The coals of the Peace River area show a wide range in
rank, passing from High Volatile “A” Bituminous coal,
through Medium Bituminous and Low Volatile Bituminous

coal to Semi-Anthracite, as shown by the following analyses
of prospect and mining samples:—

~

Proximate Analysis
A BU ee Rank
Re ; Volatile Fixed Ber Ratio
Moisture Ash Wate Cachan Sulphur
ia . Peace River Canyon......... R* 1-0 4-2 19-4 75-4 0-7 14,340 3-9 in seabed
i Balers 1) AOL 76.2 0-7 1aSi0 3 toes ae Low Volatile Bituminous
i i . Gething mine, Grant seam... R 0-7 3-6 21:0 74-7 0-7 14,700 3-6 | Low Volatile Bituminous -
i . King Gething mine......... R 5-0 7:8 24-1 63-1 1-1 13,080 2-6 || Medium Volatile
ON SSRs ees Cie ena een gs oat gant osc ha hs 8-2 25-4 66-4 1-1 ey SO ial lore ee Bituminous
|
a . Packwood mine........... R 4-8 5-4 19-0 70-8 0-6 | 13,400 3-7 eer to Oe
| TR ees o 5.7 19-9 74-4 0-6 (aO7Omnl ieee ae Low Volatile Bituminous
Hasler Creek mine.......... R 6-5 15-9 17-8 59-8 0-5 11,530 3-2 |) FEES ys
>
Dib lRerypcs ie! 17/59) 19-1 63-7 0:6 15, D70e |e een Low Volatile Bituminous
. Halfway River outcrop..... R 5-6 4-4 12-5 77-5 6:0 12,670 6:3 || E ;
ID) fo Ba Seamies 4-6 13-3 Oa Gore asl, 420) 0 leet SoReal:
. Sikanni Chief River outcrop. . R 0-6 13-4 25-9 60-1 3-8 13,270 2-3 |\Medium Volatile
1D Yes leer he 13-5 26-1 60-4 3-9 19235 OE eee Bituminous
- Carbon River prospects... . . R 2-9 4:3 23-6 69-6 - 15,000 3-0 | Low Volatile Bituminous
. Pine River prospects........ R 1-1 13-8 11:6 73:6 1-0 14,000 6-6 | Semi-Anthracite

*R equals sample as received.
* D equals sample on air-dried basis.

In 1923, tests of the Grant Seam of the Peace River
Canyon area were made by the Canadian Pacific Railway
and showed that 13-1 pounds did the same work in a
locomotive as 8-2 pounds of the high-grade, low volatile
bituminous coal from Canmore. The grates were not
changed to suit the Grant Seam coal, and considerable
unburned coal was discharged through the ash.

The Carbon-Pine River field extends from a point on
Carbon River, 5 miles south of its junction with Peace
River in a southeasterly direction, for a distance of about
60 miles. The most accessible part of this deposit is the
Carbon River area. This area has not been explored in
detail, but several! seams varying in thickness from 1 to 15
feet have been uncovered on several of the tributary streams.
The geological data pertaining to the seams so far discovered
are insufficient to provide any reliable estimate of the
mineable coal reserves of the area. A conservative estimate
recently made indicates a mineable reserve of 117,000,000
short tons, in an area of 10 square miles. This coalfield
is now under investigation by the British Columbia Depart-
ment of Mines. There seems to be little doubt that, if

available, the coals of this area would find a ready market,
as the shipping and storing properties of the coal are reported
to be excellent. There has been no development as yet

[36 ]

direc transportation to the Carbon River coalfield were.

along the southeasterly extension of the Carbon River
deposits into the headwaters of Pine River, but the seams
are known to occur in workable thickness and the coal is
of excellent quality.

Another small, undeveloped coalfield which lies within
15 miles of the Canadian National Railways line and which
appears to warrant more detailed investigation as a source
of railway or domestic fuel is the Bowron River coalfield,
located about 30 miles southeast of Fort George. This
Tertiary coal basin is estimated to underlie an area of
approximately 10 square miles and to contain at least 3
coal seams measuring 4 feet, 74 feet, and 9 feet thick. The
coal deposits have been examined by the British Columbia
Department o Mines and the coal is classified as bituminous
coal. As yet no development has taken place in this area.

Coal measures of Jurassic, or Lower Cretaceous, and
Tertiary ages have been found in widely scattered parts of
Yukon. Coal mining has been carried on in a small way
in four areas: Rock Creek on the Klondike River; Coal
Creek on the Yukon River, near Carmacks: the Whitehorse
area, and the Wheaton area. In the first two areas the
coal is Tertiary lignite, and production has been insigni-
ficant. In the other two areas, good bituminous coals of
Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous age have been found. Most
of the coal produced has come from three mines near Car-