i STEAM COAL - Clpdigital.org

44 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
While drilling for coal on the property of Dr.
X. O. Werder, of Pittsburgh, near New Florence,
Pa., the drillers struck a flow of mineral water
which throws a stream higher than the tops of
the houses.
The Century Coke Co. has completed 30 new
ovens on Dunlap's creek, near Brownsville, Pa.,
and ground has been broken near Smithfield for
50 new ovens for the Sackett Coal & Coke Co.
The Southern Pacific is having a survey made
into the coal fields of Fort Hancock, Texas, with
the intention of running a branch coal road to
that point.
The Atchison coal shaft, which was recently
sunk by a company of business men of that city,
is now producing about 50 tons a day in Atchison,
Kan.
The Western Pennsylvania Central Mining Institute
will hold its annual meeting on December
20 and 21 at Pittsburgh.
THE COAL FIELDS OF ALASKA. 9
Near Cape Lisburne. which is on the Arctic
coast of Alaska. 300 miles North of the Arctic
circle, are two coal bearing formations of economic
importance. They were studied during the past
summer by Arthur J. Collier, of the United States
geological survey, who, assisted by Chester Washburn,
made his way in an open dory along that
distant shore as far East as Cape Beaufort. The
wind in that quarter of the earth blows everything
with cyclone force straight out to sea every day
in the year except those days when, for a change,
it tears down from the North pole. Putting to
sea in an open boat might seem like tempting
fate in that latitude, but the survey men found it
the most practicable way of studying the formations
exposed along the coast. Coming South they
were taken up by the United States revenue cutter
Thetis, the captain of which did everything in his
power to facilitate their work.
Of the two coal bearing formations, one, which
lies East of Cape Lisburne, is of Jurassic or lower
The Dilworth Coal Co. has filed suits to recover
Cretaceous age, and the other, which lies South
$11,289.77 from the McKeesport Tin Plate Co. on
of Cape Lisburne, is either lower Carboniferous
a contract to deliver coal, and $2,500 for the
or Devonian. The Mesozoic coal bearing forma­
alleged destruction of barges by negligence.
tion, which has been known for the last threequarters
of a century, commences at a point 25
miles East of Cape Lisburne and is continuously
The Douglas-Rauch Coal & Coke Co.. composed
principally of Pennsylvania capitalists and experienced
operators, has begun operations at their
property near Wolf Summit, W. Va.
exposed along the coast to Cape Beaufort, a distance
of 40 miles. It contains the well known
Corwin and Thetis mines, the location of which
has been shown on many recent maps of Alaska.
Geological study shows that the coal measures
Dr. William S. Phillips, of Denver, has dis­ of these fields have a total thickness of at least
covered extensive coal fields in Northeastern 15,000 feet and contain not less than 40 beds of
Mexico. They will be opened despite the fact coal, each over a foot thick. The aggregate thick­
that no railroad is near.
ness of all the beds seen by Mr. Collier is over
150 feet. Eleven of them are more than four feet
thick and contain coal of good quality. Analysis
The Fairmont Coal Co. has shipped 4,500 tons
of samples from some of the beds shows the pro­
of coal to Buenos Ayres for the Buenos Ayres &
duct to be low grade bituminous coal. A limited
Western railroad, to be tested in competition with
amount of coal has been mined here since 1879 for
Cardiff coal.
whalers and revenue cutters. Several cargoes
were mined in 1901 and sold at Nome markets
for $18 and $20 a ton, in competition with Comax
and Washington coal at $25 a ton.
None of the coal beds has been permanently developed.
The coal produced was mined from the
croppings along the sea cliff and boated off to
the ships through the surf. There is no harbor
for vessels nor protection from any but South
winds. In 1903 a small amount of coal, probably
not exceeding 20 or 30 tons, was produced at the
Corwin mine. In 1901 about 20 tons were tak"en
by the steamship Corwin, and about ten more
tons were mined for consumption at the Point
Hope whaling station.
The Paleozoic coals outcrop at three points
along the coast, four, eight and 12 miles, respectively.
South of Cape Lisburne. The coal bearing
formation extends Southward for a distance of
about 40 miles and reaches the coast again at
Cape Thompson. Beds over four feet in thickness
occur at each of the localities noted. No
analysis of these coals has yet been made. They
are bituminous and of considerably better grade
than the Mesozoic coals of the region. They are
totally undeveloped, but in 1903 a few tons were
mined from croppings in the sea cliffs and used at
the Point Hope whaling station.