37  I 
CONTRIBUTIONS    TO    ECONOMIC    GEOLOGY.    1903. 
[BULL.  225. 
fuel,  but  it  will  necessitate  careful  handling  if  the  coal  is  to  compete 
with  Pennsylvania  or  Welsh  anthracite  as  a  domestic  fuel. 
The  following  table  includes  all  the  analyses  and  calorimetric  tests 
which  have  been  made  upon  the  Bering  River  coal.  The  first  five  sam- 
ples were  collected  by  the  author  and  represent  the  composition  of  the 
cnl ire  seam;  that  is,  coal  was  cut  evenly  from  the  seam  from  roof  to 
floor. 
Analyses  and  tests  of  Bering  River  coals. 
o 
"o 
03 
M 
« 
a3 
m 
'o 
a 
O 
> 
o 
< 
a, 
m 
A 
xn 
a 
"o 
u 
o 
o 
o 
O 
Q 
Recalculated. 
Fuel 
elements. 
Locality. 
i— i   C3 
03 
■Si 
6 
1 
fa 
Feet. 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
Per 
cent. 
1.  Carbon  Creek  a 
20 
2.41 
15.03 
79.24 
3.32 
0.51 
Reddish 
8,345 
15. 94 
84.06 
5.27 
2.  Shepherd  Creek  a... 
7£ 
1.54 
14.58 
72. 99 
10.89 
.69 
Yellow  . 
7,  664 
16. 65 
83.35 
5.01 
3.  Trout  Creek  « 
6i 
2.36 
18. 12 
71.87 
7.65 
.73 
Reddish 
7,819 
20. 14 
79.86 
3.97 
4.  Canyon  Creek  « 
4§ 
3.24 
9.79 
62.97 
24.00 
1.94 
Yellow . 
6,502 
13.45 
86.55 
6.43 
5.  South  end  of  Car- 
bon  Mountain 
5 
1.34 
6.30 
84.57 
7.79 
.77 
7,  776 
6.93 
93.07 
13.43 
.75 
13.25 
82.40 
3.60 
.69 
13. 85 
86. 15 
6.22 
7.  lev  Bay  & 
.78 
13.22 
80.30 
5.70 
2.90 
14.13 
85. 86 
6.07 
.77 
13.79 
82.36 
3.08 
2.68 
14.34 
85.66 
5.97 
a  Sample  collected  by  G.  C.  Martin.    Analysis  and  calorimeter  test  by  Penniman  and  Browne. 
l>  Analysis  furnished  by  F.  H.  Shepard.  Published  by  J.  E.  Spurr:  Reconnaissance  in  Southwest 
Alaska.    Twentieth  Annual  Rept.  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  pt.  7,  p.  263. 
c  Sample  collected  by  W.  M.Carless.  Analysis  by  W.  F.  Hillebrand.  Published  by  Schrader  and 
Spencer.    Geology  and  Mineral  Resources  of  a  Portion  of  the  Copper  River  District,  Alaska,  p.  91. 
These  coals  vary  greatly  in  composition  and  in  heating  power,  and 
it  seems  likely  that  in  this  field,  as  everywhere,  each  seam  will  be 
found  to  have  a  characteristic  composition.  The  source  of  Nos.  6,  7, 
and  8  is  not  known,  but  possibly  Nos.  6  and  8  are  from  the  opening 
on  Carbon  Creek,  from  which  No.  1  was  obtained.  The  difference  in 
the  amount  of  moisture  in  these  samples  and  in  those  collected  by  the 
author  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the  latter  were  placed  in  sealed 
cans  as  soon  as  taken  and  no  opportunity  was  given  for  the  coal  to 
dry  out.  The  very  high  percentage  of  sulphur  in  Nos.  7  and  8  is 
probably  due  to  their  having  been  taken,  not  from  the  entire  thick- 
ness of  the  seam,  but  from  pieces  of  coal  which  were  picked  for  their 
hardness  and  apparent  cleanness.  The  one  who  took  the  samples  evi- 
dently overlooked  the  fact  that  their  exceptional  hardness  was  not  due 
to  the  coal  being  a  higher  grade  of  anthracite,  but  to  its  containing  a 
large  amount  of  pyrite  (sulphide  of  iron). 
The  20-foot  seam  now  exposed  in  the  tunnel  on  Carbon  Creek  is  the 
most   promising  coal  seen   by  the  writer.     It  not  only  possesses  the 
