THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA 87 
 
to have relinquished its agreement covering the Jumbo Mine on Hetta Inlet,
Prince of Wales Island. 
 
 Mercury.—In spite of strong prices for mercury throughout the year,
production of the liquid metal was less than that of 1966. Alaska's output
of mercury had been small since Alaska Mines & Minerals, Inc., shut down
company operations at the Red Devil mine in 1963. 
 What small production was recorded came from the old Kolmakof mine on the
north bank of the Kuskokwin River just below Napamute, from the Alice and
Bessie (formerly called the Parks property) also on the noith branch of the
Kuskokwim below Sleetmute, and from the White Mountain deposit between the
Big and Tatlawiksuk Rivers some 70 miles southsoutheast of McGrath. The Alice
and Bessie and the Kolmakof were in the Aniak district; the White Mountain
deposit was in the McGrath district. 
 Prospectors and mining scouts were active throughout the Kuskokwim region
where the possibility of uncovering mercury deposits were thought to be highly
favorable. At the Schaefer deposits on Beaver and Cinnabar Creeks, Aniak
district, Georgetown subdistrict, Diamond Shamrock Chemical Co., a division
of Diamond Shamrock Corp. was evaluating the highgrade cinnabar showings
on the Lucky Day and Broken Shovel groups of claims. The deposits were 300
miles west of Anchorage in a particularly inaccessible part of the Kuskokwim
region. The company said preliminary results of the work were encouraging,
giving some promise of a deposit large enough to support commercial production.
Ydrametals Corp., an Italian company with New York offices, was participating
with Diamond Shamrock as a joint venture. 
 At Egnaty Creek, the Bureau of Mines continued its examination of widespread
but low-grade occurrences of cinnabar in sandstone. 
 
 Nickcl.—Except for assessment work necessary to hold unpatented mining
claims, there was no record of significant activity in nickel. 
 
 Platinum-Group Metals.—As in past years, Goodnews Bay Mining Co. was
the only producer of record of platinum and the only primary producer of
the metal in the Nation. The company continued dredg 
ing operations on the Salmon River in the extreme southwestern part of the
Kuskokwim River region. Physical volume and value of output were of the same
order as the figures for 1966. The company did not release the figures for
publication. Goodnews used an 8-foot 100-bucket Yuba electrically-powered
dredge to mine the Salmon River deposits. Overburden was stripped and tailings
stacked with a 6-yard Bucyrus-Erie Monighan diesel-electric. 
 As noted under gold, two gold-platinum placer properties (Palmer and Bethel
areas) were under exploration with Office of Minerals Exploration participation.

 
 Scrap.—Shipments of ferrous scrap increased over those of the preceding
year while nonferrous shipments decreased markedly. Total value of scrap
shipped decreased 73 percent from that of 1966. Shipments, mostly from Anchorage
and Ketchikan, were consigned to Seattle. There was no record of scrap exports.
Alaska scrap figures carried no significance in National totals. 
 
 Silver.—Alaska silver production, despite price increases for this
metal, was again well under 10,000 ounces and was 14 percent below that of
1966. Silver in Alaska had been almost entirely a byproduct from gold operations.
Some lode silver was shipped in concentrates from the Nizina district. The
Nizina (Copper River region) shipments were copper concentrates with silver
as a byproduct. 
 
 Tin.—Small quantities of tin concentrates were produced from two placer
operations, one near Tin City and one at Lost River. Both operations were
on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula. At Tin City, Lee Brothers Dredging
Co. used a small dredge to recover cassiterite from deposits on Cape Creek.
No concentrates were shipped in 1967. At Lost River, L. Grothe and C. Pearson
produced tungstenbearing tin concentrates from the Therassa Placer. Gravel
was bulldozed to sluices without any stripping. Concentrates were shipped
to the Wah Chang smelter at Texas City. The smelter made no payment for the
contained tungsten. 
 
 Uranium.—No reports of activity at uranium deposits were received
for 1967. The Ross-Adams deposit at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island
was inactive