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National Geographic : 1910 Jan
Contents
THE COAL-FIELDS OF ALASKA in two inland belts which are undevel oped because they are not yet accessible by rail, and copper prospects have been found elsewhere in the Territory. Tin, marble, gypsum, and petroleum have been produced from Alaskan de posits; iron and other minerals probably have future commercial value. Mining began about I880 and pro gressed slowly for nearly two decades, since which advancement has been very rapid. Much of the Pacific seaboard, with its cheap transportation, strong re lief, abundant water-power and timber, and equable climate, is most favorable to low costs of mining. These conditions have resulted in the development of one of the largest low-grade gold-mining enterprises in the world, as well as some others of considerable magnitude. They have also favored the successful exploita tion of comparatively low-grade copper ores, even at the low market value of the metal during the past year. Though placer mining has been carried on in Alaska for nearly thirty years, it has been chiefly by the crude methods of the pioneer that more than $Ioo,ooo,ooo worth of gold has been won from the auriferous gravels. The modern epoch of placer mining, with labor-saving ma chinery, has only just begun, and the field in which such methods are used is capable of much expansion. Though the future discovery of bonanzas, such as have made Alaska famous in the past, cannot be predicted, it is certain that the possibili ties of new finds are far from being exhausted, and that there are hundreds of creeks known to be auriferous which may yield gold in commercial quantities when means are found to reduce the present cost of operation. The inland copper districts await the railway transportation, which will not only lead to the development of known deposits, but also stimulate further search for ore bodies. Such develop ments of a lode-mining industry will give a larger permanent population-at pres ent Alaska's greatest need. A full development of the mining in dustry of Alaska is possible only by the improvement of the transportation facili ties. At least one railway must be built to the Yukon gold-fields, and the inland copper-lode districts and coal-fields must be connected with Pacific ports that are open throughout the year. Then, and not until then, can Alaska's mining indus try be developed to the extent warranted by her known mineral wealth. IMMENSE MINERAL OUTPUT The total value of the mineral produc tion of the Territory since productive mining began, in I880, exceeds $147,ooo, ooo. In the following table the pro duction by years and by substances is presented. This table is based on the best available information, but accurate statistics of the annual mineral output have been collected only since 1905: Value of Total Mineral Production of Alaska, 1880-1908 BY YEARS 1880-1890........................ $4,686,714 1891.............................. 916,920 1892 ............................ . .1,096,ooo 1893 .............................. 1,048,570 1894.............................. 1,305,257 1895 ............................ . 2,386,722 1896.............................. 2,980,087 1897.............................. 2,538,241 1898 .............................. 2,585,575 1899............... ........... . . 5,703,076 1900 ............................ 8,238,294 1901 ... ......... ............ . 7,007,398 1902 .................. ......... 8,400,693 1903 ................ . ......... 8,941,614 1904 .............................. 9,567,535 1905 .......... . ................. . 16,478,142 1906.............................. 23,375,008 1907 ............................. 20,887,055 1908.................. ............ 19,929,800. $147,972,701 BY SUBSTANCES Gold . ...... . ..... . $142,030,637 Silver (commercial value)........ 1,120,562 Copper .. .................. 4,265,136 Tin .. ....................... 92,640 Coal ............................ 315,079 Marble and gypsum ............. 148,647 $147,972,701 The known mineral wealth of inland Alaska is embraced in the two copper bearing belts of Copper River, lying ioo
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