The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, January 28, 1934, Page 11

£ 1 a DEVELGPMENT EDITION—THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, JAN.-28; ° - Work of Geologlcal Survey in Alaska - ‘that has been adopted for simi- organization like the Government four which will make its findings of By DR. PHILIP S. SMITH Chief Alaska Geologist “PFor the investigation of the mineral resources of Alaska” is the | terse descriptive phrase used in the appropriation act for the Geo- logical Survey, cme of the bureaus of the Interior Department, to des- ignate the principal work of that organization in Alaska. Such a compressed definition, however, gives but a vague idea of the var- jed lines of helpfulness that the Government through this branch of the Geological Survey has been extending to the mineral industry of the Territory during the more than 35 years that this work has be of interest to some to tell about certain aspects of that work in more detail. One of the matiers reiating to the mineral industry of a country that everyone interested in the subject wants to know about is ob- viously the quantity and value of its mineral output. To supply this information the Alaskan Branch of the Geological Survey each year conducts a canvass of all the mines and prospects throughout the Ter- rifory to determine the kind and volume of the mineral output of each. In carrying on this work, forms on which are asked a num- ber of specific questions to furnish the desired information, are sent to each individual or company known to be engaged in mining, with the request that they fill them out as to their own property and return them to the Alaska branch. Reports Checked 5 This .information is assembled and checked against reports re- ceived from banks, express com- panies, postoffices, mints, assay of- fices, customs offices and .all oth- er sources of reliable information so as 'to remove as far as possible any inaccuracies. This care to as- sure their accuracy is essential as the statistics of Alaska’s mineral production as given by the Survey are the officially accepted ones for all Government statistics of pro- duction. In this connection it may not be amiss to emphasize that the Sur- vey figures relate solely to pro- duction “and may therefore differ from equally authoritative statis- tics which are prepared on some other basis;—thus certain reports on mineral commodities put ont by the Customs Service relate to shipments, reports put out by the Mint cover receipts by the mints and assay offices and of course many other bases of calculation other than production may be used Distribution Is Explained The mere collection of this in- formation regarding mineral pro- duction, however, would fulfill only a part of the Government’s service to the industry.. Far probably more important in making this infor- mation useful is that it shall be distributed and made generally available to those having need of it. This is done through the prep- aration of reports each year in which the results are tabulated and the different mineral com- modities ana recent developments in each of the different mining centers,” are described. A prelimi- nary. statement of this sort is dis- tributed in mimeograph form so as to ke evailable on January 1, imriediatnl following the close of the ye-=to and ‘a © prene aft~» that 85 These v periant a. more or less Mistories of hsppead in the mi The mincr and prospector, or the invcstor of businers men who is searchine for ‘enlightcnment as to the possivilities of ne2w develop- ments end exploration of the re- sources of Alaska, desires informa- ticn as to Likely places where he may devote his eforts or places that he should avoid as little likely to repay him for his work. Resources Unsurveyed When the Government started the mineral resources work in the Territory practically all of the country ‘far from the main routes of travel was unsurveyed and prac- tically‘anknown except to the oc- casional trapper or prospector whose knowledge was not available to others. It therefore early became evident that the mewcomers and develop- ers of Alaska required more exact information as to the physical fea- tures of the region—the courses of its streams, the position and the heights of its mountains and of the passes through them, the routes of transportation—all of which and many other geographic facts were factors that would play significant roles' in the development of the country’s natural resources. Thus with ‘the earliest exploratory par- ties sent out By the Geological Sur- vey began the topographic map- ping of the country. Half of Area Mapped Since that time this work has progressed uninterruptedly until now about half of the area of Alaska has been mapped on a scale that correetly shows the main geo- graphic features and is adequate for most exploratory and recon- naissanice purposes. By this state- ment it is not intended to imply that even those areas have been thoroughly surveyed because in the States proper the standard scale > printed report distributed lar topograpic mapping is times as large (16 times the area) as that used Alaska for its reconnaissance type of surveys and less than 1 per cent of Alaska has been mapped with the degree of defail that is considered standard | for most of the work in the States. { + This topographic mapping while undertaken primarily in the inter- est of the mineral resources inves- tigations is of great use in all phas- es of Alaskan development so that maps are in constant demand by those having to do with the selec- tion of routes for roads or trails, for determining distances and di-| rection between points, tourists and to serve as a base on which to trace out or follow the distribution of plants, animals, rocks or any of the other natural resources of the region they cover. These maps are especially useful because. they show not only the distribution and relation of the surface features correctly as though projected on a horizontal sheet but they also, by .a system of lines called contours, indicate the height above sea level of every part of the area covered by the map. Deposits Are Individual Knowledge as to the kind, distri-| bution, and extent of the mineral resources in a pioneer region can not be acquired by any quick or easy method and there is much more than a grain of truth in the often quoted saying that “gold is wheré you find it.” However, while each deposit has certain individ- ual characters and differs from all others, just as no two people are identical, there are certain principles that have been found to be generally applicable and even the differences may be found to change in a determinable way in response to variables in their mode of origin or location. In this field as in so many ofhers “experience is the best teacher” and the new must be interpreted in the light of the known. Thus, the study of ore deposits of diverse types in many mines throughout the world have furnished geologists with a great body of facts regarding favorable and unfavorable factors in the for- mation of ore deposits. With this background the geolo- gist, if skilled, can examine tracts and apply this knowledge in reach- ing a wise prediction as to the liklihood of its mineral value. Such a geologist must necessarily be constantly on the alert to note all the pertinent local conditions that may have a modifying influence on the problem for small differences in even some of the minor factors may produce entirely discordant results. For instance, a stream that has a certain velocity may effect a high concentration of placer gold where as with a higher velocity it would sluice out that concentration or would fail to effect profitable concentration if its velocity drop- ped too low. Minerals Are Associated So, too, different types of min- erals are usually associated more or less closely with certain geologi- cal processes or conditions. To de- termine what and how these dif- ferent geologic factors were in different parts of Alaska and their effectiveness in producing mineral deposits of commercial value has been the object of the Alaskan Branch of the Geological Survey in its conduct of extensive surveys throughout the Territory. In the course of these investigations the geologists determine the kinds of -lrocks in the areas in which the surveys are conducted, what min- eral deposits occur theré, and so y.|far as possible their extent and the processes that have led to their formation. In the course of this field work all the prospects are studied care- fully for by noting and interpret- ing the conditions shown by them the geologist gains a knowledge which enables him to recognize and predict regarding areas that war- rant exploitation even though val- uable deposits have not then been discovered in them. Work of thig sort has been done by the Burvey, geologists covering about half of the area of the Territory, in the course of which every mining camp that has been productive has been studied and mapped more or less thoroughly and several hundred reports, most of which are accom- panied by maps and other illus- trative material, have been pub- lished and widely distributed. Many Reports Free A great number of these reports are distributed without charge or may be freely consulted in prac- tically all of the largér libraries or the reports may be purchased for a merely nominal price from the Superintendent of Documents at ‘Washington. for avia-| been in' progress. It may therefore;tors' trappers, hunters, naturalists, i In this period when every effort is being made to reduce expendi- tures by the Government, there may be some who, while admitting the value of such work as the Geo- logical Survey performs in Alaska, may raise the query as to why it should be done by the Government rather than left to private initia- tive. Unquestionably the develop-' ment of the individual properties should be left to the individual or private company and this policy is rigidly adhered to. There are, however, general in- vestigatfons' that cannot be swe- cessfully undertaken except by some centralized and continuing can not be doubted if one can- vasses the public sentiment throughout the length and breadth of the Territory; that equaily im- portant and constructive work re- mains to be done is apparent when we recognize that more than 200,000 square miles that has pros- pective mineral value has not been investigated by the trained 'per- sonnel of the Geologieal Survey even as thoroughly as required for crude exploratory standards and that of Alaska’s nearly 600,000 square miles less than 5,000 square niiles have been mapped by the Geological Survey on standards that are regarded detailed. OLD CLIFF MINE : BEING DEVELOPED Under the leadership of Gen. A. D. McRae, the old Cliff mine in use to the public rather than hold- ing them as “trade secrets” as a private company would be justified in doing had it made important discoveries at the expense of its members. Furthermore it nitist be remembered that Uncle Sam has the dual role in Alaska in that he is the principal landlord and there- fore has the special responsibility of determining the kind and ex- tent of his possessions so that they may be productively employed and'| wisely administered. Coal Lands Retained He must therefore discover and inventory his assets in this great north country and must see that they are put to work in the inter- ests of all his’citizens' rather than grabbed by a favored few. Thus at present practically all the coal lands of the Territory are retained in Government ownership and their | the Valdez district is again being development allowed under a lense‘ developed. Canadian capital s re- and permit system. This is in vivid | ported to be behind 'this enter- contrast with the former wasteful prise. ‘Mining machinery - has' been and inadequate systém by which | received at the property for in- much of the once public coal land | stalling. It is said there is plenty of in the States was allowed to pass indication coming to the front into private holdings with very!thnt development will be on a little profit to the Government large scale on this producer of or the people as a whole. | former days, To assure itself and its citizens - that operators under the present- ! day leases shall observe the terms of their contract with the Govern- ment the Geological Survey main- tains engineers to kéep track of the various mines operating under these leases and see that the tech- nical requirements providing for safe mining methods, conservation of the natural resources, and prop- er compensation for the privileges enjoyed - shall be properly met. These duties for Alaskan mines op- erating under leases from the Gov- ernment have been performed un- der the direction of the Alaskan Branch but fhe expenses of the work are paid from a separate ap- propriation from that which sup- ports the general mineral resources work. Field Projects Reduced In the past the Geological Sur- vey carried on each year more than a dozen field projects in different parts of Alaska but with reduced appropriations and mounting costs this number has been reduced un- til last year only six field projects were in progress and some of these were financed to a greater or less extent by other organizations, as WALLACE LANGLEY President and Manager J. D: REAGH Secretary-Treasurer Santa Ana Steamship Company Operating on the SEATTLE-KUSKOKWIM ROUTE Connecting with the Alaska Rivers Navigation Co. at Bethel, Alaska for instance the Alaska Railroad, or through funds provided by the Public Works Administration. That the Survey has performed useful work in its investigations of resources of Alaska 514 COLMAN BLDG. SEATTLE, WASH. the mineral - SUPERIOR PACKING COMPANY BRANDS OF SALMON PACKED Captain Kidd Sprite W hitworth Pioneer Building SEATTLE, WASH, Golden Shore W hite Cross Cannery at PENAKEE, ALASKA 934. CHICHAGOFF MINING COMPANY MINE OFFICE Chichagof, Alaska Executive Office W. R. RUST BUILDING Tacoma, Washington A Pacific Coast in'oduct, dev"elloped to meet climatic conditions of the Pacific Coast and Alaska. From Los Angeles tb Nome evéry boat owner ' he- knowldeges the superiority of FULLER’S DURABLE BOAT Paint for all water crait Halibut fishermen, salmon trollers, seinm, eannery superintendents and' sportsmen specify FULLER’S DURABLE BOAT PAINT because they know it gives them better protection against salt water, rocks, barnacles and floating ice. (] i Home owners likewise specify FULLER’S PURE PREPARED, knowing they' can idepend upen it to protect their homes against severe weather condi- tions. Alaska climate demands the best of paint, and FULLER’S PURE PREPARED was developed to meet such demands. ' Years of actual experience has gemonstmted that it is the most economical paint 0 use. [ FULLERGO: The semi-gloss:enamel that withstands continual washing and still gives) that soft luster to your walls and wood work, ‘so. pleasing ' to’the eyd The delightful shades of cream, ivory and green can make your kitchen and bathroom exceptionally at- tractive at a minimum expense. QEPORET: Whenever = high luster, quick drying finish is needed, you can safely use this enamel. Available in all colors. AUTO ENAMEL: Fuller's: Quick Drying Auto Enamel has proved itself to be an extremely .durable and attractive finish for cars and trucks. Easy to apply and inexpensive. e e [ ] ' Juneau-Yoling Hardivare Co. PARTICULAR ALASKANS Insists Upon . . . Blue Ribbon Poultry Blue Ribbon Butter Nalley’s Mayonnaise (And Condiments) Black Hauwk Products (Eastern Cured Hams and Bacon) Pabst C heese (In Many Varieties) O e e ) WASHINGTON 4 CREAMERY COMPANY DISTRIBUTORS SEATTLE, U. §. A. KADIAK FISHERI % COMPANY NERE ALA:;(A SALMON ———CANNERIES——— Kodiak, Alaska Shearwater, Alaska . HEAD OFFICE 412-416 Lowman Buildmg SEATTLE, WASH.