42  CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY,   1903.  [bull. 225. 
bility  of  establishing  a  coaling  station,  if  good  coal  could  be  found  and 
worked  to  advantage,  has  led  to  a  great  deal  of  private  prospecting  in 
recent  years,  but  no  minable  deposits  have  been  found.  At  Killisnoo 
it  is  reported  that  the  seams  are  too  thin  to  be  mined  economically, 
while  at  Murder  Cove  the  coal  and  the  rocks  in  which  it  occurs  are  said 
to  be  too  much  broken  to  be  of  value.  At  present,  therefore,  these 
occurrences  do  not  promise  any  reduction  in  the  cost  of  fuel,  though 
a  comprehensive  examination  of  the  areas  in  which  the  coal-bearing 
rocks  occur  may  yet  lead  to  valuable  discoveries.  The  reason  for  this 
belief  is  that  the  amount  of  folding,  faulting,  and  crushing  in  these 
rocks  seems  to  vary  from  place  to  place,  and  if  regions  onty  slightly 
disturbed  exist,  they  may  contain  workable  coals. 
Peat  deposits  which  exist  in  many  parts  of  Alaska  may  locally 
become  a  factor  in  the  power  problem.  The  fuel  value  of  peat  is  of 
course  comparatively  low,  but  under  favorable  conditions  it  can  be  cut 
at  small  cost  and  used  for  making  steam  or,  possibly  with  greater 
economy,  to  produce  fuel  gas  for  gas  engines. 
On  the  inner  side  of  Douglas  Island  a  broad  bench  at  an  elevation 
of  about  400  feet  is  covered  by  large  areas  of  peat,  and  though  the 
material  has  never  been  prospected  or  tested,  it  apparently  exists  in 
unlimited  amount  and  could  undoubtedly  be  used  for  fuel  in  either  of 
the  ways  suggested. 
