Government Power Plant
Will Speed Development
(Continued from Page One)
be its guest at the smoker. Mr.
Davis, explained the chairman, was
eminently qualified to give the
people of this district a statement
based on scientific facts, regarding
the lignite coal and its adaptability
for various purposes; and he was
also in a position to inform them
of the steps which will be taken
for the establishment of a central
power plant, which would mean so
much for Interior Alaska.
Mr. Davis entered enthusbutic
a'ly into a discussion of the project,
commencing by declaring the es
tablishment of a central power plant
to be an object that would not be
difficult of accomplishment pro
vided the right methods were
adopted to gain the approval and
support of the federal government.
He said he was strongly in favor of
the movement, was entirely satisfied
that it was a vital necessity to the
mining intersts of this great terri
tory, and that it would at all times
have his whole-hearted support.
He then gave an interesting talk
rearding the American Mining con
gress. the Alaska chapter of this
congress, with headquarters at
Fairbanks, and the objects of the
congress.
The Mining Congress
The American Mining Congress,
he said, is a national organization
of mining men devoted to the up
building of the mining industry. It
has branches in various parts of
the country and is supported en
tirely by the fees and dues of its
members. It is striving to bring
about: First—safety and efficiency
in mining operations; second—in
telligent conservation with a view
to fhe highest development of our
mineral resources; third—the stimu
lation of investment in practical
mining operations by showing that
mining is a legitimate business,
promising, when intelligently con
ducted, larger profits with less risk
than any other business. Fourth—
uniformity in state laws governing
mining operations carried on under
like conditions. Fifth—such federal
co-operation through research and
investigation as will furnish the
basis for intelligent state legisla
tion, and will solve those problems
of economical production, treatment
and transportation which are essen
tial to an increase in mineral pro
duction. Sixth—the improvement
of economic conditions underlying
the coal industry.
The Fairbanks chapter of the
American Mining congress was or
ganized on April 3. last year, and
at its first meeting after the or
ganizing meeting, the question of
a central power plant was discussed,
but, owing to the war, the matter
was postponed. On November 15,
four days after the signing of the
armistice, a meeting was held at
which announcement was made that
the power plant question would be
up for discussion at the next meet
ing.
On December 13 a committee was
i appointed to gather data regarding
; the mining industry in Interior
| Alaska, with special reference to i
; the cost of operations, in order that
! Congress may be informed of the
urgent need of a power plant and
| an appropriation or Uie necessary
funds for the building of the plant i
requested.
Mr. Davis explained the interest
the bureau of mines had in the!
power plant and told of his trip i
to Interior Alaska in 1916 to look
into the matter of the utilization
of the Nenana coal for power and
other purposes. While on his way
to Washington to submit his report
to the secretary of the interior,
he visited several big plants in the
I States which used lignite largely
'and he had ample opportunity to
! make a study of its use and the
i results obtained for purposes, of
‘comparison with the Alaska product.
The Power Plant S
He thought the move inaugurated
j for the establishment of the power
I plant will meet with ultimate suc
jcess. as there is an urgent need for
this power to make possible min-!
ing operations on a large scale, and
consequent increased production of
i the minerals that abound in the
j Northland. He urged co-operation
with the American Mining con
gress as the best means toward at
taining the desired end.
In making a request to Congress
for a power plant, the fundamental
requirements must be shown, he
said, and these were: first, the ex
istence of a market for the power;
second, the source of power; and
third, cost. Mr. Davis then very
minutely went into the three
fundamental requirements under'
the separate heads, making it very
clear to his hearers that it would ]
be an easy matter to satisfy Con-1
gress on these points.
As regards a market, the com
! mittee appointed by the Alaska
! chapter of the A. M. C. found, up
i to the present time, that there were
! 30 quartz mines which would con
sume 3000 horsepower per year.
The committee has not completed
J its investigations as regards the
placer mines, but Cleary creek was
l cited as an example.
After close investigation, the com
mittee found that on this creek
alone there were 90 million cubic
yards of low grade gold-bearing
gravel which would yield at least
35 million dollars, and which will
require 2,500 horsepower a year
for twenty years to be worked out.
Several other creeks in the dis
trict, containing low grade placer
deposits which could not be worked
owing to the high cost of every
thing, were being investigated by
the committee.
In addition, there were the Hot
Springs, Tolovana, Tatatlanika, Kan
’tishna and other districts contain-.
; ing both quartz and placer mines.
«11 within a radius of 100 miles of
the proposed power plant. The Ruby ,
and Iditarod districts were not be
yond the reach of the power plant;
not to mention the rich mining dis- j
jtricts on the other side of the di-j
5*
MRS. C. ALLRED
J. P. BENNETT
Nenana
Steam Laundry
FULLY EQUIPPED
WORK EQUAL TO
THE BEST
PHONE 73
FRONT AT C STREET
vide, in the Kuskokwim watershed.
Source of Power.
As regards the source of power,
the respective merits of water,
steam, and gas were explained in
detail. Water as a source of pow
er was not considered satisfactory,
owing to the great difference in
the volume of the flow in the sum
mer and winter seasons and the
difficulties of climate and ice. which
often render the cost of such a
plant excessive. Steam plants com
pete successfully with water plants
in Colorado and Washington, but
owing to the grade of fuel availa
ble here, such a plant might not
be very successful, he thought. The
difficulty lay in the fact that lig
nite contained nearly 30 per cent
of moisture. A plant generating
power by means of internal com
bustion engines, using the gas re
leased by lignite in process of treat
ment, would, he thought, be the
most reliable, effective, economical
and satisfactory source.
Mr. Davis described a gas pro
ducer in which lignite coal is
burned and the gas released there
by is held for other purposes. He
also described a carbonizer in which
the lignite is subjected to a certain
temperature, which releases the gas
and leaves a residue known as ar
tificial coal. The artificial coal is
screened into two qualities, known
as oversize and undersize. The
oversize can be immediately 3old
for fuel and the undersize briquet
ted and sold for the same purpose.
The gas produced both by the
carbonizing process and by the pro
ducer is conveyed by means of a
pipe to a receptacle known as a
scrubber, where ,the impurities in
the gas are removed, and from this
scrubber the purified gas is led to
the gas engines which generate the
power.
These impurities consist of tars
and oils and ammonium sulphate,
valuable by-products; and thus a
source of revenue is made availa
According to mining methods in
use at the present time, it costs
from four to five hundred dollars
per horsepower per year, and as
suming that the cost of power from
the projected plant would be twice
the cost obtaining in the States,
or $75 to $100 per horsepower
year, it would mean that the cost
of mining operations by means of
the power supplied from the pro
jected plant at Lignite will be re
doced to a fifth of what it costs
today, by the old methods.
The estimate and comparison of
cost to the miner is made on a
liberal scale, and Mr. Davis thought
that it might eventually be further
reduced to about one-tenth of the
cost of mining by present meth
ods.
Federal Aid.
As regards the source of capital,
he thought that it would not be a
very difficult matter to convince
Congress that an immediate need
for a power plant existed and that
such a plant would be a very potent
factor in the speedy development
of the mineral resources of the
North, and thereby add to the na
tion's wealth and the genera! pros
perity of the territory, and fed
eral aid demanded for its construc
tion. In submitting to Congress a
statement of the fundamental re
quirements for such a plant, it
must be backed by facts and data
that will stand the severest scru
tiny, and it must have the whole
hearted support and co-operation of
all the people. The question of en
listing private capital was not con
sidered.
The conclusions arrived at by
Mr. Davis as a result of the in
vestigations made so far, were that
a power plant is badly needed, and
needed soon; a market for the pow
er in ample quantity exists, and no
serious difficulty is anticipated in
being able to induce Congress to
vote the necessary appropriation foi
the installation of the plant, and
THE MIDNIGHT SUN
The Midnight Sun: what poetry and romance of vision is woven
around those three words.
In fancy I have stood with Paul Du Chaillu, the eminent ex
plorer and author, on the shores of old Norway where he beheld
that marvelous spectacle across the broad expanse of the Arctic
' waters; all the passionately ardent love of nature in his soul was
kindled and expressed in his descriptive lines of the awe-inspiring
scene.
But here in this wonderful Northland, Alaska, nature’s titanic
picture gallery, where some of her choicest masterpieces are hung,
one may avail himself of that choice privilege. Fort Yukon, situ
ated just inside the Arctic circle, on the Yukon river, is the best
point of vantage; here from June twenty-first for two weeks the
sun never sinks below the horizon.
At twelve o’clock, “’Old Sol" seems to pause in his journey
through space, suspended from out the rose-tinted heavens, a deep
red ball Vdth pulsating lights across its face in a blood-gold
cloudy sea.
’Tis midnight; all is hushed; all is peace; at the other end of
the river hung an over-large moon like a great dull pearl; the
green hills and river lay jewel-crowned in exquisite pastelle hues,
and afar in the distance the eternal snows ($f the Canadian Rockies
could be glimpsed.
At twelve-thirty, the “gates of Dawn" began to open; silver
shafts of light wreathed in the colors of the rainbow pierced the
melody of the spheres and set the morning stars a-tremble in a
burst of flaming glory.
Another Day began its triumphal march across the heavens
emerging from the regal glory of the midnight splendor.
HATTIE BELLE ERWIN.
(Mrs. L. T. Erwin.)
I 1--- .1
ble and the revenue derived from
the sale of the artificial coal and
the other by-products may, to a
considerable extent, meet the cost
of operation of the power ^plant.
Regarding the fuel available for
power and other purposes in the
Lignite country, Mr. Davis stated
that a careful estimate made along
scientific lines showed that one
square mile of territory in the
Nenana coal fields contained fifty
five million tons of lignite coal.
Chemical tests of the coal showed
that one ton of it contained 5,000
cubic feet of gas, 15 pounds of
ammonium sulphate, and 50 pounds
of tars.
Cost of Plant.
Assuming then that a combination
plant consisting of several gas pro
ducers and carbonizers is decided
on, the question of cost of installa
tion of the plant comes up.
Mr. Davis said that a fair esti
mate would place the cost of the
power plant at a million and a half
dollars; 300 miles of transmission
wires would cost another million
dollars, bringing the total cost of
the project up to two and one-half
million dollars.
I there is an ample source of power
in the Xenana coal fields. The
possibility of enlisting private capi
tal to build the plant in the event
of federal aid not being available,
still remained.
DR. R. R. MYERS
DENTIST
ARCTIC HOTEL
I
SINGLETON’S
ROADHOUSE and STORE
Outfits for Prospectors, Trappers
and Hunters.
Goods Delivered to All Points in
Lignite District.
FIRST-CLASS ROADHOUSE
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Bureau of Mines at the min
ing experimental station in Fair
banks, has been recently authorized
to make regular assays and quan
titative tests or analyses of sam
ples submitted by prospectors and
! mining men.
| Hitherto it had been customary
for the bureau to make identifica
; tion tests only, free of charge, I
: showing that the ore sample sub
mitted for such test, contained
I copper, for instance; and under
favorable circumstances might also
give a rough estimate, at best, of
1 the values carried
Under the authority granted re
cently, and on payment of a nom
inal charge of one dollar for each
metal in the sample submitted, a
quantitative analysis or assay will
be made. The charge made for the
analysis is payable in advance and,
i
based on one dollar for each metal
contained fh the sample, will largely
depend on the sample itself. For
| instance, if a sample contains gold,
silver and other mineral, and if
gold alone, or any other metal, is
required, the charge would be one
i dollar. If both gold and silver
(or any two other metals) are re
quested. the charge would be two
dollars. Any three metals, three
dollars, etc.
This work will not in any way
interfere with the service previously
furnished by the Burau of Mines,
of making free identification tests
of samples submitted. There will
be no charge for such tests in the
future, as in the past.
Ordinarily, in making free identi
fication tests, only such metals or
minerals as have a present or prob
able future economic value are
sought for and reported. If, how
ever, identification tests for other
metals and minerals are desired,
and if it can be shown that such
tests for other minerals would
serve any useful purpose, commen
surate with the extra work required
they will gladly be made, free of
cost.
Persons mailing samples for
quantitative analysis or assay or
specimens for identification tests
to this station should be governed
by the following instructions:
The quantity of each sample or
specimen should not be less than
one-quarter of a pound, and more
than two pounds is an uneeessary
excess.
Each different sample of speci
men should be wrapped separately
or placed in a separate sack or
container, and each sample or
speciment should be numbered in
two places. First, on a slip of
paper carefully folded and en
closed with the sample or specimen,
because the placing of first class
mail matter, that is to say, writing
or description of any kind, in par
cel post mail matter is against the
law and subject to severe penalties,
unless first class postage is paid
on the entire package. Further
more. if descriptions and instruc
tions are enclosed with the speci- ‘
mens it is nearly always practically
impossible to read them by the
time they reach this station.
Therefore send the letter sep
arately. This letter should state
just what it is desired to have done
with the samples or specimens, re
ferring them by number, and should
also give as much information as *
possible concerning the location
from which the sample or specimen
was secured, and the amount of de
velopment work done there, the ap
proximate quantity of ore in
sight, etc.
If a quantitative analysis is de
sired the amount of the fee should
be enclosed, in the form of a post
office or express company money
order, or by check or draft payable
in Fairbanks funds. Postage stamps
cannot be accepted.
Central Restaurant
A FIRST-CLASS EATING PLACE
JOHN KETOOROKY, Prop.
A STREET NENANA. ALASKA
I
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if not us
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BARBER SHOP
first-Class Establishment
Baths in Connection
A STREET, NENANA
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