692 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (ALASKA.) 



factures and $74,696 that of foreign products and 

 manufactures. The imports were: Gold, $10,666,- 

 344; merchandise, $511,830. 



These figures are for the foreign commerce 

 alone, and do not include the values of merchan- 

 dise shipped to and from the United States. 



The total value of domestic merchandise im- 

 ported into Alaska from the United States during 

 the six months ended Dec. 30, 1902,was $3,318,079, 

 and of foreign merchandise $4,771; the total 

 value of imports from foreign countries was $307,- 

 993. Of the exports to the United States during 

 the same period, the value of foreign merchandise 

 was $34,408, the value of domestic merchandise 

 $9,775,193 ; of the exports to foreign countries, the 

 value of foreign merchandise was $10,583, of do- 

 mestic merchandise $1,236,463. The total values 

 of gold and silver coin and bullion exported 

 from Alaska to the United States during the 

 same period were: Domestic $3,279,255, foreign 

 $10,653,286; the total value of gold and silver 

 imported from the United States was $100,863. 



Manufactures. The bulletin of manufactures 

 of the United States Census of 1900 gives the fol- 

 lowing comparative statistics of manufactures for 

 Alaska : 



* Includes proprietors and firm members, with their sala- 

 ries ; not included for 1900. 



Of 45 establishments reporting in 1900, using 

 1,962 horse-power, 1,078 was derived from 49 

 steam-engines, 597 from 14 water-wheels, and 287 

 from 11 electric motors. Of 9 establishments re- 

 porting in 1890, using 451 horse-power, 290 were 

 derived from 7 steam-engines, and 161 from 3 wa- 

 ter-wheels. 



Mineral Resources. The final estimate of the 

 Director of the Mint, based upon the receipts at 

 San Francisco, Seattle, and the Selby Refinery, 

 places the total output of gold from Alaska for 

 the ten months ended Nov. 1, 1902, at $18,870,- 

 075, of which $5,008,980 came from the Nome dis- 

 trict, and the remainder from the Yukon dis- 

 tricts, the Canadian Klondike, and southeastern 

 Alaska. This is more than $4,000,000 in excess 

 of the Alaska output for the calendar year 1901, 

 the figures for that year being $14,675,675. In the 

 output for the ten months is included $250,000 

 expected to arrive from the Klondike before Jan. 

 1, and $1,350,000 expected from Nome. 



The Seward peninsula continues to be the 

 objective point for placer-mining, and with im- 

 proved methods its phenomenal yield is increasing 

 rather than diminishing, as was predicted for 

 the Nome workings in their early days. New 

 workings have been opened up in every direction 

 and are yielding in paying quantities. The rich 

 discoveries in the Forty-Mile district have at- 

 tracted many miners from the Klondike coun- 

 try. The distributing point for this district is 

 a new camp called Wickersham, after the judge 

 of the district. According to the estimate of the 

 Governor the miners at the head waters of the 

 Koyukuk river, a tributary to the Yukon from 

 the northward, cleaned up $500,000 during the 

 season. The new placer-mines in the vicinity of 



Rampart have shown rich deposits. Rampart 

 offers especial advantages as a distributing point 

 on account of its possibilities in agriculture and 

 stock-raising. Good claims have been worked 

 in the region north and south of the sixty-fourth 

 parallel and immediately west of the one hun- 

 dred and forty-first meridian. Here is a vast 

 field for the hydraulic miner, but transportation 

 is too expensive for him to do much on an exten- 

 sive scale. Placer discoveries of great impor- 

 tance have been found on tributaries of Copper 

 river. Those on the Chestochina have been 

 worked more than two years. The Nazina river, 

 a branch of the Chittyna which flows into the 

 Copper from the east, has attracted marked atten- 

 tion. Mining is going on in the north part of 

 Kenai peninsula, and a fairly prosperous season 

 is reported. The Porcupine district, near the 

 boundary-line up Chilcat river from Haines, has 

 made a good showing. One hydraulic plant has 

 been running several years in Silver Bow basin, 

 near Juneau. 



The chief production of gold from quarts-mines 

 is in southeastern Alaska, where several com- 

 panies operate large and expensive workings, the 

 great 300-stamp mill of the Alaska-Tread \\cll 

 mine near Juneau being the largest of its kind 

 in the world. The Treadwell Company opei lU's 

 2 mills 1 with 300 stamps and 1 with 240. The 

 Alaska United Company operates 2 mills 1 with 

 120 and the other with 100 stamps while the 

 Alaska-Mexican Company operates 1 mill with 

 120 stamps. 



Preliminary work has been begun near Juneau 

 on one of the largest and longest mining tunnels 

 in the world. The tunnel will be about 10,000 

 feet long and will extend from the beach south 

 of Juneau into the mountains to tap claims in 

 the Silver Bow basin. 



Much interest has been manifested in the cop- 

 per prospects of Alaska. There are large de- 

 posits of ore on Prince of Wales island, at Ella- 

 mar, on Prince William Sound, and on Latouche 

 island. A great deal is being taken out, and 

 efforts are being made to interest capital in the 

 exploitation of this industry. 



Finds of cinnabar, platinum, tin, iron, and 

 diamonds are also reported, and the extensive de- 

 posits of gypsum on Clearwater Bay, Chatham 

 Straits, are receiving attention. Analysis shows 

 it to be 98 per cent, pure and the vein is 75 feet 

 wide, traceable on the surface 700 feet. 



Coal of good quality is found in the Terri- 

 tory. Admiralty island has the most valuable 

 field so far discovered. Important disco\ni<- 

 are reported to have been made in 1902 of lirge 

 veins and fine quality on the mainland acn>-> 

 from Kayak island. Kenai peninsula is nearly 

 all coal land. There is coal on the Tanana. and 

 in several places on the Yukon. 



Oil has been discovered on Comptrollers Bay. 

 where a well has been driven several hundred 

 feet, and there is a flow of a fine grade of oil. 

 The field is large. Oil has also been foun>l in 

 the region around Lake Illiamna on the Ala-ka 

 peninsula. 



Fisheries. The canning industry was repre- 

 sented in 1901 by 30 companies and iiulivi lual 

 packers, with 55 canneries and 12 saltcrio. <:]>- 

 italized at $22,000,000. The plants wore valued 

 at $12,000.000; number of salmon taken. 31.'XX),- 

 000; output. 2.029.269 cases of 48 1 -pound :ans 

 each, and 18.942 barrels, in all about 100.00( i.OOO 

 pounds of salmon The value of the salmon pack 

 was estimated at $6.920.167. The total value of 

 the catch of codfish in the same year amounted 

 to less than $150,000. Some halibut was taken. 



