The Salmon River District ia
Marvelously Rich in Mineials
and Hydcr 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 Taper in Out to Publish all
the Mining News. Kc< p Your
Friends Posted by Sending them
the Paper after You Have Read
it. Boost for Ilyder all the
Time.
VOL. 1. NO. 14.
HYDER, Alt-ika, Jan. 30, 1920
FIVE DOLLARS A YEAR
Figuring on
T ransportation
Several Big; Steamship Com
panies Preparing to Han
dle the Spring Rush to
Hyder
In view of the expected influx of
newcomers here, an active interest is
just now b ing taken in the transpor
tation problem, and according to word
received from outside sources the ques
tion is worrying the outsiders more than
it is the home folks.
Governor Riggs is back in Washing
ton and interview, he gave the Seattle
papers intimate t at transportationj
facilities for this camp is one of the !
things which he will most strongly urge j
upon the government.
A Seattle report states that the Si
berian Commercial Company will place
the steamer Gedney permanently on
the run between Seattle, Ketchikan
and Hyder, making three trips a month
and starting from Seattle Feb. 1, and
that if the business demands, the com
pany will put another boat on the run.
The Alaska Steamship Co. and the
Pacific Coast Steamship Co. are
both figuring on the business and the i
latter ha3 bad a rep.esentative here,
during the past week in the person of •
Harry Wood, their contracting freight!
agent. Mr. Wood told the Miner th*t
the company is prepared to put on all j
the boats that the traffic would war
rant.
As to wharfage facilities, Mr. Wood ;
said that floating barges, in combina- |
tion with the fast launches operated j
by I.ake and Green, offer better facil- |
it es than are provided by the Stewart i
wharf, which will not accommodate i
vessels of large size and deep draft and j
on which it is not safe to unload any
great weight of freight.
Writing to the Miner from Vancou
ver Tommy Burns, ex-heavy-weight
champion of the world, manifests a
keen interest in Hyder ar.d suggests
that the officials might do worse than
appoint him chief of police.
Tommy’s heart is in the right place,
and his smiling countenance would be
like an added ray of sunshine to the!
community, but if he reads up on the
Alaskan form of government he will
find that chiefs of police are an unknown
species in the Territory, which is ruled
by a bunch of mossbacks in the cent
belt
However, if he eomes here he will be
welcome, and there will be plenty of
opportunities if be wantt to go into
business, for which he has a good head.
During the past year Tommy and
three partners have been driving along
tunnel on a quartz proposition near
Barkersvi! e, in the Cariboo country,
British Columbia.
Dan Nelson, the pioneer merchant of
Kasaan, is visiting the Sound cities for
business and pleasure. He says busi
ness in Ka-aan has improved wonder
fully of late, »nd he intends to greatly
enlarge his stock.
SUNDAY FIRE
Last Sunday noon Jack Young’s cab
in went up in smoke,' and with it a
quantity of his belongings, and also the
ouhlit of Con Beggs, who was occupy
ing the cabin during Jack’s absence in
the sonth.
Con had built a roaiing fire early in
the morning and then gone back to bed,
Next time he hit the floor the fire was
out, but the place was warm so he p ,i
on a small tire, then went oter to
Smith’s to eat turkey. The cabin was
blazing merrily before he had finished
his meal, and there was no chance to
get back and save anything.
Con tninks that the early fire he bum
probably started something smoulder
ing above the ceiling, and that it wait
ed for him to get away before break
ing into a blaze.
There was $140 in American bills in
the cabin and $26 in American silver.
Con has recovered most of the silver,
though it is sadly delapidated. He al
so lost over $150 worth of clothing, but
the loss he feels tne most is a number
of personal documents and keepsakes
which cannot be replaced.
He estimates that Jack Young lost
about $100 worth of effects in the fire.
Hyder Democrats held a meeting this
week for the purpose of selecting del
egates to the divisional convention
which meets in Juneau on the 16th of
Feoiuary to choose nominees for the
positions of national committeeman,
delegate to Congress and attorney gen
eral. Senator John Rona.i* and Dan
Davis were selected as delegates.
TE R Iti TORI A L TATTLE.
Many ptarmigan have been seen this
year in the vicinity of Cordova, the first
time in years.
Kerosene costs $12 per case after be
ing hauled over the Copper River rail
road to interior points.
David Edwards, who recently arrived
at Anchorage from Ophir with his wife
says the winter outlook at Ophir is
good.
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Baker have
gone outside after spending ten years
in the Iditarod district. They expect
to return.
E.Triin and Mike Knowles have left
McCarthy for the head of the Chitina
by dog team on a trapping and pros
pecting expedition.
Al Beet, an oldtimor, has purchased
the White House at Anchorage from
Boh White. This is the hostelry rnadt
famous by “Mother White,’’ the old
time pioneer of Anchorage, ’
The Katmai National Monument, a
reservation of approximately 1,700
square miles, surrounds the volcano
Mount Katmai, whi h “blew its head
off in 1912 and deluged the surrounding
country with ashes. For a time the
heavy fall of ashes put a stop to agri
PERSONAL AND PERTINENT.
Mrs. A.S.McFadden is back from a
trip south.
Bill Richardson has returned from a
visit in Ketchikan.
T.H. Evans of Nome paid the can\p a
short visit this week.
Mrs. Bark Stump of Eleven-mile has
returned from a visit to Kctehi an.
G.Skeiiy, who came here from Iclita
rod a short time ago, is in Ketchikan
on a visit.
J. A.Hall, the banker, is expected up
from Seattle Feb. 19. The bank prem
ises is ready for business.
There is a atrong local demand for
copies of the plaintive ditty: ‘‘Drink
To Me Only With Thine Eves.”
T.E.Crawford, a mining engineor,
was in camp this week and made a trip
to the Forty Nine. He left Thursday
for Alice Arm.
Dr. A.T.Naulteus has the disti ction
of being the first physician to lobate in
Hyder, coming here from Seattle. He
is now figuring on a hospital.
Captain Fred West came in on the
last G.T.P. boat from Seattle aud has
met a number of friends who knew him
up north. He was 20 years in Nome.
Deputy U.R.Marshall John Ronan has
received a letter from J.T.Reed, the
newly appointed commissioner, stating
that he expects to come here the latter
part of February.
Jack Lambert went to Swamp point
in his launch Friday with Ope ator
Lawrence of Stewart to send some mes
sages and receive some. Stewart has
had no telegraphic connections since
Christmas.
1 his is leap year, and no weddings in
Hyder yet.
For i he first time since 1880, there
are five Sundays in .February.
Larry Footman has sold his Forest
Reserve lot to Jack O,Connor.
T.D. Waller, the realestate man, has
' •r 'rht Bill Tooth’s Forest Reserve lot.
G.A.Sweet of the Royal Hotel, Prince
Rupert, tame in and out again on the
Provincial,
The Taku II on her last trip brought
a large consignment of goods for Oren
Hill’s new crug store.
W.E.Tanner of Prince Rupert, rep
resent, ti.e of Kelly, Douglas & Co.,
lias beer, here this week on business.
The Prince Albert met with an acci
dent on her iast trip south and is laid
up for repairs. She lost some of her
plates by going aground.
A. A.Shonbeek, a prominent merchant
of Anchorage, has spent a week here,
starting back north Thure day. He will
put in a grocery store here.
Gus Gelles, northern representative
of the National Grocery Co. of Seattle,
has been interviewing local merchants
this week. Gus Is an oldtimer and a
great favorite.
Charlie Herron, owner of the Anch
orage Times, is expected in next week.
He is a candidate for national commit
teeman and is said to stand a good
show.
The Miner lias a nfevv towel A care
less visitor knocked the other one from
its nail and broke it. Broke tne towel,
not the nail [Every paper is supposed
to spring this old gag at least once.
CASH DEALS
GO THROUGH
Two mining deals of some importance
| have gone through this week. O. II Bush
' of Vancouver having purchased the 61a
i cier group, on the Canadian side of the
line, and the Gray Dawn group, adjoin
ing the Glacier, but on the Alaska side.
The first named consists of eight
claims and fractions and is situated Just
west of the Indian Mines group. There
has been practically no work done on
the property as it was located only last
summer. The owners were William
Hedges, William Jancowski, H.S Sco
vill and Harry Reid. It is understood
I that Mr. Bush will incorporate a com
| pany to operate and that the vendors
| receive from him a cash consideration
and a certain amount of stock. There
| are a number of leads crossing the pro
perty’ and some very good lookirg sur
face i rejhas been bi ought down.
The Gray Dawn group consists of
seven claims and like the Glacier group
i3 of such recent location that little is
known of its value. However, it is
vvel: situated and Mr. Bush will with
out doubt prove next summer whethei
nis judgement in buying it was good.
The deal on the Gray Dawn was a cash
proposition. Tiie vendor is II. H, How
ard.
Mr. Bush is expected in on the next
boat.
|
The gasboat Quincy was picked up in
a vrecked condition by the Taku II
three miles off Tree Point. Ed Harp,
who had been running the Quincy, is
believed to be drowned. A thorough
search was made of the shores of Nakat
Inlet and Duke, Mary and Cat Islands
. a d no trace of him was found.
FIRST CABIN BUILT ON SITE OF RYDER
r>;;ilt in 1905 by Dan and Andy ’ indebcrg, (he kg cabin show n
above was the first sliucture of any i ii d 1 eared by mar. on
the site of what is now the Town of Kydtr.
In future years residents of the City of Hyder will do well it
they preserve this cabin as a monument to all those hardy pros
pectors who, by their faith in the Salmon I iver riistiict. j i a tl eir
perseverance in plugging away at their pros] ecus in d( fiance of
mining engineers who h>.d turned them down, eventually opened
up a vista of high grade ores that assure the existence of a pics
perous community here long after every reader of these lines has
cr ssed the Great Divide.
The picture shows theLindeborg cabin as it is today, with snow
partly concealing its rugged outlines. Inside, it is home ike and
roomy. What welcome it has given the weary prospector after a
hard hike down from the hills, cannot he told in mere words.
culture on Kodiak and the surrounding
islands, while the very fine dust hung
in the air for weeks and was noted hun
dreds of mi es away.
Fairbanks people are now burning up
the stumps in the cut-off lands for fuel,
The belief that coal would be shipped
into Fairbanks and the creeks in the
early winter cansed the wood choppers
to limit the winter supply, and now the
people are pressed for something to
burn. The railroad is completed tc
Fairbanks, but no arrangement has yet
been made for crossing the Tanana riv
er with trains.
Captain J.G.Kob rts, pioneer of the
north since 1898, for a dozen years in
charge of the White Pass docks at
Whitehorse and afterwards master of
the lake steamers Gleaner and Tutshi,
died recently at Oakland, California,
where he was spending the winter for
his heallh. He was a native of the
Island of Jersey, England, and 49 years
of age.
John Hayes of Cordova, oldtime Al
a kan miner and prospector, has re
turned to Cordova from San Francisco
where he was mustered out of the ser
vice. He was in France with the 519th
Engineers for a year, serving as a first
class sergeant. He will spend the win
ter at McCarthy'.
SITUATION AT
PREMIER MINE
R.K.Neill, general manager of the
Premier mining company, and D.L. Pitt
assistant general manager, came from
Prince Rupert on the Provincial Friday
morning, bringing with them six men,
who have gone up to the mine.
Mr. Neill, who has been away since
early in December, has little to say for
publica'ion concerning the recent diffi
culty with the mine crew except that
he believes tho men have made a mis
take in retarding the development of
the camp. The working policy of the
mine, he said, is in the hands of the fin
ancial interests who have become asso
ciated with him and his partners, but
nevertheless be has tne power and au
thority to close the mine down entirely
if he sees fit, and if the development
cannot proceed peacably he is Inclined
to do so.
In regard to the Chinese cook. Sunt.
W.G.Harris said last night that it was
not the foreman but himself who was
C33_j jn lib’.e fjr the cuik's employment
There had been a great deal of troube
with white cooks, he said, and the em
ployment of a Chinaman was the only
practical solution
Mr. Neill was asked concerning the
suit brought against him by Maurice
Bacon of S, okane for a half interest in
die mine, and his reply showed that he
is not worrying over tne matter.
At the mine the plan of development
has been changed since the waik-out,
and diamond drilling is being done in
place of the drifts originally laid out.
Mr. Neill said that the management is
prepared to hire miners as fast as room
is made for thorn, but under the new
plan it would be impossible to put the
full crew who quit back to work, even
if they should desire to go back.
Ore has been coming down the hill
and the Prince John will take out about
200 tons nest week.
Steps are being taken for the organ
ization of a Hyder Igloo of the Pioneers
of Alaska, an organization which, start
ing in Nome, has spread to practically
every town in the Territory. An initial
membership of 25 is required to perfect
an organization and this number, poss
essing the proper qualifications, can
easily be secured here and in Stewart.
o qualify for membership, the appli
cant must have been a resident of Al
aska prior to 1301. Bob Small and
Alex Fraze are taking an active inter
est in getting the Igloo started.
NEW LAUNDRY OPENED
Mr. and Mrs. Jack O’Conn r, former
ly of Fairbanks, have located here and
are conducting a laundry in Jim Mow
att’s house, across ths creek from the
Forty Nine barns. Jack has been 20
years in the north and a trip out to Se
attle last year was the first in that
time. He and Mrs. O’Connor cannot
stand the city any more and were glad
to get back north.
The Miner is $5.00 a year.