Silver.— The silver production of Alaska in 1916 amounted to 1,379,261 ounces, valued at $907,554. About nine-tenths of this was se cured incidentally in the mining of copper, the amount being not far from 1,200,000 ounces. The remainder was gained in the mining of gold. An undeveloped source of silver in Alaska exists in the extensive deposits of ar gentiferous galena, which up to 1916 were still lying idle. Since 1880, including the out put of 1916, Alaska has yielded a grand total of 4302,459 ounces of silver, valued at $3,729,465.
Copper.—While gold has for 20 years shown the largest value among the mineral products of Alaska, it bids fair to be surpassed in im portance by copper in the immediate future. For a few years prior to 1905 copper was profit ably mined, to the value of about $200,000 an nually, in the Ketchikan district on Prince of Wales Island. The number of working mines reached 10 in 1906 with an output of $920,000. Later rich veins were disdovered on the ad jacent Kasaan Peninsula, where more than 30 mines were opened. Very rich deposits of sul phides and of native copper were discovered, scattered over the country from the Saint Elias region to Cook Inlet. Rich and easily worked veins were found on the eastern shores, and adjacent islands, of Prince William Sound. The richest and most productive deposits are those in the watershed of the Chitina, on the southern flank of the Wrangell Mountains, where there are several mines and scores of prospective drifts. These deposits were so extensive and valuable that the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, 197 miles long, was built to transport the ores of the Bonanza copper mines from the northeastern terminus at Kennicott. In connection with the Bonanza, Jumbo and Mother Lode mines there have been installed tramways, concentrators, etc., for handling the immense quantities of ore pro duced. The production of 1914 was great, but it was quadrupled in 1915, in which year the product was 40 per cent of the grand total mined in Alaska from the beginning. From 13 mines there were obtained 86,509,312 pounds, valued at $15,139,129 besides by-products of $600,000. In 1916, 18 copper mines were oP erated in Alaska, yielding a total of 119,600,000 pounds. Nine of these mines were in the Ketchikan district, six on Prince William Sound and three in the Chitina belt. The greater part of the output, however, came from three large mines—two in the Copper River country, and one on Prince William Sound. The lack of transportation facilities
is a serious obstacle to the development of many mining properties known to contain ex tensive and valuable deposits. Since 1903, the grand total of copper mined in Alaska, in clusive of the output of 1916, amounted to 339,513,375 pounds, valued at $68,839,581.
Other Metals.— Of other metals, Alaska yields small supplies, with prospects of great increases when the transportation facilities are extended to reach the mining areas. The most important output in point of size is of lead. In 1916 the lead production amounted to 820 tons, making the total yield of lead up to the close of 1916, 2,080 tons. The larger proportion of this output has been gained from gold ores, principally from the lode mines in the Juneau mainland belt, which carry considerable galena. Galena-bearing lodes are found also in the Ketchikan and Wrangell districts in south eastern Alaska; in the Fairbanks district; in the Fish River basin of Seward Peninsula; in the Broad Pass region; in the Mentasta Pass region; in the Koyukuk district; and in many other more remote localities, where distance from transportation lines renders them = available for the present.
Antimony has been mined in Alaska only since 1915. In that year 833 tons of stibnite, carrying about 57 per cent of antimony, was sent into the market. In 1916 the output was 1,458 tons. Most of this ore came from the six mines of the Fairbanks district Two newly opened mines in the Nome country added a small production. The most important lode is located in the Ketchikan distnct, and de velopment was begun in 1916. Other localities, accessible to transportation the year round, are lodes on Prince William Sound, on Kenai Peninsula and in the Nizina district.
Tin has been mined in the York district of the Seward Peninsula since 1902, and, later, is the Hot Springs district. The total amount re covered, including the .139 tons gained in 1914 has been 767 tons. Most of this has been tained incidentally by dredges operating is gold in the stream beds. Two lode mines are in operation in the York district, with a small annual output. There are a number of known tin-bearing placers in York district, and stream tin is widely distributed throughout the Hot Springs district, but few miners make any at tempt to save it. The York tin mining is car ried on only through the summer season, and the Hot Springs placers can be worked only about three months.