FORMER NOMITK WHITES
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM PHILIPPINES
BAGUIO, P. I„ Nov. 4, 1933.
THOMAS GAFFNEY.
Nome. Alaska.
Friend Tom: Since I last
heard, from you, I've been rambl
ing over the islands quite a bit,
for the last year. I’ve done con
siderable prospecting, mostly sur
face work on the bars of the num
erous, rivers on Luzon Island.
As you are probably aware, the
Philippines. especially the prov
ince 1 am now in, will soon be
the leading gold producer under
the American flag. The last two
years discoveries and develop
inents have gone apace. The 1933
gold produc Ion for Mountain Pro
vince alone, will exceed 10.000,
000 pesos or $5,000,000 U. S.
currency. Most of the mines are
lode, but at the present time, sev
eral placer discoveries have been
made, some have promises of be
coming producers in a big way,
of course dredging has been going
on for years in various localities.
i
I am at present interested in a,
company known as the lnfer-Moun
tain Placer Association. I have |
located 20 claims on the Ambry
ian river, about 50 kilometers or
approximately 31 English miles
ziortli from Baguio.
The mining laws are practically
the same as the Alaska laWs,,with
some exceptions, ozie can have as
many power of attorneys as on?
wants. Individuals .can stake 8
lieclares or 19.76 8 acres. The
claims I staked are in groups of I
four. I have not yet done any j
extensive prospecting on Ambryian j
river, only surface pannizig, can't i
get a “skunk,” but the gold is
fine and flaky, there is an abaund
azice of black sand which carries
values, some assays as high as
$2,000 to the short ton.
I am expecting to go out to the
claims in a few days to sink holes
or put in bedrock drains as this
is the dry season. The worst
drawback of placer mining or pros
pecting the rivers and creeks here,
are the sudden floods that deluge
one in a few hours, during the
rainy season (May to Sept.), these
rivers and creeks raise as high as
l:? feet in 24 hours. The annual
rain fall for Baguio exceeds 300*
inches, and in 1919 had one 12
hour ruin fall of 44 inches. An
other obstacle is the boulders,
some we gh tons on tons, and lack
of. transportation. The heads of
the streams are cut deep in the
mountain ranges, on my upper
claims the- elevation of the highest
range is over 8000 feet, the river
elevation at that point is approx
imately- 1981 feel..
The Filippinos in this section
have gone hog wild and have “stak
ed” the country from hell to break
fast, 90 percent of the ground has
hot been staked properly, and what
a v'rgin Held there will be for the
lawyers in the near future, claim
jumping now is rampant, but un
like Alaska, there has not been anv
trouble so far..
As far as I know there is not k
placer miner in the country, and it
is com'cal to see some of the “gold
saving” devices that people have
shipped from the states, they don't
know anything about bedrock, or
drains, diches, ground sluicing and
etc., they think they just need to
shovel in the top gravel and the
world is their’s. What a field for
some slick promoters, that I’ve
known in Alaska. I am sending un
der separate cover an issue of the
Mauila Bulletin, with the mining
section for Baguio.
With the high price of gold now
and the cheap labor that prevails
here, one can work very low grade
ground. The original natives of
this province. (Mountain Province),
are the Igortes. They were erst
while head-hunters, and occasionally
lop off a head or two now. 1 have
been out among Them alone, for
months unarmed; and it would have
not done me any good if I had a
machine gun. I have never been
molested and they are excellent
packers and laborers, you can hire
them for one peso aday (50 'cents
V, S. money), and they will pack
50 kilos a little over 100 pounds
over these steep mountains bare
rooted and make me hurry to
keep up with them. They are
practically naked, wear only a “g"
string, and the women’s dress
•consists of a short skirt with
breats 'bare, and a huskier race
would be hard to And.
Tom, I would like very much to
hear front you, and send me a
few "Nome Weekly Nuggets."
Best regards and wishes, I am
sincerely yours,
Edwin L. MACK,
Care of John Gillas,
Vallejo Hotel,
Baguio, Mt. Prov., P. I.
"THE MIRACLE MAN" SPEAKS
AND THE WORLD LISTENS
Boasting one of the most dis
tinuished all-star casts of the cur
ren season of cinemanufacture,
“The Miracle Man.’' classic Amer
ican play,1, moves into the Dream
Theatre on Tuesday next.
“The Miracle Alah’ thus appears
in- the fourth phase of a metamor
phosis which is more the rule than
the exception in these days of
harking back to the old stand-bys
for new thrills in the amusement
world. It first saw the light of a
fascinated reader's eye when it rvas
published as a novel; next it be
came a successful Broadway play;
thereafter a silent movie (in 1919)
and now—a talkie. No doubt it
will one day enter a fifth trans
formation and become a televis
ualization (“telly" to you) but
for the present it serves well the
discriminating needs of America's
threatre-going millions.
The cast of “The Miracle Man’.’
is an important one. Sylvia Sid
ney and Chester Morris play the
leading romantic roles, as the girl
friend and the dapper young con
fidence crook. These were the
roles played by Betty, Compson and
Thomas Meigan in '19. Hobart
Bosworth plays the central role as
the faith-healer patriarch. John
Wray, plays the part’ of the fake
paralyctic. “The Frog”-—the part
which made Lon Chaney famous
on the screen 14 years ago.
Others who are prominently cast
are Irving Pichel, Robert Coogan,
Boris Karloff. Ned A. Sparks, Lloyd
Hughes, Virginia Bruce and Effle
EllsleT.
The story deals with the re
formation of a gang of crooks by a
faith-healer, known as the Patri
arch in the vicinity where he lives.
Chester Morris plans to exploit the
Patriarch for the benefit of the
gang.
CLIPPER SHIP HAI» EVENTFUL
CAREER IN WORLD PORTS
There are many old deep water
sa lors now peacefully puffiing
their pipes in Sailor’s Snug Har
bor, on Staten Island, who can re
member the days when the old
clipper-rigged windjammer. Ind
iana," ttas known ‘from Suez to
San Francisco as a fast saving
ship whijh mysteriously poked its
nose into hell holes’ of the Orient,
with cargoes ranging from lumber
to slaves.
Flying the American flag and
commanded by a wide variety of
fearless Yankee skippers, a most
unsavory reputation was: enjoyed
by the “Indiana,” which was
chartered by Columbia for use in
making “Shangaied . Love,” the
thrilling sea romance by Norman
Springer, showing Friday at the
Dream Theatre with Richard Crom
well, Noah Beery and Sally Blane
in the loading roles.
NOTICE
. In order that subscribers will not
v e delayed In receiving the Satar
day Nugget, several hours late,
it will >be necessary that all
changes of regular advertisements
bo in this office not later than5 P.
M„ Thursdays, to Insore publica
tion iu the Sat unlay Issue.. Other
wise the change cannot be madf
nntil the next Issue..... .i .
NOTICE
Anyone receiving news of friends
or others returning to Nome at
any time, the Nugget would appre
ciate an opportunity of making
.oca! mention of same
MIXING CASK IS SETTLED
OCT OF COI'RT
0 , » , ^ V
The long drawn litigation in the
Kipg county superior court of New
York-Alaska Gold Dredging Cor
poration against the Keewalik Min
ing Co. and E. J. Mathews, of Seat
tle, involving the liabilities of the
parties, arisng out of a lease of
placer mining properties on Candle
Creek, Alaska, has been settled
out of court.
j The New York-Alaska Co. sued
for $18,000, value of mining sup
ples and equipment delivered the
Keewalik Mining Co. and, in addi
ton.-^sued the Keewalik Mining Co,
for over $65,000, damages claimed
to have been sustained by reason
of alleged misrepresentations; and
the Keewalik Co. counter-claimed
for $29,000.
A stipulation by the parties, filed
in court on November 28th, dismiss
'ng the suit, provides that the New
Yonk-Alaska Co. retracts its charg
es of misrepresentation and further
pays the Keewalik Co. $2,500 in
\ r ' -i* •
cash, turns over to the latter cofli
pariy’, frd© of costs, all of the New
York-Alaska supplies and equip
ment and takes nothing itself; and
that the parties execute and ex
change mutual releases.
NOTICE
Tlie Nugget wishes to publish
every item of local news that can
be obtained. There are many hap
penings and minor incidents of
personal interest in Nome and the
surrounding district which the
paper would like to know nbon
and print in this column. Send
them ti3 hy telephone, by mail, or
drop in ut the Nllgg't office. It
' 'll ht- appreciated, f
Large size envelopes, big en
ough to mall the Nome Weekly
Nugget and send via first class
airplane mall, can now be had u
the Nngget offlee.
' o
ADVKitTISKKS— Copy tor ada
in the weekly Nugget must be in
»nia offlee not later than Thursday
_±_iis-:
Increased Gold Mining Activity In
Nome Section Assured in Spring
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