Personal and Scientific News. 6 5 
gical Survey and of the military surveying parties in Alaska, 
as well as from private sources, indicate the existence of a 
probably important copper district on the tributary of the Cop- 
per river called the Chettyna, south of the Wrangel Alps, and 
also on the headwaters of the Copper and Nabesna rivers, 
north of that mountain range. Previous explorations have ac- 
complished all desirable reconnaissance work in this region, 
and the value of the economic resources appears to justify 
more detailed topographic and geologic surveys. 
It is therefore proposed th?t a party under Mr. F. C. Schra- 
der, geologist, with one assistant geologist, and Mr. T. G. 
Gerdine, topographer, with assistant topographer and six 
camp hands, should make a topographic and geologic survey 
of the valley of the Chettyna river, comprising an area of about 
3,coo square miles, on a scale of four miles to the inch with 
sketch contours. This work is to be connected with the Coast 
Survey work near Valdes, and if practicable, explorations are 
to be made by the geologist between the valley of the Chetty- 
na and the southern coast parallel to it. This party will leave 
Seattle, May 25. 
Surveys in the Seward Peninsida. 
Cape Nome district. — The most immediately important 
wor:. to be done in Alaska during the coming season is the 
detailed topographic and geologic survey of the Cape Nome 
district and its extensions in the Seward peninsula. Accord- 
ing tO' the best information available, surveys intended to de- 
fine the extent of the gold-bearing area in the southern por- 
tion of the Seward peninsula between Cape Nome and Fish 
river should cover an area between 3,000 and 4,000 square 
miles in extent. For this survey it is proposed to organize two 
parties, one topographic and the other geologic. 
The topographic party will be placed in charge of Mr. E. 
C. Barnard, with one assistant topographer and a sufhcient 
number of camp hands to permit of distinct operations in the 
field by the two officers. This is necessary in, order to cover 
the required area in the given time. The survey is to be made 
on the scale of four miles to the inch, with sketch contours, 
in a manner similar to that executed by Mr. Barnard in the 
Fortymile district in the summer of 1898. In co-operation 
with the Coast & Geodetic Survey, it has been arranged that 
Mr. Barnard's party shall complete the triangulation between 
Golofnin bay and Port Clarence, work for which the Coast 
Survey would otherwise have to organize an independent par- 
ty, and in return for which transportation is afiforded the par- 
ties of the Geological Survey from Seattle to Golofnin bay, on 
the steamers of the Coast Survey, leaving Seattle a1)Out June i. 
The geological party of the Cape Nome district is placed 
in the charge of Mr. Alfred Brooks, with two temporary gco- 
