f cod was therefore usually between 176,000 and 200,000 tons a year. With war threaten- ing, and finally becoming a reality, the need for dditianal murces of power became urgent, and steps mere taken, both by the Government and by private individuals end companies, to open up new properties

or to pat the already operating mina in condition to produce more coal. The steps so far t&en have been effective, as is shown by the

- increased output already made by the coal mines, the total repo&d output being 241,250 tons in 1941 and 246,600 tons in 194-9. Thw increases were made in spite of certain advem conditions, among them a aerious fire within one of the larpst mines, which caused a loss of 'at least 2 months' n o d production, end intermittent stop- page of work for mveral periods st another of the large mines b e c a m of l abr and management Uctdties. In fwt, as equipped at the end of 1942, prnctic~lly a11 of the operating mines codd in- c m their output at Zaast 25 p-nt if operated full time and if . &lled minem were available.

A value has been placed on the production of cosl during tbm 2 years of $985,000 and $986,004 respectively. These valum, however, ehould be regarded as only f& approximatiam, bemum records are not avnilable for precise debmination of the actual value of the coal at tbe mine without inclusion of charges for handling and transportation. Much of the coal is produced from the mine owned by The Alaska B~ilrorrd or is p m h a d under contract for large quantities, so that the prim at which the railroad gets its coal is not a suitable index for that of the coal delivered on mall orders, and the prim of neither bears much relation to the pr im pttid in town for coal that has been handled by several middlemen. and h r s considerable charges for trassportntion and delivery. Considering all the available informa- tion and weighting the rermlting estimate as closely ns practicable, it appeam that the average price of cod mined in Alaska may ba taken as $4 a ton for both 1941 and 1942. This is the same asr the estimated price in 1940 and is about $1 a ton less than the avarqp price that has prevrailed during the period I880 to 1940. Based on this unit price the Alaska coal pductian in 1941 wag $965,000 and in 194.2 $986.000.

The mls; now being m i n d in Alaska corn f m two principal fields end include both bituminous coals and high-grade ligmtes. For a long time the pduction of lignite was abut twice that of bituminoua coal. Bemntly, .how~per~ the demand for bitnminuua coal haa in-

, . c r e d so greatly that for 1941 the two were more nearly equal, and in 1942 the order had h o m e reversed md the mtio of bituminoua 'd to lignite was about 67 to 43. The 1942 ratio probably will not prevail . for long, because the output of lignite in that year was curtaded by the serious fire at the principal mine, and now a number of new enter- prim are being set in motion in the lignite area to develop additianal properties.

Zn spite of the greatly increased rate of em1 produ&m tbt hae taken plam recently, the output has not yet reached the pint where all military and civilian needs have been fully meL Indeed, them

'h been such a shortage that maag residents of the k lilre Fa& 4- and Anchorage are reportad to h v e had great difficulty in getting d c i e n t coal for their household needs. PI- for greatly inmessed urn of coal for the production of power at the large milihrg md installations are being fomulated, khich, if carried out, might make it nemesary to double the p-t capacity of the p m ducing m i n a Fortunately, Alaska ia well supplied with deposits of eoal, so that if an actual market were developed there should be little diiEculty in finding sufficient clod to supply it. T ~ B trouble in the past bas hen , and probably for some time will continue to be, to keep .a remun~b1y Wbced relation between consumption and production of coal. Obviw81 J , many potential consurnem are unwilling to enter into 6n-n cant- u n 2 e ~ they have definite evidence of the producer's ability to furnish the coal of the desired quality at a set price. On the other hand, the produesrs am loath to com&t thmwlves to in- ~taIling plants of largo capacity unless they can be. m n 1 ~ b 1 y - m r e d of a a c i e n t volume of business to repay their outlay. Under these cmdit;ions a atalemate ensues, or it becoma n-ary for both sides to ampt certain ridm that cannot be. chsely fom- in advance. Many of the competitive conditions, however, am changing rapid y, sa that the &uatlon must be subjected to constant review. Of course as A l a h becomes more settled snd deveIopa, its people and industries will -11 for more and more coal. That growth afkr the immediate military exigency passes will probably Im relatively slow, though noneheless sum

O r n E m B A & PRODUCTS

In addition to the variotm mineral prducts disussed in preceding pages, Alaskan mines yielded other minerals to the value of $1,367,000 in 1941 and $1,124,000 in 1942.. Them materials, whom total balue is given under ''Other mineral products" on p. 5, were platinum metals, tun-, mercury, antimony, tin, copper, and limerock. !The list of rnisceUaneous minerd commodities produced in 1842 includes mmt of these same materials, though limerock dropped out and chrome was added. In the hts& of national smrity it has b&n cansidered not ex-

pedient to dhminate detailed information at this time regarding these various commodities. However, certain general statements that

+may be useful regarding them may be made. Platinum is one of a group of several metals which became they

are cl- dated in phygcal and chemical charactem are often not differentiated by name or are not even identified ~ c d y in the

forms of m y or analysis but are spoken of as platinum metals, or even more locmly as 6'platinum?' Ratinurn, paETadium, iridium, &am, ruthenium, and rhodium, aU members of this group, haye

18 MLNERAlr BE8QPRW OF 1941 AND I942

bees m o g n i d in.cwmmerdal quantitiw in the product fpom wine df the lodes rmd placers in Alaska, h t s ly all of the proddctim of phh

. inam metslsl from Altsskan deposiB has come from plmra in the westem part of the Territo y. At the principal eamp thw placers are mined by dredging the unf-rozen ~ands and p v e l s in which the platinum me- occur. Thwe depeits are the prim* d@ic som of platinm metala in the United States or in its poswssions. Praductirm .has h maintained at a rsither uniform rate, m d the m r v e s so far blocked out indicata that at that r a b they can be c o u d on to mpport the industq for s numbr of yeam No M e deposits carrying e i f l c a n t amounts of platinum metals h a v e b n d i w v e r d

. in the ,vicinity of the richest platinum fields, but certain Id0 deposib in southwcern Alwka in the past h v e been mined for the cumpite value of their content of metals, among which ware platinum met&, and doubtless mining of them lode depo~ib will be revived in the f ~ u m

Tha nmnt . hand for tungsten, wed in the production of ertain high-quality steals required in cutting tools and similar articles, has

, mvivsd interest in the search for and development of some of the Alasksn d e p i b that might mpply this needed war makrial. As i result, mining has been in propesg at a numbr of widely scatbmd points, and prmpacting for additional mrces has been carried on emn more e~rtensively. At prersent the principal tungsten mineral sought is scheelite, a c~lcium tunmate, whose chemical formula is CaW04 and whose content of tungsten trioxida js about &O percent. It is a datively heavy white m i n e d that is often recognized naong the concentrates from placer-gold p v e l a The principal deposits that are being mined for their tun&en content are veins and lodes

, generally associated with intrusions of acidic roek, such as granite, or quartz diori te. As rocks of this type m e fairly widely distributed' thmughont Alaska, wawh for them nnd the tungsten minernls they may contain is not confined to a restricted area.

Amngmenta have recently been made by the Metals Reserve Cor- poration te parch- laally small lots of tungsten and other ores at selected points in Alaska. This should do much to aid'prospectors, who thus have n ready market at hand fm snch ore as they find and p m p t payment, which they can utiiim in outfitting themselves f i r continuing their search. & yet the developments we all small, and the present indications suggest that the acheelite is irreguInrly dis-

--tribnted in the gangue materials, so that the tenor of the veins ~ar iea greatly, bOth along the strike and the dip. In few placas have large packets of high-grade ore been f onnd, b11 t the arms adjacent to Rome of the known ocrrurrenms of tungsten in which that Bind of mitllaralixa-

-tion has recognid are so extensive that they may ~ffd can- 8iderable merehantnbfe om.

: , l k m t imwdptions have & o m that the mmmmet~ af -ry - ~ a s i t r th Ku&ohim region of w&m A l h ma mu& ~llora a-

- , bnsive s d of h1ighe.r @ade than had bcsn in&c&ced. bf emzier mami- n ~ h n e , h t i v e development of some of the more d b b d e p i t e Im in p r o m and as a mult cmsiderabla shipments of mer- mlg were m& daring JrMI md 1042 Further developments ltre ixl . progress, which, if saccmfull~ carrid out, should lead to a furthar exparision of the industry. The deposits occur in one d the l& awessibla pkrtsaf Alnsk~, so that c o s t are high ~ n d the operators have had to o~ercawe khe many difficulties that rtriw in setting anterpriw . mder way in p i m e nrtna where normal facilities are almost entirely lacking, Fortmet.dy, tb high price gt prment. prevailing for mer- cury providm 8 &ie& margin to offset the hi& imit;ial apenditurw that are q u i d in opening up some of the dep&s. The principal lliemrgr mineral in a11 of the deposits so far explored ier cinnabar, the sulffde,of mmcury (HgH), which when pme contains about 86 percent of memwy. Wikh it at many pkm are subordins%e mounts of Iptibb, the d d e of antimony, whieh is i h I P valwble, though its c m t prim ia too low to alM it to be s h i p ~ d proWlg from- such e remota re@= The ore is f w d in veins md dnngers that am mom or lam h l y d a t e d with intrneiva dikes rmd siHa of andesite OP dated Igneous m h that traverse imeguhrly the sandstones and ahJm &st form r& thnmghont most of the a m in which nmmurg mhera12&ion mmm Cmnabar has also h e n mcagnized b the ooncentrW from the plaoar deposits in many other parts of the Terrihry, but in most of the58 other plam thd bedrock source either hm not barn dimvend or the lodea from whieh tha cinnabar ori&ally . y e a m small 6 g g r s that s p p r m3ikely to a W ope t h e can &-mined wmmercially under pmsent d i i o n a

E @ - w chmm ort with 1c ratio of more thm three parb of ohmhim to one part d iron has lmg been known to m r in the Ketnai P E W ~ W I A , in the central part of southern AP&a. The need for om efb t h h t p for militar~r purporsea has w d - a m n t m*al of m i h g at the b&terdmwiw. Dnriq lM1 the opmntow wem bmy t d h g th depQsita d mwhucting tho mms*ry made d other facilities h dewtl- t b i a properties without p m h c i q m y sjgni6mnt mmmk of me. 7%- e4Toi-h led d u h g 19A2 to p k h g mt sane om ttod slodT piling it & the beach where ik w& be mdi1y apailakda h r &i-t tomme point w h f a it would be rnilhd miE pub into hap

' fm wa Far a time it was expactmi that 6bk om dreselng would ba dmw at m a ab the gold-millis planb in mnthedmn A k h , which d d b made ami131e b e c a a ~ mf curtailmmt of its nomal ma far the trmbent of &:OM* ores. This part of tho pro&ct, hmenr, TRM

ast esmd mt, md so far a s b n r#, dipments of ahmm am fmm

M n s b * made daring tlie 'year though, sa notad, m& om p d u d and is on hand awaiting shipment, The chrome deposits are contained in mwses of:ultrraba&c rocks, which m i n b v e into a *

complex series of pgwmkes, slates, and cherta. The prsdominmt intrusive- is clnasified as a dduxlik chr0mit.e grains are didributed widely in m a l l quantities throughout the dunite, and the .ore Wiea are masses in which the chhmite ha9 been concentrated by magmatio .

-gation. Antimony is anotber of the minwalc~mmodities that has b ~ i n

demand for war purpw, A.ntO~olly minerals are widely ~ b u ~ throughmt many of the minerd% amas in A l d a , and at a few of them they occur in sufficient quantitim to be mined mmmercially nndar misting conditions. The principal mtimorty ore mineral 9 etibnite, an antimony sulfide with the chemical fornuts SbtB*. There waa noteble production of antimony ore in 1Wi from a mine situated in the northern foothills QP the Mash rangv, but during 1942 prodnc- tion h d droppd off greatly. All of the antimony ores produd in Ma&m mines are shipped to smeltem in the States for treatment. Thia entails considerable overland haulage to the railroad, tmnspoa- tion by rail to a port from which it cnn be shipped, ocean carria@ ta ihe States, and further handling before it reaches the smelter. As a rule the antimony o w n in veins and kidneys, mme of which consist of aln& pure stibnite. At most localities the stibnita veins oocnr in a r e a s of qusrtzitic schist-Birch Creek =hist or hi st of nearly the same age. The depodts have h e n ~ubjected to some postminemi faulting; but ordinarily the amount of displacement is small. Very little ore haa been blocked out at any of the mines, as the cost of guch work mould USE up considernble capital thnt can be better u t f l i d in mining work that makes more immediate return in money. As noted iri an earlier paragraph, considerable stibnih is aslsociatga with the tieposits of mercurg ore that are being mind, and if antimony hid a higher unit selling price some of it might be reco~efid from these om.

For many years Alaaka has been a small but fairly regular producer of tin, rmd in the more h n 40 years sinm tin minernls w~lm djscov- d in Seward Peninsula, and later eIsewhbre in the Ternitdry, it haa abipped tin worth nearly $1,700,000. It may be significant to pink' out that the Alaskan deposits have furnished fnr more tin than he9 come from my other deposits elsewhere within the limita of the United States or its pmwsions. A mall amount of tin has been derived from lades in Seward Peninmila, but by far the greater part harr re- mvexled h m placers, and af late years all of the tin has hen derived from deposits of that wrt. T h e principal tin mineral is mssiterite, an o ~ d e of tin (5nOr) containing about 78 p ~ m t of metallic tin. It is. recovered from the sand nnd grsvd of the places by ps-

,

thsf .re -tially the mm0 as thm used311 gold mining. The tin ia rcmmd in metallic form frum the cassiterite by melting, which - - ia done outside A l d k The principal productive srea is in w&rn ,

Seward Peninenla, but small amonnts of cassiterite are recovered at a number of the gold mining mmps in the Yukon region in the c o u m of placer gold operations. During 1941 the Alsska production of tin om wag maintained at abont the cuhmary rate, but in 1942 the prin- cipal opei&tor had discontinued work and the production accordingly fell off shqIy. The more extensive of the known -richer plrtmr de- posits have hem r~ ther completely mined at, but there has been a decided revival of interest in opening up aome of tha lode properties that have long lain idle. It &I doubtful, however, whether any of these d l actmlly be brought into production by primte enterprim while war conditions prevail, In the past the copper produotian from Ahpksn &hes has ranked

mxnd in value only to the gold production of the Territory. In 1938, however, the farnous copper deposits that had been the main support of the industry for many years were so nearly worked out that late in that

.

year they were definitely closed down. In the span of gearsl f mm 1900 to 1938, inclusive, these and the other copper-producing properties in A h k a had ,$umished over 1,374,000,000 pounds of copper vnlned at nearly @27,4QO,CH)8. Since that date the only cop@r produced from Alaskan mines bas been that recovered as a byproduct fmm o m that are principally valuable for some other metal. The quantity and value of the copper production has therefore f aIIm off,, so that the an- nual output is now valued at only a few thousand dollars. No con- siderable change in the amount of capper derived from o m of thia sort is to be expected in the near future unless the operators greatly aItsr the i r n of their general mining and milling operations. That there are many places in Alaska where copper minerals occur has been amply demonstrated, It is highly doubtful whether any of the known deposits not now being mined can be worked at a profit under present conditions. That there may be deposits as yet unknown which might repay development is possible, but the incentive to ~ e a r c h for them is so small and the probability of failure so great that pro~pectors are not now willing to take the pmble. The quarrying of limestone ns an ingredient far cement has baen

one of the principal activities involvimg nonmetallic mineral com- rndties other than coal during the past 15 years. The quarries from which t h i s high-grn& Limestans b obtained ars in southeastern Alaska From the quamies at this Iocality the rough atone ia shipped in bargas through the inlmd & a h of fiords to Seattlq, where it is b a t e d and mixed with other constitnents of the cement. The com- p y ham found it practicable ta supply iWlf adequately with all of

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23 REi3OWRW QZF m, 1 8 4 1 A N D 1042

tbe l i m n 8 needed by keeping ita quarries in operatimi fw bnlg prt ofthe yew when weather mnditions ma mDst favaebla s result Qe praperEy usually l i ~ idle from bptembes to April. f i r - ing 1941 the quarry was in operation. RmaMay te October, but daviryk 19-32 ithwaa not in o m i o n at all and no shipments were mad^ from it. T h e list of 0 t h minerrala of value &at b ~ e berW found H Ahdm

is l o w In addition to thke mentiomd-in prmdiq .- . o t h b which have been found in sufficient quantity to have p e r m mom '

than l d intersst and some of which have b n the basis of profitnbls mining indllstries include among metallic products am* bimuth, cobalt, iron, moiyknurn, nickd+nd zinc, and afnoig the nometrillh products sew, barite, building stone, clay, game\ graphits,

' gypsum, jade, marble, petroleum, and sulfur. Without h u b t m a l l '. quslntitia of prictimlly all of these minerals may have been upro- d u d " in 1941 and 1942 in the b r d e s t tmm of that wad, buknorre mere known to ham b n old cornmemially during Chm years. b tentive U R ~ waa made of such widapreed local earth mtm-id~ as land, pverl; end bmlwn m k in tha c o n s t 4 a of mads and, mrhbmta ,

of the -pairoad& Such materials also entered laqgely bib the mnd cmte mixtures wqujred in the more pmmmmt ~~&~chwea th& osg bqp&iag. fo be built in many parts of the Territory. d us tMqg the valua 'of Maaka'a mineral output no price has bewt & on h d r i & , though if even & f e e cenb a ton had baen p l d ob tb output-ef mineral psoducts would have h e n worth msny t b t m d d o l h more t h th9 value &&.led.

P*ge A C b r n l 4 i l ~ t a ior dd-**--** 2-3 Alarlra Sanean Oold Mining Co., mlne

of, prductloa from--, M, 14.15

bsumm, p r o d ~ o n ' o t ,---, *-, M

-m Kantlnhnr dh1M4 goTd I " 11 Eoaprok dlstrlct, ppld I n - 11 Kogulr d i m e & @Id L - - 11 K o y o M dlsMet, gvkl I" 11

1 5 u s b o M m region. gold In- 10,ll-12

csuumm aatrla. goM tn-,,,-- 11 Casaltrrlte, occurrenee o L ---,,--, 20-21 Chandalar dlstrlcf mid in, ,,,,,, --- 11 Chlaana dhtrlct, gold In --,,,,,,, 11 Chrodum, occurrence of ,,,,,,, IS20 Clnnnhv, occurrence of ,,,--- 18

:f+i?cle+dIf~Mat,.goldin ,,,,,,---- 11 '. Conl, pdce of --+---,,-,-,--,--,--- 16

D ~ o d ~ t i O h of- ,,,,,,-,,-,- 5,161 7 Clopwr, p d u c t i o u of -,-,,,,,,,,-- 6 , Z E Cbuncll dlatrlct, gold In ,,,,,,,,,,,- 11

FslrRmah d i e c t , spld In ,-----,,, 11 Fallbarelr district, gold In ,,,,-- --- 11 FortgrniIe district, gold in -,-,,-,,- If

Qold. minlng of, conditlonrr ailecting- 3-4. 7,9-1412

prim o ~ , -,,--+*- ------ a muct lon QL,, 5, 8, 7-0, 1b11, 12, 18

QoTfl degoslts, o i ---- - ----- E 4 aold lode%, ,,mLnln$ of,rraeadftlons si-

i - 7 p+uEnon & o m ------ --- 47-g

Gold Dlacere, mlning of, conditions alfecting %lO, 12

prohctlw imm ,,-- 6, @, 1&11, 12, 18

Marshall met, gold k - I1 Mererrrg, prodaetlon o f 19 Ylneral ~ n c t l m , aesembbp mt Ha-

~ b l e t l ~ - - - 1-2 mew featuree o f - - - %4 vdae o t - - - , , - 4 4

Mhcrat. products, r n ~ a a , pro- duction of---, 6,17-22

U h g , condltiws aUectlng- 84,7,9-14 12

hllndInm. oecamnce of---,- 11-18 Pratlnnm metal4 pradaetlon a,, 27-18 Port Q a m w district, gold in- LZ

Rampart aistriet, wld 5n-,---- 11 Ehodlum, occurrenm of---,-, 17-18 R u b dkmct. gold L a - 11 Buthenlum, omwrence of-, 1748

&heelite, wcurrenm of-- ,,-,, 18 k w a r d RenMnla: 'gold oe--,- 10,11 811ver, prlce of ---,,, ---------- 14

prcdnmlon of ---,-,- 6,s. 13-14 &lomon diirMct, gold L-,--- 11 stlbnite, occurrence Oi-------,-- 19,W

Hot Sptlngs dlstrlek &td in,------- 11

Idit*md dimblet, gold in 11 Inmachak district, gold in ,,-- ---- 11 Innoh fb t r i c t , goM IIL ----,,,,-- 11 IrW.lam, mmrrenca of -,,, --,+ 11-18

Tanana di&d, gold h----,,- If Pin, grodnction oL,,--,,-,,- 20-2l Tolovma dbtrlct, gokl in ,,,, 11 Tb&en, production of---- ,-,, -- 18

Pnbon regloa, gold in ,,,,,,,--, 1611

0 !a