NEW COMPANY TO MINE
COAL ON ADMIRALTY
-x
Coal mining activities will be
lesumed immediately on Ad
miralty Island. The work will be
undertaken by the newly-or
ganized Alaska Coal Company,
which has bought from the Ad
miralty Island Coal Company
the 2,300 acres it held under
lease from the Federal Govern
ment.
Initial development will con
sist of diamond drill operations
to locate the best and the most
accessible parts of the deposits.
The area selected for opening
activities is in the Favorite Bay.
zone, which offers economic
transportation facilities and
which, in consequence of the
outcropping of three large veins,
leads mining engineers to be
lieve there exists extensive fuel
deposits.
_Y_
COPPER PRODUCTION
-x
The value of the copper pro
duced from Alaska in 1931 is
estimated to have been $1,712, •
000. This marks a decrease in
value of more than $2,500,000
from the corresponding value in
1930. Nearly $1,000,000 of this
decrease in value may be attri
buted directly to the lower a
\erage price of copper in 1931
than in 1930. The low price not
only had its direct effect in the
value of the output but it also
acted to restrict operations, so
that the quantity produced fell
off by an amount estimated as
in excess of 12,000,000 pounds.
The average selling price of
copper during the year, as com
puted by the Bureau of Mines,
was 8.3 cents against 13 cents in
1930. In 1931, as in former years,
practically all the copper came
from two mines near Kennecott,
in the Copper River region. The
mine on Latouche Island, which
had long been one of the large
producers of copper but "Which
was closed down in November,
1930, remained idle throughout
1931, and the work of dismant
ling the surface plant was in
progress.
-x-—
SILVER PRODUCTION
-x
The value of the silver pro
duction in 1931 was only $99,000,
as against $157,300 in the pre
vious year. Two-thirds of the
silver comes from the copper
ore, and with the reduction of
that output and silver averag
ing but 29 cents an ounce, the
decline of the total value can
be understood. Silver-bearing
lead ores are but little worked,
because of their low value. Other
minerals, like lead, tin, plati
num, petroleum, marble, lime
stone ,etc., amounted in value
to $290,000.
--V
LUCKY SHOT MILL IS
GRINDING ORE AT
CAPACITY NOW
-x
The mill at the Lucky Shot
mine in the Willow creek dis
trict, which was put out of com
mission several weeks ago by
the breaking of the shell, neces -
sitating the ordering of a new
covering in the states, is op
erating again and doing moie
work than before the break, ac
cording to reports received in
Anchorage recently. The mill is
now handling almost 50 tons of
ore daily and doing the work
very satisfactorily.
-x
NEIDING TAKES JOB AS
SUPERINTENDENT OF
CHICHAGOFF MINE
-x
B. B. Neiding, prominent
Alaska mining engineer, has
been engaged as mine superin
tendent for the Chichagoff Min
ing Company.
Mr. Neiding was connected
with the Kennecott Company
general manager of the Kenne
eott and Latouche mines about
four years ago. Since that time
he has been engaged in private
practice, making several trips to
the Territory to examine pro
perties.
-x
IORMER ALASKAN GATE
KEEPER NOW AT
FILM STUDIO
-X
A current number of a moving
picture magazine contains a pic
ture and write-up of George D.
Eeaumont, who was chief clerk
and cashier at the T & T Dept,
building in Anchorage in the
spring of 1917. Beaumont served
in the A. E. F. in France, return
ing a captain in the Signal
Corps. Later he adopted the
rank of “major” and was ap
pointed U. S. Marshal at Juneau.
Ke is at present gatekeeper at
the RKO studios, Hollywood.
-X
ALASKA FARM STATISTICS
-X-.
The final census bulletin deal
ing with Alaska has just been
published by the department of
commerce. It gives statistics on
Alaska farms on the basis of the
census taken in October. 1929.
At that time there were 500
farms in the entire Territory
containing 525,942 acres. Of that
amount 8,825 acres were improv
ed, 104,245 were wooded over
and 412,872 were unimproved.
Farm lands and buildings
were valued at $2,857,185.
The First Division came first
in number of farms, having 202
as against 187 for the Third Di
vision and 111 for the Fourth.
Only one farm was listed in the
Second Division. First Division
farm lands and buildings were
valued at $1,137,919, Third Divi
sion at $1,191,104 and Fourth
Division at $528,162.
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On life’s mental ocean we must
either think or sink.