collier.] FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. 67 
ing 9,000 tons, which has been sold at from $1<> to $20 a ton. Proba- 
bly the average price paid for such coal has not been far from $14 a 
ton. representing a value of about $76,000. 
FUTURE DEV E L( ) 1 »M ENT. 
The coal mined on the Yukon has been 1 turned principally on river 
boats for steaming purposes. A smaller amount has been consumed 
for domestic purposes at Dawson and other points along the Yukon. 
The coal has been used in competition with wood cut along the river, 
and as the supply of wood becomes exhausted the demand for coal 
will naturally increase. There is, however, sufficient timber con- 
veniently accessible along the Y r ukon to supply wood to meet the 
present demands for some years to come. The important advantage 
of coal over wood for steaming purposes consists in its more compact 
form, so that a greater amount of fuel can be taken on at one time. 
It is also loaded more quickly than wood, even by the primitive 
methods in vogue at tin 1 present time. At Dawson coal from the Five 
Finger mine or from Cliff Creek is worth from $15 to $20 a ton. 
The Electric Lighting Company had contracted for 1,500 tons of the 
former coal at $15. Wood sells at about $10 a cord at Dawson. 
Coal delivered at the river bank from the Yukon mines brings from 
$10 to $12 a ton. Cord wood varies very greatly in price, but prob- 
able averages about $8 a cord. 
During the summer of 1902 coal could be obtained at only two points 
on the Yukon below Dawson. These points were nearly 1,000 miles 
apart, and there were no conveniences for loading at either of them. 
With the development of the oil fields in southern California and the 
consequent cheapening of crude oil as a fuel, some of the companies 
operating steamers have begun making arrangements to use this oil for 
steaming purposes on the Yukon. Should the use of oil prove prac- 
ticable, it will retard the development of the Yukon coal mines. The 
oil can probably be purchased and transported to depots along the 
Yukon at an expense little, if any, greater than the cost of coal or wood 
at present prices. After these depots are established from three to 
four hours daity will be saved, which, under the present arrangement, 
is spent in taking on wood or coal. Since oil can readily be made to 
How on board from the oil tanks, and as the oil burners are self-feed- 
ing, the services of a large force of deck hands and firemen will be 
dispensed with. 
The coal beds of the Yukon will probably never supply coal for 
exportation, because of their limited extent, the character of the coal, 
the cost of mining, and the distance from a market, but with proper 
development they will probably be sufficient to supply all local demands 
that are at present foreseen. 
