cor.LiEu.] COAL RESOURCES OF THE YUKON BASIN. 283 
SUMMARY. 
The coal-bearing formations are distributed along the Yukon con- 
veniently for steaming purposes from the international boundary 
nearly to the mouth of the river. The coal beds are practically unde- 
veloped, though limited amounts of coal have been mined at eight 
different points scattered along 1,000 miles of the river. Probably 
about 9,000 tons have been produced in American territory, which 
have sold at from $10 to $20 per ton. The seams from which coal has 
been produced vary in thickness from 13 inches to 5 feet, and in some 
instances they have been crushed and broken by movements of the 
inclosing strata, so that the beds are very irregular. The coal varies 
in quality from lignite to semibituminous. It has been used chiefly 
for steaming purposes on river boats and has come into competition 
with wood cut along the river. During the summer of 1903 crude oil 
from California Avillbe burned on some of the steamers on the Yukon. 
Should its use on the Yukon prove practicable, the development of 
the coal beds will no doubt be retarded by it. 
The Yukon will probably never supply coal for exportation, but the 
coal beds at present known seem to be capable, with proper develop- 
ment, of furnishing all that will be required for local use. 
