AN ALL
ALASKA
NEWSPAPER
-■ *
HYDER WEEKLY
DEVOTED TO THE DF.VELO PMENT OF ALASKA AND THE PORTLAND CANAL MINING DISTRICT.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
$5.00 PER YEAR
IN ADVANCE
VOL 4, NO. 8
HYDER, ALASKA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15,1927
FIFTY CENTS A MONTH
SAYS BIG MISSOURI
EXPECTED TO BE
PRODUCING SOON
That the Big Missouri proper
ty is expected to reach the ore
producing stage soon and will
be on a dividend basis within
the time usually required for
such a large undertaking, is
the outstanding declaration oi
a letter to stockholders issued
by the Big Missouri Mining Co.
on October 1. An additional in
teresting feature of the com
munication is an urge to stock
holders to hold on to their Big
Missouri stock and “eventually
realize a handsome return on
their investment.’
Following is the full text ol
the letter.
To the stockholders of the Big
Missouri Mining Company:
“The Big Missouri Mining^
Company recently consummat
ed a deal with the Buena Vista
Mining Company-a subsidiarj
of the Consolidated Mining &
Smelting Company of Trail, B.
C., whereby the Big Missouri
Mining Company has turned
over the management of the
property to the Buena Vista
Mining Company, in consider
ation of the latter company do
ing an extensive amount of de
velopment work on the Big
Missouri ground. This develop
ment work is -already undei
way, and a large force of mer
are at work in addition, widen
ing the road from the Premiei
wagon road to the Big Missou
ri property.
The Big Missouri group ot
claims consists of 780 acres,
a large portion of which is
highly mineralized. Up to tht
present time the development
work has been directed large
ly toward opening up the high
er grade ore on three of thf
claims, the E Pluribus, Laura,
and Buena Vista. The result*
in this area have been very sat
isfactory.
Work is also to begin on the
Province Claim, where there it
a large ore body on which at
yet little development has been
done. The possibilities are that
there will be opened on this
claim a large tonnage of ore
that can be mined very cheap
ly and profitably.
The Buena Vista Mining
Company, as stated above, con-,
templates an extensive cam
paign of development work
covering the whole property,
concentrating particularly on
those areas where commercial
ore bodies have already been
established. When the ore on
the Province claim has been
opened so that it may be mined
that together with the tonnag
es now exposed, and which
will be opened by the other de
velopment now in progress,
will enable the management
to determine the size of the
mill that will be required to
handle the ore from the Big
Missouri property. In view of
the known ore bodies, and the
encouraging development now
being carried forward with fi
nancial assurance that it will
be completed in the least pos
sible time, it is only reasonable
to expect that the Big Missouri
will soon reach the ore produc
ing stage, and within the time
usually required for such a
NEW DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM FOR THE
RIVERSIDE MINE
Temporary suspension of mill
ing operations at the Riverside
mine and the resumption of
large scale development oper
ations along the lines inaugu
rated so successfully last year,
was announced this week by E.
S. Hall, president of the River
side Mining & Milling Co.
The difficulty of obtaining suf
ficient ore from the rather nar
row veins to keep the 60-ton
mill operating at capacity was
said by Mr Hall to be the pri
mary reason for suspending
milling activities. There is suf
ficient ore in sight to operate
she mill on a part time basis,
Mr. Hall said, but more devel
opment work must be done be
jjt'ore extraction can be main
lined on a scale equal to the
opment has eopeneddingyfinai
milling capacity. An ore body
carrying values in excess of
j>30 per ton was opened recent
ly on the upper level and the
nig shoot of scheelite encount
nred last spring on the main
level has been traced to the up
per level. While these discov
?ries are important in themsel
/es, an increase of ore product
on remains the dominat need.
Mr. Hall emphasized the fact
.hat only a small part of the
known ore deposits have been
explored up to the present,
This includes the big vein run
ling through the property near
she upper boudary. A large
amount of surface work done
on this vein last fall indicated
hat it is possibly the most im
nortant on the property and
will provide a very large ton
nage if it continues down to the
main level or farther. This as
well as other important sliow
ngs which have not been ex
nlored at depth will be subject
id to investigation under the
ieM(j, development program,
which will continue through
nut the winter season.
Having demonstrated conclu
sively and with much benefit
so the local mining industry,
hat the complex Riverside ore
san be mined profitably, Mr.
Hall says he is satisfied that
he work to be done this win
sre will place the property on
i much improved operating
nasis by spring. To carry on
he proposed development pro
gram, which will involve a
large expenditure, the comp
any capitalization will be in
n-eased from $250,000, to
$500,000.
large undertaking, will be on a
dividend paying basis.
There is now quite a demand
for the Big Missouri Mining
Company shares in the north
western markets, but as we
have good reason to believe
the stock will be worth much
more than is now being offered
for it, we advise all present
stockholders to hold on to
their Big Missouri shares and
eventuallly realize a handsome
return on their investment.”
Big Missouri Mining Company,!
By J. T. Gregory, President. !
OUTLAND BAR IS
SHOWING UP FINE
Work done on the Outland
Silver Bar during the present
reason has yielded most en
couraging results and the out
look for the property becom
ing a producer is now better
than ever, according to S. C.
Hibbard, prominent Seattle
business man a-nd associate of
F.C. Outland in developing
that prominent and highly re
garded property.
Mr. Hibbard spent the past
month on the Silver Bar and
stated before leaving for the
south this 'week that the big
vein found on the property by
Mr. Outland last year has
stood up splendidly under this
season’s development operat
ions and promises to provide a
big ore resource. Two new
and very promising veins were
also located this summer.
“We are not ready to talk of
a mill just yet, ”Mr. Hibbard
said, “but the work done this
summer is showing up a fine
tonnage of ore and we are well
pleased with the outlook.”
“The outlook for the district
as a whole is also very bright,”
Mr. Hibbard continued. “The
entrance of the Consolidated
Mining and Smelting Company
into the local field is a matter
of very great importance and
should do a great deal to send
the district ahead.”
-r, —-..
FIRE DAMAGES
THOMAS RESIDENCE
Fire caused by an overheated
3tove came dangerously close
to destroying the residence of
Mr. and Mrs Hubert Thomas,
east of Pioneer Hall, shortly
before noon today. Thanks to
.the speedy arrival of volunteer
firemen with hand extinguish
ers, the flames were confined
to the main living room, where
the fire was first discovered
by Mrs Thomas, and the build
ing was spared more .than nom
inal damage. The bulk of the
furnishings of the living room
were also saved. The damage
is estimated at about $200. The
building is owned jointly by
Arthur Moa and John Hov
land.
The fire was the first to occur
in Hyder in which the prem
ises were insured. The damage
sustained is fully covered by a
policy of the Allied insurance
companies for which Mrs. Hill
is the local agent.
-o
Wellington Beaton, presidet
of the Hyder Lead Mines, Inc.,
arrived from the south Sunday
to look after the affairs of that
company and also the Georgia
River Mining Co., of which he I
is also the guiding spirit.
Mr. Beaton returned recently :
from an extended visit in Eng
land and reports that the Port-,
land Canal district is attracting
marked interest there.
-o
..The Motion Picture show at
Pioneer Hall will start hereaf
ter at 8:30 p.m Sunday even
ings.
F.R. Nagel, prop.
PATENT SURVEYS
ARE INCREASING
A marked increase of interest
in the patenting of mineral
lands in this district is indicat
ed by the official survey work
performed during the past two
summers by U. S. Mineral Sur
veyor Frank A. Metcalf.
The work done last year em
braced quite a large number of
properties, including the big
Cantu group of 21 claims, in
addition to quite a number of
smaller groups and single
claims. This year his surveys
included several of the largest
tracts of mining ground in the
district; among them being the
big Texas creek holdings of the
Hyder Lead Mines, the upper
and lower groups of the Alas
ka Premier company, several
properties included in the ex
tensive Fish creek holdings of
the Mountainview Gold Mining
Co. and several smaller prop
erties.
Mr. Metcalf also performed
considerable preliminary work
on surveys to be made next
year.
..GEORGIA RIVER LAYS
OFF FOR WINTER
Operations on the Georgia
river properties of the Georgia
River Mining Company have
been suspended for the season.
Bert Skarne, who has been in
charge of activities, came up
to town this week and will
leave for the south in a few
days.
-o
The recent discovery of silver
bearing ore on a tributary of
the Hootlanika river, 60 miles
above its junction with the Yu
kon, is believed to indicate
a possibility that the rich sil
ver zone of the Yukon Terri
tory, which has been traced
from the Mayo district to the
Yukon river below Dawson,
may also extend in the oppo
site direction. The extent of
the new find has not yet beem
determined, but the outlook is
said to be sufficiently good to
have induced two oldtimers to
undertake some real develop
ment work which may show up
something worth while by the
end of another year.
.. .O
John Kohl, R. J. Mirinick and
son,Emory Tobin and MR Tob
in, his father and Charles Hat
trick composed a party of
prominent Ketchikan people
who visited the Mountainview
Gold Mining Company proper
ty during the week.
Practically everyone in the
party is interested in the Moun
tainview company.
-o
The work of drilling for oil on
the M.J. Sullivan ground at
Yakataga is reported progress
ing steadily. The drill is now
down over 1800 feet. It is said
that drilling will be continued
to a depth of 2000 feet, by
which time operations will be
rendered too difficult bv win
ter conditions to be continued.
I Indications for striking oil are
I considered favorable.
EDITOR-MINER SAYS
CAMP WILL BE BIG
Chas. R. Settlemier, former
editor of the Dawson News and
at present one of the success
ful mining operators of the
Mayo district, teft Monday en
route to the States, where he
plans to take a long deferred
squint at the bright lights and
also do some business in con
nection with his mining activ
ties before returning North.
After looking over the dis
trict and visiting the Premier,
B. C. Silver, Dunwell and other
local properties, Mr Settlemier
expressed the conviction that
Portland Canal District will
ultimately become one of the
greatest mineral producing re
gions on the American conti
nent.
“The absence of an adequate
road system and the resultant
heavy transportation cost ap
pears to be the greatest draw
back to local development ,”he
said. “I understand, however,
that this unfortunate condition
! is being improved steadily and
I will be overcome in time.
When it is the district appears
certain to become a great pro
ducer.”
u
FISH CREEK TRAIL
IN FINE SHAPE
Another excellent example of
the fine road and trail work
done here this summer by the
Forest Service and Bureau of
Public Roads is provided by
the Fisih Creek trail, which is
said by miners and prospect
ors of that section to be in
splendid shape as a result of
work done during the season
Approximtely 21/* miles of
construction and repair work
was completed during the sum
mer by a crew composed of
Pat. Carey and several others j
whose names could not be de- j
termined. The major part of
the work was carried on be
tween the Salmon ' river high
way and Mountainview and
included considerable cordu
roying and repairing, in ad
dition to the construction of a
new bridge and the removal of
considerable slide debris which
has bothered traffic for sev
eral years. The work was per
formed in a most thorough
manner and will be of great
benefit to traffic in that sect-1
ion.
-O
An old hand made map of i
Alaska, made in 1867 by J. F.'
Lewis, who at the time was
with a party stationed at Port
Clarence, in Bering Sea, in
vestigating conditions for the
proposed telegraph line from
San Francisco to Europe, via
Bering Sea has been added to
the exhibits at the Territorial
Museum at Juneau. This map,
as well as three 1876 photo
graphs of St. Paul Island, St.
George Island and “Ounalas
ka,” and two paintings of sea
otter hunting ships, drawn in
1896, were brought to the mu
seum by the cutter Unalga.
-O
Deputy U.S. Marshal Donald
E. Martin was a passenger to
Ketchikan on the motorship
Highway Tuesday.
POOR SALMON CATCH
REDUCES SEPT. EXPORTS
Curtailment of salmon fish
combimjd with the lateness of
the fismng season resulted in a
marked decrease in the vol
ume of Alaska exports in Sept
ember, as compared to the
same month last year, accord
ing to figures given in the
monthly report of Collector of
Customs J. C. McBride. The
report follows:
Animals:
Blue Foxes.$ 8,020
Other Animals . 1,810
Curios . 1,370
Fish:
Fresh & Frozen
(except shell fish)
Halibut . 137,900
Salmon . 27,573
All Other. 323
Canned: (except
shellfish)
Salmon . 8,868,06/
Cured or Preserved
(except shellfish)
Cod. 107,029
Herring . 265,762
Salmon . 279,860
Shell-fish:
Clams . 14,616
Crabs. 3,537
Shrimps. 9,432
Other Fish Products:
Fertilizer. 7,320
Meal . 59,552
Oil ... 142,091
Furs and Fur Skins:
Blue Fox. 1,575
Red Fox. 1,435
White Fox .. 4,000
Mink . 1,051
Muskrat.. 5,669
All Other 27,639
Manufactured Furs. 1,050
Oil: Whale . 89,062
Ore, Matte and
regulus
Copper. 520,634
Lead. 7,832
Reindeer Meat. 12,500
Stone including
marble. 23,633
Wood, Timber and
Lumber . 7,406
* All other articles. 34,484
Total value of pro
ductsof Alaska.10.670,832
Products of United
States Returned . 352,199
Total value of for
eign products . 248,325
Total value of ship
ments of merchan
dise . 11,271,356
* Items included in
“All other articles”
Paintings . $ 1,050
Wool .,. 15,000
Hairseal skins. 145
Ivory . 1,100
Whale fertilizer. 12,718
Whale tail. 87
Whale bone . 3,428
Whale meal . 956
o
W. J. Elmendorf, mining en
gineer, returned to Ketchikan
recently from an examination
of the Kasaan gold mining
property and reports that ev
erything there is in excellent
shape. The company is mak
ing shipments of concentrates
to the Tacoma smelter with
satisfactory returns.