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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 K GOLD AND COAL RHSOIRCES OF ALASK.A. SPEECH OF HON. WATSON C. SOUIRE, OF WASHINGTON, IN IHE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 28, 1895. 1895. NVvf Sn n Mr «^ SEP i? 6 '6(1 '60 SPEECH OK HON. WATSON C. SQUTEE. The Senate having under consideration tiie bill (H. R. 8518 1 making appro- priatif^ns for sundry civil ex])enses of the Government for the fiscal year end- ing June 30, 18%, arid for other purposes. Mr. SQUIRE. I otiler the ameiulment wliicb I send to the desk. The 1 RESIDING (»FFIOEK. The anieudment will be stated. The Secketaky. Ou i)age 79, after line 21, it is jiroposed to in- sert : For an investigation of the coal and gold resources of Alaska, $5,000. Mr. SQUIRE said: Mr. I'HESirENT: I wish to say a very few words on tliis subject. What little is known of the j^eological history of Alaska as re- gards the mountain system, which forms part of the continuous mountain chain of the west coast of our continent, x>oints to a con- siderable analogy with that of the western slope of the Sierra Ne- vada in California, so well known tin a great gold-producing region. It is a well-known fact that the geological conditions vary very much in all tl:e dift'erent gold-pioducing regions of the world, and a want of knowledge of these peculiarities is the cause of many Jailurcs of mining enterprises, a great waste of capital, and, often absolute ruin to the pioneers who undertake the development of the mineral veins without previous knowledge of their geological pe- culiarities. It appears to me that it is one of the most ]irominent functions of the United States theological Survey to make the preliminary inves- tigations, and thus give miners ami cai)italist8 some surer basis to work on. It has been proved that Alaska is rich in mineral resources, and by the efforts of the hardy and adventurous miners who have had the courage to make the pioneer efforts to develo]) thtise resources, the output of gold is steadily increasing. In 18S(i the amount of gold recorded as produced in Alaska was $5,l»51, in 18'J2 it was !i«l. 000,000, and the amount is steadily increasing. There is a certainty, also, that tlie actual amount of gold produced is much larger than is shown in the official reports, as there are a large number of individual miners who carry away and sell the gold they obtain. It is therefore a certainty that the actual amount extracted is very much larger than indicated by the ligures I have (juoted. Dr. Day, the expert of the Geological Bureau, prepared a careful work entitled Mineral Resources of the United States, being the edition of 18S7, in which he gives the statistical matter relative to gold and otlier minerals in Alaska. 1 sliall ask to have inserted in my remarks the list which appears in t\m volume. I shall not take 18S0 3 ^•^^6344 the time to n^ad it at prfsont. Tlio list will be fouiul on pages G95 and *?«5 of the voiiiine to which I have referred. By nnauinions coiisfut the matter wns ordered to by inserted iu the Kf'.« ol;i> as follows: ALAS-KA— MINED Hiteralo^ical tlikftlti. Common name. Ki'inarks. Arz»-ii:ite Sihi-r i^laucp Brrtliierite .Siili'liiile ot anti- mony uu(l iron. C moisture. This is of a higher grade than the Namiinio coal of \anc()tiver Island, btit the sn))piy is too limited for eonimereial usi;. Only the ontcrop- pings of Cook Inler ha\e been exiimined. Nr geolog'cal investi- gation has l)een mtide as to the occurreuee of commercial coal else- where in this region. If the appropriation is made for the investigation of the coal and gold resources of Alaska, it .should be made immediately available, as the geologist should letive Washington in April. At no place on the Pacific coast can the development ,i coal mines prove of greater importance than on the coast of this far northwest- ern Territory. It is cortiiiu that a systematic examination of its mineral deposits by scientilic geologists will be of inestimable value in aiding the develojoneut of the country and giving direction to the hitliorto unaided efforts of (he pioneers in the mining industry, 1 have other matters, which I shall not take the time of the Senate 1880 6 to read. I will :isk ti» have jmltlislied with my remarks an oxtra t from the •' MiiK'tuI litxoiincsor the I'liitiMl Statts i'm lS!U,''iii rela- tion to coal, coiitaiiied in a i)airer Ity E. W. I'arkcr, found on paj^a- o.". Al.A-KA. At no i)liifn on tlie Pacific can the dcx cldimiciit of coal niinos prove of yn attr ini|i(]ilaii( I- Ili.iii nil f liiMiiast of this far nurtliucst I'l'ii itoiv. I'lif existi'iio^ of coal iij Alaska \va> kimu n to tlic ItiissiaiiM fur nunu vcarH \)ff()ic tlic imrcha h- of tile Ti'rritory liv tlic rnitiii Stan ». ami oiu- mini- was o|it'iiiil by Ihiiii on the shores of Coal Hay. in(iralianis llarlior. liut as the oiicrators (the liiissiaii Aineri can Coiniianv) loiioweil the scam iinchr the bay. antl liavjnc cut jiito a stream of water, the mine was llooch'il ami a baud. mid. l.,aler another mine was o|hihiI near tht« first, ami lansidciable coal uas taki n out hut with the transl'ei of tlie Terri- t stems of the west coast of our continent runs more to the west id' north than dues that of the I'oast line itself ,■ h(-nce, from Washiiiiiton northward throujih Hriiish Columliia to smil hern Alaska, an ever- incnasjn;; portion of these mountains have in jiart run out into tlie ocean, and form the reuiaikably cnntiuiioiis tiiaiu of island-s « hich lend so much uceiiic beauty to llie Alaskan cnast. Wh'af little is known oi their jieoloi;ii al history jioints to a ron.sidorable anahii;y with that of t he u isteni ■-biiii |if t he Sierra Nevada. \ iz. an uplift in I'ost .1 uiassic or early ('leUieous times, IblloWHil liy a depo.^ition. in comparatively shallow w, iters, ot'lalei Creiaceims and Tertiary beds, with Imal develoiiiiicnt of impui-. taut coals and fieiiueiit exhibitions of eruplive eneri^y continued down to com- parativeh recent ^i olouical time. •Vs to ttie Alaskan |ieiiinsula proper, beyond Mount St. Klias, whoro the coast line takes a trend due west and then southwest still less is known seologioally, lor exploralioiis liave been eontined to the immediate banks of the Yukon Jiiver, wliicli is eitlier sn far north or so far in the interior as to lie beyond the beneticent mriiience (il the Jiiiianese ^ult sireani. which alone renders the imniedi.'ite coast line of southern Alaska inhabitable during the cohbT pari of tlie year. It is known that the coal beaniii; J.. iramie roeks extend tar iinrthward lowaid the Arctic Circle in the interior, and that the cross idiain of the Aleutian Islands, wliidi extends soiithwestw ard from the point of tlie ]ieiiiiisula. is eruptive and probably of recent orii;in ; but while it may be considered probable that iLieolojiiical representatives of the idder rocks, which tbrm the niuuntaiu i ha ins farther south, exleiid into the ]ieninsula. the detenu inal ion of this fact is not ot much evident importance to the niiuini; indiistrv . since climatic conditions would a]ipear to be such as I preclude extended iiiinin;; oiierations there. It is the island belt and tlii^ immeiiiate shores of tli(> mainland hi southern Alask.a, with its comiiaiativelv mild climate and easy wat^'r traiisiiortation over inrdosi d Wiiters. that oiler the "liest opportunities lor the systematic deelopnient of the mineral wealth ihat geolouieal c inditions show must exist In tlie region. The development of this wealth may be said to liave commenced with the 'leeade, and the tirst stC) vere taken by the placer miners with their t;old pans, Wiishiiiii the sands of the streams and the debris from the hillsides. They did not con line them- selves in their explorations to tin- coast belt, but crossed the moimtaius to the waters llowiiiK into the Yukon Kiver. Here ^ravels rieh enough to ]iay under primitive methods have been found, and from the Yukon district, iwi F"orty-Mile Creek, over a <|iiarIerof a million dollars' worth of yold is .said to have been obtained without the use of mercury, It is (jiiile impossible to determine with any accuracy the amount of gold actually (iro- ilueed by such workin;;s. on account of tlie iiuinher of individual miners wlio tarry away and sell the i;old dust they obtain: hence, the tiitiireij Kiveu below may be taken as eonsiderably below the actual amount extracted. It seeiiia 1-80 I 226:- iliiiilitl'iil. liowfvcr. "ln-tluT tliii iiiliTinr nmnli"-, wlicii', owing tn the aevrrity ot' tile cliiiiatti, it is ])iisRiMo to work li's« tliuii ii iIiIkI oi tlio yt-ar, iiml tlir ox|it'iistt ot tran^iiiorliii;; snpplii's over tiie iiiouiitaiii-. i-i V'tv ^^leat, will evii Ihm oiiu' tlm Mrclie of s\ slcliiiitic Illillillli. In the I'oiHt licit, liouivir. expIoratioiiH '.'oiist3(iiifiit uiion placer niiiiiiiu ImvH alii'iiily l("c| to vein tiiiniiii:. Otic important mine, tlio Trcail'.vcU. njion Uoiiirlas iHlaiiil, in latilmic.').- , iiiinlmcs. Imucvci-. t wo I liiids oT tliccsl imatcil output of 1 lie I'ciriloiy. ll is a (lu.iit/. voin 40ii fee; in wiclih, caiiyiui,' liiB jiold ami aurilcroun pyrites, wliiili outcrops on a .steei> liillsiile niiiniii;: ilown to the seashore. Tlin ore i.M (if 8iuh very low ^laile tliat weri' it not for tlic peculiarly ailvaiitajieou.s situation of the mine, wliiili reiluecs cost to a miniiniiiii, it could hardly lie worked at a pmlit Asit is. iiowcver, good iiianaLienient and an intelliiient exin'inliture of capital have de\ clopeil a larfjc paviiii; mine, wiiicli has producod diirin:;llin past four yiMr-s an annual a\erai;eol nearly three (|u.irters of a million ol^old, and lias had a must benutlt ial etfuct in stiiuiilatini^ systuinatic mining in tlio rciiion. I'liH niiuerai lielt a.s thus far developod has a longitudinal extent of about 100 miles in a not thwestc rn and soiitluastcrn direction, but i.> said to be only a few miles wide, and. even should it ]irovo to be y:coloy:irally wider, climatic condilion.s will probably conliiie the area of prolitable \M>rkiiij; to the immediate luoximity of the ocean. The ;;eiiernl i;e(i|o;;ical condilioiis that pre\ ail in this belt, aa far as known, show a close riseiiiblance to the j;old bell of Calil'ornia: like the latter the values are iirincipally in (jold. wiiiih is accompanied in certain imrts of the region by silver, jralciia. and copper ores. It ks proliable. liowe\ ci'. that in tlih' colder n'^ioii the limit in dojif li of free jiold or oxidized ores will he sooner reached and the miller be liroufrht to face the problem of ]iroiilalily ireatin;; aiiriferou.s .sulphiirets which b.is so often proved an insurmountable obstacle to the con- tinued ])le of the extreme northwestern part of the country. It may be said that the appropriation already made for that Bureaii is suf- ficient to cover the proposed investigation in Alaska. 1 wish to address myself to that point for one mcnnent. and then I .shall tuk«3 mv seat, 'in t891-!)2 the appropriation was All.-i.OdO: in isii-j-'.t;; it wa.s .SoD.OOU: in 189;5-9-t it wa.s .•JTO.OUO; in 189-1-95 it was .SHiO.oiiO. In addition to the appropriation of $11.">.000 for the year lsi)l-93 the sum of $;57,20O was appropriat<>d for salaries of f "ologists. This was cut down in 189'2-9:]. under the Carey amendment. $lo,- 701). and the aminint has not since l)een changed. In the pending bill the total appropriation for .geology, includ- ing salaried, is fixed at 5)113, ruu. Owing to the large reduction as 1880 ?2fi3/54 8 Tlie Plli' SIDING OFFICER, the auiHiKliiU'iir, Tlif fuiiemliaeut was agreed to. isso investij,'a- The quostiou is on agreeing to