Northwest History. Alaska. Science. United States.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1935
• Subjects: Alaska; Value of Alaska; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th Century; Pacific; Nome
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/102188

15 Millions of Alaska Mineral Wealth Shipped 15 Millions Of Alaska Mineral Wealth Shipped JUNEAU. Alaska. Nov. 13. (Ap) —Upward of 15 millions of dollars of mineral wealth have gone out of Alaska this year, but the cry is still for more gold, more development work. "On the whole, mining activity has been good this season," B. D. Stewart, territorial commissioner of mines, said today. "But work has been largely confinert to properties already in operation. There has been a distressing lack of search for new finds in new areas." The "gold ships," however, still sail south to Seattle with their rich cargoes. At sea now out of Nome for Seattle, the ste.unship North Wind carries a $400,000 gold consignment. Three mammoth electric scold dredges in the Nome gold fields have been kept at work late this fall in the mildest weather in 20 years. The United States customs house here, which lists all the j mineral shipments out of the territory on manifest, report* shipments in excess of $10,000,000 in value from Jan. 1 to Sept. 1 this Gold shipments also average about 50 per cent over the customs house figures each year, officials say. Private holdings carried out by individuals as well as mail shipments account for the increase. A gain over last year, miners aitrihuie the territory's larger mineral activity mainly to the Increased price of gold and copper, as well as to an increased interest in mining generally. Many mines in the westward ;<;yt interior areas, mostly smaller high urade properties which have been idle a decade or more, hare been reopened or arrangements made to reopen them. Much activity is also being shown in the larger low grade gold deposits In southeastern Alaska. The recent bonding of a large chrome deposit on Baranoff Island, as well as the increased production of platinum in the Good- news Bay region, have been developments of the year. Production of copper was also resumed at the Kennecott mine, with the resumption oi operations of the Copper River and Northwestern railway. The' customs house figures for the year to Sept. 1, show the mineral wealth in reported shipments. They were: ,,oW, $3.51 :i.485: copper, $831,246: silver, $105,574; and platinum, $80,778. Smaller values of stone, lead, palladium and tin were reported. Thousands of tons of coal were also mined in the Matanuska and Healy river areas.