Areas surveyed by Geological Survey in Alaska, 1898–1929, in square miles

1 Includes 1,650 square miles revised extensively in 1929, and included also under 1929 and therefore counted only once in total given.

In addition to supplying information the work of the Alaskan branch in 1929 consisted of seven principal projects. These were the topographic supervision of the aerial photographing of parts of southeastern Alaska, a geologic reconnaissance in parts of the headwaters of the Copper River region, geologic and topographic reconnaissance surveys in the Lake Clark-Mulchatna and Stony River region of the Alaska Range, geologic reconnaissance of part of the Circle district and adjacent regions in the Yukon-Tanana valley, general studies at some of the principal mining camps in southeastern and central Alaska, investigations carried on at the local field offices maintained by the Geological Survey in Alaska and the statistical canvass and computations resulting therefrom, relating to the output of minerals from Alaska during the year.

The aerial work in southeastern Alaska was a continuation of the project started in 1926, whereby the Navy Department undertook to furnish the Geological Survey with airplane photographs suitable for use in compiling drainage maps of the region. The expedition of 1929 was in charge of Lieut. Commander A. W. Radford and was equipped with four amphibian airplanes and all the neces sary equipment. It accomplished its work with remarkable ability and technical skill, so that films covering nearly 12,000 square miles of country were obtained. After the receipt of these films in Washington it was necessary to make prints of them for the Geological Survey and the Forest Service, and three men were employed continuously for nearly six months in making the 50,000 prints required. These prints will subsequently be mounted and then used for cartographic compilation and the resulting drainage maps later completed by field-topographic surveys during which the elevation of all points will be determined.

The work at the head of the Copper River Valley embraces parts of the country near Chistochina and extends across the Alaska Range so as to include part of the basin of Tok River. It includes within its limits Mentasta Pass, which has long been known to be mineralized area affording evidence of the presence of gold and lead and some indications of copper. Prospecting for these metals is in progress. Productive gold placers have long been worked in the Slate Creek district, which lies close to the western margin of the area surveyed.

The geologic and topographic reconnaissance of the Lake ClarkMulchatna region was undertaken to close in the gap of country lying along the western flanks of the Alaska Range and tie with earlier surveys in the Lake Clark-Iliamna region to the south and surveys carried across the Alaska Range in the vicinity of Mount Spurr and the head of Stony River to the north. The party surveyed about 1,375 square miles of hitherto unmapped country. The geologic results show that in this part of the Territory the Alaska Range consists primarily of a great franitic intrusive mass which is flanked on the west by sediments and extrusive igneous rocks of Mesozoic age. Practically no prospecting has been done in the region, but the presence of the great intrusive mass cutting a variety of the rocks offers some hope that deposits of value may be found in the vicinity of the contacts.

The geologic reconnaissance and mining investigations in the vicinity of Circle were undertaken to collect new data on the geology of the district, as well as to review critically in the light of the present some of the earlier geologic determinations. The field work consisted in visiting a number of remote and hitherto unmapped areas in several ranges of hills that flank the Yukon Flats on the south and visiting most of the producing placer camps in the Circle district. The completion of this work brings to a close the field work necessary for a general revision of the geology of the entire tract lying between the Yukon and Tanana Rivers, though it will still be some time before the office studies connected with this revision are done.

Their familiarity with mining matters throughout many parts of the Territory and their availability for consultation enabled the supervising mining engineer and his staff to give much valuable information and advice to many of the Federal and Territorial agencies in Alaska as well as to many individuals. The Alaska offices also act as local distributing offices for handling publications of the Geological Survey, and assist in furnishing the main office at Washington with information on many phases of the mineral industry.

The general survey of Alaska mineral developments was undertaken by the chief Alaskan geologist and consisted in visits to some of the larger mining centers in southeastern Alaska and in central Alaska adjacent to the Alaska Railroad.

The collection of information regarding the production of minerals from Alaska is an annual project that has been in progress for more than 25 years, and no change in the general scope of the work was made in the canvass that was conducted in 1929. All sources of information are freely drawn on to supply reliable information regarding the production of the different ores and metals, and the resulting statistics are regarded as the authoritative official figures. The results of these canvasses are published on the basis of the calendar year.

MINERAL LEASING WORK

Supervision of the operations in Alaska carried on under the various acts relating to mineral leases and permits on the public lands is conducted by the Geological Survey through the conservation and Alaskan branches. Most of the local details are performed

by the district field offices at Juneau and Anchorage under the immediate direction of the supervising mining engineer. Nearly all the productive coal mining and some of the oil drilling in Alaska is being done on public lands held temporarily by private individuals or companies under leases or permits issued by the Secretary of the Interior. The interest of the Government in these lands requires that the developments shall be carried on so as to prevent waste and so that the lives, health, and welfare of those employed in the work are properly safeguarded. The coal-mining developments are especially carefully supervised, and wherever possible assistance is given to the operators by outlining and putting into effect economical and safe development and mining programs. Special attention is given to the installation of safe and efficient hoisting and tramming equipment; to mine ventilation; to the reduction of fire, explosion, and blasting hazards; and to the providing of adequate pillars in advance of all mining operations.

The care and maintenance of the coal properties and equipment that the Government owns at Eska, Chickaloon, and Sutton, although actually in charge of the Alaska Railroad, has been delegated by the railroad to the supervising engineer and the local Geological Survey staff attached to the Anchorage office. All of these properties are now idle, but the Eska mine and camp are maintained in condition for immediate reopening in case an emergency should arise that might jeopardize the supply of coal for the Alaska Railroad.

TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE TO PROSPECTORS

During the fiscal year many requests were received from prospectors in all sections of Alaska for Territorial assistance in transportation that has been granted during the past two biennia under the act commonly known as the prospectors' aid act. Applications for such assistance are made to local agents situated in various sections of the Territory who represent locally the commissioner of transportation. Owing to the large number of applicants for assistance it became necessary in November, 1929, for the commissioner of transportation to notify the various local agents to accept no more claims for assistance from funds provided by this act until after March 31, 1930, which date marked the end of the first year of the legislative biennium. This action was made necessary by a provision in the act which specified that, as nearly as practicable, one-half of the ap propriation should be expended during each year of the biennium. During the interval between the date when payments from the fund were stopped and March 31, 1930, applications for assistance continued to be received by many of the local agents, principally from prospectors in remo e sections of the Territory, where announcement that the fund was depleted had not reached. Such applications were given preference when funds again became available for distribution on April 1, 1930. Liquidation of claims based on these applications subsequent to April 1, 1930, absorbed nearly the entire fund available for distribution during the second year of the biennium for which the appropriation had been made. It thus became necessary early in the year to notify local agents to receive no further applications or claims during the remainder of the biennium.

It is possible that some prospectors whose applications have been approved but who have not yet submitted their claims for reimbursement will cancel their requests for assistance and in that way release funds so that additional new applications may be considered for approval.

At the end of the fiscal year a total of 298 prospectors had received transportation assistance from the Territory, some of whom had received aid for two or three seasons. Of this number 54 were prospecting in the first division, 71 in the second, 63 in the third, and 110 in the fourth. From these prospectors 171 very good reports have been received, 28 having been submitted from the first division, 43 from the second, 37 from the third, and 63 from the fourth. These reports have already proved of value in answering inquiries from other prospectors and from mining men who were interested in sections covered by some of the reports. Much of the data contained in these reports concerns regions about which nothing has been published and very little is known. Several prospectors reported the finding of promising mineral deposits, but as yet development work has not progressed to the point where their actual extent and value can be determined. During the season of 1929 many prospectors in various regions who had received assistance from the Territory were visited by two of the mining engineers employed by the Territory, and the work accomplished by them was inspected. In nearly every case where such inspection was made it was found that the beneficiary of the fund was operating in good faith and had put to good use the assistance that had been given by the Territory.

BUREAU OF MINES

The activities of the Bureau of Mines in Alaska during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1930, were again confined to the mine-safety service, assaying and mineral analysis for prospectors and others, and the sampling and analysis of coal. The supervision of this work continued in charge of the supervising mining engineer for the Geological Survey in Alaska, with headquarters at Anchorage and branch offices at Juneau and Fairbanks.

MINE-SAFETY SERVICE

The purpose of the mine-safety service is to safeguard the lives and health of those engaged in mining and related activities. This work in Alaska is conducted by a senior foreman miner assigned from the Bureau of Mines staff. His duties include giving to miners and subordinate mine officials training in approved mine-rescue and first-aid methods; giving instruction in accident prevention, and the nature and seriousness of various types of hazards that are met in the mining industry, and approved methods of eliminating or overcoming them; conducting field contests in first-aid and mine-rescue work; giving exhibits and demonstrations of the bureau's safety work; and maintaining in condition for service the rescue apparatus provided by the bureau in the Territory.

The equipment of the mine-rescue car, which is maintained on the Alaska Railroad, was kept complete and in good condition for service at the operating coal mines adjacent to the railroad. This

car also serves as a base for training in mine rescue and first aid in that vicinity.

Five sets of oxygen-breathing apparatus, an approved inhalator, and other mine-rescue equipment are kept at Juneau in good condition for use at any disaster that may occur in the mines of southeastern Alaska.

During 1929, mine-rescue and first-aid service was extended to the Seward Peninsula district for the first time since the beginning of this work in Alaska. Training was conducted in first aid, mine rescue, or both, during the year for the Hammon Consolidated Gold Fields (Inc.), at Nome; Osborne Mining Co., on Osborne Creek near Nome; Alaska Road Commission, at Shelton; Alaska School of Mines, at College; Healy River Coal Corporation, at Healy; Alaska Matanuska Coal Co., on Moose Creek; Kennecott Copper Corporation, at Kennecott; Kennecott Copper Corporation, at Latouche; Solar Development Co., at Rua Cove, Knight Island; and the Alaska Railroad, at Indian.

An exhibit of mine-rescue and first-aid equipment was prepared for the Chamber of Commerce Merchants' Exhibition and Ball at Anchorage on May 17, 1930, which was viewed by several hundred people. One case of carbon monoxide poisoning was successfully treated with an H-H inhalator and a life probably saved. Some interesting tests were conducted in the mine at Kennecott with an allservice gas mask and a self-rescuer in the presence of dynamite smoke from blasting operations.

Following is a record of the training completed in mine rescue and first aid during the year:

Assaying and mineral analysis work was continued at the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines of Fairbanks by an analyti cal chemist and mineralogist detailed to that work by the Bureau of Mines. This work is carried on under a cooperative agreement whereby the college furnishes quarters and supplies and the bureau furnishes fixed equipment and details and pays the salary of the chemist who conducts the work.

This service provides prospectors and others in Alaska with an opportunity to secure official assays of ore samples at actual cost and of having made identification tests of mineral specimens free of charge. Assays of ore samples taken by field engineers of the Geological Survey in connection with the investigation of mining development and assistance to prospectors are also made at the college by the analyst of the Bureau of Mines. Opportunity is also given the mining students at the college of witnessing the assaying and identification tests conducted by a skilled analyst and mineralogist as well as to actually assist in the work.

During the past fiscal year the following determinations were made. in the laboratory at Fairbanks: