The Salmon River District ia
Marvelously Rich in Minerals
and Hyder is the Gateway in
Consequence of Which Hyder is
the Fastest Growing Town in
the North. • *
HYDER ALASKA MINER
Published at the Gateway to the Salmon River, Alaska - British Columbia, Mineral Area
This Paper is Oat to Publish all
the Mining News. Keep Your
Friends Posted by Sending them
the Paper after You Have Read
it. Boost for Hyder all the
Time.
VOL. 1. NO. 1.
HYDER, Alaska, Oct. 24, 1919
FIVE DOLLARS A YEAR
[JACK in 1910 the town of Hyder was started on the tideflats at the mouth
of the Salmon river. The pictures which appear here are old oies and are
published to give an idea of how the town looked when the building activity
started. One would not know the town from the pictures now. The optn
spac ;s are close 1 with buildings and the town has spread up the val
ey where iubstantia\ new buildings have been erected.
/ ______
DOCK FOR HYDER
PROMISED IN
SPRING
Encouraging Letter Arrives
From Governor
Riggs
One of the vital necessities of Hyder
is a wharf. At the present time every
-errtral and every pound of freight ex
cept such as comes from Ketchikan,
is loaded at the Stewart wharf on the
British Columbia side of the line, and
while there is yet do trouble over cus
toms regulations, and red tape for the
time being is forgotten still the town
is subjected to great inconvenience.
Some time ago the "Hyder citizens
sent a memo to the administration out
lining the needs of the camp in this
respect, and that steps will be taken
to relieve the situation is made certain
by the following letter from Governor
Higgs, who recently visited the district
and is thoroughly conversant with the
requirements:
Territory of Alaska, office of 'Gover
nor. Juneau.
Mr. George H. Foy,
Hyder, Alaska.
My dear sir:- I am in receipt of a
petit on signed by yourself and other
residents of the town of Hyder, where
in you advocate the earlie t possible
construction of a wharf in your town.
I have already taken this mat er up
with the Forest Service and the Alaska
Road Commission. Major Waugh, the
president of the commission, advises
me that it is quite probable that he
will let contracts for the furnishing of
the needed material this winter and
that in all probability a dock, through
some agency, will be constructed in
the spring.
I am thoroughly in accord with the
idea of having a dock constructed as
soon as possible so that the town will
benefit therefrom. Very truly yours,
THOMAS RIGGS, Jr.
Small and McDougal are whaling
awav in their blacksmith shop, with the
wind playing peekaboo around the stud
ding. They have the roof on alright,
but cant finish the walls until some
• lumber arrives. Meanwhile they are
not bothered with the heat, and that
helps a little.
Hugh McGuire who has heavy inter- -
ests up the Salmon, spent the past j
week in camp and left on the last boat j
for Seattle. Hugh has been in most !
pf the mining excitements of the past
25 years, and he says that for absolute i
fundamental worth, this district is j
ahead of any he has ever seen.
Edgar Harris has the finest show
L.ases in Hyder at the Popular Store. ,
_ .izjimjsam |
UNIQUE CLUB
| FORMED HERE
; One of the most unique organizations
! in history is the High Dive Club of
Hyder, which has come into spontan
eou being on account of a number of
our citizens going through the initiation
service invo untarily. The initiation
consists in taking a fiver from any
part of the streets or alleys into the
tideflats below, preferably at night
and when the tide is out.
T nis is a (post exhiliarating exper
ar.d is said by those who have tried it
to beat the initiation into the K.P., I.
O.O.F., B.P.O.E., or any other old
and time worn organization.
The membership of the High Dive
duo is most democratic, no restrictions i
as to nationality be ng imposed, and
even the members of the fair and
deadlier sex may join. In fact one
has already qualified, and will undoubt
edly be elected corresponding secre
tary at the next meeting.
Light System Delayed.
It was hoped that before this Hyder
would be sporting electric lights, and
that the i.ocrea e in membership in the
High Dive Club would thereby be ma
| teriaUy reduced, but there has been a
I hitch in the prog am through the dy
j namo being found faulty, necessitating
jits being sent out to Ketchikan for
! repairs.
j Messrs. McDonnell, Jamieson and
| Reid of the A'askan Hotel are putting
in a plant at the rear of the hotel, in a
I building which has been especially
built for the heavy machinery'. It will
be a steafn plant, with a dynamo of
; sufficient size to light not only the big
hotel but at least a half dozen other
busines houses as well, and will ma
, teiialiy cut down the light bills as well
j as eor.sideriaily lessen the fire risk.
Nice Ore from Motherlode.
Some of the best ore seen recently
from the Salmon River section was
brought down last -week from tiie
Motherlode group, which was located
; during the summer by A. W. Balzimer
and Patrick McBride. The group is!
: sRuated about two miles from the Big
| Missouri cabin over the glacier and
comprises six claims. A shipment of
fifty pounds of the ore is being sent to j
parties interested in Vancouver. The !
I rincipal value in the ore is silver, but
there is some gold and considerable1
had. Three veins have been found on '
the property, two of them of high1
grade. An as ay as high as $148 a ton j
lias been obtained. Although the prop-!
erty is situated over the glacier, trans
portation presents no problems, it is I
stated, for the glacier is dead and1
smooth.
Harry Tanner, superinten lent < f the
Bush Mines Etd., says that everything
at the mine is running as smoothly as
i sewing machine.
WHEN the Forest Service some time ago threw open u portion of the re
serve for location there was a rush for the choicest lots. The area is now a
I art of Hyder and is building up.
PERSONAL AND PERTINENT.
* V
Dan McNiel of the Lake View crew
was in town Tuesday.
M. D. Iekis has gone to Ketchikan
for the winter.
John Gillespie, formerly of Anchor
age, has come to join his old pals in
Hyder.
S. G. Benson, who has a number of
properties up Salmon river, has gone
out to his home in Victoria to winter.
A scowload of lumber for Prebe and
Campbell arrived from Prince Rupert
yesterday after being 51 hours enroute.
Folks are wondering when Lake and
Green sleep. They have the Silver
Heels running day and night,
j Fat Daly, one of the heavy property
owners of the catnp, is in town resting
up. He has put in a strenuous summer.
Warning to crows—Better look out
old sports. It doesn’t take much of an
imagination to turn crow into chicken.
The Hyder Alaska Miner is only five
dollars for the whole year, and is the
best Christmas present you can send to
the folks sutside.
P. Murphy who used to run a res
taurant in Anchorage, came in on the
Taku and Is giving the town the once
over with a view to locating here.
Sam Estes of Girtwood who has been
in the employ of the Engineering Com
mission for the past four years, has
struck town and will probably locate
here.
The steamer Taku, Captain Wiliiams,
was in Tuesday morning with seven
passengers, some of whom say that the
trip was rough, though the cap. laughs
about it.
The ghost walked for the road crew
last Monday, whereat there was much
scjoicing. G. A. Young of Anyox, dis
trict road suderintendent, came over i
and attended to the details.
Geo. W. Nelson of Seattle, who in- j
tends going into busiijgss here, has gone I
back to the Sound city for a month dr {
so. Mr. Nelson is well known in a
numder of live Alaska camps.
Some butiness men of Juneau who, '
it is reported, have s ifficient capital to
carry out anything they undertake, j
have had a scout here looking for a
location for a mcving picture house.
Although the season is late there is
a surprising amount of travel. Every
boat continues to bring men who come
to size things up. All agree that a
rush may be expected to start early
in the spring. 1
Bob Jamieson has had the Hdtel Hy- !
der re-painted and it now shines like j
thg Emereld Isle. Bill Fraser did the j
fancy touches with the brush. Bill is J
handy with either paint pot or single i
jack.
The forty Nine office has been con- j
nected up with the mine by telephone.
Superintendent Harry Howson is a
swift musher, and has been keeping
the trail hot, but he says that talking !
by wire is even swifter.
Arthur Noble, Canadian customs offi
i cer on the Salmon, hikes down for the
mail once a week. He will have his
, office at the Premier mine this winter
for grub and companionship.
Jack Adkins, formerly of Anchorage,
spent last week in Hyder, and then
went out to Seattle for the winter. He
has the piled lot alongside the Salmon
Kiver Trading Co.’s store, and expects
to build next spring.
Dalby B. Morkill, provincial land
surveyor for B. C., has been about the
busiest man in the district all summer.
He has about finished his field work for
the season and will be going out to
Vancouver next week.
Nelson and Heath are putting the
finishing toucnes on their new store, a
building which would be a credit to any
community. Jack Heaih did all the
work on the building, and beside being
a trained merchant he can r.ow qualify
as an A 1 carpenter.
Wm. Fillier, foreman of the Lake
View mine on Bear liver, was a visitor
in Hyder Tuesday. It is expected that
the Lake View will be developed all
winter and a substantia) camp is being
put up. This wil. soon be completed
and the crew released for underground
work.
Adolph Anders, who located some j
claims up Salmon rivar four or five !
yea s ago, is back in camp, having
arrived on the Teku Tuesnay. He let
his claims run out and is sorry for it.
Now he intends to stay with the dis
trict and try to rectify” his former mis
take.
Wm. Newell has taken a wallop at
old Hi Costa Livin. He hau’ed in a
bunch o. big logs on high tide and
bucked them up into firewood. Only
trouble is, Bill is apt to be swamped
this .winter with shivering visitors who i
tave not beeo so provident, i
JJYDER is witessing a substantial growth and at a surprising rate. Lum
ber shipments have been sold as soon as they arrived. The cry is for lum
ber and more Jumber. It is estimated that were lumber available Hvder
would be twice the size now. Additional business enterprises are awaiting
lumber to get started. As soon as lumber can be obtained The Miner will
build a substantial home on the Lindeborg Addition:
SPECULATING
ON ORE ROAD
Speculation is rife as to the probab
j ility of the wagon road between Hyder
an 1 Stewart being finished this season
a id predictions are freely made that
the citizens of these two towns will be
vury fortunate if they are. able to go
bi k and forth on level footing by next
Ju e. The first bridge work, connect
ing the wharf at Stewart with the
grade, is no where near completion and
there remain two bridges to build, one
of 225 feet aud the other of about 300,
thejfirst of whichjcan be worked only
at certain stages of the tide.
When completed this work will not
be of a permanent nature, as the tres
tles w 11 need constant attention and
repairs. Competent men state that it
would have been just as cheap to blast
out the road all the way, making a
solid rock foundation which, when com
pleted, would last forever.
G. A. Young of Anyox, provincial
road superintendent for the district, i
■van m Hvder the early part of the I
t.:. ar i stated that he was confident
ihe rocl* Vv>rk would be finished by the
middle of November. Of the trestle
work however, he was doubtful, and
he said he would request the engineer
in charge to allow him to cut out the
j upper bridge and blast a road around.
It is here the most trouble would be
found driving piles, as the road runs
beside the cliff, and the piles nearest
the shore take a side slip when they
hit the rock. At the lower bridge it
will be a matter of straight pile driv
! >nK. and once the driver is in place the
work is expected to proceed without a
hitch.
Meanwhile it is a race between the
road crew and the snow, and it may be
' said for the crew that they are doing
heir utmost to w n out. Some of the
best rock men in the north are engaged
in the work, and the way they are
tearing the cliffs down makes all the
windows in Hyder rattle, and the
whole of the upper canal reverberate ;
, as though all the gods of mythology i
were battling, with thunder bolts as i
: their weapons, and the glacier-clad
mountain tops as their battle field.
Joe Austin, manager of the LeRoi j
mine in the Willow Creek district, has i
gone out to the States on busines-.
Harry Ellsworth, mining engineer
and assayer of Seward, has been exam
ining properties in the Willow Creek
district.
E. R. Davidson, who hss been work
ing for the Mohawk Mining Co. of Wil
low Creek, has gone to the States to
winter.
C. C. Tousley of Anchorage will,
spend the winter at his old home in !
Boise, Idaho. Mr. Tousley wai connec
ted wi;h the S..R. Capps survey party
in the Kantishna district last summer.
Prospectors are drifting in from the
hills, every one full of optimism and
spring water.
CLOTHIER FINISHES
INSPECTION
HERE
Says Camps of Salmon River
Section are Best
He Ever Saw
Geo. A. Clothier, examining engineer
for the B. C. Bureau of Mines for Di
vision No. 1, has finished with his sea
son’s work in the Portland Canal dis
trict and went out to Prince Rupert
yesterday. He has still to examine the
Surf Inlet mine on Princess Royal Is
land as well as a number of coast and
Queen Caarlotte Inland properties. He
says that all the working mines up the
Salmon have exceptionally fine camps,
everything possible having been done
for the comfort and convenience of the
men.
Mr. CJothier spent a month in the
district this time, and checked up de
veiopmeni on all the working proper
ties of the Salmon, Bear and Kamo
rivers. Speaking of transportation he
stated that he considered the Marmot
river camp about the mo^t accessible
i in the district. Some portions of the
roads in all districts are dangerous at
certain times of the year, but the Mar
mot wi 1 be no worse than any of the
others.
Spider Changes Hands.
The Spider group, which a few weeks
ago produced some sensationally rich
silver ore from a narrow vein, has been
sold to interests represented by W. A.
Melloche, of New York. The Spider
was bonded last fall to R. VV. Wood
and E. J. Trites, of Fernie, the bond
being turned over by R. W. Martin, of
Seattle. When Mr. Trites was here re
cently he threw up the bond for some
reason or other after about $10,000
worth of the highgrade had been taken
out.
The owners, Hamilton and Carlson,
were made several tentative offers, and
finally made a deal with Mr. Melloche.
The consideration has not been made
public, but it is reported the amount
was $50,000, whereas the bond which
Woods and Trites had was for $30,000.
ACCOMMODATING COURT
A. A. Fraser, proprietor of the
Junction store, has received a letter
stating that Leo Margoles, who runs
the Northern Pool Hall at Seward was
taken from the Alaska at Valdez be
cause he had some liquid disturbance in
his suitcase. The authorities convened
a midnight court and fined Leo $5U)
and costs, which he paid and went on
his way with tue prospects of a very
dry trip south. His correspondent also
says that Ralph Reed of Anchorage
has succeeded Ike Evans, formerly
marshall of Seward who was shot by
Dempsey.