- TERRITORY OF ALASKA REPORT OF THE COMlVllSSTONER OF NIINES TO THE GOVERNOR FOR THE BIENNIUM ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1940 I CONTENTS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL ................................. WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MINES ............................................ Administrative Work and General Information ............................ Field Work, inchding mine inspection ............................................ Geophysilcal invest~gations.............................................. ................... 3 Asszy Ol5f ices ..................................................................................... : Mining Extension Courses (in cooperation with University of Alaska) ............................................................... NEEDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................... Prospecting Geologic Maps and Reports ................................................................. Safety Measures ................................ ........- Transportation .................................................................................. : THE MININ\G INDUSTRY ....................................................................... Juneau, Alaska GENERAL, STATEMENT ................................................................ : February 25, 1941. Lode Mini'ng ............................................................................................ : Placer Minin~;........................................................................ : To the Honorable Ernest Gruening, Coal Mining .............................. ............ s Quarries ................................................................................ : Governor of Alaska. Drilling for Oil ................................................................................. : R. F. C. Mining Loans ....................................................... Sir: PrCODUCTION ......................... .-........................................ Table I-Su.m~nary ,of incr.e,ucs and decreases in the value I have the ho11or to submit, in accordance of minera!~ produced in Alaska during the last two biennia ........................................................................................... wtih Sec. 3, Chapter 80, Session Laws of 1935, Table 11-Comparison o'f values of minera1.s produced dur- the Report of the Commissioner of Mines for ing each of last two biennia .................................................... the biennium ended December 31, 1940. MINING OPERATIONS ............................................................................ Table 111-List of nlini11.g operatiolls by j,u.dicial divisions .... Respectfully yours, Tab1,e IV-Co.inparison of mining operaltiolls for two B. D. STEWART, ,biennia, listed by types ............................................................. Table V-Distribution of active lode operations by judicial Commissioner of Mines. divisions, year 1940 ............................................................. Table VI-List of shipping lode mines ....................................... Table VII-Distrib.ution of dredges by judicial divisions and precin,cts, year 1940 ........................................................................ Tabl~eVIII-Distribution af placer Inlining by judicial #divisions and types, pear 1940 ................................................ Table IX-Active placer operations by (types,bienniurn 1939-1940 ............................................................................................ EMPLOY,MENT AT MINES ................................... .. ........................... Table X-Summary of trend and continuity of employmeat during past 'two biennia ............................................................ Table XI-Employment at mines from 1914 to 1940, inclusiv'e .............................................................................................. LABOR CONDITIONS .............................................................................. SAFETY TRAINING AT MINES ............................................................ ACCTnENTS AT MINES .......................................................................... Mine Fires at Suntrana ........................................................................ Table XII-Summary of inille accidents occurring in Alsaka during 1939 ....................................................................... G1 Table XIII-S,um,mary of inlille nccidcilts occurring in Alaska during 1940 ........................................................................ G2 Table XLV-S~~~n~rnaryof accidenlts at lali ,metal mines of Associate BHinia~g li;mlgia~cers and Saasg)ectors Alaska during the period fro111 January 1. 1937, to De- cembfer 31, i940, ii1 comparison with silxilar records for J C. Roehm Juneau i~hcUilited States during 1937 .and 1938 ................................ 64 Henry R Joestjng College T2ble XV--Comparison of accidents and enlployinellt at Ha~lyL Fiedler Anchorage mines during the past two bieili~ia ...................................... 65 Abcn Shallit (part t1171~) Nome Tnble XV1'--Summ~ary of .accidents .at loclc-gold mincs dur- ing Ithe period froill Jaililary 1. 1933, to December 31, 1940 G3 Table XVII-Suinmary of man-chi~l'tsworked, fatal and no11- Ass:a ycl-s-ilr-chih1'g~ fatal accidents and time lost ic all iniiles ill Alaska- ................................................................... year,s 1912 Lo 1940, illclusivc ........................................... .... GG Arthur E. Glover C011egc AlpllaBeCical list of all mining oper.atiol?s in Alnska nt which five Nils Johansson ........................................ .Ketclliknn or Inore illell were enlployecl in 1910, together with loca- Aben Sllallit ..................... .... ........... Nolne tions of plants, types oi uperation.s. and. crews employed G'i lionald L. Sicwart, Chief Clcrlc Juncau Lucretia S. Bot sford, Clcl.k-St,~nogl':~])l~e~' Ju~~cau REPORT OF COMAMISSIONER OF MINES REPORT OF COMMISSIOXER OF MINES 7 bered 8,800 pieces, as compared with 6,000 handled during tlle preceding biennium. Government reports on the Alaskan mineral industry are no longer distributed free as formerly, but must be purchased from the Superintendent of Docun~ents,Washington, D. C. The activities of the Territorial Departlnent of Mines, in- Many of the most important ones are now out of print and cluding the operation of three public assay offices, situated are 110 longer obtainable. They may, however, be consulted at Metchikan, College and Noine, respectively, are administered at the Department of Mines library in Juneau. For the con- under the direction of tl~eConlmissioner of Mines, at the venience of the local public, and to obviate the delay involved I~eadquartersoffice in. Jnneau. At this office iiaformation on in sending to Washington, D. C. for them, a silrall stock of matters relating to mining and tlie aminera1 resources of the suclz reports as are still availablc, including all new publica- Territory is disseminated by means of personal interviews with tions dea.ling with the nlineral rcsources and industries of visiting inquirers, and by correspondence. Extensive files of Alaska, has been secured and is kept on hand at the Juneau reports on iiidividua: mining properties and prospects, which office for resale to the public at cost. The iltlmber of publi- are based largely on field investigations that are continuously cations that were disiributecl during the past biennium, in- carried on by Clie associate mining engineers of the Depart- cluding the biennial report of the Commissioller of Mines, was nlcnt during the open srason of cach year. togcthcl. wit11 a 1,730, which is approximately 1,000 more than were distributed complet~c libl.nl..y ol' the ]>ublications of thc U. S. Geological during the preceding biennium. Survey and U. S. Bureau of Mines, furnish the basis for lhc Large numbers 01 geologic and topogl:aphic maps were also authentic information that is disseminated. Consulting ser- distributed. These included many sketches prepared by the vice is also n.vailable to the val'ious local depa1,tlneuts and cngineers of the Departnlent of Milles that display the detailed agencies of the Federal Government and of the Territory. geologic features of individual mining properties examined by During the past bie~llliunl the Juneau office was visitcc! them, together with developmalt workings and the positions, by 3,700 persons, all of whoin were seeking information or as- widths and assay results of sarnpIes taken by them on each sistance in n?atl;ers relating to the mineral industry of Alaska. property. Prints of such sketches are furnished free to pros- Many of these visitors were prospectors seeking unpublished pect~~,~and owners of the properties examined for distribu- infornlation or publicatioi?~ and maps covering districts ill tion by them Lo interested parties. which they were interested. or who desired suggestions as to The office at Juneau is also equipped to make preliminai'y areas favorable for carrying on prospectring activities. Other tests of rocks and minerals, including petrographic analyses visitors included 1118ny mining engineers and prospective in- by lnicroscopic methods. During tlne past biennium a total vcstors who wished inforn~ationon pa.rticulai: p~.opei:ties or of 221 thin sections have been made of ~ocksand ores the suggestions as to those that inight warrant financing and de- true identity of whicl? could not be determined otherwise. These velopment. A number of new mining enterprises