spencer.]  THE    JUNEAU    GOLD    BELT,   ALASKA.  41 
occurring'  in  the  Nevada  Creek  deposit.  It  is  reported  that  gold  occurs 
throughout  large  parts  of  the  mineralized  mass  in  amounts  somewhat 
less  than  $1.  Here  also,  as  in  Nevada  Creek,  there  are  occasional 
narrow  stringers  of  high-grade  sulphides.  Several  hundred  feet  of 
prospecting  by  means  of  a  shaft  on  the  Yakima  group  of  claims  has, 
however,  developed  no  deposit  of  workable  ore. 
POWER  PROBLEM. 
Throughout  the  Juneau  belt,  and  in  southeast  Alaska  in  general, 
the  water  powers  now  utilized  are  available  for  not  over  seven  months 
in  the  year.  Winter  precipitation  is  almost  entirely  as  snow,  and 
melting  is  at  a  minimum  between  December  1  and  May  1,  so  that 
during  this  period  the  effective  run-off  in  most  of  the  streams  is  very 
small  or  nil.  Consequently  auxiliary  steam  plants  have  been  employed 
where  continuous  power  has  been  needed  throughout  the  year,  and 
double  installations  must  always  be  planned  where  mining  and  milling 
operations  are  to  be  carried  on  without  interruption.  However,  suf- 
ficient water  power  for  even  extensive  development  work  is  seldom 
wanting. 
The  streams  now  used  have  been  naturally  selected  because  they 
were  easily  accessible,  and  it  has  thus  come  about  that  only  creeks  of 
steep  grade  and  small  drainage  area  are  furnishing  power.  Many 
large  and  constant  rivers  exist,  but  the  length  of  the  ditches  required 
and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  them  open  in  winter  have  thus  far  pre- 
vented, and  probably  always  will  prevent,  the  utilization  of  streams  of 
low  grades. 
It  seems  at  present  that  plants  large  enough  to  furnish  power 
throughout  the  year  can  be  installed  on\y  where  favorably  situated 
natural  lakes  can  be  turned  to  account  for  winter  storage,  and  to  tide 
over  seasons  of  exceptional  dryness,  such  as  was  experienced  in  the 
summer  of  1903.  One  project  of  this  sort  now  under  advisement  by 
the  engineers  connected  with  the  Alaska-Treadwell  and  associated 
interests  will,  if  successfully  inaugurated,  greatly  reduce  the  already 
low  cost  of  working  the  large  bodies  of  low-grade  ores  controlled  by 
these  companies.  The  problem  of  transmission  for  long  distances  and 
across  the  deep  fjords  which  abound  throughout  the  region  will  be  an 
important  factor  in  deciding  the  practicability  of  any  large  water- 
power  plant. 
The  necessity  of  reducing  power  costs,  if  possible,  is  evident  from 
the  price  of  coal,  which  is  reported  by  the  Treadwell  management  to 
be  not  less  than  $6  per  ton  under  favorable  return  cargo  conditions. 
The  existence  of  coal  beds  at  several  points  on  Admiralty  and  Kuiu 
islands  has  been  known  for  man}^  years,  and  early,  though  unsuccessful 
attempts  were  made  by  the  Navy  Department  to  locate  workable 
deposits.     The  proximity  of  these  localities  to  Juneau  and  the  possi- 
