FlELDWORK OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 325 



party hopes to cross the Tanana River 

 at the mouth of the Cantwell, and to 

 investigate the Tanana and Birch Creek 

 gold districts, reaching the Yukon at 

 Circle City, thus obtaining a chance to 

 examine the important and little known 

 gold fields on the lower Tanana. 



Mr Arthur J. Collier, geologist, ac- 

 companied by two men, will start at the 

 international boundary and carefully 

 study the coal deposits of the Yukon 

 section as far as the delta, visiting also 

 some of the placer camps accessible from 

 the river, which have not yet been in- 

 vestigated. 



The copper deposits of the Chitina 

 River, a tributary of the Copper, have 

 excited a great deal of interest among 

 miners and capitalists. There have been 

 many parties outfitted to prospect this 

 region, and some preliminary develop- 

 ment has been made. Prospecting has 

 also been done in a second copper belt 

 in the northern part of the Copper River 

 and in the upper Tanana and White 

 River basins. These two belts are to 

 be the subject of special investigation 

 during the coming season. The Chis- 

 tochiua gold fields, also included in the 

 Copper River basin, have become im- 

 portant producers of placer gold. A 

 survey of their entire area is contem- 

 plated. The surveys of the Copper 

 River basin will also throw a good deal 

 of light on the proposed railway route 

 from Valdes to the Yukon River, and 

 they will cover large areas which are 

 believed to have value for stock-raising 

 and for cultivation. 



The work in this region has been di- 

 vided. One party, in charge of Mr F. 

 C. Schrader, geologist, with Mr D. C. 

 Witherspoon, topographer, will map the 

 Upper Copper River Basin and adjacent 

 portions of the Tanana Basin, giving 

 special attention to the upper northern 

 belt ; the other party, in charge of Mr 

 T. C. Gerdine, topographer, with Mr 

 Walter C. Mendenhall, geologist, will 



map the Chistochina gold fields and will 

 give attention to the southern copper 

 belt. 



In addition, Mr W. J. Peters, topog- 

 rapher, will make a map of the Juneau 

 mining district as a base for future de- 

 tailed geologic studies. The Juneau 

 district is the most important in all 

 Alaska, containing, as it does, the fa- 

 mous Treadwell mine. 



Hawaiian Islands. — Dr Whitman 

 Cross will suspend his regular field- 

 work in Colorado for the present sea- 

 son and will spend a portion of the 

 year in the Hawaiian Islands, for the 

 purpose of investigating volcanic phe- 

 nomena. 



Mr G. K. Gilbert does not expect to 

 carry on any fieldwork, but will be en- 

 gaged throughout the year in the prep- 

 aration of reports. 



Prof. Lester F. Ward will continue 

 the preparation of reports on the Meso- 

 zoic floras of the United States. 



FOREST RESERVES 



Mr Henry Gannett, in charge of the 

 examination of forest reserves, will ex- 

 amine forest reserves in Utah, and will 

 visit the different parties working in the 

 field under his direction. 



Mr Arthur Dodwell will complete the 

 examination of the San Francisco Moun- 

 tain Reserve of Arizona, and will con- 

 tinue work to the southward and east- 

 ward in the Black Mesa Forest Reserve, 

 Arizona, as far as the season will per- 

 mit. 



Mr Theodore F. Rixon will commence 

 the examination of the Black Mesa For- 

 est Reserve, Arizona, completing, with 

 Mr Arthur Dodwell, the entire area of 

 the reserve. 



Mr Fred G. Plummer will examine 

 the Uinta Reserve, in the northern part 

 of Utah, a rather narrow, irregular strip 

 of country, lying mainly along the top 

 and north slopes of the Uinta Range. 



