May 28, 1915. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1119 The Coalfields of Spitzbergen. (Concluded from page I070.J Norwegian Properties. 1. —The territories recently annexed by different Nor- wegian companies in the neighbourhood of Green Harbour comprise the tertiary area of Heer Quarter and, to the west of Green Bay, the greater part of Smoland Ridge, which is formed by upright Jurassic and carboniferous beds. Four undertakings have operated in this vast quadrilateral—viz., the Norske Kul Kompani, the Kulspids Company, the Green Harbour Coal Com- pany, and the Kulgrube Compani Isfjord. ’ Owing to the lack of necessary capital, the work has, so far, been restricted to research, but it is certain that the whole of the region to the east of Green Bay possesses a great economic value, for Green Harbour is the best port in Spitzbergen. The Arctic Coal Company had the inten- tion of starting regular extraction above the wireless station, as a result of investigations made in 1908, when a seam with a thickness of 1-60 m. was located at a height of about 200 m. above sea level. The company did not persevere with this project, owing probably to Norwegian representations. The researches carried out in 1909 by one of the Nor- wegian companies on Mount Heer and to the south of the harbour valley did not give results so favourable. Blomstrand had indicated the presence of a seam of coal at a height of 240 m., but,-owing to the numerous slips, it was not possible to determine its thickness; in fact, several shale partings detract from its value, and its maximum thickness is only 0-41 m. In 1910,; the gallery was driven for a distance of 40 m., and a few men passed the winter there to assure the right of ownership. f The only deposit so far proved on the western side of the bay belongs to the tertiary, and Nordenskiold in a section through the cliffs of Cape Fastningen, shows two seams 0-31 m. to 1 m. in thickness, divided by a sandstone bed 15 m. thick. 2. —A small islet of tertiary appears on the southern side of King’s Bay. This deposit, discovered by Blom- Engel&ka Sloren' 'Cap Lievia Bvl! He au Ours Nord A -a Hafen Trias. Upper Carboniferous. Middle Carboniferous. Upper Devonian. Hekla-Hook formation. Faults. Fig. 7.—Geological Map of the Isle of Bears. strand in 1861, has never been worked, but is owned by the Green Harbour Company. There is a sheltered anchorage, known as Coal Haven, which has been used since the 18th century by the Dutch fishermen. Ten minutes journey from the water edge Blomstrand traced for over 2 kiloms. a seam having a maximum thickness of 2-60 m., accompanied by several veins of less importance. Working is remarkably easy, and the coal can be detached in large lumps; the fuel being of excellent quality, it burns with a long flame and is free from ash. 3.—The Norwegian Government, in recent years, has taken an active interest in the'expeditions undertaken with the object of penetrating to the interior of Spitz- bergen. Following the journeys of the Prince of Monaco in 1906-7, in the course of which Captain Isachsen com- menced the topographical and geological survey of Western Spitzbergen, the Norwegian Government, in 1909 and 1910, organised, under the direction of this officer, fresh expeditions, which have established a reserve in the territories situated to the north of Ice Fjord and to the west of Wijde Bay. In 1911, the Government entrusted for two years to Captain Staarud the direction of a mission organised for the purpose of surveying the country, which extends from Green Harbour to Advent Bay and from the Ice Fjord to Bell Sound. Maps of these districts were drawn up, and some interesting studies of country were made. It was proposed particularly to examine the car- boniferous sediment between St. John’s Bay and the Ice Fjord. Some of the more important results have not yet been published. In 1913, the Government sent out Captain Staarud and M. Hoel on a third mission, to study the rock deposits of the mountains lying between Wijde Bay, Wood Bay, and\the northern inlets of the Ice Fjord. Several lives were lost during these explora- tions, this fate befalling several of those who took part in the recent Schroder-Stranz expedition. Captain Staarud was compelled to forego his work for some time in order to render aid to the members of the German mission. Russian Enterprises. Quite recently, Russia has entered into the ardent struggle for the possession of these coal deposits. During the summer of 1912, two Russian geologists, MM. Samojilowickz and Romanoff, were sent to examine the discoveries of the Norwegian companies, and in 1913 a small expedition from Archangel continued the survey of the tertiary horizon at Cole Bay and Green Harbour. As a result, the purchase of the mining rights of the Norwegian Company by a Russian syndicate was fore- shadowed.* Other Deposits. Apart from the foregoing, it is probable that valuable deposits of coal are to be found in the culm measures. It is likely that, on the western coast, the upright culm beds contain coal, but their extent is possibly unim- portant, and the dislocation of the seams would no doubt render working extremely difficult. M. de Geer observed in 1882, at the mouth of Bell Sound, a seam of .coal to the south-west of the Axel Islands, and this would probably he found between the silurian and the trias or the jurassic of the East. The culm measures also reappear in Dixon and Eckman bays, and it is possible that researches there may be crowned with success, but the region has not yet been prospected. The French geologist Robert mentions in the account of his voyage the presence of coal in Research and Van Keulen bays, but he speakszindefinitely, and since then the deposits have not been examined. The existence of seams of coal in States Island is very probable. Lamont has reported the presence of coal and fossil plants at Cape Negro, to the east of Deevie Bay, and coal fragments are frequently found on the shores of Walter Thymen Strait. In conclusion, a word may be said as to the deposits of devonian coal in the Isle of Bears. This island has a superficies of 600 sq. kiloms., and is situated in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, 250 kiloms. from Spitzbergen and 450 kiloms. from Norway. It is almost unapproach- able, and is constantly enveloped by impenetrable fogs. The discovery of coal dates from the 17th century, but the island was visited only by fishermen, and no attempt to work the coal was ever made. At the end of the 19th century a German expedition made secret efforts to revive the old Hanseatic fisheries that had dwindled in importance, and founded in the north of the island the Port of the North and Port Harwig. At the same time, attempts were made to develop the coal resources, but without result. In 1899, the Russians tried to found a port, named Port Catherine, but the activity of the Norwegians in Spitzbergen and the proximity of the Danish colony of Iceland threatened to render the situa- tion delicate from a diplomatic standpoint. The diffi- culty of establishing a harbour on this desert rock prevented the coal from being developed. The tripartite Commission formed to administer the affairs of Spitz- bergen will cover also the Isle of Bears, should anyone essay to work the coal. The first explorers to investigate the resources of the island were the Norwegian geologist Keilhan and Norden- skiold (1864-1868). More recently, the missions of Nathorst (1898) and Andersson (1899) have afforded more precise information. The formations found in the Isle of Bears are the silurian (Hekla-Hook), devonian, carboniferous, and triassic. Coal occurs only in the second of these, which consists of very thick sandstone measures (of a minimum thickness of 100 m.), occupy- ing half the island and reposing discordantly on -the Hekla-Hook measures, which have been up-tilted, as in Spitzbergen, by the Caledonian movement. The coal horizons are easily accessible to the north and south of Charbon Bay; there are three or four nearly horizontal seams, undulating slightly and varying in thickness from 0-50 m. to 1-40 m. If the seaboard be followed from the southern flank of Mount Misere, the devonian measures have a slight dip to the north, and from point A (fig. 7) the thick seam disappears below sea level. A little further on the inclination of the beds is towards the south, and the coal horizon reappears in the neighbour- hood of Cape Nordenskiold. From that point the seam is subject to several similar undulations, as far as the Engelska Stdren. Messrs. Kessle and Henking have given some details of this interesting deposit (Mitteil. des Deutschen Seefischerei-Ver.), and, according to Nathorst, who has studied the flora, it can without hesitation be assigned to the upper devonian. It appears to present a character nearly analogous to that of the Spitzbergen deposits, although the total thickness of coal is certainly greater, excepting the deposits near Mount Pyramid. Conclusion. It is impossible to forecast the future of coal mining in Spitzbergen, but it is certain that there are abundant reserves of fuel, remarkably easy to work, and the success achieved by the Arctic Coal Company has proved * Within the last few weeks this purchase has been . confirmed.—Eds., C.G. the possibility of obtaining excellent results despite the rigour of the climate. From the technical standpoint, no obstacles are present, but economic conditions are less favourable. The slow melting of the ice in some of the fjords, and the necessity of putting a full year’s output on board in the space of some weeks, necessitates shipping arrangements of a special nature. It is reasons of this kind that would seem to have hindered the development of the deposit in Braganza Bay, and have attracted the Swedish efforts to Mount Pyramid; for similar reasons, Green Harbour has been a bone of contention. .On the other hand, the question may be asked as to whether there exists a sufficient market for the coal in Scandinavia, where water-power has been so largely utilised and the railways have been electrified purposely to avoid the use of fuel. In answer, it is pointed cut that Norway contains important deposits of metals that as yet remain undisturbed, and there are great openings for industry in the country; finally, the prospect of utilising coke for the electric smelting of iron presents itself, and although the Ice Fjord tertiary deposits do not yield coke, it is possible that others may lend themselves to this application. Spitzbergen coal has so far found a ready market in Norway. As to whether it can compete with British and German coal, it is difficult to say, and the success of more ambitious trading would depend upon the better organisation of the industry. A refer- ence has already been made to the possible introduction of further Russian capital, and since the war started renewed interest has been shown in Norway in the mineral wealth o