U. S. GEOLOGICAL
SORVEY.
Important Work To Be Done In
Alaska During the Present
Field Season.
The work of the Alaska division of the
United States Geological Survey for the
present field season is being got under
way.
Alfred 11. Brooks, chief of the Alaska
division, and several members of the
survey were aboard the Hannah on her
down trip last week. Mr. Brooks was
on his way to Fairbanks, where he will
devote his attention to the new placer
developments for some weeks, before
proceeding to Nome to continue his
study of the placer deposits of the Sew
ard peninsula.
L. M. Prindle, whose work between
Fairbanks and Rampart has given him
a wide acquaintance, was also on board
the Hannah, and was greeted by many
friends during the hour and a half the
boat remained here. Mr. Hess, former
assistant to Mr. Prindle, is not with the
survey this year, the state of his health
necessitating a layoff. Mr. Voncannon
is again with Mr. Prindle as aid.
Mr. Prindle, with C. S. Blair as assist
ant, will investigate the new Kantislina
placer field. He will first proceed south
ward from Fairbanks to the base of the
mountains, where he will examine a
coal field on Cantwell river, and then
go west to Kantislina.
I). C. Witherspoon and party disem
barked from the Hannah at Fort Ham
lin. Mr. Witherspoon is assisted bv R.
B. Oliver, and the party consists of nine
men with twelve horses.
Mr. Oliver came on to Rampart and
secured the instruments which were
abandoned at the head of Mike Hess
river last fall, when Mr. Witherspoon's
party was caught by the early snow and
had to get out as liest they could. The
instruments had lieen brought in by
Fort Hamlin Indians during the winter,
and were in need of a few slight repairs.
George Cowan, the jeweler, gave them
the necessary attention, and Mr. Oliver
returned to Fort Hamlin on the Monarch
last Sunday.
Mr. Witherspoon's party will divide
and one section go east and the other
south from Fort Hamlin. Prospectors
in the interior have the greatest need of
topographic and geologic maps. To
supply this demand Messrs. Witherspoon
and Prindle will continue the work in
which they have la-en engaged for the
past four years. It is Isqied that during
the present summer the to|s>graphic
mapping can Is- completed as far west
as the Yukon river.
As a thorough investigation of the
minerul resources can not Is- made with
out geologic maps, stratigraphic studies
are very essential (or the determination
of the succession of the geologic horijons.
K. M. Kindle, who last year investi
gated the stratigraphy of southeast
ern Alaska, wilt this year do similar
work in tin* Yukon Istsin. lie is coming
down the Yukon in a cams*, and will
as-end tin* Porcupine to the interne
ti-'iial boundary and make such strati
graphic studies as time and circum
stances may permit.
Other Work in Alaska.
Seward Peninsula.—The detailed to
pographic surveys which have been
carried on in Seward peninsula the past
two years have been crowded out this
season by press of other work. Geologic
work, however, will be continued by F.
H. Motlitt, assisted by P. S. Smith. Mr.
Motlitt will complete the areal mapping
of the Nome Special and Grand Central
Special quadrangles, paying particular
i attention to the occurrence of placer
I gold. J. C. Hoyt, assisted by F. F.
Henahaw, will undertake a study of the
water resources of the Nome district.
These hydrographic surveys are an inno
vation in the Alaska work, hut it is
hoped that eventually they may be ex
tended to other parts of the territory.
About the middle of summer Alfred H.
Brooks will go to Nome and visit the
parties under Messrs. Motlitt and Hoyt,
' and continue his study of the placer
! dei>osits.
Sushitna Basin.—Great interest has
| been felt in the Sushitna basin, lying to
the south of Mount McKinley and con
[ tabling not only important coal fields,
i but also some placer beds, and embra
cing the largest areas of agricultural
! land in Alaska. T. G. Gerdine sailed
from Seattle May 1(1 with a party of 12
men and 15 horses for Knik at the head
' of Cook inlet. He was accompanied by
11. 11. Sargent, who will take charge of a
section of the party. Sydney Paige will
be with the expedition as geologist, and
with him will lie associated Adolph
Knopf. The general purpose of the in
vestigation will be to carry reconnais
sance surveys up to the head of Mata
nuska river and thence westward to the
Sushitna. The geologists will pay spe
cial attention to the Matamrska coal
; fields.
Southeast Alaska.—Messrs. C. \V. an<l
F. K. AVright, assisted hy li. W. Pum
pellv, will continue their geologic work
north and west of Lynn Canal, including
the Glacier Bay region and Chicagoff
Island. The glaciers on Glacier Bay
will he specially studied. These were
very much shaken by an earthquake in
189*,), and an"attempt will be made to
1 determine how much the ice has re
treated since Prof. H. F. Reid’s survey
in 1891.—Kliot Blackwelder, assisted hy
A. G. Maddren, will explore the lower
course of the Alsek river as far as the
international boundary. It will lie his
sjiecial purpose to study the geology of
the St. F.lias range, and determine, if
jmssible, the relation of the rocks of this
field with the gold-bearing rocks of
southeastern Alaska.
Yakutat Bay Region.—Prof. R. S.
Tarr, assisted by Lawrence Martin, will
continue his work. He proposes to
cross the upi*-r reaches of the Malas
pina glacier and make his way westward
to Yaktag. This means a sled journey
of about a hundred miles over ice. It
is his general purpose to carry the geo
logic reconnaissance work westward,
and, if f*»ssible, establish the relation
to the coal and oil-hearing rock* of
Controller Bay. He will also examine
the Is-acli placers and the oil see|sigcs at
Yaktag.
Controller Bay Region.—tieorge C.
Martin, assisted by C. K. Weaver, will
complete the dctailisi mapping of the
Controller Bay region. As this field
carries high-grade bituminous and acini
anthracite e<wls and is the objective
point of a railroad from Orca, the re
sults of this work w ill Is-of great com
mercial importance.—The correlate>n of
the various rottl-hearing Imruon* in
Alaska will Is- undertaken by W W
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8. K. HEETER. HARRY BURRUSS.
HEETER & BURRUSS,
FREIGHTERS aid PACKERS
Freighting and Packing to and from all Creeks.
Good Equipments and Service Unexcelled
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Atwood, who will spend a few weeks
with Mr. Martin, familiarizing himself
with that field. Later, with the assist
ance of Mr. Weaver, he will examine
the coal fields on the west side of Kenai
peninsula.
PORCUPINE RIVER
COUNTRY.
Nineteen Men Wintered in the Re
gion About Rampart House.
No Gold There.
Jim Qualey, a well-known prospector
and trapper, arrived in a small boat
from the upper Porcupine river last
Friday. He had been it that country
two years. Last winter he made his
headquarters camp some thirty miles
north of Rampart House.
Mr. Qualey said seventeen white men
and two civilized mixed bloods wintered
in that country last winter, and a good ■
many Indians depended on Cadzoe's j
trading post at Rampart House for their i
supplies. The post was stocked with '
quite an assortment of goods, including ;
clothing. Flour was $8 a sack, sugar .1!
pounds for $1, and clothing was pretty
dear.
The post did not do as big a business |
last winter as the year previous. Skins!
was the currency, no golddust being in '
circulation there.
All the white and native trappers1
made jssir catches. Marten were espe-1
ciallv scarce.
Rampart House is on the Canadian
side of the Ismndary, 2">0 miles from
Fort Yukon and 75 miles within the
Arctic circle. Timber is scarce anil 1
small, and the hills are barren and
windswept at no great bight above the
creeks.
Mr. Qualey heard nothing of a ru
mored intention of the Canadian jmlice
establishing a |»>st at Rampart House,
or of the patrol changing the route so as
to take in that place on their regular
winter journey to Fort McPherson. The
distance would Is- so much greater over
that route it is improbable the |>atrol
will seriously consider its adoption.
From a pro*|*s tor’s view the Porcu
pine holds out little encouragement
Across the divide on the Arctic s|o|s* the
country is of different and more favora
ble formation for gold hunters. The
climate on that slope, however, Mr.
Qualey said, is very severe. Timber is
nonexistent over vast stretches, and
•now falls 1“ a great depth and is con
stantly drifted by high winds.
RECEPTION
...SALOON...
S. E. HEETER, BOB SCHABER,
Proprietor Mnnuger
Wines, Liquors and
GOOD Cigars....
....Billiard and Pool Rooms
Barber Chair in the House. $
St. Louis
ABC
and Seattle
Ranier Beers
OLD VALLEY WHISKY
The Only Stock.
MIXED DRINKS
Our Specialty
8. J. Marsh, a geologist who haw spent
considerable time on the Arctic slope,
returned to that country by way of the
Porcupine last March. Newspapers have
had a good deal to say about Mr. Marsh
and a lsiok of his is to !>e published
giving his Arctic ex|<ericuee*. He is
also said to have written many letters
and otherwise attracted attention to the
country. It is thought that some expe
ditions will go in there by way of the
Porcupine tins summer, inspired hv Mr.
Marsh's reports. Mr. Qualey said little
alsnit the matter, but it was plain that
he lielieves any undertakings of the
kind will entail great hardship.
Mr. Qualey floated on down to Tanana,
and was undecided what course he
would steer from that |>oiut.
Wolf Killed With a Pike Pole.
Among a lot of other (s its Ismght by
Julius ICabmstorf from Olson amt tireen
a few days ago was a big black wolf
skin taken from a wolf which Mr tireen
killed with a pike |»>le last winter. On
returning to his cabin on Salt creek one
• lav Mr tireen found the brute inside,
and for want of a latter *ea|*>n he
knocked it out with the pole. The skin
measure* 7 fret 3 inches from ti|> to tip.